Introduction: "Guan Ju", a short poem, occupies a special position in the history of Chinese literature. The following is a sample essay on the appreciation of Guan Ju in the Book of Songs that I compiled for you. You are welcome to read and learn from it! Sample Essay on Appreciation of Guan Ju in the Book of Songs (1)
What characteristics does this poem have that can be used as a model to express the virtues of a couple? First of all, the love it writes about has a clear purpose of marriage from the beginning, and ultimately comes down to the happiness of marriage. It is not a brief encounter or temporary passion between young men and women. This kind of love that clearly points to marriage and expresses responsibility is more recognized by society. Secondly, the man and woman it writes about are a gentleman and a lady, indicating that this is a union associated with virtue. A gentleman has both status and virtue, while a fair lady also means both physical beauty and good virtue. The combination of a gentleman and a lady here represents an ideal of marriage. Thirdly, it is the moderation of love behavior written in poems. If you read it carefully, you will notice that although this poem is about a man's pursuit of a woman, it does not involve any direct contact between the two parties. Although the lady did not show any movements, the gentleman's lovesickness was just tossing and turning alone. Things like climbing walls and breaking willows seemed to have never occurred to him at all, and his love was very disciplined. This kind of love not only contains real and profound feelings (which is very important for love poems), but is also expressed in a gentle and measured way, and does not move the reader too intensely. The above characteristics are probably related to the fact that this poem was originally a song at a noble wedding. That kind of occasion requires a controlled and joyful atmosphere commensurate with the owner's status. Confucius saw in it the beauty of harmony with broad significance, and used it to promote the life attitude of self-restraint and emphasis on moral cultivation that he respected. The "Preface to Mao's Poems" praised it as a moral teaching material that can lead the world and rectify couples. . The two perspectives are somewhat different, but they are still fundamentally the same.
The ancient Confucians valued the virtues of husband and wife, and there was a profound reason for this. In the first sense, the family is the basic unit of social organization. In ancient times, the harmony and stability of this basic unit was of great significance to the harmony and stability of the entire social order. In the second sense, the so-called virtue of husband and wife actually refers to all aspects related to issues between men and women. Eating and drinking, men and women, preserves the great desires of human beings ("Notes: Liyun"). Confucius also knew that this is the basic requirement for human survival. The desire to eat is relatively simple (of course, you must have food first), but the emotional activities caused by the desire of men and women are much more complex, active, and intense, and its potential dangers to living standards and social order are also much greater. The old master also once lamented : I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves sex. ("The Analects") Therefore, all restraint and all cultivation must first start with the desire of men and women. This is of course necessary, but to what extent is appropriate restraint is a complex issue, which involves a combination of social material production levels, political structure, cultural traditions and other factors, as well as changes in the conditions of the times. When a society attempts to adopt a radically negative attitude towards individual rights, severe prohibitions will first appear in this regard. On the contrary, when a society is in a period of change and old moral norms are destroyed, unbridled behavior will first appear in this regard. Going back to "Guanyong", what it praises is a kind of love that is restrained in emotions, cautious in behavior, and aims at marital harmony. Therefore, Confucianists think it is a good model and a teaching material for righteous couples and guides a wide range of moral conduct. . Sample Essay on Appreciation of Guan Ju in the Book of Songs (2)
It is the first chapter of the Book of Songs, which is the oldest classic of Chinese literature. Although judging from their nature, some mythological stories should have been produced earlier, but as written records, they are relatively late. So it can almost be said that when you look at the history of Chinese literature, the first thing you encounter is "Guan Ju".
Did the people who originally compiled the Book of Songs have some intention in the arrangement of the poems? This is no longer known. But at least the understanding of later generations does not think that "Guan Ju" was randomly ranked first. Confucius mentioned "Poems" (i.e. "The Book of Songs") many times in "The Analects of Confucius", but the only work that made specific evaluation was "Guanyong", which was said to be happy but not obscene, sad but not sad. In his opinion, "Guan Ju" is a model of the virtue of moderation. The "Preface to Mao's Poems" by Han Confucians also said: "The wind" is also the beginning, so the wind world is the right couple. Therefore, it is used by the people of the country, and it is used by the country. This involves an ethical thought in ancient China: In the eyes of the ancients, husband and wife are the beginning of human relations, and the perfection of all morality in the world must be based on the virtue of husband and wife. The author of "Preface to Mao's Poems" believes that "Guanyong" has exemplary significance in this regard, so it is listed as the beginning of "Wind". It can be used to influence the world, not only for rural people, that is, ordinary people, but also for states, that is, the ruling class. In this way, the meaning of "Guanyong" is great! How much truth is there in this understanding? Let’s leave that aside for now and start with the poetry itself.
The content of "Guan Ju" is actually very simple. It is about a gentleman's pursuit of a lady. When he doesn't get a lady, he feels distressed and tosses over and can't sleep; when he gets a lady, he is very happy, which is called "Guan Ju". People played music to celebrate and to make the ladies happy. The identity of the characters in the work is very clear: a gentleman was a general term for aristocrats in the era of The Book of Songs, and if this gentleman had music at home, he must have a certain status. In the past, this poem was often interpreted as a folk love song, but I'm afraid that's wrong. What it depicts is obviously the life of the aristocratic class.
In addition, it is certainly true to say that it is a love poem, but I am afraid it is not an ordinary love poem. According to my opinion, this is originally a wedding song, which is sung by the groom’s family to praise the bride and wish them a happy marriage. Many ballads in "The Book of Songs: Guofeng" have general lyrical meaning, entertainment function, and ceremonial practicality. However, the original purpose of some poems is unclear to later generations, so they are regarded as ordinary songs. of songs.
We think of "Guan Ju" as a wedding song. From being a graceful lady and a gentleman being good-natured, to singing it to the friends of friends and music of bells and drums, isn't it also joyful and appropriate?