Man-Yo-Shui And Chinese Classical Poetry

Man-Yo-Shui, the first great WaKa anthology, comes into being along with the long history of cultural exchange between China and Japan. Its birth marks a breakthrough in Japanese literature and affects deeply Japanese literature development.When Man-Yo-Shui emerged, Japan was in the transitional stage from primitive society to feudal society with backward political, economical and cultural development. At that time, China was in the feudal heyday, Tang dynasty. Chinese classical literature was brought into Japan and permeated Japanese especially nobles life. This paper explores Chinese classics' great influence on Man-Yo-Shui from different aspects.However, Man-Yo-Shui is not a copy of Chinese poetry. It gets inspiration from Chinese literature, fuses the ingredients transformed into literature with Japanese characteristics. Man-Yo-Shui employs popular means to express national emotion and display Japanese sentimental and esthetical preferences. The paper expounds rich Japanese flavors in Man-Yo-Shui which wins Japanese literature worldwide popularity.