Elegant Lyrics of Yuefu

曾慥Jul 2024

4.3

Word count: 65K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Chinese traditional cultural thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive, and literary. Early thought forms are highly distinctive: religious theology, traditional Chinese medical classics, ancient military texts, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysical studies, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and geographical records, and so on—all are profound and vast. This "Classic National Studies Essence Culture Original Texts" series preserves the original appearance of the books, focusing on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, one cultivates one's temperament and subtly observes the classics of national studies.

Editor's review

"Yuefu Yazhi" is a general anthology of ci compiled by Zeng Zao in the Southern Song, using "elegance" as the selection standard and collecting works by many ci poets, reflecting the compiler's choices regarding the style and sentiment of ci. This edition preserves the original appearance of the book, focusing on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture, and has reference value for understanding Song-dynasty ci aesthetics and concepts of anthology compilation. Readers can treat it as an anthology of ci to browse at will and feel the linguistic styles of different ci poets, or start from the selected contents to observe the Southern Song preference for elegance and subtlety in choosing ci. The book provides no modern annotation or vernacular translation; reading requires some foundation in classical Chinese and ci studies, and it suits readers willing to read slowly and savor repeatedly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love Song ci and want to expand their reading range
Students of ancient literature who need to understand ci anthology literature
Readers researching ci criticism and the anthology tradition
Classics enthusiasts with a classical Chinese foundation who like slow, careful reading

Not a good fit for

Readers with no classical Chinese foundation who need vernacular translation
Readers who only want famous works by major poets and do not wish to engage the anthology as a whole

Reading tips

First pick works by familiar ci poets, then gradually expand to unfamiliar authors.
Keep a notebook to record themes and expressions that recur in the selections.
Read it alongside anthologies such as "Huajian Ji" to compare different selection standards.
Read only a few ci at a time, reciting softly with the rhythm of the cipai to appreciate the sound.

版权信息
提要
乐府雅词原序
乐府雅词巻上
乐府雅词巻中
乐府雅词巻下
乐府雅词拾遗巻上
乐府雅词拾遗巻下

FAQ

What kind of book is "Yuefu Yazhi"?

It is a general anthology of ci compiled by Zeng Zao in the Southern Song, collecting works by many ci poets according to the standard of "elegance." It is important material for studying Song ci and the anthology tradition; this edition preserves the original appearance of the book and focuses on transmitting traditional culture.

Can I read this book without a classical Chinese foundation?

Reading the original text directly will be somewhat difficult, because the book has no modern annotation or vernacular translation. It is advisable first to have basic classical Chinese reading ability, or to read it together with ci studies reference books and introductory materials.

How is this book different from ordinary anthologies of Song ci?

It is closer to an anthology compiled by an ancient editor according to his own aesthetic standards, reflecting Southern Song understandings and choices of "elegant ci." It is not merely a collection of famous works but also carries value in ci criticism and documentation.

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About the author

曾慥 Author

Zeng Zao was a Song-dynasty man of letters and scholar about whose life little is publicly known; his native place, dates of birth and death, and official career can no longer be reliably established, so what remains depends mainly on his transmitted works. Three of his works are held in the collection: Yuefu Yaci, Gaozhai Manlu, and Gaozhai Shihua, commonly classified under Eastern philosophy and classical poetry. Yuefu Yaci is an anthology of ci poetry that reflects the compiler's preference for an elegant and orthodox style; Gaozhai Shihua is a work of poetic criticism, commenting on poems and recording anecdotes of the poetic world; and Gaozhai Manlu is a miscellaneous notebook of observations and textual inquiries with a broad range of content. Taken together, these works show Zeng Zao as an anthologist, critic, and writer of notes, whose interests spanned poetry, ci, and miscellaneous lore, and whose writings offer valuable documentary reference for later understanding of Song views on ci and poetry.