Abstract
The evolution of titles in traditional Chinese prose often reflects the functional differentiation and generic formation of literary forms. In the Song dynasty, “records of shrine halls (citang ji)”, which had appeared only sporadically as titles in Tang inscriptions, developed into a commemorative prose genre with relatively stable naming convention and a clearly defined orientation. This transformation was not merely a change in nomenclature, but a shift from stele inscription to written record, shaped by both changes in the Tang-Song systems of sacrifice to former worthies and the growing genre consciousness of literati writers. As local sacrificial practices deepened in the Song dynasty, “Records of Shrine Halls” gradually broke away from the conventional stele style that emphasized recording merit in stone, and instead established a mode of writing centered on worthy figures, aiming to understand the person in relation to his age. Through exemplary works by Fan Zhongyan, Zhu Xi, and others, “Records of Shrine Halls”, outside official biographies and epigraphic inscriptions, provided a relatively independent avenue for biographical writing. It not only advanced interpretations of the Confucian ideal personality but also, through repeated rhetorical practice, consolidated a basic orientation and common mode of expression by which Song literati evaluated historical figures and discussed intellectual lineage.
Keywords
“Records of Shrine Halls” (citang ji), proposition, genre distinction
First Page
85
Last Page
95
Recommended Citation
Zhao, Hongxiang. 2026. "Writing Worthies: The Naming and Generic Formation of “Records of Shrine Halls” in the Song Dynasty." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 46, (2): pp.85-95. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol46/iss2/8
