A complete account of pre-Qin prose

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, China's ancient prose flourished and many excellent prose works appeared, which is the pre-Qin prose in the history of China literature. There are two kinds of pre-Qin prose, historical prose and various schools of thought prose. The former includes Zuo Zhuan, Mandarin, Warring States Policy and other historical works. The latter are the articles of Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism, among which The Analects of Confucius, Mozi and Mencius are the words and deeds of Kong Qiu, Mo Zhai and Mencius, while Zhuangzi, Xunzi and Everything is done wrong are my own works.

China was a great prose country in ancient times, and it was also the country with the earliest appearance of this style. Prose of later generations originated from pre-Qin prose and had a far-reaching influence on the development of prose of later generations.

Basic introduction Chinese name: pre-Qin prose mbth: pre-Qin prevailing prose: classification of Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period: historical prose, representative works of various schools of prose: introduction, classification, historical prose, various schools of prose, development process, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, inscriptions, inscriptions, formation, style and status of Zuozhuan, Guoyu and Analects of Confucius. The origin of China ancient prose can be traced back to the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and many complete sentences have appeared in Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty. Bronze inscriptions in the Western Zhou Dynasty, some of which are as long as 300 to 500 words, record the deeds of nobles, the causes of lawsuits or rewards, etc. And the narrative content has been quite rich. These can be regarded as the embryonic form of ancient Chinese prose. Pre-Qin map Pre-Qin prose is the beginning of China's prose. It is mainly preserved in Shangshu, Chunqiu, Zuozhuan, Guoyu and Warring States Policy. Including pre-Qin narrative prose such as Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, and pre-Qin reasoning prose such as The Analects of Confucius and Zhuangzi. In the pre-Qin period, the boundary between literature and non-literature was not clear. Prose at that time, compared with verse, was basically an exposition and narrative of philosophy, politics, ethics and history. However, due to its strong literariness, it had a great influence on the development of China literature and was regarded as an important part of pre-Qin literature. Classification of pre-Qin prose can be divided into two categories: one is historical prose, and the other is hundred schools of thought's essays. Generally speaking, historical prose does not belong to the category of literature. Because there is no pure literary prose in the pre-Qin period, and the narrative and description in historical works are very vivid and vivid, and the language is also rich in literary talent, which has had a far-reaching impact on later literary creation, so the historical prose in the pre-Qin period can be said to be literary prose. Non-literary historical prose in the pre-Qin period, such as Shangshu and Chunqiu, can be ignored, and Zuozhuan, Guoyu and Warring States Policy are its representatives. Zuo Zhuan is also called Zuo Zhuan in the Spring and Autumn Period or Zuo Chunqiu, as well as Qi Rengao's Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram and the late Biography of the Spring and Autumn Valley Liang, which are collectively called Three Biographies of the Spring and Autumn Period. Zuozhuan, based on Chunqiu, is an independent and complete historical work with its own system. Written in the early Warring States period, it is said that the author is Zuo Qiuming, a historian of Lu. With nearly 200,000 words, the book comprehensively records the political, military, diplomatic and cultural activities of various countries in the Spring and Autumn Period. Historical Prose Historical Prose can be divided into chronological style, biographical style, chronological style and rural style. History books are divided into general history and dynastic history. According to the system of the Zhou Dynasty, China held the posts of Grand History, Miniature History, Left History and Right History. "Hanshu" records that "left Shi Yan, right Shi Yan, things in the Spring and Autumn Period, called Shangshu". Shangshu records all kinds of decrees issued by the kings of Shang and Zhou dynasties to the people, and the words are concise. Spring and Autumn Annals is a chronicle of Lu, with rigorous records and refined language. It should be said that historical works with real literary value were produced in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, represented by Zuo Zhuan, Guoyu and Warring States Policy. Historical Biography of Pre-Qin and Zuo Zhuan are both abbreviations of Zuo Zhuan in Spring and Autumn Annals. They are works explaining the Spring and Autumn Annals with historical facts, which are said to have been written by Zuo Qiuming, a historian of Lu. Spring and Autumn Annals is a general account of history, while Zuo Zhuan is a detailed account of the whole story. This book is rich and colorful, describing the political, military, diplomatic and other aspects of the vassal States in the Spring and Autumn Period, as well as the words and deeds of historical figures. Zuo Zhuan is good at describing war. It not only describes the complex war in an orderly way, but also focuses on the overall situation, and writes the essence of war and the factors that determine victory or defeat through dialogue between characters. Cao Gui Debate and Qin-Jin Cuisine War are both well written. Guoyu is a kind of national history in the Warring States period, which records the major events in the Zhou Dynasty and the vassal states. Its ideology and artistry are far less than that of Zuo Zhuan, but some of its narratives are more vivid than Zuo Zhuan, such as writing words like "Li Wang slanders" and "Gou Jian rejuvenating the country". The Warring States Policy basically describes the strategists' strategies and rhetoric during the Warring States Period. His writing is dramatic and eloquent, and many vivid characters are portrayed in the book. For example, writing about the Tang Dynasty, sending envoys to the State of Qin, and Tang and the King of Qin talked about the "Wrath of Cloth". The king of Qin said flatly that Buyi was furious and was nothing more than "taking off his hat to rob the land." Tang also made a generous statement: "The anger of this mediocrity is not the anger of a scholar. Zhuan Xu stabbed Liao Wang, and the comet hit the moon, and Nie Zhengzhi stabbed him ... "Say that finish, drawn his sword, and this kind of generous and heroic words knocked out the pride of the king of Qin. Strategists and debaters in the Warring States Policy are also good at reasoning and demonstrating with fables. Idiom stories such as fox, tiger and tiger are all from the Warring States policy. Zuo Zhuan and Warring States Policy have a far-reaching influence on later essayists. Sima Qian's Historical Records used a lot of materials from these two books and absorbed their writing skills and language styles. The eloquent style of political essays by Jia Yi and Chao Cuo in Han Dynasty also comes from these two books. The compilation of historical books in past dynasties and the narration of essayists in Tang and Song Dynasties were also influenced by pre-Qin prose in language and expression. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, kingship declined, princes rose, and the world was in dispute. Correspondingly, officials lost their obedience, the ceremony collapsed and the music broke down, the scholar class flourished, private schools rose, and private writings appeared one after another. In the Warring States period, a hundred schools of thought contended, and hundred schools of thought discussed with each other and wrote books and made statements, which became a fashion. According to the Records of Hanshu Yiwenzhi, there were mainly ten schools at that time, such as Confucianism, Taoism, Yin and Yang, Legalism, Fame, Mohism, Zongheng, Farming, Miscellaneous Notes and Novelists. Pre-Qin philosophers refer to hundred schools of thought's philosophical works in this period, and expound their different views and opinions on nature and society. The development of pre-Qin philosophers' prose can be divided into three stages. The first stage is the late Spring and Autumn Period and the early Warring States Period. Representative works include The Analects of Confucius and Mozi. Most articles are quotations or short chapters of concise discussion. The mid-Warring States Period is the second stage, and the representative works are Mencius and Zhuangzi. The article gradually developed from quotations to dialogues and monographs. The late Warring States is the third stage, with Xunzi and Han Feizi as the representative works, and their articles are basically monographs with the same body, which improves the debate system. Pre-Qin philosophers have distinct characteristics. Ideologically, they all insist on independent thinking, expressing their opinions and speaking freely. For example, Confucius advocated benevolence, righteousness, propriety and music, Mozi advocated universal love for sages, Zhuangzi advocated natural inaction, and Han Feizi advocated magic power. In writing style, various schools have their own personalities and styles. For example, The Analects of Confucius is simple and subtle, Mozi is simple and lively, good at analogy, Mencius is magnificent and eloquent, Zhuangzi's writing is unrestrained and fantastic, Xunzi's metaphor is profound and meticulous, and Han Feizi is harsh and provocative. Linguistically, they all make good use of metaphors instead of taking pictures. Such as "Fable 19" in "Zhuangzi", the introduction is connected, and the image is profound, which is the most among the philosophers. As far as stylistic development is concerned, the essays of pre-Qin philosophers first established the essay system. It shows the general characteristics of the development of argumentative essays in China, from the viewpoints in the records to the monographs with clear arguments, sufficient arguments, strict logic and complete structure. In addition, some stories and novels in the prose of pre-Qin philosophers provided nutrition for the narrative literature of later generations. Prose of pre-Qin philosophers had a far-reaching influence on China's political system, culture and art for thousands of years. The history of China's prose literature has experienced a long development process, from no words to words, from a few words to a chapter, and then to a chapter with clear center and rigorous structure. The earliest source of Oracle Bone Inscriptions and China's prose can be traced back to Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Yin dynasty was a theocratic era, and the rulers used the power of God to strengthen their control over slaves and subjects. The culture at that time was basically a tool of theocracy, monopolized by wizards and witches. Oracle bone inscriptions in the Yin Dynasty are basically the records of the royal divination in the Yin Dynasty. They carved the divination time, sacrifice, time, age, hunting, expedition, the daily life of the Shang king, diseases and other contents on tortoise shells or animal bones for future inspection. These Oracle Bone Inscriptions generally include preface (the time of divination and the name of the diviner), fate (the problem of divination), occupation (the explanation of divination), verification (whether the facts conform to divination) and so on. There are a few non-Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which record the historical facts of hunting and war, as well as the renovation and collection of Oracle bones. These memorabilia are only for memos and engraving difficulties, so I will briefly summarize them. Most of them are scattered sentences, and longer memorabilia, such as "The Carving of a Little Minister's Wall", make up for its remnants. It is estimated that the original text has more than 150 words. It is superior to express the meaning completely and clearly in Chinese, and it is even more rare to have a little organization, so it is only the bud of narrative prose. Inscriptions were popular in Shang and Zhou dynasties, and inscriptions were cast on bronzes. Bronze inscriptions, also known as inscriptions, have found nearly 10 thousand Shang and Zhou bronzes with inscriptions. The inscriptions on Shang bronzes are very simple. Generally, only one to five or six words are used to record the names and ancestral halls of bronzes. There were long inscriptions in the late Shang Dynasty, but none of them exceeded 50 words. Most of them were made into ritual vessels to commemorate their ancestors, to show their glory and love, and their performance skills were similar to those of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the Shang Dynasty at the same time. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, the bronze inscription reached its peak and its length was lengthened. Two or three hundred words are very common, while Mao Dinggong in the late Western Zhou Dynasty is 498 words long. The content is also greatly enriched. In addition to the more common records of the appointment, rewards and merits of Zhou Wang, there are more special inscriptions on litigation, land transactions and land demarcation. As Mozi Lu Wen said: "Books are carved on bamboo and silk, which is thought to be carved in Zhong Ding and handed down to future generations." Many bronze inscriptions in the Zhou Dynasty are rhyming, and they like to use four neat sentences. Some inscriptions also have a strong literary flavor. However, due to the limited space and content of the inscriptions on bronze, most of the narratives are directed at Chen Qi, with little embellishment, and many rhetoric of praise and seeking happiness. Its literary value is generally different from other forms of literary works handed down from the times. Divination is used with divination, but more often than not. Write down the career events and results so that you can review your career at the end of the year. These records are called professional vocabulary. The fortune teller compiled the collected old oracles into a book for reference. Zhouyi is such a divination book. Like Oracle Bone Inscriptions, most of the old Oracle inscriptions recorded in the Book of Changes are just words. After careful processing by the editor, it was compiled into sixty-four hexagrams, each of which was divided into six hexagrams. There are hexagrams and words, and there are words. Most hexagrams are central and hierarchical. About one-third of the hexagrams are rhyming, some are similar to folk songs, some are described in detail, and they are vivid by metaphor, arousal and contrast, which reflects the writing level of the Western Zhou Dynasty to some extent. Because it is a divination book, the contents recorded are complicated and messy, and there are many precious words, and there are not many chapters. It can only be said that it is still in the forming stage of prose. It should be Shangshu that truly marks the formation of China's ancient prose. Shangshu is an official historical document in ancient times, which mainly records the canon, ink, oath, destiny, instruction, name and writing of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty during the Yin and Shang Dynasties. Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Zhouyi are the works of witch officials, while Shangshu is the works of historians. The former records the prayer to God and the so-called revelation from God, while the latter records the words and decrees of the prince. The existing Shangshu has been gathered and scattered several times, and its authenticity is mixed. Pan Geng gave three lectures when Pan Geng moved to Yin. However, the center of the full text is prominent, and there are narratives in the discussion, vivid metaphors and rich feelings, from which we can see Pan Geng's mind, courage and expression. It can be considered as an earlier and more complete paper with Wu Yi, written by Zhou Shu and warned by Zhou Gong. An earlier and more complete account can represent Gu Ming in Zhou Shu. Gu Ming described the process of Zhou Chengwang's death and Zhou Kangwang's accession to the throne, first as the king's dying will to ministers, then as the ceremony of Kang Wang's accession to the throne, and finally as Zhao Gong and the vassals' warning to Kang Wang and Kang Wang's reply, which was concrete and hierarchical. After Historical Records, prose developed into hundred schools of thought's essays and historical essays with narrative as the main theme. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, "a hundred schools of thought contend and nine streams rise together." Representatives of various schools of thought have written books and published their own social and political opinions. All kinds of philosophers' articles have their own styles. The Analects of Confucius is a book about Confucius' words and deeds written by his disciples. The style of The Analects is concise, profound, graceful and fluent. Many of these visual languages often contain far-reaching social and moral significance. For example, Confucius said: "When the cold comes and the summer goes, you will know that the pine and cypress are withered." This is not only a tribute to pine and cypress, but also a praise to a strong personality, and the image and philosophy blend together. Mozi is a book with simple language but strong logic. It is good at explaining the truth with concrete examples, and often makes a general summary from the debate on specific issues. For example, the article "Non-attack" said: "Today, a man entered the garden and stole peaches and plums. If people hear about it, they will be punished. " What is this? Losing people is also self-interested. "From stealing other people's chickens and dogs to invading other people's countries, it is pointed out that the essence of these behaviors is an unjust act of' harming others and benefiting themselves'. This kind of progress from small to large, layer by layer, is both a speech and a metaphor, and the argument is clear and rigorous. Mencius' prose is characterized by great momentum, strong feelings and sharp writing. For example, the dialogue between Mencius and Qi Xuanwang is described in Mencius Hui Liang Wang Xia. Mencius avoided Qi Xuanwang's question about "Qi Heng Jin Wen" and led Wang Qi to the king. In the dialogue, Mencius often asked questions repeatedly, pressing step by step. His eloquence sometimes makes Wang Gu talk about him from left to right. "The articles in Mencius also make good use of metaphors. When talking about the difference between what can't be done and what can't be done, he said: "I can't cross the North Sea on Mount Tai. "Yes, I can't. Breaking branches for the elderly, people say: no. You have to do it if you don't do it. " The metaphors he uses are often varied, sometimes for the whole paragraph and sometimes for the whole article. Just like fish, I want what I want, it is getting deeper and deeper, revealing the main idea with twists and turns. Zhuangzi by Pre-Qin philosophers: In pre-Qin thoughts, Zhuangzi's thoughts are nihilistic. Among the pre-Qin prose, Zhuangzi is the most stylized. A large number of fictional fables are used to illustrate ideological arguments, which is a major feature of Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi is unique in ancient Chinese with his magical imagination. Zhuangzi is rich in fables, many of which are created by the author himself. These fables are not simple metaphors, but have fantastic colors. Like writing about Hebo, he saw the scene of "autumn water getting longer and thousands of waters running". He was "happy and complacent, and took the beauty of the world as his own." When he came to Beihai and saw the vast horizon of the sea, he felt that there was a world behind him, and his complacency was a smile. Then through the dialogue with Hebo, I told the truth that the universe is big and the sea is small, which is both a fable and a magnificent landscape description, full of romanticism. Also, when writing about the war between princes, I said: there are two countries, one is built in the left corner of the snail, and the other is built in the right corner of the snail. "There are tens of thousands of corpses, and there are still five days to return to the north." There are many such absurd imaginations in Zhuangzi. The article in "Everything is Wrong" focuses on discussion and the argument is incisive and profound. Among the pre-Qin philosophers, Han Feizi has the strongest analytical power. There is an article about the reasons for national subjugation, with as many as 47 articles. His article also quoted a lot of fables and historical knowledge. Idioms that we still use today, such as waiting for rabbits, buying gifts and returning pearls, are all from Han Feizi. The prose styles of the pre-Qin philosophers were diverse, magnificent, eloquent and romantic, which had a far-reaching impact on the development of China literature. Pre-Qin prose has a lofty position in the history of prose, and Zuo Zhuan, Guoyu and Warring States Policy have become the models of prose creation in later generations. After the Qin and Han Dynasties, the articles of Zuo Zhuan have been loved by people, especially the ancient writers since the Tang and Song Dynasties, who highly praised Zuo Zhuan and took it as the research object. Among Han Yu's ancient prose, Jin Xuejie said that he was "rich and elegant by diving", including Zuo Zhuan. Song people compared Zuo Zhuan with Historical Records, Korean and Du Fu's poems, and regarded them as literary models. The emotional prose Zuo Zhuan was also highly praised by the prose writers of Tongcheng School in Qing Dynasty. There has been a lot of praise for the language art of Guoyu. Although Liu Zongyuan criticized some ideas of Guoyu in non-official language in his pre-Qin prose, he still thought that "his prose was extensive and profound" and that "Guoyu" was his writing method in the preface. In the prose of the early Han Dynasty, there is still the legacy of the Warring States period, but in the works of essayists in the early Western Han Dynasty such as Jia Yi and Zou Yang, we can clearly see the rest of the features of the Warring States policy. This influence has continued, and the charm of pre-Qin narrative prose can also be appreciated in the prose of later writers such as Su Xun and Su Shi. The article "Warring States Policy" also promoted the emergence of Han Fu. The form of question and answer between subject and object in Han Fu, as well as its elaborate style, can be regarded as a reference for the Warring States policy. Pre-Qin reasoning prose has profound thoughts, occupies a lofty position in the cultural history of China, and has become an important source of traditional culture in China. Pre-Qin reasoning prose had a far-reaching influence on China literature. The pre-Qin reasoning prose represented by Confucianism and Taoism, with its profound ideological and cultural connotation, determines the writer's personality ideal and the aesthetic style of his works, and has become one of the cornerstones of China's ancient literature. Pre-Qin reasoning prose is a model of prose creation in China, which has influenced the literary creation of later generations with its mature reasoning system, vivid reasoning mode, colorful writing style and language art. Zhang Xuecheng thinks that "Zhou Wen's decline has disadvantages, six arts lose interest, and hundred schools of thought contends. Cover the Warring States and change the article, write the Warring States and write the Warring States. " It may not be true to say that the articles in the Warring States period have been exhausted, but there is no doubt that all subsequent styles can find precedents or buds in the prose of the Warring States period. Pre-Qin reasoning prose not only marks the maturity of argumentative writing style, but also contains fables, novels and other factors. Although the pre-Qin essays were not pure literary works, they had a great and far-reaching impact on the development of China literature. The origins of various styles in later generations are more common in the pre-Qin period. In Liu Xie's stylistic comments on Wen Xin Diao Long, we often trace back to the source until the pre-Qin period. The theories and historical biographies in the pre-Qin period were directly inherited by later generations. In addition, the chapter "Luz, Zeng Yong, You Ran and Gong Xihua sit down" in The Analects of Confucius and the chapter "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Yan Zi" are all similar anecdotes. Zuo Zhuan and Liezi are strange, containing ghosts and gods, almost strange; The fables in Zi and Shi, Mu Zhuan and Yan Danzi Zhuan can be said to be the seeds of novels. The origin of Han Fu can be seen clearly in Warring States Policy, Zhuangzi Jian Shuo and Song Yu's Answer to the King of Chu. Liu's "Essays on Rites and Music" said: "China literature reached its peak at the weekend, and Zhuang and Lies were far-reaching, except Su and Zhang, Han Fei, Xun and Lu Puzhi, all of whom were the ancestors of later articles." Indeed, the prose styles of pre-Qin philosophers nourished future writers from different aspects. The techniques of expression in Chunqiu brushwork and Zuozhuan Justice were once regarded as the standard of writing. The movement of ancient prose in Tang and Song Dynasties, with classics and philosophers as its banner, advocated "literary unification", which originated in the pre-Qin period. Therefore, pre-Qin prose, together with The Book of Songs and Songs of the South, became the cornerstone of China literature. In addition, pre-Qin prose also provided many themes for the creation of novels and operas in later generations.