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Pianwen
Pianwen ( zh, s=骈文, t=駢文, p=piánwén, l=parallel writing, c=, first=t) is a highly stylised prose style, prevalent throughout the history of Chinese literature. Its prominent features lie in its regular lines arranged in couplets; in its early history, these lines were mostly of either four or six characters, and so pianwen are also known as Four-Six Prose (). While the pianwen form was frequently utilised in official writings, or in describing scenery, its tight restrictions in metrical, tonal and thematic terms restricted its literary development. Subsequent movements, such as the Classical Prose Movement, were a response to these restrictions, but pianwen would continue to be written until the end of the Imperial Chinese era and the widespread use of vernacular Chinese in writing. Name According to the ''Shuowen Jiezi'', the word ''pian'' (), with a horse radical and the character for 'aligned, in line', originally referred to a two-horse carriage where the horses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Classical Prose Movement
The Classical Prose Movement (), which emerged during Tang dynasty and the Song dynasty in China, advocated for clarity and precision in writing, as opposed to the florid '' pianwen'' () or parallel prose style that had dominated since the Han dynasty. Parallel prose, characterized by rigid structure and ornate embellishments, was criticized for prioritizing form over substance. The movement sought to revive the spirit of pre-Han prose, emphasizing effective communication and argumentation over rhetorical flourish. The movement gained momentum in the ninth century under Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, who championed prose as a vehicle for expressing Confucian ideals and addressing contemporary political and social issues. They promoted a writing style that was direct, expressive, and rooted in classical texts, while also incorporating elements of colloquial language for accessibility. Although the movement briefly declined in the late Tang, it was revitalized in the Song dynasty by reform ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chen Weisong
Chen Weisong (), also called Chen Qinian (其年) or Chen Jialing (迦陵), lived 1626 January 7－1682 June 13, was the first of the great Ci and Pianwen poets during the Qing dynasty. He was the leader and founder of the Yangxian poetry school ( 阳羡词派).清《河南通志 卷六十九》：“皇清陈维崧字其年宜兴人祖于庭前明左都御史父贞慧与商丘侯方域交善，同罹阮大铖之祸。方域避乱阳羡以女许字维崧弟宗石后，宗石入赘，遂为宋人，维崧亦寓宋，与弟同居。维崧为文长于排偶。长洲汪琬称为七百年一人，后以博学宏词徴除翰林检讨，纂修《明史》，卒于官。” Life Chen Weisong was born to Ming dynasty prince Chen Zhenhui ( 陈贞慧) in Yixing, Jiangsu. Chen's ancestor Chen Yuting ( 陈于廷) was a Ming dynasty royal court official (左都御史). Growing up, Chen had a long beard or ''ran'', so he was sometimes called ''Chen Ran'' (). He grew up healthy with a talent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eight Great Prose Masters Of The Tang And Song
The Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song () refers to a group of prominent prose writers during the Tang and Song dynasties. Nearly all of these masters were also accomplished in various aspects of politics and culture during their time. Two of the writers, Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, were from the Tang dynasty, while the remaining six were from the Song dynasty. Background The list of the eight writers was first compiled in the Ming dynasty by , an early Ming scholar who initially collected their essays. It was the late Ming scholar who coined the name in a compilation he curated, titled ''Selected Works of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song.'' The subsequent popularity of this book solidified their status as masters of Chinese prose. During the Qing dynasty, Wei Yuan had eight volumes on the Eight Prose Masters (《纂评唐宋八大家文读本》). The eight # Han Yu (768–824) # Liu Zongyuan (773–819) # Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072) # Su Xun (1009– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tengwang Ge Xu
''Tengwang Ge Xu'' ( zh, t=滕王閣序, p=Téngwáng Gé Xù, ''Preface to the Prince Teng's Pavilion''), full name ''Preface to a Farewell Feast Atop the Prince Teng's Pavilion in Autumn'' ( zh, t=秋日登洪府滕王閣餞別序, p=Qiūrì Dēng Hóng Fǔ Téngwáng Gé Jiànbié Xù) or ''Preface to Poems on the Prince of Teng's Pavilion'' ( zh, t=滕王閣詩序, p=Téngwáng Gé Shī Xù), is a masterpiece of parallel prose by Wang Bo (poet), Wang Bo of the Tang dynasty. Some of the lines in this preface are widely known among the Chinese readers, such as “The glowing clouds at sunset fly away with a lonely egret ;The autumnal waters merge with the broad sky in one fading color.” It is classified as pianwen ( zh, s=駢文, p=Piánwén), which depends greatly on rhythm, somewhat like classical Chinese poetry, but does not have a restriction of how many characters should be in one sentence, and how many sentences in one paragraph. It is named after Pavilion of Prince Teng ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Han Yu
Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was an essayist, Confucian scholar, poet, and government official during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the development of Neo-Confucianism. Described as "comparable in stature to Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe" for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition, Han Yu stood for strong central authority in politics and orthodoxy in cultural matters. He is often considered to be among China's finest prose writers. Ming dynasty scholar Mao Kun () ranked him first among the " Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song". Biography Han Yu was born in 768, in Heyang (河陽, present day Mengzhou) in Henan to a family of noble lineage. His father worked as a minor official but died when Han Yu was two. He was then raised in the family of his older brother, Han Hui (). He was a student of philosophical writings and Confucian thought. His famil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern And Southern Dynasties
The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as the latter part of a longer period known as the Six Dynasties (220–589). The period featured civil war and political chaos, but was also a time of flourishing arts and culture, advancement in technology, and the spread of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. The period saw large-scale migration of Han people to lands south of the Yangtze. The period came to an end with the unification of China proper by Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty. During this period, the process of sinicization accelerated among the non-Han ethnicities in the north and among the indigenous peoples in the south. This process was also accompanied by the increasing popularity of Buddhism in both northern and southern China and Daoism gaining influence as well, with t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Su Shi
Su Shi ( zh, t=, s=苏轼, p=Sū Shì; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese poet, essayist, calligrapher, painter, scholar-official, literatus, artist, pharmacologist, and gastronome who lived during the Song dynasty. A major personality of the Song era, Su was an important figure in History of the Song Dynasty#Partisans and factions, reformers and conservatives, Song Dynasty politics, he had a lengthy career in bureaucracy, taking various provincial posts and briefly serving as a senior official at the imperial court. Despite his high hopes to serve the country, Su's political career was filled with frustrations due to his out-spoken criticism, and he often fell victim to political rivalries between the radical and the conservative forces. He endured a series of political exiles during which his creative career flourished. Su is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished figures in classical Chinese literature, lea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zeng Gong
Zeng Gong (; 1019–1083), courtesy name Zigu (), was a Chinese essayist, historian, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a key supporter and writer in the Classical Prose Movement and is regarded by later scholars as one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. Zeng was the most notable protégé of Ouyang Xiu, the intellectual and literary leader in the Classic Prose Movement. Family and early life Zeng Gong was born in Nanfeng, Jianchang (modern Fuzhou, Jiangxi) to a scholarly family. He was a quick learner, read extensively, and was capable of analytical writings at age of twelve. By adulthood, he was widely recognized by his contemporaries. Ouyang Xiu, one of the intellectual leaders of the era, marveled at his essays. In 1037, at the age of eighteen, he moved to Yushan county (玉山縣, in modern Shangrao, Shangrao, Jiangxi) to accompany his father Zeng Yizhan (), who had been appointed magistrate there. Whilst in Yushan, he travelled extensi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ouyang Xiu
Ouyang Xiu (; 1007 – 1072 CE), courtesy name Yongshu, also known by his art names Zuiweng () and Liu Yi Jushi (), was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a renowned writer among his contemporaries and is considered the central figure of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song. He revived the Classical Prose Movement (first begun by the two Tang dynasty masters two centuries before him) and promoted it in imperial examinations, paving the way for future masters like Su Shi and Su Zhe. Ouyang Xiu's interests as a writer were remarkably diverse. As a historian, he was put in charge by Emperor Renzong of Song of creating the ''New Book of Tang'', which was completed in 1060 CE. He also wrote in his spare time the '' Historical Records of the Five Dynasties'', the only book in the Twenty-Four Histories to have been written in private by a single author. As a poet, he was a noted writer of both the '' cí'' and ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liu Zongyuan
Liu Zongyuan (; 77328 November 819)，courtesy name Zihou (), was a Chinese philosopher, prose writer, poet, and politician who lived during the Tang dynasty. Liu was born in present-day Yongji, Shanxi. Along with Han Yu, he was a leader of the Classical Prose Movement in Tang. He is traditionally recognized as one of the " Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song". Biography Liu Zongyuan was born to a family of the "noble clans", which had nurtured social and political leaders for at least fifteen generations. He spent most of his youthful years amid the intellectual and official circles in the capital Chang-an, and received family schooling as early as three years old. By his twenties, he was well versed in ancient classics and histories. He obtained the Jinshi degree in 793 and entered official career in year 798. Liu Zongyuan's civil service career was initially successful; however, in 805, he fell out of favour with the imperial government because of his associ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wang Bo (poet)
Wang Bo (; 650–676), courtesy name Zi'an (子安), was a Chinese poet during Tang dynasty, traditionally grouped together with Luo Binwang, Lu Zhaolin, and Yang Jiong as the Four Paragons of the Early Tang. He died at the age of 26, possibly from drowning, while going back from the Tang-ruled Jiaozhi after meeting his father. He opposed the spread of the Gong Ti Style (宫体诗风) of the Sui dynasty, and advocated a style rich in emotions. He was most well-known for his parallel prose work '' Tengwang Ge Xu'', which is included in the Chinese middle school curriculum. Life Wang Bo was born in A.D 650 into a family with high literary status. His grandfather was the Sui dynasty Confucian philosopher Wang Tong. His father was named Wang Fuzhi (王福畤). According to the ''Old Book of Tang'', Wang Bo could write poems when he was six years old; he finished reading the Classics when he was ten. Beginning his career under Prince Pei ( Prince Zhanghuai), he wrote a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Literature
The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of years, and begins with the earliest recorded inscriptions, court archives, building to the major works of philosophy and history written during the Axial Age. The Han dynasty, Han (202 BC220 AD) and Tang dynasty, Tang (618–907 AD) dynasties were considered golden ages of poetry, while the Song dynasty, Song (960–1279) and Yuan dynasty, Yuan (1271–1368) were notable for their lyrics (''ci''), essays, dramas, and plays. During the Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing, mature novels were written in written vernacular Chinese, an evolution from the preeminence of Literary Chinese patterned off the language of the Chinese classics. The introduction of widespread woodblock printing during the Tang and the invention of movable type printing by Bi Sheng (990–1051) during the Song rapidly spread written knowledge throughout China. Around the turn of the 20th century, the author Lu Xun (1881–1936) is considered an influential voi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
