Zhang Xie - The No.1 Scholar Rhyme Research

As the extant representative of early Southern drama in China, Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar provides a vast space not only for the studies of Southern drama but also for the history of Chinese language. The thesis takes all the rhyme part (all song and rhyming words of spoken parts in the opera for material verse) to establish the rhyme system. Meanwhile, it summarizes the characteristic of phonetic system in Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar with lots of related data and by which the phonological system properties (the regionality and times) are conjectured further. It provides some data with a good reference value for the research of Chinese phonology.First, through the comprehensive statistics of all the rhyming words,homophones and the alternate script, the thesis establish the rhyme system of 18 rhyme groups in Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar, and make the qualitative and quantitative analysis on each rhyme group contrasting with other materials such as GuangYun and Central China Phonology to reveal its characteristic.In the second place, this paper gives an analysis of those words rhymed between different rimes in Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar. Then, contrast the phenomenon with the Wu dialects and Min dialects by which we can find that the phonology of Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar is approach to Wu dialects more. As many differences exist in different local dialects, the characteristic of phonetic system in Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar is not just reflected in Wenzhou.Next, compare the rhyme groups of Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar with Dunhuang Bianwen,Dong Xixiang,the opera written by Guan Hanqing,Story of Pipa,Cuo Lishen,Xiao Suntu,Story of Yougui and Story of Yuzan by the longitudinal and ateral comparison approach ,and give a conclusion about its generation that Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar should be written in the mid of Yuan dynasty.In short, the rhyme research of Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar shows that in addition to the trend from the ancient Chinese phonology to the later time, the pronunciation of dialects also be unfolded. Nevertheless, South drama had developed more till Yuan dynasty, the Zhang Xie-the No.1 Scholar written in Wenzhou though, its phonetic system gave first place to the lingua franca, and then mixed with the Wu dialect.