A Comprehensive History of Chinese Rhetoric (Pre-Qin, Han, Wei-Jin)

Author: Chen Guanglei, Wang Junheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-02-01
Features: The multi-volume Comprehensive History of Chinese Rhetoric, edited by the renowned rhetoric scholars Zheng Ziyu and Zong Tinghu, has recently been completed by Jilin Education Press. The book is divided into five volumes: "Pre-Qin, Han, Wei-Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties," "Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Jin, Yuan," "Ming and Qing," "Modern and Contemporary," and "Contemporary." The entire work spans over 2.12 million words, making it a monumental and extensive masterpiece in the field of Chinese rhetoric history. This grand work summarizes and reviews the vast body of Chinese rhetorical theories, analyzing and depicting the historical trajectory of the development of Chinese rhetoric from ancient to modern times. Its publication holds significant importance for the advancement of Chinese rhetoric and is truly cause for celebration. Upon reading the entire book, I believe it possesses the following notable characteristics:
1. Rich and Comprehensive Historical Materials. The book covers a broad scope with rich and detailed historical materials. From the Pre-Qin and Han periods to the modern and contemporary era, it involves over 400 ancient and modern scholars who discussed rhetoric, and it critiques more than 250 ancient and modern rhetorical works. Many previously unknown materials have been unearthed and introduced, greatly expanding the field of this historical study.
2. Comprehensive and Detailed Analysis. In terms of compilation, the ancient and modern sections focus on rhetorical studies of various literary forms such as essays and poems, introducing them by scholars and works as subheadings. The modern and contemporary sections, however, organize the content by the various aspects of rhetoric as main headings and scholars' works as subheadings for critique. The book adheres to the principle of unifying viewpoints with materials, combining macro and micro perspectives to highlight key points while maintaining a balanced approach. Some volumes also provide a comprehensive and multi-angle analysis of rhetorical studies during that period as needed.
3. Insightful and Original Critiques. The "Introduction" sections of each volume offer insightful analyses of the main characteristics of rhetorical studies during that historical period and their significance in the history of rhetoric. The book's summary of modern rhetorical research methods and its analysis of contemporary rhetorical trends are also highly original. The division of periods in the history of modern, contemporary, and modern rhetoric is equally innovative. Given these points, we consider this "Comprehensive History" to be a masterpiece in the current field of Chinese rhetoric history.
The book is divided into three parts:
- Part One: Rhetorical Thought in Pre-Qin Period, including chapters on exploring the rhetorical awareness of ancient people, Confucian rhetoric, Mohist rhetoric, Daoist rhetoric, Legalist rhetoric, Names and Dialectics rhetoric, Diplomacy rhetoric, and rhetorical thought in Pre-Qin classics.
- Part Two: Rhetorical Thought in the Han Dynasty, including chapters on the rhetorical thought of Western Han and Eastern Han.
- Part Three: Rhetorical Thought in Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, including chapters on the rhetorical thought of Wei-Jin, the rhetorical thought of Northern and Southern Dynasties, the rhetorical thought in Buddhist scripture translation and metaphysical studies, and the rhetorical thought in Liu Xie's The Art of Rhetoric.