What is the earliest collection of theoretical essays in China

The earliest literary theory in China should be the "Great Preface to Poems". The "Preface to Poems" puts forward a complete set of programmatic opinions on the nature and function of poems, as well as the classification and expression methods of poems. Although this preface was written in the Han Dynasty, its ideas still belong to the scope of pre-Qin Confucianism, and it is a systematic summary of the poetic theory of pre-Qin Confucianism.

Regarding the nature of poetry, the "Poetry Preface" gives full play to the theory of "poetry and words", and examines poetry and dance as a whole, emphasizing the role of poetry and music in "becoming filial piety, kindness, beauty and education, and changing customs", which is the consistent idea of Confucianism. This kind of thinking has influenced Chinese literary theory for more than 2,000 years.

The "Preface to Poems" is based on the old theory of "six poems" in "Zhou Li", and advocates the theory that "poems have six meanings". The so-called six meanings, namely: "one is the wind, the second is the fu, the third is the ratio, the fourth is the xing, the fifth is the elegance, and the six is the song".

Academics generally believe that wind, elegance, and song are the systems of poetry, and that endowment, comparison, and revival are the methods of expression of poetry. However, according to the explanation of wind, elegance and song in the "Preface to the Poem", such as "wind, wind, teaching"; "Ya, Zhengye, the reason why Wang Zheng is rising and falling is also"; "The praiser, the description of beauty and virtue, is also told to the gods for its success." The author's focus seems to be on the content of the poem and its socio-political function.

The Preface to the Poem also discusses the role of the poem's "beauty thorn". "Beauty" means praise and praise; "Thorn" means irony, irony. This theory has also had a profound impact on later generations of literary theory, such as Bai Juyi's "Allegorical Poems" and "Xin Yuefu" are based on this theory.

Quoted from Yu Ji, "Literature and Art Appreciation: Poetry Preface", Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, October 1988, first edition).

This has to be seen, if it is a systematic and comprehensive theoretical collection, it should be Liu Xian's "Wenxin Carving Dragon".

If it is not systematic, but it is involved, it should be Confucius's "Analects".

Liu Xian's "Wenxin Carving the Dragon" If it is not systematic, but it is involved, it should be Confucius's "Analects".

The earliest fragment prose in China is some divination of the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin Shang period. The pre-Qin period includes Zhuzi prose and historical prose. Zhuzi's prose is dominated by discourses, such as the Analects

Mencius, Zhuangzi; Historical prose is an essay based on historical topics, and all articles and books that describe historical events and historical figures are historical essays, such as "Zuo Biography".

Sima Qian's "Historical Records" in the Western Han Dynasty

pushed the biographical prose to an unprecedented peak. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, individual prose forms such as books, notes, tablets, inscriptions, treatises, and prefaces began to appear. Sima is similar.

Yang Xiong, Ban Gu, and Zhang Heng were known as the four masters of Han Fu by later generations.

The development of prose in modern times.

Through the description of certain fragments or life events in real life, the author's point of view, emotional respect, and social significance are revealed, which can be processed and created on the basis of real people and real events; It does not necessarily have a complete storyline and characters, but focuses on expressing the author's feelings about life, with flexibility in material selection and conception and strong lyricism.

The "I" in prose is usually the author himself; Language is not limited by prosody, and the way of expression is diverse, which can integrate narrative, argumentation, lyricism, and description, or it can be emphasized; According to the needs of the content and theme, you can use typical details such as life fragments to describe, psychological portrayal, environmental rendering, atmosphere contrast, etc., and you can also use symbolism and other artistic techniques like poetry.

Create a certain artistic conception.

There are various forms of prose, such as essays, short reviews, sketches, essays, sketches, features, travelogues, newsletters, letters, diaries, and memoirs. In short, the prose is short, free in form, widely drawn, flexible in writing, and beautiful in language, which can reflect life relatively quickly.

The earliest fragment prose in our country is (Yin Shang code rock spike Chi BuPeriod (OracleNext to a certain date (Divination

The first collection of classical essays and the earliest historical document in China is the Book of Shang.

Shangshu is the oldest collection of imperial literature in China, the first compilation of ancient historical documents and some works recounting ancient deeds in China, which preserves some important historical materials of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, especially the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

The Book of Shang is said to have been compiled by Confucius, but some of the entries were added by Confucianism later.

The "Shanglai Book Source" in the pre-Qin period is the earliest collection of essays in China. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, hundreds of schools of thought contended in the academic field, and the prose of the sons of the wonderful King appeared, and "Zuo Chuan" and "Warring States Policy" were pre-Qin historical essays. In the Qin and Han dynasties, the fork appeared as the swan song of a historian and the "Historical Records" without rhyme.

During the Middle and Tang dynasties, Han Yu "rose from the decline of the eight generations of literature", and together with Liu Zongyuan and others, he launched a huge ancient literature movement.

During the Song Dynasty, Ouyang Xiu advocated ancient literature, and the Su father and son responded to each other, and ancient literature gradually occupied the literary world.

The ancient texts of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties basically inherited and developed the spirit of the Tang and Song Dynasty ancient literary movements, among which the retro school represented by the "first seven sons" and "last seven sons" appeared in the Ming Dynasty, and the public security faction that advocated "sexual spirit", and the Tongcheng school with the greatest influence on the creation of ancient literature in the Qing Dynasty was the Tongcheng faction.

In the Yin Shang era, there was a copy.

words, there is also a white prose that records history. In the Zhou Dynasty, the historians of the vassal states further recorded the historical facts between the states in plain language and concise writing, such as the Spring and Autumn Period. With the needs of the times, historical literature describing reality was produced, and there were historical works such as "Zuo Chuan", "Chinese", and "Warring States Policy".

The first collection of ancient prose in China.

Shangshu is the first collection of classical prose and the earliest historical document in China. "Spring and Autumn" is the first existing chronicle of the dynastic history in China, and it is a historical book based on memorization after "Shangshu". "Chinese" is one of the earliest national histories in China.

Zuo Biography is the first chronicle of our country with a complete account

"Shangshu" is the earliest compilation of historical documents in China, marking the formation of ancient prose!