Early Chinese Lit.

Miles Donahue, Caleb Gum

The Development of Writing
The earliest form of writing was Jia-gu wen, Oracle
Bone, which was etched in bone and tortoise shells for
ceremonial purposes. (1500 - 1000b.c.)
Later, Da zhuan and Xiao zhuan, Greater and Lesser
seal respectively, developed.
Greater seal was used mainly for engraving cast
bronze items. (1100 - 700 b.c.)
Lesser seal was used more commonly to write on
bamboo scrolls.
It is still used today for more artistic purposes.
Modern day scripts eventually came into use; however,
they are still logographic.
Chinese writing developed through poetry.
Characters
Logographic languages use single characters to
express words.
There are traditionally six types of characters, but the
basic three types are:
Pictographs are symbols that are visually similar to
their subject.
Ideographs are used to abstractly represent their
subject.
Radicals which combine a character of similar sound
with one of similar category to represent the subject.
This is the progression of chinese characters through time.

Historical Impact
Their literature transcends any dialect or language
barrier.
Because characters correspond to words instead of
specific sounds that as a group denote a word, their
writing is able to be understood without knowledge
of the language it was written in.
This became a unifying force for China.
China is a literary fiction of cultural and historical
unity that eventually became reality by generally
being accepted as true. (527)
Despite separate dialects provisional groups in
China shared common literature with all the
culture and history it contained.
History
The Shang Dynasty was the first major dynasty.
During the Shang Dynasty the first writings
appeared.
The Chou Dynasty conquered the Shang Dynasty.
They established the right to rule based on a
mandate from Heaven.
Heaven was not a defined concept.
They also established the idea of virtuous rule based
on past leaders.
This contributed to historical records by providing
motivation for writing and keeping records.
They became historically revered and contributed
many traditions to Confucianism.
History cont.
The decline of the Chou Dynasty leads to the Spring
and Autumn Annals.
The Spring and Autumn Annals was a time in which
warring states competed for power in China.
The eastern duchy of Lu was the birthplace of
Confucius during this time.
These wars became bloodier with the introduction of
powerful weapons leading to intellectual upheaval.
Chin rose to power and committed atrocities and book
burnings.
In response to Chin policies Confucianism gained
support.
With Chins fall the Han Dynasty rose, lasting 400yrs.
Book of Songs
The Book of Songs was a collection of poems that
divided into six sections.
The first and largest section is the Air of States. This
section has poems from a variety of lower class
viewpoints, as well as translated folk songs.
The next five sections use more formal diction and
are more ritualistic in nature. They are Lesser Court
Hymns, Major Court Hymns, Eulogies of Zhou,
Eulogies of Lu, and Eulogies of Shang.
The Book of Songs was used for education, to express
political displeasure, and to communicate emotions
tactfully.
Confucius Impact
The teachings of Confucius and his disciples had an
impact on all of Chinese society.
Provided an etiquette and personal philosophy for all
to use, from the common folk to the greatest
Emperors
Promoted a society where honor and personal
dignity are never to be forsaken
Writings and philosophy are still revered for their
wisdom today
Confucius Say... This is a header.
Confucius say Man who lives in glass house should
change in basement.
The Master said, Is it not gentlemanly not to take
offence when others fail to appreciate your abilities?
Confucius say Man who fart in church sit in own
pew.
The Master said, A man whose strength gives out
collapses along the course. In your case you set the
limits beforehand.
Confucius say First doctor of Dermatology had to
start from scratch.
This is a depiction of Confucius.
Confucius say... The Powerpoint is finished.
Discussion Questions
How do you think the Book of Songs affected their
society?
Do we have any parallels in our society?
Are Confucius teachings still applicable?
Do people in todays society try to follow a Way?
Do you think a society with more strict rules of etiquette
and proper action is better?