The Imperial Hunt cover

The Imperial Hunt

Rating 3.8
Word count
2.9K words
Chapters
49

Tags

Summary

"Imperial Hunt" is a seven-character quatrain by Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty. Wang Jian (c. 767–c. 830), courtesy name Zhongchu, was a Tang poet from Yingchuan (present-day Xuchang, Henan). He lived to about sixty-seven.

Editor's review

This book is a standalone printing of "Imperial Hunt," a seven-character quatrain by the Tang poet Wang Jian. Wang Jian lived roughly from 767 to 830, was styled Zhongchu, and came from Yingchuan. His poetry is known for yuefu and palace lyrics, and his seven-character quatrains often depict court life, frontier scenes, and everyday circumstances. The title "Imperial Hunt" points to an emperor's hunting scene and belongs to the Tang tradition of palace lyrics and court subjects; it can be read alongside Wang Jian's other palace-themed works to see his angle of observation and his restraint in diction. A standalone printing lets readers focus on the theme, structure, and wording of a single poem, and makes a useful supplement to thematic reading in Tang poetry. Given the limited surviving material, this book is best treated as a close-reading text of one Tang poem rather than an entry point to Wang Jian's work as a whole.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers closely studying Tang seven-character quatrains who need single-poem close-reading material
  • Literature enthusiasts interested in Tang court life and the palace-lyric genre
  • Primary and secondary Chinese teachers looking for supplementary Tang poems for lesson preparation
  • Collectors of standalone poem printings who care about the look of Republican-era publishing-house editions

Not a good fit for

  • Scholars and serious readers seeking a systematic account of Wang Jian's life and complete works
  • Readers expecting detailed annotations, appreciation, and scholarly textual research
  • General readers who prefer long-form studies or complete poetry collections

Reading tips

  1. First read the poem aloud repeatedly, clarifying the wording and rhythm, then take in how the hunting scene is laid out.
  2. Read it alongside Wang Jian's palace lyrics and compare his different approaches to court subjects.
  3. Consult anthologies of Tang hunting and court poetry to place the poem in its thematic context.
  4. For teaching, design a short lesson that combines recitation with imagining the scene.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 【闲说】王建
  3. 【自伤】王建
  4. 【田侍中宴席】王建
  5. 【寒食日看花】王建
  6. 【和少府崔卿微雪早朝】王建
  7. 【和胡将军寓直】王建
  8. 【春日五门西望】王建
  9. 【长安早春】王建
  10. 【早春病中】王建
  11. 【上阳宫】王建
  12. 【李处士故居】王建
  13. 【寄贾岛(一作张籍赠项斯诗)】王建
  14. 【村居即事】王建
  15. 【维扬冬末寄幕中二从事】王建
  16. 【寄杜侍御】王建
  17. 【寄上韩愈侍郎】王建
  18. 【赠华州郑大夫】王建
  19. 【寄贺田侍中东平功成】王建
  20. 【送裴相公上太原】王建
  21. 卷三百零一
  22. 【题柏岩禅师影堂】王建
  23. 【送人】王建
  24. 【春意二首】王建
  25. 【夜闻子规】王建
  26. 【四望驿松】王建
  27. 【江馆】王建
  28. 【题江台驿(一作江台驿有题)】王建
  29. 【赠谪者】王建
  30. 【戏酬卢秘书】王建
  31. 【小松】王建
  32. 【秋夜】王建
  33. 【水精】王建
  34. 【香印】王建
  35. 【秋灯】王建
  36. 【落叶】王建
  37. 【园果】王建
  38. 【野菊】王建
  39. 【荒园】王建
  40. 【南涧】王建
  41. 【晚蝶】王建
  42. 【田家】王建
  43. 【新嫁娘词三首】王建
  44. 【故行宫】王建
  45. 【酬从侄再看诗本(一作酬从侄借诗本)】王建
  46. 【别自栽小树】王建
  47. 【早发汾南】王建
  48. 【宫中三台词二首】王建
  49. 【江南三台词四首】王建

FAQ

How many poems by Wang Jian does this book contain?
According to the available information, this book is a standalone printing of one seven-character quatrain, "Imperial Hunt"; it is not a collection or anthology of Wang Jian's poetry. To read more of his work, look for his collected poems or a Tang poetry anthology.
What era did Wang Jian belong to?
Wang Jian was a Tang poet who lived roughly from 767 to 830, styled Zhongchu, from Yingchuan (present-day Xuchang, Henan), and lived to about sixty-seven. He is best known for yuefu and palace lyrics, and his seven-character quatrains are also worth reading.
What background knowledge is needed to read this poem?
Some familiarity with the etiquette and scene-description conventions of Tang imperial hunting will help, as will basic knowledge of seven-character quatrain meter for grasping its structure and diction. For general appreciation, reading through the words and imagining the scene is enough to get started.

Related on WeRead

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

Wang Jian Author · Chinese

Wang Jian was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, whose courtesy name was Zhongchu. He was a native of Yingchuan (present-day Xuchang, Henan), and the exact years of his birth and death are unknown. Of humble origin, he passed the imperial examination in the tenth year of the Dali era and long remained in low-ranking posts, serving as assistant magistrate of Zhaoying County and as an official of the Court of the Imperial Treasury and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, before being appointed Sima of Shanzhou, whence he was known as "Wang Sima." He was skilled in yuefu poetry and was ranked alongside Zhang Ji, the two being called "Zhang-Wang yuefu." He is also known for his hundred palace poems. His collections include The Poetry Collection of Wang Jian and The Collection of Wang Sima. His poems often depict mountain-village scenery, farewells and correspondence with friends, and military life. Works in the library bearing similar names on modern German drama and on bridge pile foundations should be distinguished when cataloguing.

More by the same author

Top rated in the same category