The Research On Evolution Of Chinese Conti Concept Before Song Dynasty

The paper adopts the method combining the philology with literature and art, and on the basis of common literary documents in highest measure to study original appearance of Chinese conti(小说) before Song Dynasty, and tease out the development of conti and its law. In the structure of the organization, there are historical discussions about the evolution of the concept of chinese conti at a macroscopical level, as well as specific study at different angles such as writers, works, acception and so on. The research of this paper gives attention to combining points with sides, starts from the problem and tries to avoid becoming a general historical books on chinese conti.The main text divides into six chapters.The first chapter mainly discriminates two mis-understandings in current study, namely, both of myths and fables are not the origin of ancient chinese conti. By analysing and discussing the cause of these two mis-understandings, the chapter points out that taking the narrative novel as the evaluation criteria to measure ancient chinese conti offends against its features, goes against its own developmental rule, and ignores instructional meaning of methodology for ancient chinese conti. On the basis of correcting mistakes, the chapter teases out the original appearance and features of conti in pre-Qin Dynasty, and thinks that the concept and features of conti in pre-Qin Dynasty roughly conform with the concept of conti in Han Dynasty reflected by Han-Zhi(《汉书·艺文志》), and there is some continuity between them. The main expression of conti are recording saying and recording matters two groups. The social utility, namely taking the saying to argue and taking the matter to argue, become core features on the elementary stage of the formational concept of conti.The second chapter mainly discusses the concept of conti in Han Dynasty. Qi-Lue(《七略》)andBie-Lu(《别录》)summarize Liu Xiang and Liu Xin’s collating fruits in West-Han Dynasty, and their academic points are inherited by Ban Gu’s Han-Zhi, thereby establishing basically the initial scale of academic system of chinese conti, laying the foundations for that "little Tao(小说)" is the core feature of conti in nature and judgemental standard, and becoming the basic principle followed by later development of the academic system of chinese conti. In the process of the discussion, this chapter also uses unearthed documents to focus on investigating the significance of the word "Bai Guan(稗官)”for development of conti in present research. In addition, the chapter analyses the libratory state of adscription in initial nature of conti between the realm of philosophy and history, and thinks that chinese conti at the beginning of production is more close to the characteristics of ancient historical books comparing with the doctrine of philosophy. However, because Han-Zhi lays historical books in the group of Chun-Qiu-Jia(春秋家)belonging to Liu-Yi-Lue(六艺略), the system of history is not independent from the doctrine of confucian classics yet. Further, conti can not be attached to the history belonging to the doctrine of confucian classics any more due to the limitation of its own structure and function, and just be placed at the end of the group of philosophy(诸子略).The third chapter discusses the developmental situation of conti in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and mainly begins from two aspects. Firstly, the chapter corrects and analyses the original of Cao Zhi’s reciting thousands of words coming from the farce actors’hsiao-shuo(诵俳优小说数千言).With the help of real things in the unearthed materials such as the figurines, the painting stones and so on, the chapter thinks that the farce actors’hsiao-shuo is the first extensive use of the name of hsiao-shuo, meanwhile, the content of farce actors’hsiao-shuo is not vulgar Fu(俗赋)and the performance of it is a form of early folk art. Secondly, the chapter discusses a distinct features in the creation of conti during this period, that is aspiring to the principle of factual recording in writing history. However, the compilation of historical books appears that it starts to contravene strict factual recording, especially many works recording spirits are grouped under historical books. Through these discussions, the chapter thinks that there are some new variable factors already in conti of this period, meanwhile, the evolution and development of conti has been germinated.The fourth chapter discusses the evolution of conti in South and North Dynasties. In the past academic study about the development of conti in South and North Dynasties, approximately remains in the frame of Lu Xun’s A Brief History of Chinese Fiction(《中国小说史略》),taking recording human beings and recording supernatural tales two groups conti as the main directions of research, thereby lacking macroscopical historical investigation for the overall thread of the development of conti. The chapter breaks through aforenamed limitation on research, and thinks that both the important change of the concept of chinese conti and the gradual perfection of system construction can find their basal clues in this stage. So the chapter concentrates on starting from these questions such as the acceptance of conti in annotation for historical books, the acceptance of conti in literary theory, the acceptance of conti in corpus and so on. The paper strives to break through the limitation of thoughts in current research, and makes a systematic investigation macroscopically for the evolution and features of conti in this period, and tries to restore the original appearance of conti in the course of development. The discussion selects some books which easily are overlooked by researchers, such as the first annotated book of conte in this period namely Shi-Shuo-Xin-Yu(《世说新语》)annotated by Liu Xiao-biao, the first corpus of conti containing many kinds of subject matters in this period namely Yin Yun’s conti and so on. Equally, the discussion mainly investigates Ruan Xiao-xu’s Qi-Lu(《七录》)which is intermediate between Han-Zhi and Sui-Zhi(《隋书·经籍志》)as well as the only bibliotheca reflecting the concept of conti in this period best, and makes use of documental and literary angles to reinterpret the concept of conti in South and North Dynasties reflected in Qi-Lu.The fifth chapter expounds that Sui-Zhi which is compiled by people in Tang Dynasty sums up the concept of conti since Han Dynasty, perfects the academic system of chinese conti. The compilation of Sui-Zhi reflects the final establishment of concept of conti in Tang Dynasty. People in Tang Dynasty enrich the academic system of chinese conti established by people in Han Dynasty from three different aspects, and give the development of conti a reasonable hold, accordingly, open a new complexion for the complete constitution of the academic system of chinese conti. On these basis, the chapter analyses further the acceptance and modification after the concept of conti coming from the people in Tang Dynasty set up. On the one hand, the chapter takes Liu Zhi-ji’s Shi-Tong(《史通》)as a study case to investigate that his understanding of conti entirely within the concept of conti in Tang Dynasty demonstrated in Sui-Zhi and old Tang-Zhi(《旧唐书·经籍志》). His discussion didn’t reflect a particular view of conti, to say nothing of classifying conti, with the exception of taking the word hsiao-shuo as a extensive name of non-orthodox historical materials. The mis-understanding in current research of conti just lies in lacking accurate grasp for Liu Zhi-ji’s view of extensive historical materials, that is making use of conti as historical materials to write historical books.On the other hand, taking Shi-Ji-Suo-Yin(《史记索隐》), Shi-Ji-Zheng-Yi(《史记正义》) and Anthology of Literature(《文选》)annotated by Li Shan as examples to investigate the situation of citing conti in these books, with the help of different angles, the chapter explores the breeding and development of the concept of conti in Tang Dynasty from the side of conceptual acceptance. Finally, the chapter taking the book the catalog of books being in Japan(《日本国见在书目录》) as an example to analyse preliminarily the foreign effects of concept of conti in Tang Dynasty during this period.The sixth chapter mainly discusses the breakthrough of the concept of conti in Song Dynasty comparing with Tang Dynasty. Firstly, through investigating Chong-We-Zon-Mu (《崇文总目》)and new Tang-Zhi(《新唐书·艺文志》)compiled by people in Song Dynasty, the chapter points out that introducing the written style of mixed biography(杂传)to conti brings a symbolic literary style for conti. The introduction of narrative literary style is a critical point in the process of the concept of conti from the traditional to modern, corresponds to a reconstruction for the academic system of conti in Tang Dynasty. Secondly, the chapter investigates the acceptance and cognition of legends of Tang Dynasty(唐传奇)in Song Dynasty, and thinks deeply the relationship between mixed biography and legends of Tang Dynasty, moreover, points out the hereditary relation between them. With regard to the development and acceptance after the establishment of the concept of conti in Song Dynasty, the chapter takes the quotative conti coming from The Annotations on Du Fu’s Poetry by Zhao Ci-gong as the example to engage case study. Finally, with the principle of using method combining the philology with literature and art, the chapter detailedly investigates that "the cowherd and the weaving maiden(牛郎织女)”is not an item of lost text in Yin Yun’s conti, and discusses the further extensive use of the name of hsiao-shuo in Song Dynasty, as well as the long-standing misunderstanding of research method in compiling ancient conti.