RELATED TOPIC:
The Book of Songs and China's Literary Tradition

RELATED TOPIC:
Legends of the Zhou and the Nature of Chinese Society

RELATED TOPIC:
"The Great Preface" and Five Notions about Poetry

RELATED TOPIC:
Individual Voices in the Book of Songs

Robert Oxnam :: Confucius saw the Zhou dynasty as the model dynasty, a period when the rites were observed and society was at peace; and poetry, for Confucius, was central to human expression.

David D. W. Wang :: As Confucius said, "Poetry is such a wonderful genre, which can teach us how to stir up the listener's feeling. It can teach us how to observe or reflect the objective world. It can teach us how to make companions in the social communities. And it can teach us how to channel out our deepest feelings, be it sorrow or happiness."

** The Book of Songs is also known as the Book of Poetry, the Classic of Poetry, and sometimes the Book of Odes. These are all possible translations of the Chinese title, Shi jing [Shih-ching in Wade-Giles romanization].