Xu Kuang
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy premodern character sketches and note-style writing
- Readers concerned with literati temperament and manner of speech
- Students of local biographical writing and biographical genres
- Readers willing to savor textual expressiveness in short pieces
Not a good fit for
- Researchers needing a complete chronological life and detailed historical facts
- General readers expecting long stories and complex plots
- Those impatient with the terse style of classical Chinese
Reading tips
- First grasp the two key points, 'endowed with heroic mettle' and 'striking the spittoon until it shattered,' and consider how the author uses the few to sum up the many.
- Read alongside other short biographies and compare differences in material selection and brushwork.
- Read the original aloud to feel the rhythm and force of the classical short sentences, then return to the details.
- After reading, ask yourself: if you were to add a passage, would you choose his reading, his drinking, or his discussing affairs under heaven, and why?
About the publisher
Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 徐矿
FAQ
Why is this biography so short?
What does 'striking the spittoon until it shattered' mean?
What should one pay attention to when reading this short biography?
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About the author
Hu Yunyu (1878–1947), originally named Yunyu and styled Pu'an, went by his courtesy name and was a native of Jing County, Anhui. A noted philologist, exegete and bibliophile of the Republican era, he was also a poet of the Southern Society and a member of the Tongmenghui. He served as president of the Republican Daily and as director of the Shanghai Local Gazetteer Office. His writings span language studies and literary-historical biography, including A History of Chinese Philology, A History of Chinese Exegesis, A Dictionary of Colloquial Expressions and A Survey of Chinese Customs. Thirty-three of his works are held in this collection, among them Mr. Hua Wangjin, Zuo Maodi, Fu Guan, Chen Gou, Zheng Weihong, the Monk Hunrong, Zhou Qizeng and Wang Xing, the Embroidery Needle. Most take Ming and Qing figures as their subjects, falling under comprehensive biography and touching on Eastern philosophy and classic works. Concise and fact-centered, they reveal his narrative skill beyond textual scholarship.