Key Terms for Chinese Literature (Chinese words in italics) 1.

Shang dynasty-1500 BCE to 1000 BCE; Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism became important in china. They maintain power with worship to ancestors; Shang specialists interoperate oracle bones that say Shang must stay in power; they put on elaborate ceremonies and make very expensive bronze sacrifices to keep up the ruse. The taxes placed on people to afford these rituals angered the population, especially people living on the outer ends of the empire; thus, the Shang dynasty fell and the Zhou came to power. 2. "dragon bones"/divining-In reality, 100,000 bones acquired today have turned out to be, for the most part, old turtle shells; they were used to communicate with ancestors. Usually people asked practical questions to the ancestors, then they heated the bones, and the cracks would be interpreted to mean certain things. Divining means communicating with ancestral spirits. 3. Heaven (Tian) and Earth (Di)- the Chinese believed that heaven and earth were coterminous, that they both existed in the same realm. The connection between heaven and earth was much more practical than most other countries; the Chinese saw heaven as a court, with a high god/king (Shang Di) and his minions, ministers, advisors, etc. There was much less love and devotion, and more business-like interaction with the gods; the Chinese would ask for something that they needed, and would perform the proper ritual; morality and righteous behavior was not strongly mandated by the gods. 4. spirit world/ancestors- reverence for ancestors was extremely important; deceased family members continued to exert influence on the living-have an impact on how they acted; families often appealed to ancestors for help, and tried to keep ancestors happy; they would also ask to ancestors for help. The Chinese believed that ghost would haunt a family if a deceased ancestor was not buried properly. 5. de-viture; acting virtuously with a right attitude; ethical value establish by society, not by the gods 6. bao-sense of obligation to a person, the need to return the favor 7. filial piety-respect for ones parents; parents give you everything you need and teach you everything they can when youre young, so you become forever indebted to them; you must show an utmost respect for them and must help them with anything throughout your life in order to repay them 8. Zhou dynasty (dates, rise to power, how it maintained power, decline)-1045 BCE-270 BCE; the Zhou overthrew the Shang and immediately implemented the Mandate of Heaven; fragmentation and chaos arises during the dynasty (inspires the arrival of many shi like Confucius); the Zhou move their capital to Xian, and they expand their territory; because they have so much land, the Zhou emperors appoint local leaders to oversee faraway areas; these leaders eventually start to usurp the emperors power, proclaiming

themselves kings; mini-kingdoms are formed; a neighboring group to the Zhou, the Qin, begin to attack the weak and fragmented country; the king focuses all of his army on fighting off the Qin rather than stopping the local lords. By 500 BCE there are about 250 different states, who all start to fight with each other. The result: the Warring States period. [by the 3rd century, only 12 states remained] 9. Tianming (Mandate of Heaven)-created by the Zhou dynasty; states that an emperor is put in power because the gods will it; similar to divine right of kings, but it didnt justify all of the emperors actions; it was different in the fact that if the emperor showed weakness, that was the heavens demanding a new empire put in power 10. Symbolic importance of capital city architecture under Zhou-During the Zhou dynasty (1045-220 BC), the capital was moved to Xian. The layout of Xian represents the Cosmosthe city was a North/South oriented square grid. There were ritualistic centers at each of the four cardinal directions. 11. Warring states period-426-271 BCE, Occurred during the later part of the Zhou Dynasty. Regional warlords took over neighboring areas, and seven warring states emerged. The period ended when the Qin dynasty reunified China. This period led to the development of Daoism and Confucianism as guidelines to restore order to society. 12. Shi-Class of professional political administrators and advisors. They were intellectuals: What went wrong and how do we fix it? How can people get along in a society? Was the Age of 100 Philosophers. Confucius was a member of the Shi class. 13. Confucius/Kongzi-Confucius=Kongzi=Master Kong. He lived from 551-479 BC. He was born into the lower nobility, and his father died when Confucius was 3. He was a poor student, but he was dedicated. He didnt consider himself a sage. He valued the Golden Rule, ritual (li), humaneness (ren), filial piety, gentlemanliness (junzi), selfsufficiency. He also valued the relationships between Ruler & Subject, Father & Son, Husband & Wife, Elder brother & Younger Brother, Friend & Friend. 14. Analects-The Analects is a collection of Confuciuss dialogues and utterances recorded by his disciples after his death. The Analects is just one of a number of Confucian classics, whose memorization was essential to the Confucian path of study. Anyone looking to work in politics had to study Confucianism. 15. Rectification of names-It is a theme of Confucian doctrine. It means to know ones role in the web of relationships that create community, and to behave in ways appropriate to ones role in order to ensure social harmony. Each person has a social standing and a social name and with their social names comes responsibilities and duties. Ruler, minister, father and son all have social names therefore they need to fulfill their required social duties of respect. Following orders from a person of authority = following rectification of names.

16. Junzi-A gentleman, one whose actions speak louder than words, one who is above distress, is humble, moral, virtuous. People are not born junzis, it is a character that must be developed. Junzis seek moral superiority, not economic superiority. A junzi has equanimity and self-knowledge. They cultivate virtue through asceticism, restraint in foods, words, and behavior, meditation, criticism, and the arts. 17. 5 Great Relationships- 1) parents to child, 2) ruler to servant, 3) master to student, 4) elder brother to younger brother, 5) friend to friend [friend to friend is the only one in which either of the two can be the superior]. Confucius believed that is people understood and acted on the proper relationships, society is healed 18. Hierarchy and reciprocity in Confucianism- superior must council/guide and take care of the inferior; inferior must follow and obey. If the superior doesnt do his job, the inferior is released from the relationship to his superior 19. li-means something along the lines of ritual. Confucius considered them very important; he believed that through ritual and repetition, a person can be taught. At first, a person will be doing the action without fully understanding the benefit, but after a while a person will learn from it and benefit from it; 20. ren-humaneness; not just appearance or words, but genuine actions; constantly humane in all circumstances; use the past and connect it with present (to prove things, understand situations, and find solutions) 21. filial piety-respect for ones parents; parents give you everything you need and teach you everything they can when youre young, so you must show an utmost respect for them and must help them with anything throughout your life in order to repay them (reciprocity); this respect must be cultivated (its not natural) 22. a good ruler according to Confucianism: 1) earns his position and the loyalty of his people. 2) doesnt take his subjects for granted. 3) Mandate of Heaven must be upheld (if a ruler is weak, hes replaced). 4) acts with virtue and humaneness (ren) 23. Daoism/Dao// reaction to Confucianism- Daoism is the exact opposite of what Confucianism stands for. When Confucianism is strict and stiff, Daoism has no rules and flows like water. It was a response to the social chaos (warring states period). 24. Daojia- philosophical Daoism: school of the way (for the elite) 25. Daojao- religious Daoism: teaching of the way (for the common man) 26. Dao De Jing- Dao means path. De means virtue. Jing means classic. All together: Classic of way and virtue. It warns about complete understanding of the way

things work. Daoism is the way of nature. It is the source of all things, it sustains everything, yet it is not an entity. There are two parts of the Dao. The first part is nameless, eternal, mysterious, and transcendent. The second part is named, changing, immanent, Mother of 10,000 things. The Dao De Jing tries to get us to see things differently; not through rational discourse and argument, but through imagination, paradox, negation and intuition. There is a distrust of language because not everything can be explained in the Daoist psychosis. 27. Lao Tzu- the legendary author of the Dao De Jing. LauTzu means old man in Chinese. It is likely that such a person never existed. As the writer of the Dao De Jing he made people think in ways that may have been uncomfortable at the time. He represents one who knows the Dao. 28. Taijitu/ yin and yang- Yang is light, open, active, aggressive, hard, controlling masculine. Yin is dark, hidden, receptive, passive, feminine, cool, yielding, soft. The opposites are necessary for wholeness. The relationship between the two accounts for change in the world. 29. Daoist imagery in painting and poetry- a lot of water is used. Opposites are often prevalent (yin and yang). Most of the images are of nature and its interactions. Humans are often small and are living in nature, going with the flow. 30. Daoist sage- you must empty your cup and dont bring a crowd with you. Have an open mind to learn about the Dao 31. wu wei- dont do it, nonaction, actionless action. Wu means not or dont. Wei is acting in a conscious way- to improve things. Wu Wei is acting without ego. It cautions against trying to control everything. 32. Daoist ruler- isnt this an oxymoron? 33. Zhuangzi (the man)- (369-286 BC) wanted to free the mind of conventional ways of thinking. He turned Daoism into a more individual spiritual path. 34. Zhuangzi-empty mind of preconceptions. Language is not an accurate reflection of reality. Categories determine thought and this is not how it should be. Everything is determined by out perspective (all things are relative). 35."maybe so, maybe not"- Everything is determined by out perspective (all things are relative). [Events: a farmers horse runs away, the horse comes back with other horses, the farmers son breaks his leg trying to ride one of the new horses, the farmers son is exempt from a draft because of his injury] 36. Tang dynasty- 618-097 CE; known as Chinas Golden Age of Art and Poetry; The Anthology of Tang Poetry = a collection of 50,000 poems by over 2,300 poets

37. role of poetry in Chinese society during the Tang- poetry became essential in society; starting in 690 CE, composition and interpreting poetry became part of the Chinese civil service exam (which a person needed to pass in order to obtain a government position); see #41 for occasions when poetry is necessary; 38. Wang Wei poems: "To my cousin Qiu, military supply official" 1. What is meant by knowing only the "surface of things"? not knowing the real meaning behind the worldly things 2. What is the speaker's attitude to the world of government officials? What phrases suggest this? Their work restricts their imagination 3. What do you think happens in between the first stanza (lines 1-8) to the second (916)? He moved away from his role in government 4. What do the mountains represent? Freedom, dao 5. What parallels and contrasts do you see between the speaker and his cousin in the last four lines? They have experienced the same things and have understood that you need to be free "Missing her husband on an Autumn Night" 1. The "leaking water" is a sign of what? Make sure you use the note. What is the speaker's emotion in "night has no end"? What symbolic connotations does "night" have? That her husband is gone 2. How does the impossible image of a "moon wet with dew" relate to the speaker's frame of mind? The sun is only just reaching the moon 3. How does fall "make hidden insects cry"? How does this image relate to the speaker? Cold, knowing winter is coming, she feels like she will die soon 4. Why do you think the speaker hasn't "sent winter clothes"? hasnt prepared for winter 5. In the second stanza, what is the symbolic message of the cassia shadows covering the moon? Make sure you use the note. What literary technique is used here? Sun is coming, allusion, imagery 6. Explain how the last three lines convey the speaker's condition. She is scared of dark, wants husband, heart is afraid"Things in a Spring Garden" 1. Referring to the images in the poem, explain the speaker's mindset while gardening. The speaker loves gardening "Songs of Peach Tree Spring"

1. What seems Daoist or Buddhist about the opening line: "My fishing boat sails the river"? yin and yang, strong boat, small river 2. Anything symbolic about lines 5-7 especially the "hidden paths" and the "mingling of trees and clouds"? hidden and unknown, mix of two aspects of nature 3. What is the attitude toward the past in lines 8-10? People should move away from the city and enter a more nature filled life 4. What does it mean to "cultivate rice and gardens beyond the real world"? to seek knowledge beyond what is thought 5. What is the contrast in lines 13-14? Moon quiet, sun active 6. Characterize the people the speaker meets in lines 15-18. Seek knowledge, want to show off 7. Who does the speaker meet in 19-24? How is he like them? Why does he say he has a "heart of dust"? nature? True nature, he wants to get away, on that is not fully prepared to leave, 8. What does the last stanza suggest about the speaker's relationship to that "holy source"? he want to go back, and he has been there before 39. Li Bai poems: A Song of Zhanggan Village Childhood is a time of innocence and playfulness. She gets married and then becomes more serious. Finally, she grows to like him, but then he leaves to go work in the gorges, and she is afraid he will be killed. The sight of happy, paired-up butterflies saddens her. She will do anything to see him again. Drinking Alone By Moonlight He is initially sad that he has no one to drink with, but then he finds the moon and his shadow as substitutes for his friends. Drinking Wine by Moonlight, would provide the spiritually touched setting, a combination of moonlight and alcohol, which our character, Rihaku, uses to personify the Taijitu symbolism of Taoism. Though your humble writer had initially thought it a drunken anthropomorphism of the moon and Rihakus shadow, the poem later dawned as a Taoist lesson on the Western Yin and Yang concept of Taoism. With the bright moon overhead (Yang) and the dark shadow at his feet (Yin), the Rihaku character serves as a dynamic between these two opposites that the Taoists believed was a balanced part of every force in nature. Rihaku, dancing and singing, becomes a material relationship between these two divine principles. Later in the poem, they scatter to wander alone, incomplete without each other, only to be found again in heaven. Hearing a Flute He has an emotional breakdown.

Summer Day in the Mountains Hes very Daoist. running around naked and being in tune with nature? Free spirited. Having a Good Time by Myself Lonely, wandering drunk. No destination, goes with the flow, purposeless action - Wu Wei. Very Daoist. 40. problems of translation -hard to know what the author is saying exactly; certain symbols can be interpreted as several different words in English, and subject-verb relationships are sometimes ambiguous; Chinese is a very hard language to understand because words can mean very different thing depending on the pitch in which it is said 41. characteristics of Chinese poetry -usually written for an occasion (visiting a special place, holiday, special occasion-funeral, marriage, party, leave a message when visiting and person wasnt there, negotiations); read word situation that created it (emotions/thoughts) poet world; couplets-rhyme each line may have 5 or 7 characters; first person perspective is assumed; look for parallel of images (reconstruct feeling/ thoughts from images) 42. Dai Sijie's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Narrator The narrator His name is Ma, but since it is only given in Chinese in the book, he is just known as "the narrator." The son of two doctors who have been labeled enemies of the people, the narrator mentions his name is written in Chinese characters that in English translate as "Horse Sword Bell." but in fact in the original french version this is not specified as he mentions only that the characters that make up his name can be drawn as a man riding a horse, a long sword and a ringing bell. The narrator plays the violin, and is once referred to in the novel as "the fiddler." His character begins with very low confidence. However, as the novel progresses, the narrator's storytelling skills rival and then arguably surpass those of his friend Luo, through reading literature. He also becomes more audacious as he purposefully causes the headman of the village severe pain by pumping the machine that drills holes in teeth very slowly. He also falls in love with the Little Seamstress and becomes her confidante through an abortion although he is never able to steal her heart from Luo. Luo Luo Luo is the only character in the novel with a recognizable name. Luo is the son of a famous dentist who bragged of having worked on Chairman Mao's teeth, and is accused of being a reactionary for having committed the sin of suggesting that the Chairman was British and had horrible teeth because of that. Luo is audacious, a talented liar and storyteller. He evolves throughout the story like other characters do, and he seems to have gained the knowledge of sexual relationship and learns that you shouldn't try to change who a person is, but should appreciate them for who they are.

Little Chinese Seamstress The Little Seamstress Daughter of a famous local tailor, the Little Seamstress is a rare beauty. She is shy and tries to stay away from her many suitors, but falls for the two city boys who visit her often, eventually becoming involved with Luo. She has had no formal education, and cannot read, so Luo and the narrator read to her. Amongst the ignorant peasants she has an air of sophistication due to her relative wealth, though Luo comments early in the novel that she is "not civilized". However, Luo is only stereotyping her. As the novel progresses, the Little Seamstress learns about the outside world by reading the foreign books with the help of Luo. She eventually leaves the mountain and everything she knew to start a new life in the city. Tailor The Tailor He is the father of the Little Seamstress. He is richer than all the peasants, and is treated almost like royalty. At one point in the story, the narrator recalls a Western story to him while he spends the night with the narrator and Luo. Through this experience, he gains a slight air of sophistication, and the story begins to influence the clothes that he makes. headman The Headman The headman is the leader of the village the narrator and Luo are sent to for re-education. He has a very arrogant personality and believes that he knows everything even though he has only ever experienced the small, secluded mountain on which he lives. One day, he even blackmailed Luo to fix his teeth in return for not sending the narrator to jail. Four Eyes Four-eyes He is the son of a writer and poetess, however doesn't seem to have inherited his parents' ability of writing. Four-eyes must wear thick glasses to compensate for his nearsightedness (hence his nickname). He possesses a treasure trove of forbidden "reactionary" Western novels which the Narrator and Luo covet and eventually steal. He is referred to as a character who is used to humiliation. He is the rude and betraying person who ends up trying to use his friends. He says to his mother that the only reason he was still friends with Luo was because his father was a great dentist, and if he was friendly enough they could save some money on dental work. He clearly valued possessions more than people. He also doesn't seem to know how to fit in. He ends up leaving the mountain when his mother convinces the government to end his reeducation early. preacher Luo and the narrator met the preacher in the audience of the film show they attended. There was an air of nobility about him. For the past twenty years, he had been forbidden to practice his faith. His house was once ransacked by the Re Guards, they had found a book written in a foreign language that no one could identify. After identification by the University of Beijing, it turned out to be a Latin Bible. He was struck with cancer and on his deathbed, his last words were a prayer in Latin.

Luo's parents Fatherfamous dentist who had supposedly worked on Chairman Maos teeth. Was forced to admit that he slept with a nurse/ publically humiliated for being Enemy of the People. His son, Luo, was sent off to be re-educated i. doctor Performed an abortion on the little seamstress. He knew the narrators father and when the narrator lies that it is his sister that needs the abortion, hegets mad. The doctor does the favor for the narrator in exchange for his sheepskin jacket written all over with parts of Balzac. The doctor is familiar with the book and its translator Fu Lei.

role of storytelling/art In this particular setting, storytelling is an actual skill used by Luo/narrator to survive. Because of this skill, they are allowed days off of treacherous working conditions to go see a movie in the next town, come back and retell the story to entertain people, who would otherwise have no form of amusement. When Luo is sick, the narrator tells a story to keep the shamans awake and therefore Luo alive. Throughout the story, the narrators initially inferior storytelling skills develop, and eventually become better than that of Luos. The two boys also tell their stories to the tailor one night. influence of communism/Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution brought about the destruction of antiques, historic sites, and culture; the economic and education system to a virtual halt. Intellectuals such as doctors, dentists, anyone with skills above the average were targeted as political enemies and detained; their children were sent off to labor camps to be re-educated. Although forbidden to read Western books that suggested capitalist/revolutionary ideas, Luo and the narrator become more and more intrigued as the story advances.