Mourning the Departed

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.6

Word count: 4.8K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

Commemorating the dead. After the Jin-dynasty poet Pan Yue's wife died, he wrote three "Poems of Mourning" (Daowang shi), and later generations came to call mourning for a deceased wife "daowang."

Editor's review

The origin of the term "daowang" is closely tied to the three "Poems of Mourning" that the Jin-dynasty poet Pan Yue wrote for his late wife; later generations therefore used "daowang" specifically for mourning a deceased wife. Brief as this material is, it links up an important piece of literary-historical common knowledge: how an emotional theme, through particular works, solidifies into a fixed generic name. This Bashu Press volume, titled "Daowang," points to the origins and naming process of this theme in classical literature. For student readers studying ancient literature and learning about the evolution of the elegiac genre, this material can serve as a point of entry; for general readers, it provides the basic knowledge for understanding what lies behind the "daowang" label in classical poetry. It should be noted that the material itself is extremely brief, explaining only the etymology and the connection to Pan Yue, without unfolding any analysis of specific poems; it is therefore better suited as an informative read or a starting point for specialized study than as a book for in-depth literary appreciation. While reading, one may follow the thread and further consult the original text of Pan Yue's "Poems of Mourning" and later works of mourning.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of ancient literature who need to master the etymology and generic conventions of "daowang"
Middle-school Chinese teachers, who may use it as background reference when preparing lessons involving Pan Yue or the theme of mourning
Readers interested in the thematic classification of classical poetry who want to know the origin of the name "daowang"
Beginners in ancient literature, as an introductory clue to knowledge of the elegiac genre

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting in-depth appreciation of Pan Yue's mourning poems or mourning works of later ages; this volume's content is rather brief
Bereaved readers seeking emotional comfort or psychological support; the material is informative in nature rather than a healing read
Readers hoping for a complete anthology of mourning poems; this volume covers only etymology and background

Reading tips

After reading this entry, immediately look up the original text of Pan Yue's three "Poems of Mourning" and read them side by side, connecting the etymological knowledge with the literary text
Trace the usage of "daowang" chronologically from Pan Yue to later poetry, and make a simple set of notes
Read it alongside the chapters on lamentation and sacrifice in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons to understand how the ancients viewed mourning works from a generic perspective

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
【和令狐侍郎、郭郎中题项羽庙】孟郊
【读张碧集】孟郊
【听琴】孟郊
【闻夜啼赠刘正元】孟郊
【喜雨】孟郊
【终南山下作】孟郊
【观种树】孟郊
【春雨后】孟郊
【答友人赠炭】孟郊
【烂柯石】孟郊
【寻言上人】孟郊
【喷玉布】孟郊
【姑蔑城】孟郊
【峥嵘岭】孟郊
【寻裴处士】孟郊
【子庆诗】孟郊
【憩淮上观公法堂】孟郊
【江邑春霖奉赠陈侍御】孟郊
【溧阳秋霁】孟郊
【列仙文?方诸青童君】孟郊
【列仙文?清虚真人】孟郊
【列仙文?金母飞空歌】孟郊
【列仙文?安度明】孟郊
【夏日谒智远禅师】孟郊
【访嵩阳道士不遇】孟郊
【听蓝溪僧为元居士说维摩经】孟郊
【借车】孟郊
【喜符郎诗有天纵】孟郊
【凭周况先辈于朝贤乞茶】孟郊
【上昭成阁不得，于从侄僧悟空院叹嗟】孟郊
【魏博田兴尚书听嫂命不立非夫人诗】孟郊
【读经】孟郊
【谢李輈再到】孟郊
【忽不贫，喜卢仝书船归洛】孟郊
【吊国殇】孟郊
【吊比干墓】孟郊
【吊元鲁山】孟郊
【哭李观】孟郊
【李少府厅吊李元宾遗字】孟郊
【悼吴兴汤衡评事】孟郊
【哀孟云卿嵩阳荒居】孟郊
【哭卢贞国】孟郊
【伤旧游】孟郊
【吊房十五次卿少府】孟郊
【逢江南故昼上人会中郑方回】孟郊
【哭秘书包大监】孟郊
【悼幼子】孟郊

FAQ

Why does "daowang" specifically mean mourning a wife rather than mourning the dead in general?

According to the material, after the Jin-dynasty poet Pan Yue's wife died he wrote three "Poems of Mourning," and later generations came to call mourning a deceased wife "daowang." Through the influence of Pan Yue's works this usage became fixed as a literary label specifically for the loss of a wife, distinct from the general term "mourning" for the dead. Understanding this etymology helps one accurately grasp what a "daowang" title points to in classical poetry.

Can Pan Yue's three "Poems of Mourning" still be read today?

Pan Yue's three "Poems of Mourning" are famous transmitted works, commonly found in comprehensive anthologies such as the Wen Xuan and in various selected editions of Pan Yue's poetry and prose; readers can consult the original text themselves. This entry explains only the connection between the term "daowang" and Pan Yue and does not include the poems themselves, so one must find the text elsewhere and read it alongside, in order to combine the etymological knowledge with an understanding of the specific works.

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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.