Discourse on Poetry

惠周惕Jul 2024

4.0

Word count: 20K words
Chapters: 6

Summary

Traditional Chinese culture and thought have a long history and are marked by a high degree of originality, inventiveness, and literary quality. Early forms of thought are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist thought, the thought of the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and gazetteers are all vast and profound. This series, "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture: Original Texts," preserves the appearance of the original works and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers can cultivate their character and subtly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Shi Shuo is a study of the Book of Songs by the Qing scholar Hui Zhouti, a work where traditional classical scholarship and poetics intersect. This edition is included in the "Essential Classics of Chinese Traditional Culture: Original Texts" series and follows the principle of preserving the original work's appearance, with a focus on presenting the ways of thinking and modes of discourse by which ancient scholars explained the Book of Songs. The book discusses the meaning, stanza division, and ritual-musical background of the Songs, reflecting the early Qing academic emphasis on evidential research and on origins; it has some reference value for understanding how Songs scholarship continued in the Qing dynasty. Readers should treat it as one kind of ancient commentary on the Songs rather than as a modern popular introduction; its value lies not in offering accessible appreciation but in showing how traditional scholars read poetry through the lens of classical learning. It is suitable for readers with some foundation in classical Chinese who are interested in the history of classical scholarship or the history of Songs scholarship; its scholarly position becomes clearer when read against the original text of the Songs and other commentaries.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a foundation in classical Chinese who are interested in the history of Songs scholarship
Students of literature and history studying the relationship between Qing classical scholarship and poetics
Traditional culture enthusiasts who wish to understand how ancients explained the Songs
Scholars collecting reference materials for the collation or textual study of ancient books

Not a good fit for

Beginners who want modern vernacular appreciation and an introduction to the Book of Songs
General readers lacking a foundation in classical Chinese who need sentence-by-sentence annotation
Readers seeking light, entertaining books on Chinese learning

Reading tips

First read the relevant pieces in the original Book of Songs, then use this book to understand how ancients approached the Songs.
Read alongside the Mao Preface to the Songs and other Qing works on Songs scholarship to compare their choices.
Keep a notebook to record issues of ritual music, names and objects, and stanza division mentioned in the book for easy reference.
When encountering difficult passages in classical Chinese, skip them first, grasp the book's overall stance on the Songs, and then return for close reading.

版权信息
诗说序
诗说卷上
诗说卷中
诗说卷下
诗说三卷

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no foundation in classical Chinese?

Not very suitable. This is a traditional scholarly work written in classical Chinese, and its discussions mostly revolve around classical scholarship; it lacks sentence-by-sentence vernacular annotation. Readers without a foundation in classical Chinese will easily be blocked by terminology and punctuation. It is advisable to first read an annotated anthology of the Book of Songs before considering this book.

Do I need to finish reading the Book of Songs before reading Shi Shuo?

You do not need to read all of it, but you should have some understanding of the structure and basic content of the Book of Songs. The book's discussions often target specific pieces and poetic meanings; if you are unfamiliar with the original text, it will be difficult to judge whether the author's choices are reasonable. It is recommended that you at least read the important pieces of the Book of Songs and the explanatory notes in common annotated editions.

Is this book a popular appreciation of the Book of Songs?

No. This is a work of Songs scholarship by an ancient scholar, focusing on discussion of classical meaning, stanza division, and ritual-musical background rather than modern literary appreciation. Readers should use it as a traditional commentary on the Songs; those expecting accessible interpretation may be disappointed.

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

惠周惕 Author

Hui Zhouti is an ancient author about whom very little is publicly known: his native place, dates of birth and death, and official career are all undocumented. The only fact currently established is that a single work by him survives, the Shishuo (Discourse on the Poetry). Classified under Eastern philosophy, the book offers explanations and discussions centered on the Classic of Poetry and belongs to the commentarial tradition of classical learning, with an emphasis on interpreting meaning and principle. From the title and classification, one may infer that Hui Zhouti's writing did not dwell on minute philological glosses, but rather used the poems as a basis for argument, connecting the classical text with Confucian thought and embodying an approach that explains the classics through the classics themselves and seeks the Way through the text. Because records are scarce, the origins of his thought and his later influence are difficult to trace in detail. Nevertheless, the Shishuo, as his only recorded work, remains a concrete example for observing the tradition of classical Poetry scholarship and may be consulted by readers interested in the history of classical learning and Eastern philosophy.