Abstract
The meaning of the title "Cheng Xiang" in Xunzi is controversial. Through close reading, this paper analyzes "Cheng Xiang" in Xunzi from such new angles as evolvement of literary style and cultural integration. It is found that "Cheng Xiang" in Xunzi consisted of three relatively independent articles when Xunzi originally wrote them. "Cheng Xiang" was not simply titled by using several characters in the opening passage. Instead, it was consciously named after its literary style. "Cheng Xiang" as a literary style resulted from the integration of rites and music culture in the court of the Zhou dynasty and folk ballad culture. The rites and music culture mainly influenced the satirical content and the rhyme in "Cheng Xiang" literary style, while the folk ballad tradition was demonstrated in structure, such as the title and set phrases, and thus the proper meaning of "Cheng Xiang" should be "Cheng Xiang as a ballad".
First Page
28
Last Page
36
Recommended Citation
Zou, Chaobin. 2020. "A New Exploration of the Title of "Cheng Xiang" in Xunzi." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 40, (3): pp.28-36. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol40/iss3/3
