5p.Qian,Part 1,Spirit and Self - ScholarSpace

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Introduction to Part 1:
Shih-shuo t’i, the Term and the Genre
The Grand Historian Ssu-ma Ch’ien traveled among famous mountains and
huge rivers under heaven, and then completed the Shih-chi (Records of the
grand historian) following his single will. The Left Minister Ch’ü Yüan, tortured
by slanders and jealousy, chanted along the marsh bank and then composed
the Li-sao (Encountering sorrow) following his single will. Had someone
there impeded them from spelling out their thoughts and imposed upon
them this or that sort of advice, neither the Shih-chi nor Li-sao could have
been written. The Shih-shuo hsin-yü by the Liu-Sung Prince of Lin-chuan,
Liu I-ch’ing, is also such a single-minded work.
During the Wei-Chin period, pure conversation was in vogue. Its subtle
and systematic arguments were composed of terse words, well crafted
but still full of wisdom, simple yet sophisticated. The [Wei-Chin conversationalists]
bore an elegant and refined appearance and behavior, with which
they commenced a new, extraordinary style. Once these words and style were
put in writing, they made the reader ponder and dwell on the text without
ever getting bored. The [Shih-shuo hsin-yü] is like the beauty in the mirror,
the colorful clouds in the sky, the moisture on the surface of the ocean, and
the lingering taste of olives. None of the dozens of later Shih-shuo t’i works
can go beyond its scope.
—Ch’eng Hsü, Preface to the reprint of the Shih-shuo hsin-yü, 1694
The term Shih-shuo t’i first appeared in Ch’ao Kung-wu’s (fl. mid-twelfth
century) Chün-chai tu-shu chih (Bibliographic treatise from the prefectural
studio), 1 after the early wave of Shih-shuo imitations arose during the
T’ang-Sung periods. Although the term has since recurred often in different
academic works, 2 and although Shih-shuo t’i as an influential genre
has been historically affirmed by the Shih-shuo hsin-yü and its dozens of
imitations, its generic characteristics remain obscure.
The Shih-shuo hsin-yü has remained in the category of hsiao-shuo in