Overview of "The Book of Songs"
The "Book of Songs" is my country's first comprehensive collection of poetry. It contains 300 poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, about 500 years ago. Five pieces (there are another six "Sheng poems" in "Xiaoya", which have goals but no words, so they are not included). It was originally called "The Book of Songs", but was regarded as a classic by Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty. He created the excellent tradition of realism in ancient Chinese poetry creation. The content in the Book of Songs is, by its original nature, the lyrics of songs. "Mozi Gongmeng" said: "Three hundred odes, three hundred string poems, three hundred song poems, and three hundred dance poems." This means that there are more than three hundred poems in "Poetry" that can be recited, played with musical instruments, Singing and dancing. "Historical Records: The Family of Confucius" also says: "Three hundred and five chapters, Confucius sang them all with strings, in order to combine the sounds of Shao, Wu, Ya, and Song." Although these statements may still be explored, the "Book of Songs" has a strong relationship with music in ancient times. There is no doubt that it is closely related to dance.
The "Six Meanings" of "The Book of Songs"
The "Six Meanings" of "The Book of Songs" refer to Feng, Ya, Song, Fu, Bi, and Xing. The first three refer to content. , the last three are about techniques.
The division of "Wind", "Ya" and "Song" into three parts is based on the difference in music.
The meaning of "wind" is tone. It is relative to "Wang Ji" - the area directly ruled by the Zhou Dynasty. It is music with local color. The ancients called it "Qin Feng", "Wei Feng" and "Zheng Feng", just like now we talk about Shaanxi Diao, Shanxi Diao and Henan Diao.
Guo Feng·Zhou Nan Guo Feng·Zhao Nan Guo Feng·Bei Feng Guo Feng·Yuan Feng Guo Feng·Wei Feng Guo Feng·Wang Feng Guo Feng·Zheng Feng
Guo Feng·Wei Feng Guo Feng · Tang Feng Guo Feng · Qi Feng Guo Feng · Qin Feng Guo Feng · Chen Feng Guo Feng · Huifeng Guo Feng · Cao Feng Guo Feng · Bin Feng
"Ya" is the joy of "Wang Ji", and the Zhou people in this area called it "Xia" , "Ya" and "Xia" were commonly used in ancient times. Ya also means "right". At that time, Wang Ji's music was regarded as Zhengsheng - a model of music. People in the Zhou Dynasty called Zhengsheng Yale, just like people in the Qing Dynasty called Kunqiang Yabu, which has a sense of respect. Daya and Xiaoya may be divided according to the age, or they may be divided according to their musical characteristics and application occasions.
"Song" is music specially used for worship in ancestral temples. "Preface to Mao's Poems" says: "The person who eulogizes is a description of his beauty and virtue, and he is the one who tells the gods about his success." This is the meaning and purpose of the ode. Wang Guowei said: "The sound of the song is slower than that of wind and elegance." ("Shuo Zhou Ode") This is the characteristic of its music.
"Bi", according to Zhu Xi's explanation, means "comparing that thing to this thing", which also means metaphor. There are many places where metaphors are used in the Book of Songs, and the techniques are also varied. For example, "Meng" uses the change of mulberry trees from flourishing to withering to describe the rise and fall of love; "Crane" uses "stones from other mountains can attack jade" to describe the need for wise men to govern the country; "Shuo Ren" continuously uses "catkins" The word "congealing fat" is used to describe a beautiful woman's hands, "congealing fat" is used to describe a beautiful woman's skin, "hu rhinoceros" is used to describe a beautiful woman's teeth, etc. These are all good examples of the use of "bi" in the Book of Songs.
"Fu" and "Bi" are the most basic expression techniques in all poetry, while "Xing" is a unique technique in the "Book of Songs" and even Chinese poetry. The original meaning of the word "Xing" is "rising". "Xing" in "The Book of Songs", according to Zhu Xi's explanation, means "preface other things to trigger the words to be chanted", that is, to use other things to pave the way for the content of the chant. It is often used at the beginning of a poem or chapter. Probably the most primitive "Xing" is just an origin and has no meaningful relationship with the following text. It shows that thoughts wander and associate for no reason. Just like Qin Feng's "Morning Wind", it is difficult to find the meaningful connection between the beginning of "The morning breeze and the gloomy northern forest" and the following "I haven't seen the gentleman yet, and I am worried about him". Although in this case, it may be that it is incomprehensible due to the age gap, this situation must exist. Even in modern ballads, we can still see this kind of "xing".
Furthermore, "Xing" also has more practical uses such as metaphor, symbol, and foil. But precisely because "Xing" is originally caused by the wandering thoughts and associations for no reason, even if it has a more practical meaning, it is not so fixed and rigid, but ethereal and subtle. For example, at the beginning of "Guan Ju", "Guan Guan Ju dove, in the river island", the poet originally used the foreground to create the following "A graceful lady, a gentleman is fond of hunting". However, Guan Ju's harmonious singing can also be used as a metaphor for male and female courtship. Or the harmonious love between men and women, but its metaphor is not so clear and definite. Another example is the poem "Peach Blossoms", which begins with "The peach blossoms shine brightly", describing the beautiful atmosphere when the peach blossoms bloom in spring. It can be said to be a realistic writing, but it can also be understood as a metaphor for the beauty of the bride. , it can also be said that this is to set off the warm atmosphere of the wedding. Because "Xing" is such a subtle technique that can be used freely, later generations of poets who like the implicit and euphemistic charm of poetry are particularly interested in it. They each show off their skills, revise the old and bring out the new, and so on. , constitutes a special flavor of Chinese classical poetry.