张抡词全集

全宋词Jul 2024

3.3

Word count: 6.5K words
Chapters: 22

Summary

This collection is part of the Complete Song Ci. Ci poetry began in the Southern Liang, took shape in the Tang, and reached its zenith in the Song. Tang poetry and Song ci have long been regarded as a twin pinnacle, each representing the literature of a major historical era. According to statistics, more than 1,300 people in the Northern and Southern Song dynasties left ci works to later generations, and their total output approaches 20,000 poems! These figures alone suggest the flourishing of composition at the time. Song ci mainly falls into two styles, the "graceful and restrained" and the "bold and unconstrained," each excelling in its own beauty and reaching its own height, rich and varied.

Editor's review

Zhang Lun was a Southern Song ci poet whose works are scattered through the Complete Song Ci; this book extracts his pieces separately for convenient concentrated reading. Zhang Lun's ci mostly treat leisurely life, seasonal scenery, and the pure delight of mountains and waters; the language is clear and lovely, the mood open and sparse, suited to slow savoring in quiet surroundings. For readers who have already read the masters Su Shi and Xin Qiji and wish to learn more about the diverse landscape of Southern Song ci, this small collection offers an uncommon yet meaningful entry point. The pieces are short, suited to fragmented reading and to exercises in tune patterns and imagery analysis. Note that this book is an extraction of the Zhang Lun portion of the Complete Song Ci, not a popular edition with detailed annotations; readers unfamiliar with allusions and background may need to use reference works alongside it. Overall, it is a lightweight anthology suited to Song ci enthusiasts who wish to broaden their reading horizons.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Enthusiasts already familiar with famous Song ci who wish to extend their reading to lesser Southern Song poets
Readers who like clear, leisurely ci styles and shorter works
Learners needing Song ci texts for prosodic or imagery analysis
General readers who wish to enjoy classical poetry in spare moments

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers who need detailed annotations and plain-language translation
Literary history learners seeking a systematic understanding of Song ci's development
Readers who prefer the bold style or long narrative tunes

Reading tips

Read through once first, marking lines you like, without needing to study every piece deeply
Consult the Complete Song Ci or Song ci reference works for rare allusions and tune patterns
Read grouped by season or subject to appreciate Zhang Lun's usual methods of describing scenery and expressing feeling
Three to five pieces at a time is enough; afterward try summarizing each ci's situation in one or two sentences

版权信息
柳梢青
蝶恋花
临江仙
西江月
朝中措
烛影摇红
浣溪沙
霜天晓角
点绛唇（咏春十首）
阮郎归（咏夏十首）
醉落魄（咏秋十首）
西江月（咏冬十首）
踏莎行（山居十首）
朝中措（渔父十首）
菩萨蛮（咏酒十首）
诉衷情（咏闲十首）
减字木兰花（修养十首）
蝶恋花（神仙十首）
鹊桥仙
春光好
壶中天慢

FAQ

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

This book extracts part of Zhang Lun's ci from the Complete Song Ci; the specific scope is as arranged in the book. It is not an independently collated and annotated "complete works"; to confirm whether a given ci is included, check against the original Complete Song Ci.

Can I understand it without annotations?

Zhang Lun's language is relatively clear and smooth, and the general meaning of most works is understandable, but some allusions and tune-pattern background still require checking. It is advisable to keep a dictionary of Song ci appreciation or use online tools; the threshold is not high, but complete beginners may find it difficult.

Is it suitable for learning to write Song ci?

It can serve as a reference. Zhang Lun's ci are short with clear imagery, suitable for observing common Southern Song practices in describing scenery, expressing feeling, and rhyming. To learn prosody systematically, however, you will also need dedicated handbooks and comparison with more masters' works.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.