Complete Ci Poems of Cheng Bi
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Summary
This collection is a subset of the content in 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 paired as twin peaks, each representing the literature of a major historical era. According to statistics, more than 1,300 people in the Northern and Southern Song had ci works transmitted to later ages, and their total output amounts to nearly 20,000 poems! This figure alone suggests the flourishing of composition at the time. These Song ci works mainly fall 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
Cheng Bi is a noteworthy author in the Southern Song ci world, and his ci works are preserved in Complete Song Ci. This book extracts all of Cheng Bi's ci from Complete Song Ci and presents them in a separate volume, making it convenient for readers to focus on the complete creative profile of a single Song dynasty ci poet. Compared with commonly available anthologies of Song ci, the advantage of this kind of complete single-author collection is that it has not been filtered through an anthologist's judgment; readers can more fully experience the author's thematic preferences, language habits, and stylistic changes, and can better appreciate the diverse ecology of the Southern Song ci world beyond the two mainstream styles of bold and delicate. The ci in this book can be read in groups by form or theme, and it is suitable as supplementary material for thematic study of Song ci. For those systematically reading Complete Song Ci or engaged in Song dynasty literary research, this book offers a convenient entry point by volume; for ordinary lovers of classical poetry, it can also serve as a window for broadening reading horizons and becoming acquainted with a poet outside the first rank. It should be noted that this book is a compilation of ci works, and the annotation and appreciation content is subject to what the actual edition presents.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Classical literature enthusiasts systematically reading through Complete Song Ci who need a portable separate volume
- Readers interested in the Southern Song ci circle who wish to understand the creative profile of poets outside the first rank
- University students of ancient literature, who can use it as supplementary material for thematic study of Song ci
- Slow-reading poetry readers who like to read poem by poem and take reading notes
Not a good fit for
- Beginning readers hoping for detailed annotations, vernacular translations, and appreciation
- Readers who prefer famous works by major poets such as Su Shi and Xin Qiji and want only classic anthologies
- Beginners with little basic knowledge of Song ci who need systematic explanation of ci prosody
Reading tips
- Read through once first, marking ci works with similar themes or echoing imagery, then reread them grouped by theme.
- Read alongside the relevant volumes of Complete Song Ci or a history of Song literature to understand the historical background in which Cheng Bi lived.
- Prepare a notebook and record the rhyme scheme, sentence patterns, and emotional tone of each ci, accumulating personal reading impressions.
- Limit each reading session to no more than ten poems, and after reading, retell the meaning in your own words, avoiding the urge to cover too much too quickly.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 前筵勾曲
- 醉蓬莱
- 后筵勾曲
- 西江月
- 鹧鸪天
- 水调歌头
- 六州歌头
- 满江红
- 沁园春
- 步虚词
- 沁园春
- 锦帐春
- 壶中天
- 烛影摇红
- 谒金门
- 水龙吟
- 喜迁莺
- 柳梢青
- 酹江月
- 贺新郎
- 宝鼎现
- 念奴娇
- 倾杯
- 醉蓬莱
- 西江月
- 满庭芳
- 减字木兰花
FAQ
What is the relationship between this book and Complete Song Ci?
The content of this book is taken from Complete Song Ci; Cheng Bi's ci works are extracted separately and made into a volume, equivalent to a thematic offprint volume of Complete Song Ci. Readers can read it as an independent ci collection or use it as a companion volume when reading through Complete Song Ci.
Does the book include annotations and appreciation?
Based on the available information, this book is a compilation of ci works, with the focus on presenting the complete text of Cheng Bi's ci. For the specific arrangement of annotations, appreciation, and other supplementary material, please refer to the actual edition's contents; before purchase, you may check the table of contents or a sample page to confirm.
If I don't know Cheng Bi, can I read this collection directly?
You can read it, but it is advisable first to acquire some basic knowledge of Song ci prosody and Southern Song history, and to read it alongside relevant chapters of a history of Song literature. This will make it easier to understand the allusions and emotional direction in the works, and the reading experience will be smoother.
Is it suitable as extracurricular reading for middle school Chinese classes?
This book is a compilation of original ci works and lacks sentence-by-sentence annotation, so the threshold is rather high for middle school students. If students already have some classical Chinese foundation and an interest in Song ci, they may read selected pieces under the guidance of a teacher or parent, but it should not be the first choice as an introductory reader.
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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.
