Complete Ci Poems of Chao Buzhi

全宋词Aug 2024

4.6

Word count: 17K words
Chapters: 136

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 height in the Song. Tang poetry and Song ci have long been regarded as twin peaks, each representing the literature of a major historical era. According to statistics, more than 1,300 people of the Northern and Southern Song left ci works to posterity, and their total output amounts to nearly 20,000 pieces! These figures alone convey the flourishing state of composition at the time. Song ci mainly falls into two styles, the "delicate and restrained" and the "bold and unconstrained," each excelling in its own beauty and reaching its own fullness, rich and varied.

Editor's review

As a standalone edition of the Chao Buzhi portion of the Complete Song Ci, this collection brings together the works of an important ci poet of the mid-to-late Northern Song. Chao Buzhi came from the Su school; his style combines clarity and vigor with grace and delicacy. He wrote both personal reflections and vivid scenes of seasons and landscapes, and his work shows some of the signs of the transition from Northern to Southern Song ci. This book lets readers survey one poet's ci in a single volume without searching through a vast comprehensive anthology, making it a good entry point for thematic reading. For readers already familiar with Su Shi, Qin Guan, and others who want to learn more about the Su-school poets, this collection fills in many details. Reading it alongside the background of Northern Song factional politics and the exiles of scholars makes it easier to appreciate the somber, forceful quality of the poems. Overall, this is a specialized collection suited to slow reading and comparison with the complete anthology, not a collection for casual entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read Su Shi and Qin Guan and want to explore the Su school of ci poets
Literature enthusiasts interested in the evolution of ci style in the mid-to-late Northern Song who wish to study it thematically
Students and researchers who need to consult Chao Buzhi's works for classical poetry courses

Not a good fit for

Beginners encountering Song ci for the first time who prefer to start with anthologies of famous pieces
Casual readers who only want representative works of the graceful or heroic styles and prefer not to read a single-author collection

Reading tips

Read through once, marking works of scenery description and of personal expression, then reread closely grouped by theme.
Read alongside the Complete Song Ci or the ci of Su Shi and Qin Guan to observe similarities and differences among the Su school poets.
Look up allusions and place names as you go, and after finishing each piece summarize its emotional arc in your own words.

版权信息
水龙吟
八声甘州
满庭芳
凤凰台上忆吹箫
摸鱼儿
永遇乐
过涧歇
黄莺儿
消息
梁州令叠韵
酒泉子
归田乐
诉衷情
金凤钩
生查子
行香子
诉衷情
木兰花
行香子
阮郎归
引驾行
碧牡丹
江神子
好事近
洞仙歌
水龙吟
洞仙歌
行香子
盐角儿
清平乐
江神子
望海潮
夜合花
下水船
浣溪沙
万年欢
感皇恩
洞仙歌
喜朝天
生查子
少年游
满江红
离亭宴
千秋岁
迷神引
满江红
古阳关
玉蝴蝶
安公子
惜分飞
离亭宴
满庭芳
尾犯
尉迟杯
八六子
临江仙
蓦山溪
忆秦娥
好事近
阮郎归
宴桃源
一丛花
临江仙
浣溪沙
忆少年
江神子
虞美人
金盏倒垂莲
西平乐
御街行
生查子
青玉案
水龙吟
南歌子
醉落魄
万年欢
临江仙
虞美人
安公子
绿头鸭
水龙吟
惜奴娇
临江仙
满庭芳
定风波
千秋岁
鹧鸪天
清平乐
虞美人
浣溪沙
万年欢
一丛花
减字木兰花
菩萨蛮
鹧鸪天
凤箫吟
梁州令
引驾行
菩萨蛮
点绛唇
上林春
杨柳枝
蓦山溪
生查子
少年游
青玉案
江城子
青玉案
胜胜慢
点绛唇
永遇乐
虞美人
行香子
感皇恩
临江仙
碧牡丹
少年游
西江月
鹧鸪天
满江红
菩萨蛮
临江仙
紫玉箫
鬥百草
鬥百花
御街行
南歌子
清平乐
好事近
调笑
洞仙歌
下水船
失调名
洞仙歌
朝天子

FAQ

Does this book contain all Song ci?

No. This book is the portion of the Complete Song Ci devoted to Chao Buzhi's own ci; it is a single-author collection, not a comprehensive anthology of Song dynasty ci. To survey Song ci as a whole, you will also need a complete collection or an anthology.

Can I understand it without annotations?

The book mainly presents the original ci texts; readers must look up allusions and background themselves. A basic grounding in classical Chinese is enough to read through, but for deeper understanding, keep a dictionary of Song ci or a literary history reference at hand.

Is it suitable for reading straight through from beginning to end?

You can read it straight through, but reading closely in groups is recommended. Reading too much at once easily leads to fatigue; reading in batches by theme or chronology, with brief notes, works better.

Comments

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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.