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In 1187, Zhu Xi (1130-1200) wrote ten poems called "Wuyi Boating Song," which imitated the local boating songs, and described the scenery of the Wuyi Mountains as seen from a boating trip on the Jiuqu River. Li Huang (Tuixi, 1501-1570), a Korean Conflician scholar in the Joseon dynasty, in 1547 compiled tread rhyme poetry of Zhu Xi's "Wuyi Boating Song" and made a final edition twelve years after. This paper aims to interpret the meaning of Zhu Xi's "Wuyi Boating Song" and the reasons underlying changes made in Li Huang9 s version. From the further discussion of Joseon dynasty scholars regarding the poem, Li Huang's points of view shown in his version of "Wuyi Boating Song" are not well accepted. This paper indicates that Zhu Xi was trying to express the idea of shanshui youguan (wandering in a landscape), which, according to Korean Confucians, inculcated the metaphor of shanshui qiudao (pursuing truth). The main reason Li Huang' s interpretation was different from those of other Korean scholars is based on the argument of "The Ninth Bend of Wuyi" poem, about whether it is the ultimate of the pursuit of "truth." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poem "Says the Wife, 'Cocks are Crowing'" in the Classic of Poetry (Shijing) has previously been interpreted as praising a couple who encouraged and supported each other in their marriage. Nowadays, it is often regarded as a model for conveying the poetic imagery of a happy marriage. In contrast to this view, this article argues that the structural arrangement of the poem becomes more intelligible by removing the third-person perspective utilized in contemporary interpretations. In the final stanza of the poem, the gentleman's gift of a piece of his girdle jade to the lady depicts a courtship ritual done before marriage. It would thus contravene established practice for the gentleman to perform the ritual if they were already married. It would moreover cause interpretive difficulties, particularly regarding the happy marriage described in the first two stanzas, if the poet had intended to simply depict a simple courtship. To solve this dilemma, it is claimed here that the first two stanzas of the poem should be read as describing the lady's imagination of a happy marriage, and that the final stanza should be understood as her statement on how the gentleman should express his feelings to her. Other associated questions such as the identity of the gentleman and the shift between different perspectives are elaborated upon in the final part of the paper in an effort to construct a more reasonable structure for interpreting the poem and lay a solid foundation for a deeper exploration of the poet's true intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reception of the Caotang shiyu (CTSY) ... in the early Qing was closely related to changes in the literary discourse on Song-ci poetry that took place during this period. In his highly influential Cizong ..., Zhu Yizun ... (1629-1709) claimed that the CTSY had adversely affected the practice of ci-composition in the Ming and early Qing, a criticism that later became the basis for orthodox discourse on ci-poetics. This discourse, however, was marred by vague and inaccurate discussions. Through a statistical analysis of zhuihe compositions of the early Qing, i.e. compositions set to the rhyming schemes of works by previous authors, this paper attempts to reconstruct the stylistic practice of the time. The analysis shows that the popular aesthetics exemplified in the CTSY seem to have enjoyed great prevalence among contemporary poets, a preference that Zhu made a conscientious effort to undermine by adopting a different set of selectional strategies for his own compilation. But it was to be another decade before the new fashion advocated by Zhu finally gained acceptance as the standard practice in ciwriting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]