Ouyang Jiong Study

Amidst the Huajian Ci-Poetry School, Ouyang Jiong is a master in poem, ci-poetry and prose. His works now available includes seven poems, forty-seven ci-poems and two pieces of prose. Ouyang Jiong has a paradoxical personality: he is known as a straight and uninhibited senior official with a deep pocket while he is a man of simplicity and integrity, which invites a mixed reception by all historians through the ages. His Preface to the Collection of Huajian Ci-Poetry School has been considered guidance to the Huanjian Ci poets as well as the first ci-poetry theory in the history of Chinese literature. In the Preface, the conception of"gorgeous but refreshing style"and"divorce of poem and ci-poem", etc. indicates a tendency to pay equal attention to"body and soul", and to advocate"vulgarity never, elegance forever,"in theory. This, therefore, has produced significant influence on later ci-poetry theory with a vague consciousness to the history and genres of the ci-poetry. Great informativeness and skillfulness characterizes his Ouyang Jiong's poems, especially in his two cantos, Portraits of Monk Guanxiu's Dreaming Arhats, A Poem on Jinghuan's Drawings of Heavenly Kings in Yingtian Temple, which have been considered fine masterpieces during the Five Dynasties. His prose is delicate in antithesis phrases and wording, his narrations and arguments set off vivid descriptions, and his may-be a little gorgeous language just speaks out his heart and soul. His ci-poems, in particular, carrying a variety of themes and creating unique artistic conceptions, to some degree, breaks through the Huajian Ci-poetry style pattern, and promotes lyricism as well as scholastic steps of ci-poetry. In this process, it is most marvelous for Ouyang Jiong to practice his concept of ci-poetry and then transcend it. This paper discusses Ouyang Jiong's life story, ideology of ci-poetry and masterpieces in three chapters. Chapter I, the author chronicles life of Ouyang Jiong based on some historical records so as to discriminate some misunderstandings in academia and some doubts surrounded his life. Chapter II explores Ouyang Jiong's ideology of ci-poetry. When studying the back ground of writing the Preface to the Collection of Huajian Ci-Poetry School and principles of compiling Collection of Huajian Ci-Poetry School, the author seeks reference to the different opinions in academia towards the Preface since 20th century, and analyses the impact that his ideology of ci-poetry has exerted on the popular consensus in Song Dynasty—ci-poetry just involves flowery boudoir descriptions. In chapter III, makes textibual researches on his surviving works. the author comments on Ouyang Jiong's ci-poems in two categories: the Huajian ci-poetry style and the non- boudoir Huajian ci-poetry. Therein the analysis focuses on his ci-poetry features in the artistic conceptions, psychological descriptions, portray of the characters and innovation in style as well while a brief review is conducted to his poems and prose.