Planning the Composition

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaAug 2020

3.8

Word count: 973 words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Refers to planning and arranging the structure of a piece of writing. Mao Dun, "A Random Review of Short Stories in 1960": "Some can be approached from the angles of layout, overall planning, word choice, and sentence crafting, and may be rigorous, or relaxed, or unusual, and so on, each different."

Editor's review

This book takes "planning the piece"—a traditional concern of Chinese composition studies—as its starting point, focusing on overall planning and structural arrangement in writing. The passage cited from Mao Dun's "A Random Review of Short Stories in 1960" places layout, overall planning, word choice, and sentence crafting side by side, reminding readers that the success of a piece lies not only in words and sentences but even more in the rigor, ease, or originality of the whole. For readers accustomed to writing as soon as they pick up a pen and discovering only midway that the structure is off balance, the perspective this book offers is especially corrective. It does not chase quick-fix templates but puts "planning" first, reminding writers to think through the skeleton and rhythm of the piece before setting pen to paper and polishing the language. Read it alongside your own writing practice, checking as you go: first see whether the overall layout holds up, then judge whether the wording is apt. Suitable for keeping on the desk for frequent reference, for previewing before a writing class, or for group discussion in a reading club, as an introductory book for training structural awareness.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning writers who need to improve their sense of structure
Language teachers preparing lessons or designing writing exercises
Students preparing for exams who need to clarify their approach to planning a piece
Readers interested in traditional composition studies and writing methods

Not a good fit for

Writers looking only for quick-fix templates and unwilling to think through planning
Academic researchers expecting a systematic textbook of writing theory
Readers who need extensive sample essays with sentence-by-sentence commentary

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the relationship between "planning the piece," layout, and word choice, then go back to the key passages.
After each section, compare it with something you are currently writing and make a list of structural problems.
Read alongside Mao Dun's original text to sense the measure of different styles—rigorous, relaxed, unusual.
After reading, try outlining before drafting, and test the book's reminders about arranging a piece through practice.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
谋篇第十
正文一
正文二
正文三
正文四
正文五

FAQ

Is this book mainly about polishing words and sentences or about overall structure?

Judging from the material, the book is titled "Planning the Piece" and centers on planning and structural arrangement in composition; the cited passage from Mao Dun touches on word choice and sentence crafting but lands on layout and the style of the whole. Readers should treat it as a book for training structural awareness; for work on words and sentences, consult other materials.

Can someone with no writing background understand it?

Yes. The book discusses the basic principles of planning and layout and does not rely on advanced theory. Beginners will find it easier if they compare it with short pieces they have written; if they are entirely unwilling to practice, they will gain less.

Does the book offer ready-made essay templates that can be applied directly?

The material does not show that the book provides templates; its aim is to remind writers to plan the piece before writing, not to supply ready-made formats. Readers hoping to apply templates directly may be disappointed, but those willing to think through planning will benefit more.

Do I need to read other books alongside this one?

You can read it alongside Mao Dun's original short-story reviews to understand the context in which "layout, overall planning, word choice, and sentence crafting" are grouped; you can also combine it with your own writing practice. No other textbook is needed to get started.

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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.