TY - JOUR
T1 - Shenyun before Wang Shizhen
T2 - A Terminological Study of Hu Yinglin's and Lu Shiyong's Poetics
AU - Wong, Chi Hung
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, © The Society for Ming Studies 2016.
PY - 2016/1/2
Y1 - 2016/1/2
N2 - Shenyun (神韻 spirit resonance) is a concept that has consistently attracted scholarly attention in the field of Chinese literary criticism. Originally a principle in Chinese painting appreciation, shenyun appealed to literary critics and became a major criterion of literary composition after its widespread use in the work of Wang Shizhen (王士禛, 1634–1711) during the Qing dynasty (1636–1912). However, scholars view the Yuan (1271–1368) critics’ application of the concept in poetry analysis as the earliest evidence of its use. Nevertheless, like most Chinese poetic keywords, the meaning of shenyun varies depending on both context and usage. To explore the early features of this common term, this paper examines shenyun as used in Hu Yinglin's (胡應麟, 1551–1602) Shisou (詩藪 Thicket of Remarks on Poetry) and Lu Shiyong's (陸時雍, fl. 1633) writings. A close reading of both of these writers reveals that when shenyun is applied in contradictory ways in Shisou (which occurred before Wang Shizhen's promotion of the term), it can essentially be understood as “vitality.” Wang's theoretical foundation shows that Wang's and Hu's perspectives clearly differ based on Xue Hui's (薛蕙, 1489–1539) commentaries. In this paper, I will offer a clear explanation of shenyun by examining previous scholars’ explanations of the term.
AB - Shenyun (神韻 spirit resonance) is a concept that has consistently attracted scholarly attention in the field of Chinese literary criticism. Originally a principle in Chinese painting appreciation, shenyun appealed to literary critics and became a major criterion of literary composition after its widespread use in the work of Wang Shizhen (王士禛, 1634–1711) during the Qing dynasty (1636–1912). However, scholars view the Yuan (1271–1368) critics’ application of the concept in poetry analysis as the earliest evidence of its use. Nevertheless, like most Chinese poetic keywords, the meaning of shenyun varies depending on both context and usage. To explore the early features of this common term, this paper examines shenyun as used in Hu Yinglin's (胡應麟, 1551–1602) Shisou (詩藪 Thicket of Remarks on Poetry) and Lu Shiyong's (陸時雍, fl. 1633) writings. A close reading of both of these writers reveals that when shenyun is applied in contradictory ways in Shisou (which occurred before Wang Shizhen's promotion of the term), it can essentially be understood as “vitality.” Wang's theoretical foundation shows that Wang's and Hu's perspectives clearly differ based on Xue Hui's (薛蕙, 1489–1539) commentaries. In this paper, I will offer a clear explanation of shenyun by examining previous scholars’ explanations of the term.
KW - Hu Yinglin
KW - Lu Shiyong
KW - Shenyun
KW - Shijing zonglun
KW - Shisou
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978696557&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/0147037X.2016.1142179
DO - 10.1080/0147037X.2016.1142179
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84978696557
SN - 0147-037X
VL - 2016
SP - 51
EP - 70
JO - Ming Studies
JF - Ming Studies
IS - 73
ER -