Chinese Literature

• Chinese Literature


  First recorded about 5,000 years ago.
• Monosyllabic 


  Each word has only one syllable.
• Polysyllabic 


  A word that has more than three syllables
• The Book of Changes (I- Ching or Yi- Jing) 


  The book of divination
• The Book of History (Shujing)


  Speeches by major figures and records of events in ancient China
• The Book of Rites (Lijing)


  Collection of texts describing social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of Zhou dynasty
• The Book of Odes (Shijing)


  Earliest collection of Chinese poetry originally called “Shi” (poem)
• The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqui)  


  The court chronicle of the Zhou Dynasty state of Lu, from 722 BCE to 481 BCE.
• Wang Wei


  Regarded as one of the most distinguished men of arts and letters of his era.
• Li Po (Li Bai)


  His poetry is known for its clear imagery and conversational tone.
• Tu Fu (Tu Du)


  Best known for his mastery of the “lüshi,” or “regulated verse,”
• Po Chu I (Bai Juyi)


  Best known for his ballads and satirical poems that can be understood by common people.
• Drama and Fiction


  Developed as important forms of Chinese Literature.
• Chinese plays


  Resembles as European Opera combining singing and dancing with dialogue.
• Modern Chinese Literature


  Developed after the 1800s when European missionaries and traders travelled to China.
• Sinosphere

  Communication, designating China and those of its neighbouring states that adopted and adapted Chinese-character writing: Korea, Vietnam, Japan.