Weight of early poetry felt through the ages

By Zhao Xu | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2025-06-09 07:32
Share
Share - WeChat
Tan Zuowen, who teaches ancient Chinese literature at Beijing's Capital Normal University, presides over his poetry class with younger students. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The 160 poems in Guo Feng (The Airs of the States), the first and largest section of the book, were traditionally regarded as folk song lyrics. However, their literary sophistication suggests they were at least partly composed by educated members of society, who drew on everyday scenes and narratives to express personal reflections and political sentiments," Tan says. "The rhetorical techniques employed in this process, most notably the use of metaphor, analogy, and evocative imagery such as natural landscapes, were later woven into the fabric of the Chinese poetic tradition."

One example features the image of a "fat rat" as a symbol of greedy exploiters, offering a sharp critique of social injustice. In another, the lines "The reeds and rushes grow lush and green, the white dew turns to frost" open a poem with a misty, ethereal atmosphere, setting the tone for a poignant expression of longing.

"Longing for what? Many modern readers interpret it as yearning for the beloved," Tan says, referring to the term yi ren, meaning "that person".

"What they often overlook is that, to the poem's contemporaries, it did not signify a romantic lover, but a junzi, a noble gentleman who embodies the moral ideals. It is from this that its political connotation arises."

One such figure was Qu Yuan (c.340-278 BC), a poet and aristocrat for whom the Shi Jing had almost certainly served as a foundational text. Remembered as a tragic patriot, Qu Yuan took his own life in despair, drowning himself 55 years before the fall of his homeland, the State of Chu. His poems, marked by their distinctive rhythm and political overtone, overflow with vivid imagination and a deep, brooding sense of escapism.

Through his work, now known collectively as Chu Ci (The Songs of Chu), Qu Yuan established new traditions in Chinese poetry, notably the articulation of profound political disillusionment and the use of nature-bound escapism as a form of emotional refuge. While others contributed to the Chu Ci tradition, the majority of surviving works in this genre are attributed to Qu Yuan himself.

Banished to remote and desolate regions, he transformed long-distance travel into a metaphor for exile: both imposed and self-chosen. Over the two millennia following his death, countless poets, especially scholar-officials, echoed this theme. Their travel poems, rich with allusions to political marginalization, gave rise to a uniquely enduring motif in the history of Chinese literature.

"From the Book of Songs to The Songs of Chu, a crucial transition occurred from the collective expression of emotion to a more individualistic one," Tan says. "This shift brought Chinese poetry closer to what poetry ultimately aspires to be: a vehicle for conveying inner experience."

He notes that, as a Confucian classic, Shi Jing inevitably carried a public and communal character.

Occasionally, that inner experience is not meant to be shared, at least not publicly. This, Tan explains, gives rise to a fifth function of poetry, beyond the four outlined by Confucius. "Poetry can conceal, or more precisely, it allows one to conceal oneself, to become a spiritual hermit within the lines, seeking refuge in verse just as a recluse finds sanctuary in nature."

Related Stories

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 午夜无码A级毛片免费视频| 国内精品伊人久久久久网站| 亚洲人成网国产最新在线| 精品无人区麻豆乱码1区2区| 国产精品久久毛片| 午夜啪啪福利视频| 69av在线播放| 夫妇交换俱乐部微信群| 亚洲欧美专区精品久久| 国产香蕉在线精彩视频| 天天爽天天干天天操| 久久久午夜精品理论片| 欧美日韩一区二区三区麻豆| 国产午夜精品理论片| 97久久综合精品久久久综合| 成全动漫视频在线观看免费播放 | youjizz亚洲| 妞干网在线播放| 久久人人爽人人爽人人av东京热 | 两只大乳奶充满奶汁| 爱情岛论坛免费视频| 国产三级在线观看视频| 色狠狠一区二区三区香蕉蜜桃| 好色先生tv网站| 久久久久777777人人人视频| 欧美三级在线免费观看| 亚洲色大成网站WWW尤物| 亚洲国产成人精品激情| 天堂资源在线中文| 久久综合久久精品| 粉色视频免费试看| 国产精品免费久久久久影院 | 色欧美片视频在线观看| 大地资源在线资源官网| 久久综合网欧美色妞网| 武则天一边上朝一边做h| 国产成人免费ā片在线观看| 91精品国产免费久久国语麻豆| 性满足久久久久久久久| 久久久久亚洲精品中文字幕| 欧美一级在线免费观看|