Characteristics of Zhuzhi Ci
Poetry Appreciation
The willows are green and the Qingjiang River is level,
I hear the sound of people stepping on the Langjiang River and singing.
The sun rises in the east and rains in the west.
There is no sunshine but there is sunshine.
Explanation of the poem
The willows on the riverside were green, with green branches hanging down. The water was calm, and suddenly I heard the sound of a lover singing on the river. The sun is shining in the east, and it is still raining in the west. It may be said that there is no sunny day, but there are still sunny places.
Explanation of the word
Qing: homophonic with the word love, a clever pun.
Poem Appreciation
This poem uses the pun technique commonly used in folk love songs to implicitly express the subtle love, which is novel, vivid and full of fun.
As for the characteristics of Zhuzhi Ci, I once summarized it in an article as the "Four Easy Things", namely easy to learn, easy to understand, easy to write, and easy to spread. This is from the perspective of learning and reading. If we study and analyze it from the perspective of content, form and artistic expression, it can be summarized as follows:
(1) The language is smooth and easy to understand. Zhuzhi Ci is derived from folk songs. Folk colloquialisms and slang can be incorporated into poetry, and very few allusions are used. It is catchy to read and is both elegant and popular. There is a passage in Wang Shizhen's "Biographies of Poems of Teachers and Friends" recorded in the Qing Dynasty: "Bamboo branches are slightly associated with slang and customs, but if they are too literary, they will not be true to their true nature." You are right, this is a major feature of Zhuzhi Ci. It is precisely because a large number of colloquialisms, slang and local accents are used in Zhuzhi Ci that it reads with a strong local flavor and flavor of life.
For example, in old Beijing, there was a kind of hawker who specialized in combs and pendants. He carried parcels or small wooden boxes and often hawked them outside the hotel door with a very high-pitched tone and an accent. There is a poem about bamboo branches that incorporates the hawker's hawking words into poetry.
The shouting sound filled the sky, and everyone was free in the street inn. "Take a comb pendant or a comb from home and pick it up for ten copper coins."
In the last two sentences, the hawker's hawking words, such as "take home" and "choose what you like" in old Beijing dialect, are vividly written into the poem, which makes people feel friendly and vivid, and the image of the hawker comes to life vividly. superior.
It’s not easy to live in Chang’an, so be frugal and a little generous. They are most afraid of red and white matters in favor of others, and will be in trouble when they know one thing.
Chang'an in the poem refers to Beijing. Zhidan refers to invitations and the like. In Beijing during the Qing Dynasty, large-scale weddings and funerals were very popular, and the general public was very troubled by this, and became embarrassed when they saw the "notification list". This poem about bamboo branches uses the popular language of "embarrassment" in the poem, vividly depicting the helpless mentality of the common people.
There is a poem about a fruit vendor in Hangzhou:
Short steps on the street come home day and night, sweet-scented osmanthus, chestnuts, white bayberry. Send someone under the eaves and shout loudly: "Six copper coins are a lot."
A hawking sound enters the poem, and the image of the street vendor comes alive.
There is a Zhuzhi poem about a vegetable vendor in Nanchang:
In the middle of the night, the sound of vomiting and mute-picking is heard, and the vegetable servant Guo Wai listens to the rooster's crow. Green sativa, green garlic, and carrots have entered the city before dawn.
The poem is as clear as words, and it is very realistic to describe the vegetable vendors who get up early in the morning and work hard in the dark to sell food.
Use the straw hat and sandals to burn the rice, half a squatting owl and half a melon. The man works and pays his own wages. When he has free time, he can pick Kuding tea.
This is a bamboo branch poem from the mountainous areas of Jiangxi. Crouching owl, that is, taro. Kudingcha is a wild camellia. The poem is written in the voice of a young working woman, narrating the young couple's poor yet comfortable working life in the mountains.
In the history of Chinese poetry, some literati disapproved of the use of proverbs in poems. Yan Yu said in "Canglang Poetry Talk": "When learning poetry, you must first eliminate five vulgarities: the first is vulgar style, the second is vulgar meaning, the third is vulgar sentences, the fourth is vulgar words, and the fifth is vulgar rhyme." Zhu Xi also said: " To make sure that there is not a word of secular language meaning in the square inch." This statement is one-sided. Zhuzhi Ci is characterized by its vulgarity. Many excellent Zhuzhi Ci poems in the past dynasties are just plain language with taste, simple language with emotion, and common saying with elegance.
(2) Unconventional and less restrictive. Folk song writers don't quite understand the rules in rhyme books, and folk bamboo-branch poems mostly rely on the rhymes of language in daily life. It can be said that none of Liu Yuxi's earliest nine poems on bamboo branches meets the standards. Starting from the first poem:
Spring grass grows at the head of Baidi City, and the Shu River is clear at the foot of Baiyan Mountain. People from the south come up to sing a song, but people from the north don't come up to express their nostalgia.
The fourth character in the third sentence uses flat tone, the seventh character uses flat tone, the second character in the fourth sentence uses flat tone, and the seventh character uses flat tone, both of which do not conform to the rhythm.
The second poem goes:
The mountains are covered with red flowers, and the spring water of Shu River beats the mountain flow. The bonus fades easily like a man's will, and the water flow is infinite like Nong's sorrow.
The first, second, third, and fourth sentences of this poem all begin with flat tones and unqualified rhythm. Based on this, the following seven capitals are not completely consistent.
One of Bai Juyi's four poems about bamboo branches is also out of rhythm.
This informal phenomenon began with Liu and Bai, and was inherited by subsequent generations. When recent researchers examine the rhythm of Zhuzhi Ci, they believe that Zhuzhi Ci "uses the folk song oblique style as the normal style" and quatrains as the "different style" (Ren Bandang's "Zhuzhi Kao"). Ao style refers to a standard poetic style that does not follow the rules and is unique. Dong Wenhuan of the Qing Dynasty's "Illustrated Commentary on the Four Spectrums of Tone" says: "As for Zhuzhi Ci, its pattern is neither ancient nor rhythm, and is half a miscellaneous ballad. The method of flat and oblique is between the three of Ao, ancient and rhythm. It is not allowed to use all ancient styles. If the sound of nature comes, Then it’s not all about restraint.”
Song Changbai of the Qing Dynasty also said in "Liuting Poems": "Bamboo branches are mostly used in awkward styles." It can be seen that the irregular style of Zhuzhi Ci has become one of the important differences from Qijue poetry. This characteristic of Zhuzhi Ci has given it convenient conditions for its widespread spread and development. Because the rhythm is freer and less constrained, it is easy for authors to master and has a large writing team.
What should be mentioned here is that the rhythm of Zhuzhi Ci is broad, which does not destroy the rhythmic beauty of the poem. On the contrary, since Liu and Bai, everyone in the past dynasties has loved it, and many popular and excellent poems have appeared.
As for the rhyme of Zhuzhi Ci, a large number of works follow the flat rhyme. But there are also those with oblique rhyme or flat rhyme and oblique rhyme. For example, Su Shi wrote nine poems about bamboo branches in Chungju, some of which are flat and some oblique. For example, in the poem about Qu Yuan: "How can we make a noise while beating drums on the waterside? The prime minister will beg for Qu Yuan with water. Qu Yuan has been dead for a thousand years, and the whole boat is singing in mourning just like he did back then." Khotan, Yuan and Nian rhyme with the same rhyme. One of his poems about Xiang Yu goes like this: "What is the purpose of running wildly in the world? His horses are abandoned and the horses in the river are weeping. King Xiang has died and has no friends, so he entered the Han court for the first time to commit suicide." Things, tears, and ground all have oblique rhymes. From the perspective of poetic style, Zhuzhi Ci uses seven characters and four sentences as the normal form, but there are also five characters and four sentences as alternative forms. For example, Yuan Mei in the Qing Dynasty wrote five poems in "Xihu Xiaozhuzhi Ci", all of which are in five characters. One of them says: "I lived on the lake, and Lang went to stay in the city. I thought of Lang Han in the middle of the night, and then I saw the evil at the city gate."
(3) The poetic style is bright and humorous. Almost all Zhuzhi Ci poems, whether from the south or the north, or from the Han nationality or ethnic minorities, have this characteristic. It should be said that this poetic style was also brought in from folk songs. Yan Jizu of the Ming Dynasty said that Zhuzhi Ci "can replace curses with laughter, and is full of humor. As people in the past said, it is good at teasing but not cruel" (Preface to Moling Bamboo Branch Song). Yang Jingting, a native of the Qing Dynasty, also said in the preface to "Miscellaneous Odes of Dumen": "Thinking about bamboo branches to get meaning must be based on playful words, hidden precepts, game talks, and silent remonstrances." Indeed. Good Zhuzhi Ci often has charm in its humor, beauty and thorns in its humor, and true feelings in its teasing. When people read, they intuitively feel the wonderful writing, which is often thought-provoking and intriguing in the humorous explanations. The strong artistic appeal of Zhuzhi Ci has won the love and high praise of readers of all generations.
For example, there is a poem in "Bamboo Branch Poems of the Qing Dynasty" about the Liuguo Hotel in Beijing. The hotel is the predecessor of the Beijing Hotel and was built in the late Qing Dynasty.
Overseas exotics and exotic flavors can be found in one store. There were not many friends outside, and red caps and flower feathers came every day.
The red-topped flower feathers refer to the officials of the Qing Dynasty. The poem says that this foreign-style restaurant is full of delicacies and delicacies, and you can’t even name it. However, there were very few foreign guests, and officials from the Qing court came every day. A bitter satire on the corruption of the Qing court.
Gengzi, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and the Qing court officials fled out of the city with their families. There is a poem about this scene written on bamboo branches:
The athletes came out of Kyoto in support of , He Zimei's wife is also an orange slave. All the ministers of the land moved their families, and it turned out that the trivial matters were not confused.
Changing "not confused about big things" to "not confused about small things" clearly depicts the faces of Qing officials who only care about their family and not the people, but only care about their personal safety and do not care about the rise or fall of the country.
There is also a Zhuzhi poem that uses a puppet show to criticize the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty:
It has been said from ancient times that rotten wood is difficult to carve, so just add some dung and knead it into a blank. Since Shi Danya has been mastered by his master, he is a candidate for becoming a prince and a general.
This is a wonderful satirical poem. It does not contain a single curse word, but it thoroughly scolds the corrupt rulers of the Qing Dynasty. Zhuzhi Ci reflects life at all levels of society, and many of them are written very interestingly. There is a poem about the love affair between men and women in "West Lake Bamboo Branch Ci":
It is also said that hibiscus is better than concubine's appearance, and they all compare concubine's appearance to hibiscus. How come yesterday when Lang passed by, he didn’t look at Furong but only at Nong!
In the poem, a girl asks her beloved: "Didn't you say that Furong is prettier than me? Then why did you only look at me and not at Furong when you passed by here yesterday!" Furong , that is, lotus. The two lovers who are passionately in love and flirting with each other are written very realistically and vividly, and are very funny.
There is a poem in "Beijing Qing Dynasty Bamboo Branch Poems" about Beijing Zhimizhai's snacks:
The wontons are so delicious that they are filled with spring leeks and are fragrant when chewed. The soup is clear and moist, so you won’t find it bland when you kiss it. You will know the taste is long after you swallow it.
The goodness of Zhimizhai wontons is written in a flavorful, humorous and mouth-watering way.
The humorous and interesting style of Zhuzhi Ci has become one of the distinguishing marks between it and rhythm and Jue style poetry. The ancients said: "The intention of poetry should be profound, but the underlying language should be plain." It is in the humor and humor that Zhuzhi Ci transforms the essence into the ordinary and achieves the state of explaining the profound in a simple way. This makes it uniquely charming and has become the goal studied and pursued by poets of all ages. The so-called "taste" of Zhuzhi Ci is often reflected here.
(4) Record events widely and preserve history with poetry. The combination of poetry and history is a fine tradition of Chinese poetry. Bamboo branch poems are derived from chronicles, and any customs and sentiments, mountains and rivers, social industries, fashions and customs, historical changes, etc. can be included in poems. It involves politics, economy, society, history, culture and many other fields. It can be considered that the aspects of social life in various historical eras reflected in Zhuzhi Ci are unmatched by other poetry styles in terms of breadth and depth. Zhuzhi Ci has broadened the function of poetry. At the same time, a large amount of valuable first-hand information is also preserved.
It should be mentioned here that Zhuzhi Ci has always had a tradition of annotations. Add small notes after each poem to annotate the content of the poem in concise words, which can not only deepen the understanding of the poem, but also supplement the poem.
Researchers in history and sociology often find that important historical materials can be found in Zhuzhici that are briefly recorded in official history, or are not recorded at all. Those concise annotations and beautiful poems confirm each other, echo each other, and complement each other.
For example, there is a group of "Hundred Odes of Capital Records" in "Beijing Bamboo Branch Poems of the Qing Dynasty", which were written by two outsiders living in Beijing at that time who witnessed the Boxer Rebellion's entry into Beijing and the Eight-Power Allied Forces' invasion of the capital. out. Each poem in "Hundred Odes of Chronicles" is followed by annotations. The text is concise, vivid and concrete. It is actually a set of witness accounts of Gengzi's capital, which has become a historical witness with rich historical materials.
In the beginning, there were many volunteers in Shandong, and then in Baoding and then in Tianjin. People were shocked and shocked, it was like a god riding on the clouds.
The small note after the poem says: "The Tuan people originated from Shandong, where they bordered Zhili, and extended to Baoding and Tianjin. In March this year, they flowed into the capital, coercing the masses, and their traces were erratic. According to legend, there were The art of riding clouds".
In front of the Yu Mansion, there is a large banner, a yellow turban on the road and a knife in the air. The fairy talismans were not accurate, and they mistakenly mistook the capital official for a second hair. After the Boxers entered Beijing, according to Zhuyun, an altar was set up in the palace of the kings Baylor, and a large scroll was built in front of the door, with the words "Practice for Heaven and follow the decree of the Boxers" and other words. A certain Beijing official escaped from the city with his family, but was discovered by the group. He mistakenly thought that he was a young man, and rushed to the altar, burning incense and burning his watch. Only then was he exempted.
Only half a day after Yangcun, there were a thousand elite Thai and Western soldiers. There is no way forward to help, and they are trapped in a tight siege and cannot let go.
Foreign countries used the excuse of the Boxer Rebellion to oppose "foreign religion" and burned down the Catholic Church. They sent a thousand elite troops to land from Tianjin in an attempt to occupy Beijing. When they reached Yangcun, they were surrounded by the Boxer Rebellion and could not move forward, so they were forced to return to Tianjin.
The splendid Jinbi store hangs a sign, and all foreign names and characters are wiped off. Thousands of new European and Mexican books have been buried in ditches and wells.
The Boxers will all cancel foreign names, foreign characters, and foreign books in Beijing. "Hundred Odes of the Capital Chronicle" combines poetry and history to describe the entire process of this incident in detail, carefully carving out some important details. There are days and times, people and places. The writing is precise, and the reading is sighing and sighing.
Another example is that in April of the second year of Xuantong in the late Qing Dynasty (1910), there was a trend of gun rice in Changsha. At that time, due to the skyrocketing price of rice, people gathered in the governor's yamen to demand stabilization of grain prices. The officers and soldiers opened fire, killing many people. The angry crowd set fire to the yamen, and the Hunan governor fled. This turmoil dealt a huge blow to the Qing government, which was on the verge of collapse. The Revolution of 1911 the following year led to the collapse of the Manchu Qing government. The "History of Hunan before and after the Revolution of 1911" compiled by Yang Shiji, a recent scholar, included seventy-four bamboo-branch poems written by people at that time to record the event. One of the poems goes:
A mournful cry arose in the midst of the great flight, soothing the unspeakable injustice. The people were only forced into chaos by the officials, and the new army suppressed the gunshots.
The note after the poem says: "The army drew their guns and bayonets, killing and wounding dozens of people. The crowd tore down the walls and threw bricks. Cen Fu ordered the shooting. The cry was loud." The author angrily stated that this incident was a rebellion forced by the government and the people.
In the late Qing Dynasty, Su Manshu left seven poems "Zhuzhi Ci for Donating Officials" in his novel "The Legend of Duanhong Lingyan", which exposed the corrupt official system of the Qing court. In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a system whereby anyone who donated money for disaster relief, river engineering, or military supplies could be given an official position. Whoever donated more money could become a high official. In fact, all the donated money went into the pockets of superior officials. For example, there is a poem that reads:
Working relief donations are cheap, and you can get two hundred silver. When I meet in officialdom, I am called Sima, and he paints a big lion on the wall.
Tongzhi is an auxiliary official of the prefect, and Sima is the honorific title for Tongzhi. If you have the knowledge, you can draw a lion on the screen wall outside your home as a sign.
There are also words in "Zhuzhi Ci for Donating Officials": "It's cheap to call observation today, and you can buy it for five hundred guangyang." "Ten thousand silver can pay off, and the lantern will be replaced by the capital immediately." and so on. Using numbers in poetry is common in chronicle poems, and some of them have become precious scientific and technological historical data.