Group 4 Chinese Literature

Names: Escanillas, Alexa Gela Hamo, Britney Kate
Gabayaran, Faizah Grace Ipanag, Kerly Ann
Why is it important to study Chinese literature?
The study of Chinese literature and culture will help you bridge the cultural gap
and create a platform of knowledge and understanding with them that is crucial for
effective communication.
CHINESE LITERATURE
This historically strong interest in creating and reading works of fiction

contributed to the creation of China’s rich literary tradition that continues to exist today.
The most well-known forms of Chinese literature are classical Chinese poetry,
especially the Tang Dynasty, the Four Great Classical Novels of the Ming and Qing, and
the works of modern writers like Lu Xun. China's Four Great Classical Novels, among
which is the Three Kingdoms, are famous throughout Asia.
TANG DYNASTY
Li Bai
 known as the “Immortal Poet”

 his inspiration for poetry came after drinking.
 Quiet Night Thought
Du Fu
 known as the “Sage of Poetry,” the “Poet Historian,” and “the one who brought
everything together,”
 his works convey the emotional impact and import of political and social issues
and register a range of private concerns, trials, and dramas.
 Ballad of an Old Cypress
SONG DYNASTY
Ci - a different style of poetry. Ci (pronounced tschi), sometimes referred to as "lyric

songs" is a genre of Chinese lyrical verse originally set to music. The poems often
appear simply as "To the Tune of (song title)", sometimes the poems include their own
title such as "Painting Eyebrows to the Tune of Pouring out Deep Emotions" or "To the
Tune of Pouring Out Deep Emotions" following the same set verse form.
 To the Tune of Dream Song by Li Qingzhao, known as China's finest woman

poet, master of the Ci.
MING and QING DYNASTY
 The ability to compose classical-style poetry became an expected mark of

cultural sophistication among China’s elite.
 Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty sponsored the work of many Chinese
writers and intellectuals.
Influential Chinese Writers
1. Lu Xun / Zhou Shuren

 Father of Modern Chinese Literature
 One of the most well-known and China's greatest modern writer for most of the
20th century
 Deeply affected by the vast socio-political changes
 The True Story of Ah Q
2. Zhang Ailing / Eileen Chang

 Well-known Representative of Modern Chinese Literature
 Depict everyday life among upper-class families
 Works often feature declining aristocratic families with international ties
 Also known for exploring the social tensions that women experienced
 Most well-known works are Love in a Fallen City
3. Qiang Zhongshu
 Most celebrated work is a satirical novel called Fortress Besieged
 “Marriage is like a fortress besieged. Those who are outside want to get in, and
those who are inside want to get out.”
FOUR CLASSICS OF CHINESE LITERATURE
Chinese literature has a broader literary piece to discover and learn, as it is one
of the major literary heritages of the world. These 4 literary novels that we will be
discuss is the most important one because it helps them to realize the power and value
of novels, since way back before the Chinese literature scholar didn’t recognized novel
as one of the higher levels of literature and in this part were going to identify how this
novel opens the interest and love of Chinese people for novels.
The four classics of Chinese literature are; Journey to the West, Romance of the
Three Kingdoms, Dream of the red Chamber, and Water margins.
1. Journey to the West (Monkey King)

 Wu Cheng’en
 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) – during this dynasty it is where the population of
Chinese people doubled, it is known for its trade expansion
 This novel is based on the historical journey of a Buddhist to India.
 The legend is about Tripitaka and his four demon-like disciples taking a journey
from China to India to collect Buddhist Sutras. These 4 helps him on his journey
in order to obtain enlightenment and forgiveness for their sins. These five
characters in the novel have their own strength and skills individually, especially
Sun Wukong. But he still followed his master faithfully until they finally completed
their mission after how many challenges and tribulation.
 The Journey to the West is also a story of redemption, enlightenment and self-
realization.
Characters:
 Tripitaka or Tang Sanzang- A monk and the leader

 Sun Wukong or Monkey God- The eldest disciple and the skillful one
 Zhu Bajie or Pigsy- The second in command, not skilled as Sun.
 Sha Wujing or sandy- He doesn’t talk a lot, but he mostly tells the truth
 The white dragon Horse- The Son of the Dragon King of the west Sea
(This Novel taught us the importance of companionship, especially leadership. As how

Tripitaka work in the story that despite of being unskillful he still recognized the strength
in each disciple, he led his team to finish their mission and also gain respect and loyalty
from them.)
2. Romance of the Three Kingdoms

 Luo Guanzhong
 Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
 This novel showcases the political era and social affairs, and through the novel
readers might meet the characters from the history and be able to witness the
battles.
 The Three kingdom is at the core of the Chinese cultural Identity, especially the
concept of Yi. Yi is the essential glue that binds a harmonious society.
 The story begins of the emergence of the three great leader, their names are; Liu
bei (Shu), Cao Cao (Wei) and Sun quan (Wu), they are the rulers of their own
Kingdom. They aspire to Unite the empire with the help of the most brilliant and
bravest hearts, these three arise to power and engage in the contest for the
future of the China.
Characters:
 Liu bei (Shu) - He portrays as the most legitimate and most deserving from the
rest. He is so kind and brilliant also, but lacks of resources and some power,
eventually his character attacks others to become his alliance.
 Cao Cao (Wei) - He is the ambitious general that being described as ruthless as
he killed thousands of civilians, but he also an accomplish poet whose works
have significant impact to the Chinese poetic style.
 Sun quan (Wu) - Their clan control most of the southern China and at the age of
18 he is in the power because of the battle in the red cliffs.
 It also shows brotherly bond in each character of the story, that even though they
bare not related in blood but the connection and their vowed to heavens really
measures their brotherhood and that also how the Yi tradition in Chinese culture
works. So, despite of the rivals in the three kingdom it still goes back to the
principle of Yi.
 Yi in the Chinese culture is translated as a righteousness war duty, but it also

tackles loyalty, selflessness and brotherhood.
3. Water margins
 Shi Nai’an or Lou Guanzhong

 Song Dynasty (960-1279)- song dynasty was a period of contradiction that
despite of being smaller it was one of the China’s most prosperous eras as
culture and commerce is flourished at the expense of military.
 The story is based on the real-life adventure of a famous bandit, it is also
considered as one of the most violent and immoral among the 4 classic novels.
 The water margins are a “wu xia” which means martial arts in the west,
 It is the story of how the main character of the story fights for freedom against
tyranny corrupt officials
4. Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin
 Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Pre-modern Literature
 The Dream of the Red Chamber is the last of the China’s four great classic
novels.
 It was also about the story of the stone. A sentient Stone, abandoned by the
Goddess Nüwa when she mended the heavens, enters the mortal realm after
begging a Daoist priest and Buddhist monk to bring it to see the world.
Overall, Chinese literature remains outstanding piece in the rich strata of Chinese
culture where in fact it is a treasure for them that those famous and great authors could
be able to produce brilliant and magnificent works in each dynasty and soon pass and
be able to preserve by their future generation.
THE FIVE CLASSICS AND THE FOUR BOOKS
The Five Classics (wujing) and Four Books (si shu) collectively create the
foundation of Confucianism.
The Five Classics
1. Book of Documents
 The Book of Documents is a compilation of 58 chapters detailing the events of

ancient China.
 The Book of Documents tells the deeds of the early sage-kings Yao and Shun.
2. Book of Odes
 The Book of Odes is comprised of 305 poems dealing with a range of issues,
including love and marriage, agricultural concerns, daily lives, and war.
3. Book of Rites
 The Book of Rites described the social norms, governmental organization, and
the ritual conduct during the Zhou dynasty.
4. Book of Changes
 The Book of Changes contains a system of divination, which is centered largely
around the principles of yin and yang.
5. Spring and Autumn Annals
 Unlike the Book of Documents, the Spring and Autumn Annals appear to have
been created specifically for annalistic purposes.
The Four Books
1. The Great Learning
 The Great Learning is a guide for moral self-cultivation.

 According to the Great Learning, the key to moral self-cultivation is learning, or
the investigation of things.
2. Analects
 Written during the Spring and Autumn period through the Warring States period,
the Analects is a collection of Kongzi's teachings and discussions with disciples.
3. Mencius
 Mencius is a collection of conversations Mencius had with Kongzi.

 Mencius places a strong emphasis on the responsibility of the emperor to
practice good governance through following the Way.
4. The Doctrine of the Mean
 The Doctrine of the Mean is attributed to Zisi, Kongzi's grandson, and deals with
how to maintain perfect balance and harmony in one's life.
A WIFE MOURNS FOR HER HUSBAND BY CONFUCIUS
Who is Confucius?
 The great Chinese sage.
 Born in June 19th, 551 B.C. at Shang-ping, in the state of Lu.
 His own name was Kong but was called Kong fu-tse (Kong the Master or
Teacher)
 And was latinized into “Confucius” by the Jesuit missionaries.
 Confucius was known as the first teacher in China.
 He also established ethical, moral, and social standards that formed the basis of
a way of life known as Confucianism.
A Wife Mourns for Her Husband
By: Confucius
The dolichos grows and covers the thorn,

O'er the waste is the dragon-plant creeping.
The man of my heart is away and I mourn--
What home have I, lonely and weeping?
Covering the jujubes the dolichos grows,

The graves many dragon-plants cover;
But where is the man on whose breast I'd repose?
No home have I, having no lover!
Fair to see was the pillow of horn,

And fair the bed-chamber's adorning;
But the man of my heart is not here, and I mourn
All alone, and wait for the morning.
While the long days of summer pass over my head,

And long winter nights leave their traces,
I'm alone! Till a hundred of years shall have fled,
And then I shall meet his embraces.
Through the long winter nights, I am burdened with fears,

Through the long summer days, I am lonely;
But when time shall have counted its hundreds of years
I then shall be his--and his only!
POEM ANALYSIS
1. Speaker – the speaker of the poem is the wife.

2. Content – the poem was all about the mourning of the wife because of her
husband’s absence.
3. Theme – it is all about true love, it depicts the sorrow and anguish of the wife whose
husband is gone for a long time.
4. Shape and Form – the poem was a structured poetry because it has a predictable
pattern of rhyme, rhythm, line length, and stanza construction.
5. Mood – the mood of the poem is gloomy because we can feel the loneliness of the
speaker.
6. Tone – the tone of the poem is mournful as the speaker was in grief of her
husband’s loss.
7. Imagery – We can perceive the grieving wife longing for her husband d who has
never returned.
8. Figurative Language – there were one figurative language that are being used.
 Anaphora – is a figure of speech in which words repeat the beginning of

successive clauses, phrases, or sentences. There were two lines where two
words are being repeated.
“Through the long winter nights, I am burdened with fears
Through the long summer days, I am lonely;”
REFERENCES:
CONFUCIUS. (n.d.). ALL POETRY. Retrieved August 2022, from
https://allpoetry.com/Confucius?
fbclid=IwAR0kPy9XGihv85DCX0wZtuUA3qbDcKkxUEJ01u2MqcXUw5al6j7kghF
qvFM
Du Fu (712–770), China’s Greatest Poet: (2016). A Conference in Honor of the Library

of Chinese Humanities. Retrieved 2022, from
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/dufu/home
Meredith, A. (2021, December). Chinese Literature and Poetry | Ancient, Modern and
Contemporary. CLI. Retrieved August 2022, from https://studycli.org/chinese-
culture/chinese-literature/?
fbclid=IwAR0OWHIRHEaSZs1dKqE4wtxSIAuLsowqQg3PTnfWB6CznG94OBNJ
qDwC8ss#:%7E:text=The%20most%20well%2Dknown%20forms,Kingdoms%2C
%20are%20famous%20throughout%20Asia
T. (2009, May). Ci. Poetry Magnum Opus.

https://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/644-ci/
Wilson, T. A. (n.d.). Cult of Confucius. Cult of Confucius. Retrieved August 2022, from
https://academics.hamilton.edu/asian_studies/home/culttemp/sitepages/
fiveclassics.html?
fbclid=IwAR3BpFhhkc1MWwMUXbQuibg86PYUE2ZtNQmGxvP6XzsOHgOiUwL
ccoyVvPk#:%7E:text=The%20Five%20Classics%20consists%20of,%2C
%20Mencius%2C%20and%20the%20Analects
Zhou, R. (2022, August 24). Du Fu (712–770), A Famoius Realist Poet in Tang Dynasty.
China Highlights - Since 1998! Retrieved August 2022, from
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/du-fu.htm

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Names: Escanillas, Alexa Gela Hamo, Britney Kate

Gabayaran, Faizah Grace Ipanag, Kerly Ann

Why is it important to study Chinese literature?

This historically strong interest in creating and reading works of fiction

 known as the “Immortal Poet”

Ci - a different style of poetry. Ci (pronounced tschi), sometimes referred to as "lyric

 To the Tune of Dream Song by Li Qingzhao, known as China's finest woman

MING and QING DYNASTY

 The ability to compose classical-style poetry became an expected mark of

Influential Chinese Writers

1. Lu Xun / Zhou Shuren

2. Zhang Ailing / Eileen Chang

FOUR CLASSICS OF CHINESE LITERATURE

1. Journey to the West (Monkey King)

 Tripitaka or Tang Sanzang- A monk and the leader

(This Novel taught us the importance of companionship, especially leadership. As how

2. Romance of the Three Kingdoms

 Yi in the Chinese culture is translated as a righteousness war duty, but it also

 Shi Nai’an or Lou Guanzhong

4. Dream of the Red Chamber

THE FIVE CLASSICS AND THE FOUR BOOKS

The Five Classics

 The Book of Documents is a compilation of 58 chapters detailing the events of

5. Spring and Autumn Annals

The Four Books

1. The Great Learning

 The Great Learning is a guide for moral self-cultivation.

 Mencius is a collection of conversations Mencius had with Kongzi.

4. The Doctrine of the Mean

A WIFE MOURNS FOR HER HUSBAND BY CONFUCIUS

A Wife Mourns for Her Husband

The dolichos grows and covers the thorn,

Covering the jujubes the dolichos grows,

Fair to see was the pillow of horn,

While the long days of summer pass over my head,

Through the long winter nights, I am burdened with fears,

1. Speaker – the speaker of the poem is the wife.

 Anaphora – is a figure of speech in which words repeat the beginning of

Du Fu (712–770), China’s Greatest Poet: (2016). A Conference in Honor of the Library

T. (2009, May). Ci. Poetry Magnum Opus.

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