The Magic Cube Of Ancient Chinese Poetry A Linguistic Perspective

This book focuses on the linguistic perspective of classical Chinese poetry and its changes and development in different historical periods. It offers a combination of theoretical analysis and aesthetic appreciation of exemplary poems.

The author discusses the following aspects of classical Chinese poetry: the relationships between background and meaning in the interpretation of a poem; how readers can deal with the tangle of linguistic approach and intuitive perception in interpreting poems; the engagement and disengagement of the poet’s thought flow with and from the word order of the verse; the tonal and metrical schemes; and the three special features of classical Chinese poetry: the signifi cance and role of allusions, “Xu Zi”, and “Shi Yan”. Last, the author analyses the development of Chinese poetry from the Vernacular Song Dynasty Style to the Vernacular Modern Style.

It will be a great read for students and scholars of East Asian studies, Chinese studies, linguistics, and those interested in Chinese poetry in general. The book aims to lead readers to discover a fresh and amazing world of classical Chinese poetry, a fantastic panoramic picture of its beauty and charm, and a poetic feast that the reader may not otherwise be privileged to enjoy.

Ge Zhaoguang is Distinguished Professor of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Peking University in 1982 and 1984, respectively. He was Professor in the Department of History of Tsinghua University, Beijing, from 1992 to 2006. He then served as the Director of the National Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies at Fudan University from 2007 to 2013. Professor Ge’s fi elds of research include the intellectual, religious, and cultural history of East Asia and China. He was the fi rst Princeton Global Scholar and winner of the Asia Pacifi c Award (2014, Japan), Paju Book Award (2014, South Korea), and Hong Kong Book Award (2015), among others.