The Annotations And Poetics Concept Research On Fang Yurun’s The Book Of Songs’ Original Meaning

The famous scholar Fang Yurun,who was born and raised in Yun’nan Province in the Qing Dynasty,wrote this Explanation to Original Meaning of The Book of Songs in his later years,which is a significant academic monograph in the research history of The Book of Songs.Raised by Confucianism,Fang Yurun was deeply aware the importance of the classics of Confucianism.As an advocate of traditional pattern on explaining the classics of Confucianism,he extremely emphasized the first place of The Book of Songs among all the classics.Besides,he noticed the literariness inside The Book of Songs,and tried to explain its original meaning by this literariness.There were many properties The Book of Songs had been endowed by later scholars,he believed,only the literariness which contained inside this book from the beginning was ignored,then he questioned the former traditional pattern on explaining the classics with great bravery.Though the Qing Dynasty’s academic was dominated by traditional textual criticism,Fang Yurun still broke the rule “the later explanation shall not against the former one”,which had been existed for thousands of years.And his explanation to the original meaning of The Book of Songs began with the poem as a whole instead of being tied up with a single word,phrase,or some special objects,which the traditional pattern always do.This Explanation to Original Meaning of The Book of Songs helped later scholars open their mind as well as expand their method to research,provided another way besides textual criticism and Yi Li only.In this monograph,Fang Yurun critiqued The Book of Songs with Confucian and literary method,and all based on respect for its primary place in Confucianism.Combining with explanation and critique,he brought refreshing vigorinto this long-history research.Fang Yurun actually did think independently,be neutral,and he had no fear of achievements which previous scholars made,even some of them were experts at that time,he still had not blind obedience to them,he made his own explanation.Due to his relatively lacking of concern about textual criticism,the part of“explanation collection” in his monograph was mostly from others’ opinions who he agreed on the words or phrases,that was why this part was criticized for not new and thorough enough by his later scholars.In author’s preface of this monograph,Fang Yurun said his explanation regardless of preface of Mao’s explanation to The Book of Songs,Commentaries on the Book of Songs by Zhu Xi and General Explanation on The Book of Songs by Yao Jiheng.The way he seeking the original meaning of those poems was being humble at first,then profoundly comprehended the text till the real intention of poetizing was captured.This monograph inherited the past and ushered in the future in research history of The Book of Songs,it inherited Yao Jiheng’s fearless way of thinking but less extreme and subjective.As for “dissolute poem” Zhu Xi once discussed,Fang Yurun discovered irrationality in it and found evidences for his own opinion,this move inspired later scholars.In Explanation to Original Meaning of The Book of Songs,Fang Yurun deeply compared then discussed the method and content of three books above from different times,to conclude his own perspectives,it showed his particular method of research.His analysis of the poems’ subject indicated his solid literary accomplishments,his explanations combined literary and persuasive which indicated his enthusiasm for The Book of Songs and rigorous logic.In the meanwhile,his critiques indicated his unique perspective about poetics.This thesis consists of four parts.The first part,introduction,which is mainly about Fang Yurun’s biographical experience,how his monograph written,and briefly introduction about research on this monograph at the present stage.More and morefindings were published since this monograph had received a lot of attention in recent years,these findings also helped scholars’ research on The Book of Songs and received widely praise.From chapter one to three is the second part,also the main part of this thesis,this part is mainly about discussing his monograph’s features,methods and patterns of his all explanations to The Book of Songs.This part begin with specific questions of his explanations,then compare this monograph with General Explanations to Mao’s and Zheng’s Explanation to the Book of Songs by Ma Ruichen,Ancient and Profoundly Meaning of the Book of Songs by Wei Yuan,and Textual Criticism and Critique on the Book of Songs by Liu Yuqing besides three books mentioned above.By this comparison,author attempt to reveal the unique of Fang Yurun’s Explanation to Original Meaning of The Book of Songs.The third part is the chapter four,which mainly about discussing Fang Yurun’s poetics concept in his monograph.His explanations to The Book of Songs were widely praised by his later scholars,which also were very inspiring and took the explanations to The Book of Songs to the next level by its poetical expression.That’s the reason why we discuss it.The final part is chapter five and six,in which author will make an objective overall evaluation,include this monograph’s achievements,shortcomings and its position in research history of The Book of Songs.