A National Flower’s Symbolic Value During the Tang and Song Dynasties in China

The concept of a national flower was an important part of the culture and poetry of the imperial courts of the Tang and Song dynasties. Li Bai and other poets in the Tang period used the tree peony as an icon of the imperial concubine Yang Yuhuan’s beauty. Later Tang poetry, however, also includes undertones of disquiet, using this flower-image as a sign of unhappiness at the state of the country. With the advent of the Song dynasty, the poetic focus exalts the plum blossom, a very different kind of flower than the tree peony. I argue that this reflects the Song dynasty’s different mentality. Writers of this age emphasized refinement, rationality, and introspection. For example, Lin Bu felt wedded to his plum tree. Su Shi developed a theory of the plum blossom’s character. The shift in government from North to South may have also contributed to the shift. The tree peony suited the northern climate; the plum tree thrived in the South.

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Translation of Classics by JX Native Literati of Song Dynasty from the Perspective of Translation Aesthetics

Theory and Practice in Language Studies ◽

10.17507/tpls.0807.18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 860

Author(s):

Yuying Li ◽

Yuming Zhang

Keyword(s):

Song Dynasty ◽

Chinese Culture ◽

Classical Literature ◽

Aesthetic Value ◽

The Song Dynasty ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Tang And Song Dynasties ◽

National Power ◽

Ancient Times ◽

The Aesthetic

With the significant growth of China's comprehensive national power, Chinese culture should not only "bring in" but also "go out". Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and classical literature has reached its peak in the Tang and Song dynasties. Jiangxi has been full of natural resources and outstanding people since ancient times, especially in the Song dynasty, when people of talent came forth in large numbers and created brilliant heritage of classic literary works for their offspring. Therefore, study on the translation of classics by JX native literati of Song Dynasty has very important academic value, application value and popularization meaning. Based on the modern translation aesthetics theory, this paper discusses how English translation of Chinese classics represents the beauty and the aesthetic value of the original from the perspective of rhetorical devices, form, images, and emotion respectively, in the hope to carry forward Chinese classics and Chinese culture.

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On the Norm Memes in English Translation of Classics—A Case Study of the Translation of the Works by Jiangxi Native Literati in the Song Dynasty

Theory and Practice in Language Studies ◽

10.17507/tpls.0806.12 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 629

Author(s):

Yuying Li ◽

Wandi Hu

Keyword(s):

English Translation ◽

Song Dynasty ◽

Chinese Culture ◽

Jiangxi Province ◽

Translation Strategies ◽

The Song Dynasty ◽

Professional Norms ◽

Tang And Song Dynasties ◽

Chinese Classic

With the convening of the 19th NCCPC and at the call of “Building stronger cultural confidence and helping socialist culture to flourish.” the going global of Chinese cultural classics has gained increasing importance. Jiangxi Province is the birthplace of literati and scholars throughout the ages, especially in the Song Dynasty. Among the Eight Great Literati of the Tang and Song Dynasties three were JX natives. Therefore, the study on the English translation of the classic works by them would be of great academic and practical values as well as significance for popularization. Taking Chesterman’s Translation Memetics as the guidance and from the aspects of Expectancy Norms and Professional Norms, the study analyses and explores the translation strategies and skills of Chinese classic, in the hope to contribute the author’s pygmy to the translation and spread of traditional Chinese culture.

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The Song Reception of Earlier Literature

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199356591.013.21 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen Owen

Keyword(s):

Thirteenth Century ◽

Song Dynasty ◽

Major Change ◽

The Song Dynasty ◽

Tang Poetry ◽

Tao Yuanming ◽

Scholarly Editing ◽

Tao Qian ◽

Poetic Composition ◽

Literary Legacy

The literature of the Song dynasty was engaged with earlier literature, primarily that of the Tang, far more intensely than any earlier period had been engaged with the literary past. Scholarly editing and eventually widespread printing made past texts available on an unprecedented scale. They were relatively uninterested in pre-Tang literature, with the exception of the poetry of Tao Qian (Tao Yuanming, 365–427), but developed their own poetics through changing interpretations of the Tang literary legacy. The major change came in the early thirteenth century with Yan Yu’s Canglang shihua (Canglang’s Remarks on Poetry), which tied poetic composition to a literary historical curriculum of reading that did include pre-Tang poetry, with each period judged in relation to the whole. This set the model for the poetics of later dynasties.

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