Distinguishing the Sao

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.5

Word count: 1.1K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Since the voices of the Feng and Ya fell silent, none has drawn forth their thread; yet rare and wondrous writings rose in abundance—was it not Li Sao! Indeed it soars after the poets and flies forth before the Rhetoricians. Could it be because he was not far removed from the Sage, and the men of Chu were so richly talented? In former times Emperor Wu of Han loved Sao, and Huainan composed a Commentary, holding that the Guo Feng delights in beauty without licentiousness, and the Xiao Ya expresses resentment without disorder; as for Li Sao, it may be said to combine both. Like a cicada shedding its shell amid filth and mud, it floats and roams beyond the dust of the world, pure and bright, dyed by no blackness even in the dye-vat—though it contend in brightness with the sun and moon, it may be affirmed.

Editor's review

This book centers on Li Sao, entering from the literary-historical thread of the Feng and Ya falling silent and wondrous writings rising in abundance. It cites the old accounts of Emperor Wu of Han loving Sao and Huainan composing a Commentary, and discusses how Li Sao combines the Guo Feng's delight in beauty without licentiousness and the Xiao Ya's resentment without disorder, describing its character as "like a cicada shedding its shell amid filth and mud, floating and roaming beyond the dust of the world." For readers, its value lies in placing Li Sao back within the coordinates of the shi-sao tradition and the Han reception history, rather than reading a long lyrical poem in isolation. The evaluations in the book are concise, suitable as a guide before reading the Chu Ci or as afterthought after reading. When reading, one may first read through the original text of Li Sao, then compare it with the evaluation by Liu An, King of Huainan, cited in this book, and savor the weight of the two words "combine both"; one may also consider how the Chu Ci occupies a unique position after the poets and before the Rhetoricians.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Classical literature enthusiasts preparing to read Li Sao for the first time and hoping to establish an overall evaluative framework first
Students of literature and history interested in the shi-sao tradition and the Han reception history of the Chu Ci
Language teachers who need classroom introduction materials and explanations of Li Sao's status
Slow readers who enjoy short literary essays and are willing to repeatedly savor ancient evaluations

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers who need line-by-line annotation, vernacular translation, and pronunciation glosses for rare characters in Li Sao
Researchers expecting a systematic survey of all chapters of the Chu Ci or a study of Qu Yuan's life
General readers who only want storyline content and lack interest in literary-critical evaluations

Reading tips

First read through the original text of Li Sao once, then read this book's evaluations, and look for specific lines to verify against "delights in beauty without licentiousness" and "expresses resentment without disorder."
Copy out the evaluation by Liu An, King of Huainan, cited in the book, and look back at it after finishing the whole piece to test whether your understanding has changed.
Use it alongside an annotated edition of the Chu Ci, and promptly check the original text when encountering quotations whose sources are unclear.

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
辨骚第五

FAQ

Does this book include the full text of Li Sao and annotations?

Judging from the materials, this book mainly evaluates Li Sao's status and character and cites assessments by Liu An, King of Huainan, and others; it is not a full annotated edition of Li Sao. Readers would do best to have another annotated Chu Ci edition with translation on hand for comparison.

What does "delights in beauty without licentiousness" in the book mean?

This is the evaluation of the Guo Feng by Liu An, King of Huainan, cited in the materials; it means that the Guo Feng writes of love between men and women with restraint and does not lapse into wantonness. The book uses this to explain that Li Sao combines the strengths of the Guo Feng and the Xiao Ya; there is no need to understand the two characters for "beauty" in a modern semantic sense.

What background is needed before reading this book?

It is best to have read roughly through the original text of Li Sao first and to have a basic impression of Qu Yuan and the Chu Ci; at the same time, know the general character of the Guo Feng and Xiao Ya in the Shi Jing. With this background, the book's discussion of the shi-sao tradition and Han evaluations will be easier to enter.

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

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.