Cypress Theme And Image Of The Ancient Chinese Literature Research

The pine and cypress were widely distributed, universally cultivated and employed plant in Chinese ancient times which kept close relationship with the ancient daily life. They entered into the literature field earlier in Shijing. The nature of pine and cypress were praised by literati in every times, therefore they obtained wealthy moral connotation, and evenly becomed our national ideal personality symbol. This dissertation focused on pine and cypress in the Chinese ancient literature works, trying to conduct a deeper and more systematical exploration on its aesthetic characteristics, moral connotation and cultural implications on the basis of capacious cultural background.The first chapter discusses the prosperity and its cause of the pine and cypress theme and the image. The deeply developed aesthetic and moral connotation and gradually accumulated cultural implications of the pine and cypress are based on this.The second, the third and the fourth chapters detailly narrate the development and evolut ion historical process of the pine and cypress moral connotation.The Pre-Qin confucian posed that the pine and cypress had strong heart and therefore they could fall behind other all trees. The proposition became the origin of the pine and cypress moral connotation, and from this on, the pine and cypress have become the gentleman personality symbol. In Wei, Jin and South and North Dynasty, the pine and cypress spirital connotation had new development that pine was often used to describe a celebrity, and become the symbol of grace and virtue. In Tang Dynasty, the pine and cypress moral connotation had further enrichment that the pine and cypress images were of individuality containing both ambition and responsibility as social remember, but also rich spirit world and the unique charm of personnality as a free individual. In the Song Dynasty the pine and cypress image personality matured,which fused of Confucian morality, Taoism free and broad mind, Buddhism detached feelings. In this dynasty the pine and cypress were descripted as something unconcerned with competing against others, or becoming of pillar of state, something careless and ruthless, strong and tender. In short, they were on behalf of ideal personality. After long development, the pine and cypress image has accumulated rich spirit connotation such as hardiness, firmness, integrity, backbone, experience and so on. Gentleman personality symbol also appeard in different forms, having been analogyed as sage, hermit, talent. Compared with other plants, such as bamboo, lotus, the pine and cypress personality has its own uniqueness, showing the special cultural signi f icance.The sixth chapter to the tenth chapter narrate several important pine and cypress imageries.The cemetery pine and cypress image was symbol of death and the God protecting of ancestral spirit which was often used to express mourning, anxiety and nostalgic feelings. Zuo Si created the gully bottom pine imagery with typical imergy, concentrated ink summrizing the circumstence of the poor scholar in Western jin Dynasty family system. Later on, the gully bottom pine imagery got some new content and style in its development. The gully bottom pine symbolic signicance is distinct which in the development process has been likened to poor talent, dormant scholar bureaucrat, the banished minister and virtuous woman, being a literary image and cultural symbols with strong personality and multiple meaning. The old, withered, disease, blame pine and cypress image has spcial aesthetic value, such as being evergreen, lush, vicissitudinous, magnificent, ugly. They also has specific symbolic meaning that he old pine image symbolize quaint gentleman personality, and ugly pine and cypress image symbolize those oppressd arrogant life. The never-old pine image was symbol of longevity, which was often used to express the hope of life eternal. The Siamese pine and cypress was the symbol of fidelity to love, and the omen of goodness, which also had moral and buddihism implication. The resurrection pine and cypress was induction to the ups and downs of peronnel which was once regarded as dharmakaya, and sometimes reminded of the mood of missing friend and think of ancient. Pine wind imagery not only has unique aesthetic value such as clearness, quaintness, intensity, but also has rich meanings of sustenance. Scholar elegant leisure, transcendent spirit, the scholaor elegant leisure, transcendent spirit, the hermitage and immortal ideal, life experience, history feeling can use the pine wind image convey. The pine forest in poems and articles not only has the esthetic characteristics and landscape effect, where also literator secluse, meditate, piano, chess, poetry and drink. The pine forest in the novel is distinctive, often have a spooky atmosphere or mysterious circumstances.The eleventh chapter discusses the relation between the pine and the literary life.The pine was not only closely related to everyday life of literati, but also related to their cultural ecology including secluse, meditate, piano, chess, poetry and drink. The aesthetic and cultural implications of the pine made daily life elegant and calm. The human sentiment reflected in literary works, giving readors a plain, fresh feeling. The literati not only named their alias, works, housewear the pine to display their noble personality, but also personally planted the pine to cultivate their character. The pine is also closely related to literator’s communication. The description in literary works reflect turely ancient literator life scene, life style and life taste.