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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
The Literati Purport Of Jiazhuan And Theoretical Reflection On Its Ideas Of "Using Literature As Play", Xiaoju Huang, Weiguo Zhao
The Literati Purport Of Jiazhuan And Theoretical Reflection On Its Ideas Of "Using Literature As Play", Xiaoju Huang, Weiguo Zhao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
A relatively independent type of ancient Chinese prose, jiazhuan was biographies written anthropomorphically for objects. Han Yu's Biography of Mao Ying written in the Tang dynasty marked the beginning of jiazhuan, followed by numerous parodies in the Song and Ming dynasties. Such prose, written by the literati at leisure for entertainment, embodied their refined aesthetic taste. This article argues that jiazhuan was an expression in the form of games, which displayed writers' talent. Thus perceived, just like "writing is for conveying truth", "using literature as play" became an important and necessary literary stance for the literati to divert themselves from …
"Qin Virtue" And "Wenxin": Innovation Of Ji Kang's "Qin Fu" Based On Tradition And Its Impact, Zhanyun Song
"Qin Virtue" And "Wenxin": Innovation Of Ji Kang's "Qin Fu" Based On Tradition And Its Impact, Zhanyun Song
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Based on the classic vocabulary of music fu's creative mode in the Han dynasty, Ji Kang's "Qin Fu" integrated the parallel prose and the argumentation into the work of the fu. Ji Kang gave yaqin metaphysical description, thus bringing the qin culture a richer content. He proposed a qin ethics of "peace virtue", which was an innovation based on the music theory tradition of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. Ji Kang's "Qin Fu" reversed the trend of sadness beauty in the Han dynasty, and reinstated the idea of harmony from traditional Confucian music theory; it dispensed with the Confucian qin …
A Query About The "Peasant Uprising" And "Driven To Join The Liangshan Rebels" Hypotheses: An Analysis Of The Identities And Occupations Of The Heroes And Their Uprising Causes In Water Margin, Zhaoming Liu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
In the thematic and narrative study of Water Margin, the "Peasant Uprising" and "Driven to Join the Liangshan Rebels" hypotheses, though frequently questioned, still hold unshakable position among works on Chinese Literary History, popular readings and even Chinese language textbooks for high school. In fact, statistics suggest that instead of all the 108 heroes in the story, only 11 were peasants from the angle of big agriculture, and only 9 were compelled to join the Liangshan Rebels. This thesis proposes three interpretations underlying such long-lasting misunderstanding: 1) "Peasant Uprising" and "Driven to Join the Liangshan Rebels" hypotheses greatly overlap with …
A Review Of Yan'S, Bao's And The Xies' Poetry And Fang Hui's Poetics Of The Six Dynasties, Houjun Zhao
A Review Of Yan'S, Bao's And The Xies' Poetry And Fang Hui's Poetics Of The Six Dynasties, Houjun Zhao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
A Review of Yan's, Bao's and the Xies' Poetry was written in Fang Hui's old age, which contains his views on the literature of the Six Dynasties. In his review, Fang Hui adopted the Jian'an Style and Jian'an Flavor as the criteria. Jian'an poetry excelled in the poetic style featuring the classic style of qiyun (aura) and wild abandon with strong and vigorous emotions, which were derived from the conviction that verses written in simple style are better than parallel sentences. Besides, writers preferred expressing emotions than depicting scenery. In these aspects, Yan's, Bao's and the Xies' poetry were not …
A Study Of Remarks On Prose In The Ming Dynasty And The Construction Of Prose Theory From The Viewpoint Of The Modern Times, Zongjie Gong
A Study Of Remarks On Prose In The Ming Dynasty And The Construction Of Prose Theory From The Viewpoint Of The Modern Times, Zongjie Gong
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Remarks on prose provide significant resources for the prose theory of ancient China. In recent years, with the publication of Chinese scholar Wang Shuizhao's Remarks on Prose through the Ages and the progress in the construction of ancient prose theory, the collation and study of remarks on prose of each dynasty has attracted greater attention. As for the works of the Ming dynasty, the study of which is still in a primary stage presently, the re-evaluation of their historical status and theoretical contributions, along with literature survey, is the premise for its further development. Based on this, and from a …
Criticism, Rebellion And Adaptation: Multi-Dimensional Construction Of Discourse Of Remarks And Interpretation On Amorous Poems, Xiao Xiong
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The formation of the concept "amorous poem" related to the semantic meaning of the character "yan" (glamorous) , and both of them were constructed as typical negative images due to their implicit "dangerous factors" in the cultural context of the past. These critical discourses thus set the tone of remarks on amorous poems, and the connotation of amorous poems thence showed a clearly ideological implication. But two new types of discourse in the remarks on amorous poems emerged in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. One emphasized the independent significance and value by the theory of "emotion-rootedness", and constituted a discourse …
Exploring The Lives Of Song Dynasty Women Through Hong Mai's Yijianzhi, Egan Ronald
Exploring The Lives Of Song Dynasty Women Through Hong Mai's Yijianzhi, Egan Ronald
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Yijianzhi is a collection of anecdotes and tales compiled by the Song dynasty literatus Hong Mai. Most of the stories it contains were transmitted orally to Hong Mai by people he knew. Consequently, Hong Mai believed the stories to be reliable accounts of events that had actually happened. This article follows the methods of the British Sinologist Glen Dudbridge in viewing such stories as belonging to medieval China's "vernacular culture." Many of Yijianzhi's stories feature one or another type of women as their protagonist, and so the collection is a valuable source for the study of women of that period. …
From Poetry To Ci: The Misunderstanding Of Genre And Responses To "Jiangnan Spring" In The Ming And Qing Dynasties, Zhibo Tang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Ni Zan, a famous poet living in late Yuan dynasty, wrote two seven-character ancient verses of "Southern Song" and "Jiangnan Spring". Then the two poems were merged into "Jiangnan Spring" and given to his friends as a present. Shen Zhou and other literati in the Wuzhong area began to follow the pattern of "Jiangnan Spring" during the Hongzhi period of the Ming dynasty, treating them as two tunes. During the period of Jiajing, fifty people were involved in the responses and an anthology was complied. The earliest works of Ni Zan and the following responsive verses by Shen Zhou and …
Meanings And Relationship Among "Dao-De-Sheng-Wen" In "Yuan Dao" Of Literary Mind And The Carving Of Dragons, Kai Li, Yong Miu
Meanings And Relationship Among "Dao-De-Sheng-Wen" In "Yuan Dao" Of Literary Mind And The Carving Of Dragons, Kai Li, Yong Miu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
By perusing the text of "Yuan Dao" (tracing the origin to the Dao) with relevant theories of Chinese and Western philosophy, this article reviews different interpretations of "Dao" and their insufficiencies. It reinterprets the meanings of "Dao" and analyzes difference and connection between "Dao" in "Yuan Dao" and that in Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Another focus of this article is the reasons why Liu Xie esteems Confucius as a saint and Laozi a sage, and why he extols Confucian classics and Dao De Jing. Through the above analysis, the article expounds the meanings and relationship among "dao-de-sheng-wen" in "Yuan Dao".
The Combination Of Emotions And Things In Traditional Chinese Poetics, Guikui Li
The Combination Of Emotions And Things In Traditional Chinese Poetics, Guikui Li
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
From a series of theoretical summaries based on creative practice, such as "expressing sentiment in response to objects or things", "revealing emotions in narratives" and "integration of emotions and things", it is easy to find that traditional Chinese poetics contains a set of combination of "emotion" and "things". The idea of "emotions arising from felt things" is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese poetics. Accordingly, scholars gradually realized that there should be "things" first, then "emotions". In other words, emotions are caused by things, and narratives are the basic and necessary means of lyric expression. Based on this, Wei Tai in …
The Tradition Of "Good Writing" And The Narrative Of Ming-Qing Marvel Tales, Cui He
The Tradition Of "Good Writing" And The Narrative Of Ming-Qing Marvel Tales, Cui He
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The pursuit of "good writing" is a long and profound tradition among Chinese literati, who demonstrate their talent, knowledge and accomplishment by writing various types of literary works. Among them, the unique Ming-Qing marvel tales as a kind of ancient Chinese drama mostly represent national characters. However, as the marvel tale is a narrative art, there must be certain tension between the "good writing" tradition and the drama narrative, which is reflected in both speeches and songs. Songs, often desktop-oriented, tend to be conventionalized and detached from or even in conflict with characters. Speeches are often used for characters' opening …
The Nature Of The Incident Of The Tea Merchant Lai Wenzheng And Its Suppression By Xin Qiji, Zhaopeng Wang, Peng Xiao
The Nature Of The Incident Of The Tea Merchant Lai Wenzheng And Its Suppression By Xin Qiji, Zhaopeng Wang, Peng Xiao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
In the Southern Song dynasty, the system of "tea monopoly" made tea unprofitable, and then tea merchants took risks and caused frequent riots. These riots were not peasant uprisings, but illegal activities similar to gangsters' organized crimes. They not only fought against the government's crushing of tea smuggling, but also plundered houses and pillaged civilians. It is a misunderstanding that the academia usually refers to the armed gangs of the tea merchant Lai Wenzheng as the "tea merchant army". The "tea merchant army" was an official army that specialized in dealing with the rebellion of tea merchants. The armed gang …
The Reception Of Jiangxi Poetry School By Edo Poetry Circle: The Essence Of The Controversy Over The Tang And Song Poetry, Zhen He
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
In the past, scholars paid more attention to the comparison of poetic style and theory when dealing with the controversy of the Tang and Song poems in the poetry circle of the Edo period. However, by investigating the popular poetry notes of Edo in Japan, the publication of Chinese books, the reception of Chinese poets and the creation of Chinese poems, etc., one can find the essence of the controversy over the Tang and Song poems in the Edo poetry circle, namely, the preference for the "lyrical" Tang poetry and the rejection of Jiangxi poetry school. One can also find …
The Conflicts Between Elegance And Vulgarity: Leng Qian Prosody And The Changes Of Rites And Music In The Ming Dynasty, Shunhua Li
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Like the exterior and interior relations, the retro thoughts trend in literature shared a mutual interdependence with the retro trend on music in Confucian classicism. Song Lian initiated the literature of Ming while Leng Qian pioneered the musicology correspondingly. Song Lian and his followers' esteem for Leng Qian directly represented the retro thoughts of contemporary scholarofficials and their musicology ideas to reform the world with ancient music. In terms of literature, they canonized the harmony of music and poetry exemplified in The Book of Songs and Song Lian further denied the validity of poetry afterwards. Eventually the Hongwu ruling period …
The Disintegration And Reconstruction Of The "Value" In The Study Of The Book Of Songs In The Twentieth Century, Changhua Wang, Pengge Zhao
The Disintegration And Reconstruction Of The "Value" In The Study Of The Book Of Songs In The Twentieth Century, Changhua Wang, Pengge Zhao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Before the Revolution of 1911, the study of The Book of Songs always appeared in classicism, which means that before the end of the Qing dynasty, scholars paid attention to the issue of value in it. When Zhang Taiyan took The Book of Songs as history, he initiated a shift from classicism to history, marking the beginning of deconstructing the value of The Book of Songs. Since then, a new generation of scholars such as Hu Shi regarded The Book of Songs as a historical material, and its value as a Confucian classic was further deconstructed. The literary interpretation of …
The Proposition Of Li Yu's Reincarnation And The Development Of Ci-Poetry In Early Qing, Changqiang Chen
The Proposition Of Li Yu's Reincarnation And The Development Of Ci-Poetry In Early Qing, Changqiang Chen
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The proposition "Li Yu's Reincarnation" was put forward initially based on the analogy of reincarnation, and later acquired a clear reference. In the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the discussion of this proposition focused on Chen Zilong and Nalan Xingde. On the one hand, Chen and Nalan are similar to Li Yu in themes of romance, patriotism and style of Ci-poetry; on the other hand, there are differences in the theory of Ci-poetry. It not only reflects the canonization and acceptance of model-poets such as Li Yu, but also reflects the evolution and the orthodox order of Ling-Ci …
Records Of What He Saw And Heard Of: The Principle And Methods In The Composition Of Classical Chinese Xiaoshuo, Ning Luo
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Xiaoshuo (lit. petty discourse) in classical Chinese, the predominant genre of xiaoshuo in ancient China, is different from vernacular xiaoshuo and western novel. Its major principle and methods are accounts of what one saw or heard of rather than mere conception or fiction. This feature finds clear expression in elaborations on ancient works about bibliography, in the naming of xiaoshuo, in the preface or postscript of xiaoshuo, and in scholarly discussions of ancient China. In modern times, due to the influence of the Western conception of the novel, modern elements and strandards of writing such as fictionality, narrative and character …
Chuxiang, Annotations And Performances Of Moon Prayer Pavilion: A Case Study Of Li Zhuowu's Annotated Edition And Ling Yanxi's Engraved Edition, Shumei Ding, Ranran Zhang
Chuxiang, Annotations And Performances Of Moon Prayer Pavilion: A Case Study Of Li Zhuowu's Annotated Edition And Ling Yanxi's Engraved Edition, Shumei Ding, Ranran Zhang
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Based on Li Zhuowu's annotated edition and Ling Yanxi's engraved edition of Moon Prayer Pavilion, the article analyzes intertextuality and connection between its illustrations and dramatic narrative. Specifically, it makes an analysis from the following aspects: chuxiang (illustrations on the upper part of a page with texts below), illustration order and inscriptions on the illustrations, textual meaning expression and performance of story scenes, figure gestures and scenic tension, etc. Considering all the aspects, the article tries to illuminate how the book reconstructs artistic conception by inserting annotations instead of only displaying the plot through pictures; how it shapes the characters …
Three Academic Trends Of Versification Theories Of Regulated Verse In The Early And Middle Qing Dynasty, Yang Liu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
It is generally accepted that the current versification standard of regulated verse established in the Tang dynasty remains unchanged over one thousand years. However, until the early and middle Qing dynasty, there were actually at least three different academic trends of versification theories of regulated verse. This article concentrates on three representative publications, Four Studies of Regulated Verse by Li Zongwen, The Definite Form of Regulated Verse by Wang Shizhen, and The Sound Manual of Poetry by Yun Zonghe, in order to demonstrate the diversity of the versification theories in the early and middle Qing dynasty. The versification standard of …
Xing In Mei Shi: A Theory On Genetic Poetics, Xiaoming Liu, Xiangrong Sun
Xing In Mei Shi: A Theory On Genetic Poetics, Xiaoming Liu, Xiangrong Sun
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Different from general arguments mainly concerning the expression of Poetics in Shi Jing. This article is mainly concerned with "Xing Yi" (Affective Image's inner motif) of the authors' internality, which is also in the scope of mei shi. It is not only dynamic but also uncertain. It has not been conceptualized yet and is in an unattended state. Therefore, in this way it generates infinite possibilities, which thence constitute the constitution and genesis of poetics. This paper expounds four connotations on "Xing" in mei shi, and the generative mechanism of genetic poetics. "Xing Yi" encounters emotional experience in unattended mei …
A Study Of The Combination Of Elegance And Popularity In The Chuanqi Plays' Lyrics During The Reign Of Emperor Wanli, Yihui Li
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
In drama theories, criticisms and creative practices during the reign of Emperor Wanli in the Ming dynasty, the combination of elegance and popularity in chuanqi plays' lyrics was prominent, which demonstrated the interactive characteristics of aesthetic theories and literary writings. In terms of theories, Tu Long made a first attempt, which was fulfilled by Wang Jide and inherited by Wang Tingne, Zang Maoxun, etc. In terms of creative practices, Mei Dingzuo's The Story of the Jade Box initiated this thought, and then Tang Xianzu's Peony Pavilion pushed it to its peak, followed by the other two plays The Story of …
Aristocratic Portrait Of Cifu: A Study Of The Fuxue At The Xiao Family Of Lanling In The Southern Dynasties, Xiang Liu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
As an imperial family in the Southern Dynasties (420-589) , the Xiao family of Lanlin played the roles of royal members and literati, the interaction between which profoundly influenced the criticism and creative activities of Cifu. Wen Xuan supervised by Xiao Tong distinguished Sao and Fu and prioritized Fu. Taking Jinfu as the object of investigation, it constructed the concept of the dynamic history of Fu that attached importance to both great Fu and little Fu. In terms of content, the Xiao family often created lyrical little Fu with aristocratic interests and recreational tendencies, in accordance with the principle of …
An Interpretation Of “Xingwei”, Chao Sun
An Interpretation Of “Xingwei”, Chao Sun
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
"Xingwei" is a poetic category based on the theory of "Xing" and "Wei" in Chinese poetics. Connecting "Xing" and "taste" theories, Zhong Rong put forward the theory of "Flavour", which refers to the beauty of implication in the content and situation of the poems. This became the basic meaning of "Xingwei" later. An overview ancients cases indicate that "Xingwei" mainly refers to an aesthetic feeling or experience implied in the poetry and can rouse the reader' extremely interest and enable the reader to have an endless aftertaste. It points to both aesthetic acceptance and the generation of creation, has two …
Zhidun's Five-Character Poems And Their Significance In The History Of Poetry, Yanfeng Cai
Zhidun's Five-Character Poems And Their Significance In The History Of Poetry, Yanfeng Cai
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Zhidun is an eminent monk in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He made great achievements in Buddhism. His poetry was very influential in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Zhidun inherited the tradition of Wei and Jin Poetry, and paid attention to poetic language. Influenced by the popular metaphysical poems in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Zhidun's poetry had a significant impact on literati poetry. Judging from the number of poems and the level of art, that Zhi Dun's was a very important poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. However, because Zhidun was a monk, his poetry and its significance have not been fully …
The Reciprocal Interpretation Of The Life Theme In Tao Yuanming's "Flesh, Shadow, Spirit" And The History Of Poetics, Yuewu Ye
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The connotation of Tao Yuanming's poem "Flesh, Shadow, Spirit" lies not only in the life outlook represented respectively by flesh, shadow and spirit, but in the emotion types this poem implies, among which a value sequence can also be found. The poem "Flesh, Shadow, Spirit" is valuable for the reflection of the history of Chinese poetry and poetics, because of the poem's typicality and compatibility regarding the theme of life in Chinese philosophy, far-reaching impact of Tao Yuanming and his poetry in Chinese spiritual history, and the tradition of valorizing emotion in Chinese poetics. This poem echoes various themes related …
A Research On One Hundred Years Of Cross-Cultural Interpretation To A Dream Of Red Mansions, Xiaohong Yu
A Research On One Hundred Years Of Cross-Cultural Interpretation To A Dream Of Red Mansions, Xiaohong Yu
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
In a century of redology, the studies of A Dream of Red Mansions of Cross-cultural Interpretation mainly focus on four dimensions: elucidation, parallel study, translation, and spreading abroad. The adaptation and performance abroad of A Dream of Red Mansions are literary interpretations and artistic variations of the theme of the novel in a foreign cultural context. The crosscultural interpretation and research on the novel among various kinds of cultural contexts is a crucial part of comparative literature.
A Study On The Realm And Spirit Of Drunkenness In Ancient Chinese Aesthetics, Yulong Tan
A Study On The Realm And Spirit Of Drunkenness In Ancient Chinese Aesthetics, Yulong Tan
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The idea of drunkenness originated in the pre-Qin period and developed in the Qin and Han dynasties. After that, drunkenness was gradually transformed into an aesthetic standard of Gongfu and noumenon. Meanwhile, it consisted of life aesthetics and art aesthetics. The drunkenness of life aesthetics not only helped individuals surpass fame and fortune, but brought them into a realm of absolute equality to communicate with the ontological realm. The art aesthetics aspect of drunkenness made one disinterested so as to create art naturally. Besides, it let individuals break the bondage of skills and brought them to the realm of unity …
The Commercial Press And The Modern Novels In The Literary Field Change: A Study Of The Ten-Volume "Novel Series", Juan Wen
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The "Novel Series" was one of the well-known brands of the Commercial Press. It was published between 1903-1908 and consisted of a hundred novels. It had three characteristics: diversified origins of the novels that were collected from Japan, Europe and America, a wide variety of types, and the inclusion of both classical Chinese and vernacular works. The Commercial Press was a major and influential market-oriented private press. Its selection of the titles in the Series was defined by the times, and subject to the cultural thought of the society and the needs of the post Novel Revolution readers, reflecting the …
The Discourse System Of The Qing Loyalists: A Case Study Of "Zhenyuan Courtiers", Jingru Pan
The Discourse System Of The Qing Loyalists: A Case Study Of "Zhenyuan Courtiers", Jingru Pan
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
The Qing loyalists' self-writing was consigned in their poetry texts, in which we could reevaluate the adherent phenomenon through close reading. The Qing-loyalists had a discourse system, which reflected their position and even ideology. However, as individuals, their self-expression did not obey the rules of the discourse system, which means that we should reinvestigate the adherent phenomenon and their literary works. "Zhenyuan courtiers", which was often alluded by the Qing loyalists, is a good example for the reinvestigation. As a classical allusion, on the one hand, it implied loyalty. On the other hand, it expressed their reminiscent moods as well …
Types Of Subjects And Value Of Guyi Poetry In The Southern Dynasties, Xiaohua Zhao
Types Of Subjects And Value Of Guyi Poetry In The Southern Dynasties, Xiaohua Zhao
Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art
Guyi Poetry in the Southern dynasties focused on the subjects of lovesick women, enlistment and expression of ideals, all of which were typical in Han-Wei poetry. This was why poets named them guyi. The choice of subject matters in such poetry reflected the change of the archaistic tradition. Meanwhile, the change of titles in poetry anthologies pointed out poets' motivation to express contemporary emotions with ancient subjects, which was different from palace poetry that emphasized sensuality. Moreover, although some guyi poems adopted traditional skills of expression, they were simultaneously influenced by contemporary poetry. Guyi poetry's types of subjects and skills …