6.Classical Prose (Part One)

Prose recording historical events emerged along with the development of language during the Shang Dynasty.In the Zhou Dynasty, official historians recorded many historical facts about various kingdoms in simple and concise language, such as in The Spring and Autumn Annals (《春秋》).

It was a time of great social changes at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period (战国时期).Many schools of thought contended with each other and their works further promoted the development of rational prose.Major schools of thought at the time include the Confucian School (儒家), Mohist School (墨家), Taoist School (道家), Legalist School(法家)among many others, with The Analects(《论语》), Mencius (《孟子》), Mozi (《墨子》), Zhuangzi (《庄子》)and Hanfeizi (《韩非子》)as their representative works.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, political prose made huge progress.Jia Yi (贾谊，200 BC 168 BC)was a great man of letters in the early stages of the Western Han Dynasty.His On the Faults of Qin (《过秦论》)argued on the reason for the loss of the Qin Dynasty, drawing lessons from the peasant uprising of the late Qin and developed the idea of“counting on the people, ”which became prevalent in the Han Dynasty.

During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu (汉武帝) advocated“banning all ideas except Confucianism”in his reign.But the feudal dynasty needed to give an explanation for uniting all thinking under Confucianism based on the end development of ancient culture.During the Han Dynasty, a new literary style, fu (赋), emerged.Fu was very particular in its literary grace and cadence, and possessed qualities of both poetry and prose.

New Words and Expressions

Exercise One

Directions:Decide whether the following statements are true or false.

1.Prose has emerged since the Qin Dynasty.

2.Many major schools of thought came out at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period.

3.Jia Yi argued on the reasons why the Qin Dynasty failed in his book.

4.Only Confucianism was approved in the Western Han Dynasty.

5.Fu, a new style of literature, developed at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

Exercise Two

Directions:Answer the following questions.

1.When did prose come out?

2.What schools of thought were there at the beginning of the Warring States Period?

3.What was written in Jia Y'i s On the Faults of Qin?