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Classical Chinese Literature> Quiz 1
n/a
46
Literature
Undergraduate 1
02/22/2013

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Term
Who is Pan Gu?
Definition
was the first living being in Chinese mythology
Term
What is the legend about Pan Gu?
Definition
In the beginning there was nothing in the universe except a formless chaos. However this chaos condensed into a cosmic egg. Within it, Yin and Yang became balanced and Pangu emerged  from the egg. Pangu set about the task of creating the world: he separated Yin from Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth (murky Yin) and the Sky (clear Yang). To keep them separated, Pangu stood between them and pushed up the Sky. This task took 18,000 years; with each day the sky grew , the Earth grew wider, and Pangu grew taller.
Term
Who is Shen Nong?
Definition
ancient Tribe leader of china
Term
What contributions are Shen Nong believe to have made to the Chinese civilization?
Definition
he taught the Chinese people how to sustain their lives on vegetables and teas that can be grown in china
Term
Did Yao pass the leadership to his son?
Definition
no, Yao passed the leadership to Shun
Term
Who is Yu?
Definition
Shun passed the leadership to Yu. Yu created a water project in China to help stop flooding in China. He also founded the first dynasty in China(Xia dynasty).
Term
What is the title of the first Chinese poetry anthology?
Definition
Shi Jing
Term
Who is believed to be the compiler of the first Chinese poetry anthology?
Definition
Confucious
Term
What did Confucius think of the importance of the first Chinese poetry anthology?
Definition
-Know how to express yourself and behave properly
-Help you think straight
Term
How many poems were chosen and put together in the first Chinese anthology?
Definition
305 poems
Term
Do we know the names of the poets for any of the poems in the first Chinese poetry anthology?
Definition
no
Term
Which is the major part of the first Chinese poetry anthology?
Definition
Airs
Term
What do you think is the significance of the first Chinese anthology?
Definition
It is a collection of chinese work that prevents the general population from forgetting where they come from
Term
Which poem in the first Chinese poetry anthology did you enjoy reading? why?
Definition
-Fishhawk
-The first time I read it I was just reading words and didn't really understand it. Then when we went over it in class it had more meaning and then when I went home and read it for the third time it reminded me of family back home which was an interesting connection between ancient Chinese tradition and a modern Jewish family.
Term
What does "Chu-ci" mean in English?
Definition
songs of the south
Term
Which "Chu-ci" writer is still remembered as a great patriotic poet by Chinese people?
Definition
Qu Yuan
Term
What is the title of his long poem that contains 372 lines and is considered as the greatest lyric poem of ancient China?
Definition
Li Sao
Term
What is the long poem
{has 372 lines and is considered as the greatest lyric poem of ancient china} generally about?
Definition
part autobiography; part complaint about his frustration
Term
What did the poem indicate that he would do at the end of this long poem
{has 372 lines and is considered as the greatest lyric poem of ancient china}?
Definition
drown himself in the Milou river
Term
What is the name of the festival that is related to this patriotic poet? What do Chinese people still do during the festival?
Definition
-Duanwu
-dragon boat racing
Term
What book did Si-ma Qian spend his whole life writing?
Definition
a complete history of china
Term
What tragic event happened to Si-ma Qian in his life?
Definition
he was castrated and then thrown into jail
Term
Why did the tragic event in Si-ma Qian's life not stop him from writing his book?
Definition
The emperor wanted him to finish the book so the emperor gave him silk to write on
Term
How did he view death according to his letter to his friend Ren An?
Definition
he had a purpose to live on and that was to finish his book
Term
Si-ma Qian was a historian, but why is his book on history not only read just for historical information but also read as literature?
Definition
it had a large impact on chinese prose, fiction and drama
Term
Can you name some of Sima Qian's writings that we read in our textbook?
Definition
-The Prince of Wei
-The Biography of Bo Yi and Shu Qi
-Letter in reply to Ren An
Term
What are the major characteristics of "Fu(or poetic expositions)" of the Han Dynasty?
Definition
-Most of the Yuefu songs of the Han Dynasty are narrative poems, which truthfully reflected people’s feelings.
Term
What is "Yue-Fu"? please explain
Definition
An official institution established in 120 B.C. in the Han government to provide music and songs for state rituals and imperial entertainments and to be in charge of collecting folk ballads and poems created by literati, which would then be set to music
Term
One of the ballads tells a story about a girl whose name is Luo fu. What is the story told in this ballad?
Definition
A government official tries to make advances on this girl but she turns him down and tells him that she has a man of her own and that he is a better man than the official... this is a lie though. And the government official has his own person
Term
When describing how beautiful a woman is in a literary work, her physical appearance is usually portrayed. How luo Fu's beauty is described?
Definition
-described her beauty by the reactions of other people
-wives would fight with their husbands for looking at her
-men in the fields would stop working and look at her
Term
What is the other name that Tao Qian had and is better known by Chinese?
Definition
Tao Yuanming
Term
What important decision did Tao Qian make in his life?
Definition
he left the life of a government official because he hated the corruption in government
Term
What are the kind of poems that Tao Qian most famous for?
Definition
poems about gardens and fields
Term
What is the title of Tao Qian's work that is considered a Chinese Utopia and has fascinated many Chinese readers?
Definition
An Account of Peach Blossom Spring
Term
Why is the Tang Dynasty considered as the golden age of Chinese poetry?
Definition
the most poems were produced during this period
Term
Who is Wang Wei?
Definition
a famous tang poet
Term
What is Wang Wei famous for?
Definition
highly stylized social poetry
Term
Which one of Wang Wei's poems is your favorite?
Definition
-Watch a hunt
-I think that it parallels a lot of times what happens with people when there is an investigation and people simply remain quiet and nobody says anything.
Term
What are the other spellings you may see for the Tang poet Li Bai?
Definition
Li Bo
Term
What kind of poet is Li Bai?
Definition
Taoist poet;Artistically recount his own life and social reality
Term
Which of Li Bai's poems did you enjoy reading? Why?
Definition
-The Crows Cry by Night
-I thought the last line was really amazing when he said "where her tears fall like the rain"
Term
Which poet in the Tang Dynasty is considered as the "poet-historian"? Why?
Definition
-Du fu
-he wrote about the terrible sufferings inflicted on the people by heavy taxation and military campaigns
Term
What does "jue-ju" mean?
Definition
quatrains
Term
What is the structure of "jue-ju"?
Definition
4 lines(5/7 characters per line)
Term
What is the difference between "jue-ju" and "lu-shi" in terms of their structure?
Definition
Lu-shi is 8 lines and Jue-ju is 4 lines
Term
Two important schools of thoughts and one religion have influenced Chinese poets and writers as reflected in their literary works. What are these schools of thoughts and religion? Write a sentence or two to state what each is about.
Definition
-Daoism> Considered the second most influential school of thought in China. Based on a book written by Lao Zi called the Dao De Jing. The Dao De Jing talks about the way(Dao) and how opposites emobody each other.
-Buddhism> A religion based on the life of the Buddha whose ultimate goal is to rid oneself of desire.
-Confucianism> Based on the teaching of ancient scholar Confucius. The book of this school of thought(Analects) put together by his students after his death.Considered a symbol of classical Chinese culture for 2000 yrs.
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