Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: The Classical Foundations: Shijing and Chuci
The Classical Foundations: Shijing and Chuci
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the Shijing, the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry?
- A. A collection of Daoist philosophical treatises
- B. An anthology of about 305 poems compiled from the Western Zhou through the Spring and Autumn period ✓
- C. A Han dynasty historical chronicle of the Warring States
- D. A collection of Tang dynasty regulated verse
Why: The Shijing (Classic of Poetry), traditionally associated with Confucius as compiler, contains about 305 poems dating roughly from the early Western Zhou (c. 11th century BCE) to the mid-7th century BCE, divided into Airs of the States, Minor Odes, Major Odes, and Hymns.
Q2. Which of the following is one of the three main categories (feng, ya, song) into which the Shijing is divided?
- A. Ci
- B. Yuefu
- C. Feng (Airs of the States) ✓
- D. Fu
Why: The Shijing is organized into Feng (Airs of the States, folk-style songs from regional states), Ya (Odes, subdivided into Minor and Major Odes, used at court and ceremonies), and Song (Hymns, sung in ancestral temple rituals).
Q3. The Chuci (Songs of Chu) is most closely associated with which poet, whose works are included in it?
- A. Li Bai
- B. Du Fu
- C. Qu Yuan ✓
- D. Wang Wei
Why: Qu Yuan (c. 340-278 BCE), a minister of the state of Chu, is the traditionally credited author of works such as 'Li Sao' and 'Tian Wen' in the Chuci, which are central to the anthology's identity and its southern, shamanistic style.
Q4. How does the Chuci differ stylistically from the Shijing?
- A. It uses strictly four-character lines throughout
- B. It is written in prose without any rhythmic structure
- C. It features longer lines, a rhythmic particle 'xi' (兮), and rich shamanistic imagery from southern culture ✓
- D. It consists only of short, two-line epigrams
Why: The Chuci uses longer, irregular lines often punctuated by the exclamatory particle 'xi' (兮), and draws on the myths, rituals, and imagery of the Chu region in the Yangzi basin, contrasting with the mostly four-character lines and northern Central Plains settings of the Shijing.
Q5. Which later Han dynasty scholar compiled the Chuci into the form that has largely survived, adding his own poem 'Zhao Hun' or similar works?
- A. Sima Qian
- B. Wang Yi ✓
- C. Ban Gu
- D. Zheng Xuan
Why: Wang Yi (c. 89-158 CE) compiled and annotated the Chuci Zhangju, adding his own commentary and a poem of his own, and his edition is the basis for the surviving text, making him central to its transmission.
Module 2
Module 2: Philosophy and Prose of the Warring States
Philosophy and Prose of the Warring States
Knowledge check
Q1. Which philosophical school is traditionally associated with the text known as the Analects (Lunyu), compiled by disciples after Confucius's death?
- A. Daoism
- B. Confucianism ✓
- C. Legalism
- D. Mohism
Why: The Analects records the sayings and dialogues of Confucius and his disciples and is the foundational text of Confucianism, emphasizing ritual propriety (li), benevolence (ren), and filial piety.
Q2. The Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) is traditionally attributed to which figure?
- A. Mencius
- B. Mozi
- C. Laozi ✓
- D. Han Feizi
Why: The Daodejing is traditionally attributed to Laozi, a legendary older contemporary of Confucius, though its composition and authorship are debated by modern scholars who date it to the Warring States period.
Q3. Which concept is central to the Mohist school's ethical philosophy, advocating care for all people equally rather than prioritizing family ties?
- A. Ritual propriety (li)
- B. Universal love (jian ai) ✓
- C. Non-action (wu wei)
- D. Legalistic punishment (xing)
Why: Mozi and his followers promoted jian ai, or impartial/universal love, arguing that people should treat others' families as they treat their own, in contrast to the Confucian emphasis on graded familial affection.
Q4. Which Warring States text is a collection of anecdotes and dialogues in which Mencius argues for the innate goodness of human nature?
- A. Zhuangzi
- B. Xunzi
- C. Mencius (Mengzi) ✓
- D. Hanfeizi
Why: The Mengzi, named after the philosopher Mencius, contains dialogues with rulers and debates in which he argues that human beings possess innate sprouts of goodness that can be cultivated into full virtue.
Q5. The Zhuangzi is best known for which literary and philosophical feature?
- A. Strict legal codes for governing the state
- B. Whimsical parables and paradoxical stories expressing Daoist freedom and relativism ✓
- C. Detailed military strategy for warfare
- D. Historical chronicles of the Zhou dynasty
Why: The Zhuangzi, attributed to Zhuang Zhou, is renowned for its imaginative fables, such as the butterfly dream, and its playful prose that challenges conventional values and celebrates spontaneous freedom aligned with the Dao.
Module 3
Module 3: Tang Poetry and the Golden Age of Verse
Tang Poetry and the Golden Age of Verse
Knowledge check
Q1. During which dynasty did the Golden Age of Chinese verse, often called the high point of classical Chinese poetry, take place?
- A. Han Dynasty
- B. Tang Dynasty ✓
- C. Song Dynasty
- D. Ming Dynasty
Why: The Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) is widely regarded as the golden age of Chinese poetry, producing celebrated poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, and Wang Wei. Poetry was central to the civil service examinations, which helped make verse a prestigious art form.
Q2. Which Tang poet is famously known as the 'Poet Immortal' (Shi Xian) and is associated with romantic, free-spirited, wine-inspired verse?
- A. Du Fu
- B. Bai Juyi
- C. Li Bai ✓
- D. Wang Wei
Why: Li Bai (701–762) is celebrated as the 'Poet Immortal' for his spontaneous, imaginative, and often wine-soaked poetry that expresses romantic longing and a love of nature and freedom. Du Fu, by contrast, is known as the 'Poet Sage' for his socially engaged verse.
Q3. Which Tang poet is often called the 'Poet Sage' (Shi Sheng) because of his realistic poems that depict social hardship and the suffering caused by war?
- A. Li Bai
- B. Meng Haoran
- C. Du Fu ✓
- D. Li Shangyin
Why: Du Fu (712–770) is known as the 'Poet Sage' for his serious, socially conscious poetry, which vividly portrays the impact of the An Lushan Rebellion and the hardships faced by ordinary people. His careful craftsmanship and moral seriousness earned him great respect.
Q4. What is the most common poetic form in Tang dynasty verse, consisting of eight lines with five or seven characters each and strict tonal and rhyme patterns?
- A. Ci lyric
- B. Jueju (quatrain)
- C. Regulated verse (lüshi) ✓
- D. Fu rhapsody
Why: Regulated verse, or lüshi, is an eight-line form with strict rules for parallelism, tonal patterns, and rhyme. It developed and was perfected during the Tang dynasty. Jueju, the four-line quatrain, was also a major Tang form, but the eight-line regulated verse is the most characteristic structured form of the era.
Q5. Which Tang poem, often quoted for its image of a moonlit night and the longing for home, was written by Li Bai?
- A. Quiet Night Thought (Jing Ye Si) ✓
- B. Spring View (Chun Wang)
- C. Climbing the Stork Tower (Deng Guanque Lou)
- D. Ascending the Heights (Deng Gao)
Why: 'Quiet Night Thought' by Li Bai is one of the most widely known Chinese poems. In it, the poet sees moonlight on the floor and feels homesickness, lifting his head to the moon and lowering it in longing for his hometown. Its simple language and emotional directness make it a staple of Chinese education.
Module 4
Module 4: Song Ci Lyrics and Neo-Confucian Thought
Song Ci Lyrics and Neo-Confucian Thought
Knowledge check
Q1. Song ci poetry was originally composed to be sung to which type of musical accompaniment?
- A. Court ritual music played on bronze bells
- B. Existing popular melodies with set tune patterns ✓
- C. Buddhist chanting in monastery halls
- D. Improvised folk songs without fixed melodies
Why: Ci lyrics were written to fit preexisting tune titles (cipai), each with a fixed melodic and metrical pattern. This is why ci are also called 'lyrics to tune patterns' and why each poem bears a tune name.
Q2. Which Song dynasty poet is most closely associated with the 'bold and unconstrained' (haofang) style of ci?
- A. Li Qingzhao
- B. Liu Yong
- C. Su Shi ✓
- D. Zhou Bangyan
Why: Su Shi (Su Dongpo) expanded the thematic range of ci beyond romantic love, using the form for philosophical reflection, historical nostalgia, and heroic themes. His style is often contrasted with the more delicate, romantic Wanyue school.
Q3. Neo-Confucianism (daoxue) rose to prominence during which dynasty?
- A. Tang dynasty
- B. Han dynasty
- C. Song dynasty ✓
- D. Ming dynasty
Why: Neo-Confucianism developed during the Song dynasty, synthesizing Confucian ethics with Buddhist and Daoist metaphysics. Key figures included Zhou Dunyi, the Cheng brothers, and Zhu Xi, whose commentaries later became the orthodox basis of imperial examinations.
Q4. The Neo-Confucian concept of 'principle' (li) is best described as:
- A. The emperor's legal decrees
- B. The underlying rational pattern or order inherent in all things ✓
- C. A system of ritual sacrifices to ancestors
- D. The physical energy that fills the universe
Why: Li refers to the rational, ordering principle present in every thing and event. Neo-Confucians, especially Zhu Xi, held that understanding li through investigation of things (gewu) was the path to moral self-cultivation. Qi, by contrast, is the material force or energy.
Q5. Li Qingzhao, one of the most celebrated female ci poets, is known especially for her lyrics written after which event?
- A. The founding of the Southern Song capital at Hangzhou
- B. The Jurchen capture of the Northern Song capital and the loss of her home and husband's collection ✓
- C. The Mongol conquest of the entire Song empire
- D. The compilation of the imperial poetry anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems
Why: After the Jurchen Jin dynasty sacked Kaifeng in 1127 and forced the Song court south, Li Qingzhao lost much of her household and her husband Zhao Mingcheng's cherished book and inscription collection. Her later ci, such as those expressing grief and displacement, reflect this personal and dynastic loss.
Module 5
Module 5: Yuan Drama and Ming-Qing Vernacular Fiction
Yuan Drama and Ming-Qing Vernacular Fiction
Knowledge check
Q1. Which Yuan dynasty dramatist wrote 'Romance of the Western Chamber' (Xixiang ji), a landmark of zaju drama?
- A. Guan Hanqing
- B. Wang Shifu ✓
- C. Ma Zhiyuan
- D. Bai Pu
Why: Wang Shifu (c. 1260–1336) wrote 'The Romance of the Western Chamber,' a celebrated zaju play adapted from Yuan Zhen's earlier tale 'The Story of Yingying.' Guan Hanqing is famous for 'Injustice to Dou E,' so he is a distractor here.
Q2. What is 'zaju' in the context of Yuan drama?
- A. A form of Ming-era novel written in classical Chinese
- B. A structured dramatic form typically with four acts (sometimes a wedge) and one singer role per act ✓
- C. A poetic genre of short lyrics set to popular tunes
- D. A court ritual performance without spoken dialogue
Why: Yuan zaju typically consisted of four acts (plus an optional wedge), with the lead male or female role singing most of the arias in a given act. This structure distinguishes it from later southern drama (chuanqi).
Q3. Which Ming novel, attributed to Luo Guanzhong, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels and dramatizes the late Han to early Jin period?
- A. Journey to the West
- B. Water Margin
- C. Romance of the Three Kingdoms ✓
- D. The Plum in the Golden Vase
Why: 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (Sanguo yanyi), traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong, covers the turbulent period of the late Eastern Han through the Three Kingdoms. 'Journey to the West' and 'Water Margin' are also among the Four Great Classical Novels but treat different subjects.
Q4. Which work is generally considered the first full-length vernacular novel of the Ming-Qing period in its sustained, narrative form that influenced later fiction?
- A. The Scholars
- B. Dream of the Red Chamber
- C. Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) ✓
- D. Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
Why: 'The Plum in the Golden Vase' (Jin Ping Mei), a late Ming novel, is often cited as one of the first full-length vernacular novels with sustained realistic social narrative. 'Dream of the Red Chamber' is a Qing novel, 'The Scholars' is a Qing satire, and 'Strange Tales' is a Qing collection of short stories.
Q5. What term describes the vernacular (baihua) fiction tradition that developed in Song and Yuan storytelling and was later printed in Ming-Qing editions?
- A. Huaben ✓
- B. Shi
- C. Ci
- D. Fu
Why: Huaben refers to the illustrated storytelling scripts of the Song and Yuan that evolved into vernacular short fiction collections such as the 'Three Words' and 'Two Slaps' series in the Ming. Shi, ci, and fu are classical poetic or rhapsodic forms, not vernacular fiction.
Module 6
Module 6: Late Imperial Novels and Literary Criticism
Late Imperial Novels and Literary Criticism
Knowledge check
Q1. Which novel, traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature and centers on the late Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period?
- A. Journey to the West
- B. Romance of the Three Kingdoms ✓
- C. Water Margin
- D. Dream of the Red Chamber
Why: Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi), attributed to Luo Guanzhong, dramatizes the rivalries among warlords after the fall of the Han dynasty. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels, and the other three are Journey to the West, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber.
Q2. Who is traditionally credited with the authorship of Dream of the Red Chamber (Honglou Meng), the great eighteenth-century novel about the Jia family?
- A. Wu Cheng'en
- B. Shi Nai'an
- C. Cao Xueqin ✓
- D. Pu Songling
Why: Cao Xueqin is traditionally credited with writing the first eighty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber, which were circulated in manuscript form in the mid-eighteenth century, with the last chapters later attributed to Gao E. Wu Cheng'en wrote Journey to the West, Shi Nai'an is linked to Water Margin, and Pu Songling wrote the short-story collection Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
Q3. Which late imperial novel is a satirical work set in the Ming dynasty that exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of the examination system and officialdom, and is often considered a forerunner of the modern Chinese novel?
- A. The Scholars (Rulin Waishi) ✓
- B. Flowers in the Mirror
- C. Journey to the West
- D. Jin Ping Mei
Why: The Scholars (Rulin Waishi) by Wu Jingzi, published in the eighteenth century, satirizes the civil service examination system and the moral hypocrisy of scholars and officials. Its episodic structure and social critique are often cited as influential on later modern Chinese fiction. Flowers in the Mirror is a fantasy-satire, Journey to the West is a mythic pilgrimage novel, and Jin Ping Mei is a sexually explicit novel of domestic life.
Q4. What is the central theme of Jin Gu Qi Guan? Which of the following best describes it?
- A. A detailed Confucian treatise on filial piety
- B. A collection of folk songs from southern China
- C. A series of stories in the vernacular that pairs popular tales from the Song and Ming periods, reflecting the rise of commercial urban fiction ✓
- D. A court history of the Qing dynasty
Why: Jin Gu Qi Guan refers to the vernacular short-story collections Jingu Qiguan, the 'Two Collections of Wonders' of the Ming period, which compiled stories for urban readers. They reflect the commercial publishing culture and popular storytelling traditions of late imperial China rather than philosophy, folk song, or official history.
Q5. Which literary critic is famous for his commentary on Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and for championing vernacular fiction as literature of equal value to classical poetry?
- A. Jin Shengtan ✓
- B. Liu Xie
- C. Wang Guowei
- D. Zhong Rong
Why: Jin Shengtan (1608-1661) produced influential editions and commentaries on Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and other works, and he argued that vernacular novels deserved serious critical attention alongside classical literature. Liu Xie wrote the early critical treatise Wenxin Diaolong, Zhong Rong wrote the poetry criticism Shipin, and Wang Guowei was a modern scholar of drama and poetry criticism.
Module 7
Module 7: Modern Chinese Literature: May Fourth to Present
Modern Chinese Literature: May Fourth to Present
Knowledge check
Q1. Which event is generally considered the starting point of the May Fourth Movement in 1919?
- A. The Hundred Days' Reform
- B. The protests against the Treaty of Versailles in Beijing ✓
- C. The Xinhai Revolution
- D. The founding of the People's Republic of China
Why: The May Fourth Movement began on May 4, 1919, when students in Beijing protested the Chinese government's acceptance of the Treaty of Versailles terms that transferred German concessions in Shandong to Japan.
Q2. Who published 'A Madman's Diary' (Kuangren riji) in 1918, widely regarded as the first modern vernacular Chinese short story?
- A. Ba Jin
- B. Lao She
- C. Lu Xun ✓
- D. Shen Congwen
Why: Lu Xun (Zhou Shuren) published 'A Madman's Diary' in the magazine New Youth in 1918. Written in vernacular Chinese, it criticizes traditional Confucian society and is considered a foundational work of modern Chinese literature.
Q3. Which literary magazine, founded by Chen Duxiu and associated with the New Culture Movement, became a central platform for promoting vernacular writing and Western ideas?
- A. Xiaoshuo Yuebao
- B. Chuangzao Jikan
- C. New Youth (Xin Qingnian) ✓
- D. Yuwai Zazhi
Why: New Youth (Xin Qingnian), founded in 1915 by Chen Duxiu, promoted vernacular Chinese (baihua), science, and democracy, and it published many key early modern writers including Lu Xun and Hu Shi.
Q4. What was the main goal of the 'literary revolution' championed by Hu Shi in the late 1910s?
- A. To restore classical wenyan as the standard written language
- B. To replace classical Chinese with vernacular baihua as the medium of literature ✓
- C. To adopt the Latin alphabet for all Chinese characters
- D. To promote Buddhist scripture translation
Why: Hu Shi advocated the 'literary revolution' (wenxue geming), calling for vernacular baihua to replace classical wenyan, arguing that a living language should be used for living literature.
Q5. Which novel by Ba Jin, published in 1931 as part of the 'Family' trilogy, depicts the conflicts of a traditional extended family and the struggle of young people against arranged marriage and feudal authority?
- A. Family (Jia) ✓
- B. Spring (Chun)
- C. Rickshaw Boy (Luotuo Xiangzi)
- D. Four Generations Under One Roof (Sanshi Liu)
Why: Ba Jin's 'Family' (Jia, 1931) is the first novel of his trilogy with 'Spring' and 'Autumn.' It depicts the decline of a large Confucian family and the rebellion of its younger members against feudal constraints, reflecting the anti-feudal spirit of the May Fourth era.