Recap. The concept of change: Change is what brings renewal to life. Evolution of the ideogram: “Horse” 馬 (ma): It consists of meaning, structure and sound. Which part of this ideographical symbol has changed? -- The structure is simplified over time. What did not change? -- The meaning and sound remain the same. Comparison: How do we compare the ideographical symbol with the phonetic symbol?

Similarity: Once the pictorial symbol (with three hairs on the tail) becomes accepted as the word for “horse,” it has the key features shared with the phonetic symbol: 1. a meaning; 2. a sound; 3. a standardized structure. Difference: An ideographic symbol (of a single syllable) represents the idea of a thing/object in a writing system, whereas the phonetic symbol represents the sound. It is not a highly structured language like French, but its flexibility is a plus for the language to adapt to change.

Cautionary notes: We will not use our standard used in the West to measure up works in China, because the Chinese are entitled to have their cultural specificity in addition to shared traits; We explore Chinese literature on its own terms, though certain issues are shared across cultural boundaries.

The Classic of Poetry (or The Book of Songs) 《詩》 It is an anthology of 305 ancient poems transmitted orally in antiquity: -- It has been in circulation in the form of a book since the sixth century BC. -- It was used as a cultural encyclopedia across the social divide between the high and the low: e.g. a textbook, a manual for diplomatic communications, courtship and social protest, etc.

Format: 1. Folk songs 風 (1-160): poems from 15 different regions: 2. Elegance 雅 ( ): overlaps with folks songs and political satires/allegories; 3. Great Odes 頌 ( ): ritual/ceremonial hymns and legends of the earliest period. Subject matters: love, war, hardship of agricultural life, sacrifice, complaint of the deserted/banished wife/subject, and dynastic legends, etc. Style: straightforward in immediate imagery and musical nature Mode: self-expressive The scholarly edition translated into English: Bernhard Karlgren, The Book of Odes, 1950.

I. The osprey ( 關雎 ): Guan/Kwan/Gwan is the mimic sound of the osprey. Controversy on the interpretation of the osprey: 1. Confucian scholars tend to see the bird as “a royal symbol” to represent the king; 2. Sinologists have rendered the bird as “the osprey” or “a fish-hawk.” Is this poem written from a male or a female point view? ? Who is at the center of the poetic text? ? Who is the poet? What does the poet desire? ? Is there any textual reference of queens and kings? ? How do we cohere the four versions that some use the subject “he” and “we” and the other uses “I” for the poet?  The Chinese language often leaves out the subject especially in poetic forms.

The Mao Commentaries: Mao is a shadowy figure of the second century BC. His interpretation allegorizes the poem with the loaded images of royal figures: The central problem:  His “preface” cannot be substantiated in the text. It is possible that he tries to make the poem significant by attaching it to the court figures: His reading is only one of several versions of his time, but the canonization of his far-fetched exegesis in Han dynasty has generated an enormous impact on the literary field.

Lyrical mode and didactic code Lyrical mode: 詩 : poetry 言 : to express 志 : desire Poetry expresses desires.  Self-expressive subjectivity is at the heart of the poetic creation. Didactic code: a.It aims at teaching a moral lesson; b.It is designated to transform the mind with a certain set of idea; c.It tends to talk above the listener(s).

II. “The cypress-boat” (no. 26): What is the central topic of this poem? What is the problem of the poet? Is the poetic voice happy in the text? What does the line, “The grief of my heart clings to me like unwashed clothes,” suggest to you? How does the poem end? Is her personal sorrow specific to the ancient period? Is it limited to the Chinese? Can we associate with this poem across time and space?

III. The soldier’s poem (no. 121): How does the beginning of the poem describe? Is the solder happy or sad? Why is he sad? What did he swear with “you?” What does he feel when he composes the poem? “Oh,we are so far apart, how could I live? So far away, how could I honor my words?” Is there any textual reference to the ruler?

IV. The playful girl (no. 39, p. 19): What does this poem describe? Is she embittered if the man does not love her? What is her basis to be so playful in the game? “There are plenty of other men.” ( 士 cannot refer to the female in the line 豈無他士 ) What does this poetic voice suggest to you? What might have freed her from sadness? Does she sound in the same mood with the one in the “Cypress-boat?” What does it mean when it is viewed in context with the previous one?

V. “The big rat” (no. 276): Is the poet talking about a real rat in the poem? What do you think he refers to? What is his complaint? What did the “rat” do? Is the poet happy with how he is treated? Is he going to slave for the bid rat any longer? Is he stuck with his misery lot? How do we understand this poetic text? How do you interpret this piece in context of other poems?