Chu+Ci

=Chu Ci=

//**Chu Ci**// (Traditional Chinese: 楚辭; Simplified Chinese: 楚辞; pinyin: chǔ cí), also known as //**Songs of the South**// or //**Songs of Chu**//, is an anthology of Chinese poems by Qu Yuan and Song Yu from the Warring States period and subsequent imitators of their poetic style. Consisting of fifty-eight short poems and six long poems, //Chu Ci// is the second oldest collection of Chinese poems in record.

History
//Chu Ci// was named after a new form of poetry that sprouted and blossomed in the State of Chu during the Warring States period. As a new literary style, //chu ci// abandoned the classic four-character verses used in poems of //Shi Jing// and adopted verses with varying lengths. This gave it more rhythm and latitude in expression. Furthermore, //chu ci// should be recited using pronunciations of the dialect of Chu, unlike poems of //Shi Jing//, which were sung using dialects north of the Yellow River. The collection of poems by Qu Yuan and Song Yu included in //Chu Ci//, as well as works by other Chu poets, were already popular during the Western Han Dynasty. The //Book of Han// noted 106 Chu poets with 1,318 compositions. Many established Han poets also imitated the style of //chu ci// and produced their fair share of notable poems. However, it was only during the reign of Emperor Cheng when Liu Xiang arranged and compiled the poems of Qu Yuan and Song Yu, as well as those of Han poets including Wang Bao (王褒), Jia Yi (賈誼), Yan Ji (嚴忌) and Liu Xiang himself, into //Chu Ci// as it is known today.

Qu Yuan
Main article: Qu Yuan Although //Chu Ci// is an anthology of poems by many poets, Qu Yuan was doubtless its central figure. A minister in the court of King Huai of Chu, Qu Yuan advocated forming an alliance with the other states against the dominance of Qin. However, his advice was not taken and he was ostracized by other officials in court. Seeing the corruption of his colleagues and the inability of his king, Qu Yuan then exiled himself and finally committed suicide in the Miluo River when Qin defeated Chu in 278 BC. It is in remembrance of the circumstances of his death that the annual Dragon boat races are held. During his days of exile, Qu Yuan is thought to have written //Li Sao//, his //magnum opus// and the centerpiece of //Chu Ci//. The authorship, as in many a case of ancient literature, can be neither confirmed nor denied. Written in 373 verses containing 2490 characters, //Li Sao// is the earliest Chinese long poem and is acclaimed as the literary representative of Qu Yuan's high moral conduct and patriotism. //Jiu Ge// ("Nine Songs"), also attributed to Qu Yuan, is the first example of what could be called shamanic literature in China. (See Arthur Waley, //The Nine Songs: A Study of Shamanism in Ancient China//.)

Contents
code 01   離騷 LiSao    On Encountering Trouble 02   九歌 JiuGe     Nine Songs 03   天問 TianWen    Heavenly Questions 04   九章 JiuZhang     Nine Pieces 05   遠遊 YuanYou    Far-off Journey 06   卜居 BuJu    Divination 07   漁父 YuFu     The Fisherman 08   九辯 JiuBian    Nine Changes 09   招魂 ZhaoHun    Summons of the Soul 10   大招 DaZhao     The Great Summons 11   惜誓 XiShi     Sorrow for Troth Betrayed 12   招隱 ZhaoYin    Summons for a Recluse 13   七諫 QiJian    Seven Remonstrances 14   哀時AiShi Ming    Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast 15   九懷 JiuHuai    Nine Regrets 16   九歎 JiuTan     Nine Laments 17   九思 JiuSi    Nine Longings

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