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| Classical Chinese literature | |
|---|---|
| Name | Classical Chinese literature |
| Native name | 古典文學 |
| Region | East Asia |
| Period | Zhou–Republican era |
| Notable works | Shijing, Chunqiu, Zuo Zhuan, Analects, Tao Te Ching, Li Sao, Records of the Grand Historian, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber |
| Notable authors | Confucius, Laozi, Qu Yuan, Sima Qian, Li Bai, Du Fu, Cao Xueqin |
Classical Chinese literature is the corpus of written texts composed in Literary Chinese from the end of the Zhou dynasty through the early 20th century, encompassing poetry, prose, philosophy, historiography, drama, and fiction. It includes canonical works associated with figures such as Confucius, Laozi, and Sima Qian, and later vernacular masterpieces by authors like Cao Xueqin and Wu Cheng'en. This literature shaped intellectual life across China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and influenced institutions such as the Imperial examination system and texts preserved in collections like the Siku Quanshu.
Classical Chinese literature denotes texts written in Classical Chinese, the literary register codified during the late Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period and used through the Song dynasty and into the Qing dynasty. It covers philosophical works linked to schools represented by Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Mencius, historical narratives like the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian, lyric and regulated verse by poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu, and narrative forms culminating in novels like Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber. The scope extends geographically to Chinese cultural spheres including Goryeo, Heian period Japan, and Đại Việt.
The formative era comprises the Zhou dynasty, with canonical texts including the Shijing and the Chunqiu; the chaotic Warring States period produced thinkers recorded in the Zhuangzi and the Han Feizi. The Han dynasty institutionalized historiography exemplified by Sima Qian and compiled the Book of Han, while the Six Dynasties and Tang dynasty cultivated poetic innovation with poets like Wang Wei and Bai Juyi. The Song dynasty saw neo-Confucian theorists such as Zhu Xi and the rise of ci lyricists like Su Shi; the Yuan dynasty fostered drama in the form of zaju associated with Guan Hanqing; the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty produced vernacular novels by Wu Cheng'en, Luo Guanzhong, and Cao Xueqin. The Republican era witnessed reformers like Hu Shi advocating vernacular literature and the decline of the Imperial examination system.
Major poetic forms include the ancient folk songs in the Shijing, fu rhapsody of the Han dynasty, five- and seven-character regulated verse perfected in the Tang dynasty, and ci lyric tied to Song dynasty music. Prose traditions encompass philosophical dialogues of Confucius and Mencius, legalist tracts of Han Fei, and historical annals by Sima Qian and Ban Gu. Dramatic genres feature Yuan zaju by Guan Hanqing and Ming chuanqi; narrative fiction evolved into novels such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms attributed to Luo Guanzhong, Water Margin associated with Shi Nai'an, and the allegorical Journey to the West attributed to Wu Cheng'en. Anthologies and encyclopedias include imperial compilations like the Siku Quanshu and thematic collections such as Quan Tangshi.
Canonical philosophical texts include the Analects of Confucius, the Tao Te Ching attributed to Laozi, and the Mencius; historiographical cornerstones are Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian and the Book of Han by Ban Gu. Tang poetry is represented by Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei, and Bai Juyi; Song prose and lyric by Su Shi, Li Qingzhao, and Ouyang Xiu. Yuan drama features Guan Hanqing and Ma Zhiyuan; Ming and Qing fiction highlight Luo Guanzhong, Shi Nai'an, Wu Cheng'en, and Cao Xueqin. Later figures include reform-minded writers Lu Xun and Hu Shi who bridge classical and modern periods.
Recurring themes include human conduct as discussed by Confucius and Mencius, metaphysical detachment in Laozi and Zhuangzi, historical moral judgment in Sima Qian and Ban Gu, frontier and exile motifs in poems by Du Fu and Li Bai, and courtly love and loss in ci lyrics by Li Qingzhao and Su Shi. Allegory and Buddhist motifs appear in Journey to the West and in Chan-influenced poetry by Hanshan; social justice and rebellion recur in narratives like Water Margin and the saga of the Three Kingdoms.
Texts employ Classical Chinese's concise syntax seen in pre-Qin classics and the parallel prose (pianwen) and fu of the Han dynasty. Poetic prosody evolved with tonal regulations formalized under the Tang dynasty and rhyme books compiled during the Song dynasty. Transmission relied on manuscript culture in the Han dynasty, block printing from the Tang dynasty onward, and large-scale imperial projects like the Siku Quanshu in the Qing dynasty. Commentarial traditions by scholars such as Zhu Xi and philological work by Gu Yanwu shaped textual interpretation and canon formation.
The literature shaped East Asian intellectual networks across Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, impacting civil service examinations in Joseon and Edo period administrations and inspiring adaptations in Noh and kabuki. Modern scholars like Hu Shi and movements such as the New Culture Movement critiqued Classical Chinese and promoted vernacular writing, influencing writers like Lu Xun. Preservation efforts continue in institutions like the National Palace Museum and projects studying editions of the Siku Quanshu and manuscripts recovered from Dunhuang and the Mawangdui tombs. Category:Chinese literature