Complete Ci Poems of Zhang Boduan

全宋词Aug 2024

3.5

Word count: 1.8K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

This collection is part of the Complete Song Ci. Ci began in the Southern Liang, took shape in the Tang, and reached its height in the Song. Tang poetry and Song ci have long been paired as twin peaks, each representing the literature of a great historical era. According to statistics, more than 1,300 people in the Northern and Southern Song left ci works to posterity, and their total output approaches 20,000 poems! These figures alone suggest the scale of composition at the time. Song ci mainly falls into two styles, the "delicate and restrained" and the "bold and unconstrained," each exquisite in its own way and each at its peak, rich and varied.

Editor's review

This book is a thematic compilation of Zhang Boduan's ci from the Complete Song Ci, making it convenient for readers to study one author's work in depth within the vast comprehensive anthology of Song ci. Zhang Boduan is renowned for his Daoist inner alchemy theory, and his ci mostly concern cultivating and embodying the Dao. Beyond the two major styles of Song ci, the delicate and restrained and the bold and unconstrained, they possess a distinctive voice from beyond the mundane world, offering an entry point for understanding Song dynasty Daoist literature and the spiritual world of the literati. As a thematic ci collection, it is relatively compact and suited to close reading with questions in mind: readers may note the transcendent imagery and cultivation vocabulary in his ci, or read them alongside works by contemporaneous poets to observe the diversity of Song ci subject matter. One caveat: this is a thematic compilation carved out of a comprehensive anthology; readers seeking detailed biographical study or line-by-line annotation should consult the relevant critical editions and annotated versions separately.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Classical literature readers interested in Song dynasty Daoist literature and ci from beyond the mundane world
Readers studying the Complete Song Ci who wish to proceed author by author
Lovers of Song ci seeking to broaden their view beyond the delicate and bold styles
Teachers of classical literature who need thematic selections

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers hoping for detailed annotations and line-by-line translations
Researchers expecting full author biographies and dating of works

Reading tips

Read through once, marking Daoist terminology and unfamiliar allusions, then investigate them systematically
Copy out memorable lines by theme to grasp the author's habitual diction
Read alongside contemporaneous works by Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, and others to compare subject matter
Read with a grounding in Song dynasty Daoist history to understand the background of the cultivation vocabulary

版权信息
西江月
西江月
满庭芳
解佩令

FAQ

Does this book include all of Zhang Boduan's ci?

This book is a thematic compilation of content from the Complete Song Ci, and its scope follows the Zhang Boduan ci as contained in that comprehensive anthology. To confirm whether a specific work is included, check against the original Complete Song Ci or the relevant critical edition; do not judge questions of survival or loss on the basis of this book alone.

Can someone without a foundation in classical Chinese read this book?

This book is a compilation of ci and generally does not include detailed annotations or translations, so readers with weaker classical Chinese will face some difficulty. It is advisable first to familiarize yourself with the language of Song ci through annotated editions or anthologies, then return to this book, or read it alongside an annotated version.

How does Zhang Boduan's ci differ from ordinary Song ci?

Zhang Boduan is known for Daoist inner alchemy theory, and his ci mostly concern cultivating and embodying the Dao, with dense transcendent imagery and cultivation vocabulary that clearly differ in subject matter and diction from the common delicate and bold styles. They can be understood within the context of Song dynasty literature from beyond the mundane world.

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About the author

全宋词 Author

Quan Song Ci (Complete Song Ci) is not a single ci poet but the compiler name used for the dynastic anthology of Song ci; this site lists 114 works under that author entry. Public information is limited, so no personal biography can be confirmed. The titles indicate edited collections of individual Song poets, including complete ci by major figures such as Xin Qiji and Li Qingzhao, as well as works by Chao Buzhi, Zhang Lei, Chen Shidao, Liu Kezhuang, Jiang Kui, and Liu Chenweng from various periods of the Song. These editions generally aim to preserve, collate, recover, and annotate the surviving ci, keeping the original character of the texts while making each poet's works accessible for reading and for research on themes, tonal patterns, and stylistic change. The series reflects the philological approach of dynastic compilations and serves as a bridge between popular access to classical texts and scholarly study of ci, and is commonly classified under ancient poetry.