Remarks on Ci Poetry from the Futang Studio
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Summary
The above records more than 340 ci poets and 1,047 ci works. The preface says: “Ci is the surplus of shi—not merely the surplus of shi, but the surplus of yuefu as well. When pitch pipes fall into disuse, sounds decline and fade. When sounds decline and fade, customs change. When the classic of music is lost, the six arts are incomplete; when the office of yuefu is abolished, what remains of the four beginnings and six principles is swept away and extinguished. Since sounds rise and fall, lines are long and short. Since tones are high and low, rhymes are slow or quick. To seek in the present day something resembling music, one must turn to ci. Tang-dynasty yuefu often adopted five- and seven-character quatrains.
Editor's review
Fu Tang Cihua is an important work on ci poetics by the Qing dynasty ci scholar Tan Xian; this edited edition offers modern readers a reliable text for understanding traditional ci criticism. The book selects more than 340 ci poets and 1,047 ci works—a considerable scale that shows Tan Xian’s systematic organization and critical judgment of ci across the dynasties. His preface starts from the traditional proposition that “ci is the surplus of shi” and further traces ci back to the yuefu tradition, stressing the connection between musical pitch and the customs of the age, which reflects the deepening awareness in Qing ci poetics of honoring ci as a genre. Readers can see how Tan Xian expresses his views on ci through an anthology and can also glimpse the critical methods and aesthetic orientations of Qing dynasty cihua. This book is suitable as reference material for ci studies and as an introductory reader for lovers of classical poetry who, after reading Tang and Song ci, wish to learn more about Qing ci criticism. Readers need not go through it item by item; they may first read the preface to grasp the book’s overall purpose, then read the entries alongside poets they already know and appreciate the anthologist’s criteria of selection and evaluation.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Lovers of classical poetry who wish to understand the basic contours of Qing dynasty ci criticism
- Students of Chinese literature who need cihua texts as references for coursework or papers
- Middle school Chinese teachers who may select material to enrich poetry teaching
- Readers interested in anthology criticism who want to understand Tan Xian’s views on ci
Not a good fit for
- Complete beginners with no foundation in classical poetry, for whom the reading threshold is relatively high
- Readers expecting light entertainment, as the book is rather academic
- Readers who only want to read original Tang and Song ci and are not interested in critical theory
Reading tips
- Read the preface first to grasp Tan Xian’s core approach of discussing ci through yuefu, then move on to the specific entries.
- Read the relevant comments alongside works by poets you already know to appreciate the anthologist’s choices and judgments.
- Mark entries on poets that interest you and study them together with the original ci works for better results.
- Read this book alongside other Qing dynasty cihua to understand the evolution of ci criticism.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序
- 箧中词序
- 词辨跋
- 复堂词自序
- 评温庭筠词
- 评韦庄词
- 评欧阳炯词
- 评冯延巳词
- 评晏殊词
- 评晏几道词
- 评柳永词
- 评秦观词
- 评周邦彦词
- 评陈克词
- 评吴文英词
- 评周密词
- 评王沂孙词
- 评张炎词
- 评唐珏词
- 评李清照词
- 评李后主词
- 评鹿虔扆词
- 评范仲淹词
- 评苏轼词
- 评辛弃疾词
- 评姜夔词
- 评陆游词
- 评刘过词
- 评蒋捷词
- 国朝词综补
- 读柳词
- 陈实庵词
- 选次瑶华集
- 张玉珊词
- 拟撰箧中词
- 许海秋词
- 吴子律词
- 定庵诗词
- 绝妙好词笺
- 江秋珊词
- 前后十家词
- 偶作十六字令
- 宋四家词选
- 为黄襄男题词
- 王氏词综
- 黄氏词综续编
- 补箧中词
- 冯煦词
- 取各选删正
- 草堂诗余未可废
- 介堂咏镜词
- 黄仲则词
- 阳春白雪
- 阅历代诗余
- 校绝妙好词
- 写定复堂词录
- 汪时甫词
- 白香词谱笺
- 赵对词
- 邓ㄍ筠词
- 宿中庙记
- 王尚辰词
- 王严袁三家词
- 钱谢词
- 校片玉词
- 审定词律拾遗
- 宋于廷序邓ㄍ筠词
- 宗山词
- 俞小甫词
- 叶衍兰词
- 绝妙近词
- 谢枚如词
- 郑文焯词
- 词林纪事
- 徐仲玉词
- 湘社集
- 况周颐网罗词家选本
- 陈朱词
- 沈遹骏词
- 厉樊榭词
- 吴穀人词
- 郭频伽词
- 孙耀乾词
- 二张词
- 常州词派
- 周济词
- 潘德舆词
- 心日斋十六家词
- 汪冬巢词
- 赵秋ぎ词
- 戈顺卿词
- 项莲生词
- 定公词
- 沈传桂词
- 周岱龄词
- 黄曾词
- 许宗衡词
- 何兆瀛词
- 陈元鼎词
- 姚正镛词
- 词人之词三家
- 丁至和词
- 赵彦俞词
- 边浴礼词
- 龚定庵言词出于公羊
- 聚红榭诗词
- 顾翰词
- 赵对词学苏辛
- 阳羡词流
- 叶英华词
- 夏玉延词
- 刘逢禄辑词雅
- 张景祁词
- 吴唐林词
- 俞廷瑛词
- 徐本立撰词律拾遗
- 许增词
- 陈澧词
- 词综补编与续词综
- 羊复礼词
- 孙麟趾辑词
- 杨葆光词
- 潘鸿词
- 苏谦与王锡振词
- 王鹏运词
- 薇省同声集
- 粤三家词
- 沈昌宇词
- 程颂万词
- 王廷鼎与三多词
- 刘炳照词
FAQ
What does Fu Tang Cihua mainly contain?
The book selects 1,047 ci works by more than 340 ci poets and includes Tan Xian’s preface and comments. The preface grounds its argument in the relationship between ci, yuefu, and musical pitch, while the main text presents Tan Xian’s appreciation of ci across the dynasties and his views on ci through a combination of selection and commentary. It is an important document for the study of Qing dynasty ci poetics.
Can I read this book without any foundation in ci studies?
It is somewhat difficult. The book involves a great many ci poets and works and traditional ci criticism terminology; without any experience in reading classical poetry, one may easily feel distant from it. It is advisable first to build a basic reading foundation in Tang and Song ci before turning to this book, which will make Tan Xian’s comments easier to understand.
What does “ci is the surplus of yuefu” in the preface mean?
Tan Xian holds that ci is not merely the aftermath of shi but also inherits the yuefu tradition. He argues from the decay of musical pitch and the relationship between sound and customs, stressing the value of ci in preserving the legacy of yuefu. This statement reflects the effort in Qing ci poetics to elevate the standing of ci and is also the key to understanding the book’s criteria of selection and evaluation.
Comments
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About the author
谭献
Author
Tan Xian was a Qing-dynasty ci poet and scholar of ci criticism, known to later generations chiefly for his work of ci criticism, Fuyang Cihua (Talks on Ci from the Fuyang Studio). Because public information is limited, details such as his birth and death dates, native place, official career and educational background cannot be reliably established, and the author information currently available remains brief. One work by him is included in the collection, Fuyang Cihua, generally classified under classical poetry and ci. The book comments in the form of cihua on ci poets and their works across the dynasties, touching also on tonal patterns, rhyme and the merits and failings of composition, and reflects Tan Xian's systematic thinking on the tradition and aesthetic orientation of the ci genre. His discussion values both the tonal and stylistic qualities of the works and the expression of feeling and artistic conception in ci, holding a certain reference value in Qing-dynasty ci criticism and offering useful material for the study of traditional ci scholarship.
