The Book of Songs is the source of China's realistic poetry. The Book of Songs is the first collection of poems in China, with 365,438+065,438+0 poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, also known as "300 poems". The pre-Qin dynasty was called "Poetry", or the integer was called "Poetry 300". The Book of Songs is the glorious starting point of China's realistic literature. Because of its rich content and high ideological and artistic achievements, it occupies an important position in the cultural history of China and even the world. It initiated the excellent tradition of China's poetry and exerted an indelible influence on later literature. The influence of The Book of Songs has transcended the national boundaries of China and spread to the whole world. Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and other countries introduced the Chinese version of The Book of Songs very early. Since18th century, French, German, English and Russian versions have appeared. The music songs in The Book of Songs were originally used as part of various ceremonies to entertain and express views on social and political issues. But in the end, The Book of Songs has become a cultural textbook widely used in aristocratic education, and learning the Book of Songs has become a necessary cultural accomplishment for aristocratic people. On the one hand, this kind of education has the function of beautifying language, especially in diplomatic occasions, it is often necessary to quote poems from the Book of Songs to express meaning in twists and turns. This is called "Fu Shi Yan Zhi", and its specific situation is recorded in Zuo Zhuan. The Analects of Confucius recorded Confucius' words: "If you don't learn poetry, you have nothing to say." "Reciting 300 Poems, teaching them as politics, is unattainable; Let it be everywhere, but not exclusive. Even if there are many, do you still think? " It can be seen how important it is to learn the Book of Songs for 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. Interpretation of the Book of Rites quoted Confucius as saying that after "poetry teaching", people can be "gentle and sincere". The Analects of Confucius recorded the words of Confucius, saying that learning poetry can "serve the monarch from afar and the father from the monarch", that is, learning to serve the monarch and the elders. According to Confucius' opinion (which should also be the opinion of ordinary people in the upper class at that time), "there are 300 poems. In a word, it says: the thought is innocent. " This means that all the works in the Book of Songs (or at least on the whole) are in line with the moral principles recognized by the society at that time. Otherwise, it cannot be used for "education". Confucius said that he was "happy but not lewd, sad but not hurt."
There are two points worth noting here: first, according to Confucius' theory, people's views on the Book of Songs at that time were quite broad. Many poems that condemn the dark rule and express the love between men and women can still be considered "innocent" as long as they do not exceed a certain limit, that is, legitimate emotional expression. Second, despite this, the Book of Songs is not a simple collection of poems after all. It is not only the cultural accumulation of the Zhou Dynasty, but also the object of daily chanting by the nobles. Therefore, although there are many folk songs in it, I'm afraid it can't contain the content that directly conflicts with the socially recognized political and moral principles.
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 familiar to scholars, it spread in the Han Dynasty. There are four schools of * * * who taught the Book of Songs in the early Han Dynasty, namely, Qi Zhiyuan's drums, Lu Pei, Yan Zhiyi's Han Ying, Zhao Zhimao Heng, and Qi's, Lu's and four schools for short (the first two schools are named after the country, while the last two schools are named after the family). The Confucian Classics of Qi, Lu and Han schools are officially recognized schools, and Mao's poems belong to the Confucian Classics of Ancient Chinese, which is a folk school. However, after the Eastern Han Dynasty, Mao's poems became increasingly prosperous and gained official recognition. The first three schools gradually declined, and in the Southern Song Dynasty, they were completely lost. The Book of Songs that we saw today is a biography of the Mao School.
Besides, Three Hundred Poems (The Book of Songs) is one of the main teaching books in China from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qing Dynasty. I hope my answer is helpful to you (* _ _ *)