China's first collection of poems, * * * collected about 305 poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty (1 1 century BC) to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period (6th century BC) (there are 6 "prosperous poems", which are not counted). Originally called "Poetry", it was regarded as a classic by Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, but it was called "The Book of Songs".
The Book of Songs is divided into three parts: style, elegance and ode. Feng includes,,,,, Zheng Feng, and Wei. Elegance includes 3 articles of Elegance1and 74 articles of Xiaoya. Ode poems include thirty-one poems by Zhou Song, five poems by Shang Ode and four poems by Truffle. These poems, by their very nature, are the lyrics of songs. Mozi Meng Gong said, "There are 300 poems, 300 strings, 300 songs and 300 dances", which means more than 300 poems. In order to combine the sounds of Shao, Wu, Ya and Song. "Although these statements may have yet to be verified, there is no doubt that the Book of Songs has a close relationship with music and dance in ancient times. The division of Wind, Elegance and Ode is based on the difference of music. Feng is relative to Ji Wang, which was directly ruled by the Zhou Dynasty. Except Nan Zhou and Zhao Nan, which are produced in the areas of Jiang, Han and Rushui, they are all produced in the Yellow River valley from Shaanxi to Shandong. Elegance is the joy of "Ji Wang" and is called "Xia" by Zhou people in this area. Elegance and chivalry were commonly used in ancient times. Masayoshi also means "positive". At that time, Ji Wang's joy was regarded as a positive tone. Its musical characteristics and application occasions are different. Ode is music dedicated to offering sacrifices to ancestral temples. Shi Mao's preface says, "The beauty of admirers is described as the virtue of their success, and they are also told to God. "This is the meaning and use of ode. Wang Guowei said: "The sound of ode is softer than the wind." This is the characteristic of his music. There are many folk songs in The Book of Songs that were originally circulated among the people. There are different opinions about how these folk songs came to the court. Some scholars in the Han Dynasty believed that the Zhou Dynasty sent special poets to collect folk songs and understand the advantages and disadvantages of politics and customs. There is another saying: these folk songs are collected by musicians all over the world. Musicians are officials and experts in charge of music. They sing poetry and compose music as their profession. They collect songs to enrich their lyrics and tunes. The music of princes is dedicated to the emperor, and these folk songs are gathered in the court. These statements all have some truth. Music songs were collected from various periods and regions, and it is generally believed that they were preserved in Tai Shigong, a music official of the Zhou royal family. Obviously, those works with different faces have been processed, eliminated and modified. Therefore, the language form of the existing Book of Songs is basically a four-character case, and the rhyme system and rules are basically the same. Moreover, some sets of sentences appear in works of different times and places (such as Biezi and Wang Yi), which would not have happened if they were not processed. It can be considered that the official production of music songs and the collection and arrangement of folk music songs are one of the cultural undertakings of the Zhou Dynasty, which were continuously carried out in the era of The Book of Songs. Historical Records Confucius Family said that there were more than 3,000 poems, which were deleted and selected by Confucius and became the final version of more than 300 poems seen by later generations. This record is widely doubted. Pre-Qin literature. Moreover, in the Analects of Confucius, Confucius repeatedly mentioned "three hundred poems" (Kevin·Z, Lutz, etc. ), which proves that Confucius has read more than 300 books, which is almost the same as what he sees now. What's more, The Book of Songs was compiled in the 6th century BC before the birth of Confucius. The words in the Historical Records quoted earlier also say so. This shows that in the era of Confucius, the music of The Book of Songs has been lost and disordered, and Confucius revised it to make it conform to the original state of ancient music. He also used the Book of Songs to educate students, often discussing the Book of Songs with them and performing songs and dances (see), which played an important role in the spread of the Book of Songs. The original main purpose of music songs in The Book of Songs is, on the one hand, as a part of various ceremonies, on the other hand, as entertainment, and on the other hand, as an expression of views on social and political issues. But later, The Book of Songs became a cultural textbook widely used in aristocratic education, and learning the Book of Songs became a necessary cultural accomplishment for aristocratic people. On the one hand, this kind of education has the function of beautifying language, and. It is often necessary to quote the poems in the Book of Songs to express your meaning in a tortuous way. This is called "expressing ambition through the Book of Songs", and its specific situation is recorded in Zuo Zhuan. The Analects of Confucius recorded Confucius' words: "If you don't learn the Book of Songs, you have nothing to say." "Reciting the Book of Songs for 300 times can not be achieved by treatment; Let it be everywhere, but not exclusive. Even if there are many, do you still think? " It can be seen that learning the Book of Songs is of great significance to the upper class and those who are ready to enter the upper class. On the other hand, the education of The Book of Songs also has political and moral significance. The Book of Rites quoted Confucius as saying that after "poetry teaching", people can be "gentle, respectful and frugal". The Analects of Confucius recorded the words of Confucius, saying that it is ok to learn the Book of Songs. That is, I learned the truth of serving the monarch and the minister. According to Confucius' opinion (which should also be the opinion of the upper class at that time), "The Book of Songs is 300, in a word, innocent". It means that all the works in the Book of Songs (or at least generally) conform to the moral principles recognized by the society at that time. Otherwise, it cannot be used for "enlightenment". There are two points worth noting: their definition of "innocence" is still quite broad. Many poems denouncing the darkness and expressing the love between men and women can still be regarded as "naive", that is, expressing feelings appropriately, as long as they do not exceed a certain limit. Second, despite this, The Book of Songs is not a simple collection of poems. It is not only the cultural accumulation of the Zhou Dynasty, but also the object of daily chanting by the nobles. Therefore, although it contains many folk songs,
All Confucian classics, including The Book of Songs, were burned in the Qin Dynasty. However, because the Book of Songs is easy to remember and is generally familiar to scholars, it was circulated in the Han Dynasty. There are four main schools in the study of The Book of Songs in the early Han Dynasty: Qi Zhiyuan's drums, Lu Pei's, Yan Ying's and Zhao Zhimao's. The first three schools gradually declined, and in the Southern Song Dynasty, they were completely lost. The Book of Songs we see today is a biography of the Maoists.