Qu Yuan's Life and Literary Knowledge Summarized

Qu Yuan (340 BC ~ 278 BC), Mi surname Qu, name Ping, the word Yuan; also since the cloud name Zhengze, the word Lingjun. Han nationality, during the Warring States period, Chu Danyang people, now Zigui County, Hubei Province, Yichang Chu Wu Wang Xiong Tong's son of the descendants of QU Yu. He was a descendant of Qu Kou, son of Xiong Tong, King Wu of Yichang Chu. He was an advocate of uniting Qi against Qin, and advocated the "beautiful government".

Qu Yuan is one of the greatest patriotic poets in China, and is also the earliest known famous poet and great statesman in China. He created the literary genre of "Ch'u Sheng" (i.e. "words and fugues") and the tradition of "vanilla beauty". Li Sao", "Nine Chapters", "Nine Songs" and "Heavenly Questions" are Qu Yuan's most important masterpieces. Li Sao is the longest lyric poem in China. The works of Qu Yuan seen in later times are all from the Chu Rhetoric compiled by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty. This book is mainly Qu Yuan's works, including "Li Sao", "Nine Songs", "Nine Songs", "East Emperor Taiyi", "Jun in the Cloud", "Xiangjun", "Lady Xiang", "Dasimian", "Shaozimian", "Dongjun", "Hebo", "Ghosts of the Mountain", "National Gothic", "Ritual Souls", "Nine Chapters", "Nine Chapters", "Cherishing Recitations", "Shibi River", "Woeing Ying", "Abstracting Thoughts", "Waisai Sha", "Thinking about the Beauty", "Cherishing the Past", "Tangerine Ode", "Sorrowful Returning Winds" and "Heavenly Questions". A piece of "Heavenly Question" and so on.

Qu Yuan was trusted by King Huai of Chu in his early years, served as the left disciple, sanlu dafu, often discussing state affairs with King Huai, involved in the formulation of laws, advocating the chapter of the law, the promotion of talent, reform of politics, and the United Qi anti-Qin. At the same time, he presided over foreign affairs. He advocated the union of Chu and Qi to ****together against Qin. Under the efforts of Qu Yuan, the state power of Chu was strengthened. However, due to his own straightforward character and the slander and marginalization of others, Qu Yuan was gradually alienated by King Huai of Chu. In 305, Qu Yuan opposed King Huai of Chu to make the Yellow Thorns Alliance with Qin, but the state of Chu still went into Qin's embrace. Qu Yuan was also expelled from Ying by King Huai of Chu, and was exiled to the north of Han. Qu Yuan was expelled from Ying, during the exile, Qu Yuan felt depressed, began to create literature, in the works of Chu overflowing with the Chu winds of the Chu land of attachment and enthusiasm for the people to serve the country. In his works, he expressed his love for the Chu winds and his passion for the people and the country. His works, with their magnificent writing, peculiar imagery, novel metaphors and profound connotations, have become one of the origins of Chinese literature. In the year of 278, Qin general Bai Qi swept south and attacked Ying, and Qu Yuan died of despair and grief by throwing a boulder into the Miluo River. 1953 was the 2,230th anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, and the World Peace Council adopted a resolution to recognize him as one of the world's four cultural celebrities to be commemorated in the same year.

Qu Yuan was a poet, and it was only from him that China had writers famous for their literature. He created the genre of "Chu Ci" (which is also known as the genre of "words and fugues"), and is known as "the man of words, not a generation". Qu Yuan's works, according to the calibration of Liu Xiang, Liu Xin and Wang Yi's commentary, there are 25 pieces, i.e., 1 piece of Li Sao, 1 piece of Heavenly Question, 11 pieces of Nine Songs, 9 pieces of Nine Chapters, and 1 piece of Far Journey, Divination and Fisherman's Father each. According to Sima Qian of the Historical Records of China (史记-屈原列传), there is also a piece called "Invocation of the Soul" (招魂). Some scholars believe that the Great Recruitment is also the work of Qu Yuan; but some people doubt that the following "far travel" and "nine chapters" in a number of chapters are not from Qu Yuan's handwriting. According to Mr. Guo Moruo, 23 pieces of Qu Yuan's works have been passed down. Among them, "Nine Songs" 11, "Nine Chapters" 9, "Li Sao", "Heavenly Questions", "Invocation" each one.

Broadly speaking, "Li Sao," "Heavenly Questions," and "Nine Songs" can be taken as representative of three types of Qu Yuan's works. The content and style of "Nine Chapters", "Far Journey", "Divination", "Fisherman's Father", "Invocation of the Soul" and "The Great Invocation" can be categorized as a group with "Li Sao", which are mostly based on evidence and righteousness, focusing on the expression of the author's inner sentiments. Li Sao" is a magnificent poem made of Qu Yuan's ideals, encounters, pains, passions, and even his whole life, which shines with distinctive individuality and is the focus of all of Qu Yuan's creations. The "Questions of Heaven" is a poem written by Qu Yuan based on myths and legends, emphasizing the author's academic attainments and his views on history and nature. The Nine Songs is a musical composition for the gods of Chu, which was processed and embellished by Qu Yuan, and is full of a strong flavor of life in the expression of the feelings of the characters and the description of the atmosphere of the environment. However, it is expressed on behalf of people or gods, not the author's self-expression, and it shows more traces of the Southern Chu literary tradition. A group of "Li Sao" and a group of "Nine Songs" constitute the basic style of Qu Yuan's works.

Qu Yuan's works are closely related to myths. Many of the illusory contents are inherited and developed from myths. Qu Yuan was also a poet who paid attention to reality, and his works reflected the contradictions in the real society, especially exposing the dark politics of the Chu state in the most profound way.

The style of Qu Yuan's works is significantly different from that of the Book of Songs. This has to do with the difference between the folkways of the Yangtze River basin and those of the Yellow River basin. At that time, the northern part of the country had already entered a patriarchal society, while the Chu region still had the legacy of a clan society, and the people were tough and lively in their thinking, and were not bound by the rules and regulations. Therefore, the expression of male and female love, patriotism is so straightforward, and the use of materials, but also so rich, what can run into the bottom of the pen. Write about the love of man and god, write about the crazy and strange people, write about the ancient history and legends, write about the gods and ghosts and monsters, all the gods have the ordinary human nature of the people, the gods are just beyond the ordinary people. They make the works appear colorful, rich in sentiment and exuberant. Such works show a different character from that of northern literature.

Institutionally, most of the poems before Qu Yuan's time, no matter whether they were the Book of Songs or southern folk songs, were short, while Qu Yuan developed them into long and gigantic works. The Li Sao has more than 2,400 words in one piece. In terms of expression, Qu Yuan skillfully blended fugue, bi and Xing into one, and made extensive use of the bi and Xing techniques of "Vanilla Beauty" to vividly express abstract virtues, consciousness and complex relationships with reality.

In the form of language, Qu Yuan's works broke through the pattern of four-word stanzas in the Classic of Poetry, with each stanza consisting of five, six, seven, eight, or nine words, as well as three-word and cross stanzas, with varying and flexible syntax; and the use of "Ruoxi" at the end of the stanzas and the words "之"""""于""""""""". Ruoxi" at the end of the sentence, as well as "之"""于""""乎""""夫"""而"" and other imaginary words to harmonize the to harmonize the syllables and create a rhythm of ups and downs and three sighs in one song. In short, his works from the content to the form have great creativity.