TERMBASES
Zongji (总集) is a collection of various authors’ poems and proses (distinct from bieji〔别集〕, a collection of a particular author’s literary works). In terms of content, an anthology could be either comprehensive or limited in selection. Chronically, an anthology can be a general collection spanning written history, or a general collection from one dynasty. In terms of the genre of collected works, it can be divided into collections of a specific genre and collections of various genres. The most representative anthology is Selections of Refined Literature compiled and edited jointly by Xiao Tong (501-
531, Crown Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties) and his literary advisors. Selections of Refined Literature consists of more than 700 outstanding literary pieces of various genres from pre-Qin through the early Liang. It does not include any work that belongs to the categories of jing (经 Confucian classics), shi (史 history), or zi (子thoughts of ancient scholars and schools), but does include a small number of prefaces, commentaries, and eulogies from shi. Selections of Refined Literature reflects the literary trend of the time and exerted a far-reaching impact on the
development of Chinese literature in the years to come.
The term refers to a collection of works by an individual author, in contrast to an anthology which amalgamates the works of many writers. In the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xin（？-23） composed Seven Categories, one of the categories being “The Catalogue of Shi and Fu,” which collects the literary works of 66 writers including Qu Yuan（340？-278？BC）, Tang Le, and Song Yu. Organized by author, “The Catalogue of Shi and Fu” was regarded as the beginning of individual collections. Many more individual collections were compiled in the Eastern Han Dynasty, as exemplified by the 886 collections of writers from the Han through Wei and Jin to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, recorded in The History of the Sui Dynasty. Nearly every author had his own collection. Collections devoted to poetry were usually entitled collection of poems while those concerned with prose or both poetry and prose were entitled collection of writings. An individual collection might be entitled after the author’s name, pen name, posthumous title, birth place, or residence. Containing all the major works of an author, an individual collection enables readers to learn about the author’s aspirations and therefore provides a valuable source for the study of his ideas and literary achievements for later generations.
Chuci (楚辞 ode of Chu) was a poetic genre first attributed to Qu Yuan (340?-278? BC). It later became the title for the first anthology of poetry depicting the culture in south China. Chuci was so named because it made use of Chu (now Hunan and Hubei provinces) dialect, accent, and local special genres to describe the unique landscape, history, and folklore of the State of Chu. The term chuci first appeared in the early Western Han Dynasty, and later Liu Xiang (77?- 6 BC) compiled a literary collection including 16 pieces written by Qu Yuan, Song Yu, Huainan Xiaoshan (a group of authors of the Western Han Dynasty), Dongfang Shuo ( 154- 93 BC), Yan Ji, Wang Bao, and Liu Xiang. When Wang Yi later compiled Annotations on Odes of Chu, he added a work of his own to the collection, making it an anthology of 17 works. Through its distinctive genre and unique cultural elements, chuci reflected the special culture of the Chu region in southern China. As a genre, chuci is characterized by profound emotions, wild imagination, and rich allusions to the remote historical mythology from the dawn of Chinese history. It demonstrates an innovative and distinctive literary genre and spirit, standing with The Book of Songs as twin literary pinnacles. Later generations called this genre Chuci Style or Sao Style (Flowery Style), and its research chuci studies.
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