The Decade of the Birth of the People

AnonymousJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.5

Word count: 2.3K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

"Sheng Min zhi Shi" is one of the ten-poem sections (shi) of the "Da Ya" (Greater Odes) in the Classic of Poetry (Shijing), comprising 10 poems—Han Chinese poetry from the pre-Qin era.

Editor's review

"Sheng Min zhi Shi" is a ten-poem section within the "Da Ya" (Greater Odes) of the Classic of Poetry. Its contents largely concern the birth legends of the Zhou ancestors, agricultural sacrifices, and political admonitions, making it an important text for understanding early Chinese conceptions of Heaven's mandate and the spirit of ritual institutions. This edition, printed by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company, preserves the traditional textual appearance and is suitable as a base text for recitation and documentary reference. Its value lies not in narrative plot but in showing how pre-Qin poetry organized language and consolidated collective memory within ritual and political-educational contexts. It should be read as a classic requiring slow reading and consultation of commentaries, not as casual reading; comparing it with an annotated edition will better reveal the intent behind the poems' repetitive sentence patterns and solemn rhythms. For readers concerned with classical studies, ancient literature, or ritual and musical culture, this section offers a concrete entry point for observing the overall structure of the "Da Ya" and facilitates comparison of rhetoric and themes among the poems in the group.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and researchers in ancient literature and classical studies
Traditional culture enthusiasts who need to study the original text of the Classic of Poetry
Readers using it as companion reading for university courses in Chinese and history

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking plot and light reading
Beginners lacking a foundation in classical Chinese who are unwilling to consult annotations

Reading tips

First read through once to grasp the general meaning of each poem, then read closely poem by poem alongside annotations, focusing on key words and lines.
Group the ten poems by theme and compare the different approaches to sacrificial, agricultural, and admonitory content.
Read several poems aloud to appreciate the role of the four-character rhythm and repetitive structure in a ritual context.

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.

版权信息
序
生民
行苇
既醉
凫鹥
假乐
公刘
泂酌
卷阿
民劳
板

FAQ

Is "Sheng Min zhi Shi" a single poem or a group of poems?

It is a section within the "Da Ya" of the Classic of Poetry, arranged in groups of ten, containing ten pre-Qin poems; it is not a single work. A shi section is a grouping unit in the Classic of Poetry, and readers should note the connections among the poems and the overall organizing intent.

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

Reading the original text directly will be somewhat difficult. It is advisable first to use an edition of the Classic of Poetry with annotations and translation to grasp the general meaning, then return to this edition to read the original aloud in comparison. The section involves background knowledge such as sacrifices and agriculture, so consulting reference works or course explanations will make it smoother.

Do I need to read other parts of the Classic of Poetry before reading "Sheng Min zhi Shi"?

You need not read all of it, but understanding the overall nature of the "Da Ya" and the Classic of Poetry's division into feng, ya, and song will help. If time is limited, you may first read introductions to other sections of the "Da Ya" before entering this group of ten poems, which will better help you grasp their solemn and refined stylistic features.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.