The Willow of Zhangtai

韩翃Tibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.4

Word count: 41K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

Zhangtai Liu (Willow of Zhangtai) was a tune composed by Han Hong of the Tang dynasty. Han had a beloved concubine, Lady Liu; when they parted, he sent her this lyric. Later, Lady Liu was abducted by the foreign general Sazhali, and she too used this tune to send a lyric back to Han. Because Han's line read "Zhangtai Liu," the three characters were taken as the tune title. The lyrics are recorded in Xu Yaozuo's "The Story of Lady Liu" (Taiping Guangji, vol. 485) and Meng Qi's Benshi Shi. Originally the tune had no title; it was named after the three opening characters, and is also known as "Recalling Zhangtai." The tune is a single-stanza form of five lines, 27 characters, and four oblique rhymes. The second line repeats the first.

Editor's review

Zhangtai Liu is extremely short, yet it is an important specimen from the formative stage of the ci genre in the Tang dynasty. The tune grew out of the exchange between Han Hong and Lady Liu: Han's lyric was sent to Liu, and Liu's lyric was sent back to Han. The title comes from the three opening characters; the form is a single stanza of five lines, 27 characters, and four oblique rhymes, with the second line repeating the first. The formal regularity and the sense of separation and turmoil in the content mirror each other. What readers see here is not only a Tang love story but also how a ci tune grew out of a story. The records in Xu Yaozuo's "The Story of Lady Liu" and Meng Qi's Benshi Shi keep this short lyric entwined with传奇 narrative, so readers may follow two threads at once: textual form and the story behind it. For general readers, it works as an accessible entry point into the origins of Tang and Five Dynasties ci, and as intertextual material to read alongside Tang chuanqi tales. One caveat: a single lyric has limited scope, so readers seeking systematic ci scholarship or detailed annotation and line-by-line explication may not find it here.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in the origins of Tang and Five Dynasties ci
Readers of Tang chuanqi tales looking for intertextual material
Lovers of short classical verse willing to read closely
Chinese-language learners who want to understand how ci tunes were named

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic ci theory or a general history of ci
Readers expecting a long story or rich plot
Beginners who need detailed annotation and line-by-line explication

Reading tips

Read Han Hong's original lyric first, then compare it with Lady Liu's reply to feel the emotional echo between the two.
Read it alongside the relevant passages in "The Story of Lady Liu" or Benshi Shi to understand the link between the tune and the story.
Note how the second line repeats the first, and consider its effect on rhythm and mood.
Copy the whole lyric onto a single sheet, marking rhymes and pauses, to see the structure of a short single-stanza lyric at a glance.

About the publisher

Tibet People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1971

Tibet People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for collating Tibetan and Chinese ancient texts and publishing traditional culture. Judging from the books in its catalogue, its publishing focuses on medicine, Eastern philosophy, classics, and ancient poetry. It offers traditional Chinese medical and health-preserving works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Principles of Correct Diet, as well as canonical and philosophical texts including the Book of Changes, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Annotated Edition of the Erya, and Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, along with historical and geographical works such as The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Its authors include figures such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, King Wen of Zhou, Zuo Qiuming, Guo Pu, Dong Zhongshu, Hu Sihui, and Ma Huan. The house emphasizes the collation and republication of ancient texts, balancing scholarship and accessibility, and has developed its own strengths in transmitting Tibetan and Chinese cultural classics. Public information is limited, so other publishing details are omitted here.

版权信息
序
第一回李侠士豪情赠骑唐明皇御幸春游
第二回章台愁锁怀春女曲院欣逢悄意郎
第三回佛殿中欣传玉合幽闺里巧露机关
第四回侯节度新蒙敕授轻娥婢细问根由
第五回韩氏子明园配柳李家郎弃产寻仙
第六回沙番归顺禄山逆韩子登荣柳氏欢
第七回斩逆使侯公拒间初登第员外参谋
第八回果老仙偈言指教法灵寺祝赞平安
第九回韩参军东会青州唐陛下西迁蜀地
第十回因避乱柳娘祝发怜娇眷长老收徒
第十一回华山上逢婢谈旧幕府中寄诗遣奴
第十二回奚奴问息逢尼院光弼功成奏凯歌
第十三回入虎穴柳姬底节访云台故友谈心
第十四回沙王府主婢欢遇通政门合囊互投
第十五回许虞候计归完璧沙将军疏还紫骝
第十六回尚书郎议奏丹陛方外人同蒙敕封

FAQ

How did the tune title "Zhangtai Liu" come about?

According to the sources, the tune was composed by Han Hong of the Tang dynasty. Han had a beloved concubine, Lady Liu; when they parted, he sent her this lyric. Later, Lady Liu was abducted by the foreign general Sazhali, and she used the same tune to send a lyric back to Han Hong. The original lyric had no tune title; because the opening line was the three characters "Zhangtai Liu," they were taken as the title. It is also known as "Recalling Zhangtai."

What is distinctive about the form of this lyric?

It is a single-stanza short lyric (xiaoling): five lines, 27 characters, with four oblique rhymes. What is unusual is that the second line repeats the first, creating a circling, refrain-like rhythm. This is not rare among early ci tunes, but the repetition directly affects the tone of recitation and the emotional progression, so it deserves attention in close reading.

Do I need to know "The Story of Lady Liu" before reading this lyric?

It is not required, but knowing the background makes the reading richer. The lyric is closely tied to the story recorded in Xu Yaozuo's "The Story of Lady Liu" and Meng Qi's Benshi Shi. Only by knowing the back-and-forth of the exchange can one understand the context of parting and reply in the lyric. If you simply want to enjoy the short lyric itself, you can read the text first and fill in the background later.

Is this book suitable for learning ci prosody?

It can serve as a minimal sample. It shows the basic shape of a single-stanza xiaoling, the placement of rhymes, and the use of repeated lines, but at only 27 characters it is not enough to support systematic study of ci prosody. For serious study, you will still need ci manuals with metrical markings and many example lyrics.

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About the author

韩翃 Author

Han Hong was a poet of the Tang dynasty; reliable public sources on his birth and death dates, native place, and other biographical details are limited, so they cannot be firmly established. Only a small number of his works survive. The library holds five of his pieces, including "Sending Off Lang, Prefect of Yingzhou," "Sending Secretary Li of the Prefectural Staff into Shu," "A Gathering at Registrar Chu's Residence with Vice Minister Bi," "Zhangtai Willow," and "Farewell to Governor Meng." Most are farewell, banquet, and occasional poems, showing that his circle included local officials and literati. His subjects center on everyday social exchange and the partings of travel; his language is clear and fluent, his feeling tactful and restrained, and he is skilled at expressing concern for friends and reflections on official careers within farewell scenes. "Zhangtai Willow" circulated widely and is often classed with ancient poetry and folk literature; later readers have used it to figure parting sorrow and a sense of shifting fortune, and its influence extends to ci and popular literature. Because the historical sources are scattered, details of his life and his literary standing await further study.