The Fiction Monthly ( Chinese : 小说月报 Xiaoshuo Yuebao ; Original English title: The Short Story Magazine ) was a Chinese literary journal published by the Commercial Press in Shanghai. First published in July 1910, its original editors were Yun Tieqiao (恽铁樵) and Wang Chunnong (王莼农). In January 1921, Mao Dun (Shen Yanbing) became its chief editor beginning with Volume 10, Issue 1. Fiction Monthly closed its doors in 1932 after the Japanese invasion of Shanghai with their naval and air bombardment ( January 28 Incident ). Altogether there were 22 volumes or 262 issues, including four specials.
79-479: The Fiction Monthly originally published poems and stories in the classical wenyan style, and plays in the new style. Western fiction and plays were also translated into wenyan . It was the domain of " Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School"(鸳鸯蝴蝶派) literature, published entertaining and recreational articles. The selections included popular love stories and situational novels. Many traditional serial novels were published in
158-496: A pro-drop language : its syntax often allows either subjects or objects to be dropped when their reference is understood. Additionally, words are generally not restricted to use as certain parts of speech : many characters may function as either a noun, verb, or adjective. There is no general copula in Classical Chinese akin to how 是 ( shì ) is used in modern Standard Chinese. Characters that can sometimes function as
237-418: A system of honorifics . Many final and interrogative particles are found in Classical Chinese. Beyond differences in grammar and vocabulary, Classical Chinese can be distinguished by its literary qualities: an effort to maintain parallelism and rhythm is typical, even in prose works. Works also make extensive use of literary techniques such as allusion, which contributes to the language's brevity. Prior to
316-1119: A Restaurant", "Social Drama" and other novels by Lu Xun 鲁迅. In the early years, there were short stories by Ye Shengtao (Ye Shaojun), Bing Xin , Wang Tongzhao 王统照, Xu Dishan , and others; new literature style poems by Zhu Ziqing , Xu Yunuo , Zhu Xiang 朱湘, Liang Zongdai , Xu Zhi 徐雉, and others. These works show the bitterness of life and expose the dark side of society, sympathetic to the repressed people. After 1923 other famous writers' works include Wang Tongzhao's "Dusk"《黄昏》, Zhang Wentian 's "Travels"《旅途》, Lao She 's novel Old Zhang's Philosophy 《老张的哲学》, and poetry such as Zhu Ziqing's "Destruction" 《毁灭》, Ye Shaojun's "Liuhe battlefield"《浏河战场》 and Zhu Xiang's "Wang Jiao"《王娇》. In 1927 there were more early works by authors who became famous, Mao Dun 's novels Disillusion 《幻灭》, Wavering 《动摇》, and Pursuit 《追求》; Ding Ling 's first novel Dream 《梦珂 and her early work Miss Sophia's Diary 《索菲亚的日记》, Ba Jin 's Destruction 《灭亡》; plus works by new writers Hu Yepin , Shen Congwen , Dai Wangshu , Shi Zhecun , Sun Xizhen 孙席珍、 Zhang Tianyi , and others. All of these writings gave
395-676: A bid to boost traditional culture. The Dragon Boat Festival is unofficially observed by the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Malaysia . Equivalent and related official festivals include the Korean Dano , Japanese Tango no sekku , and Vietnamese Tết Đoan Ngọ . Three of the most widespread activities conducted during the Dragon Boat Festival are eating (and preparing) zongzi , drinking realgar wine , and racing dragon boats . Dragon boat racing has
474-429: A copula in specific circumstances include 為 ( wéi ; 'make', 'do') when indicating temporary circumstances, and 曰 ( yuē ; 'say') when used in the sense of 'to be called'. Classical Chinese has more pronouns compared to the modern vernacular. In particular, whereas modern Standard Chinese has one character generally used as a first-person pronoun, Classical Chinese has several—many of which are used as part of
553-401: A forum for critical reviews as a means to form the philosophical and technical foundations for the new vernacular literature. Fortunately Lu Xun was not only a gifted writer but also an eloquent critic and reviewer. Both he and his brother Zhou Zuoren authored many reviews and essays about writing in the journal. Shen Yanshui, the editor, himself wrote a number of important theoretical essays on
632-414: A game of making an egg stand at noon (this "game" implies that if someone succeeds in making the egg stand at exactly 12:00 noon, that person will receive luck for the next year), and writing spells . All of these activities, together with the drinking of realgar wine or water, were regarded by the ancients (and some today) as effective in preventing disease or evil while promoting health and well-being. In
711-461: A general readership, as well as literary reviews for scholars. The editors had an unerring instinct for what its readers liked. The longer novels were serialized. Even though it did not chase fashionable trends the readers kept on coming back eager for the next issue. Wenyan Classical Chinese is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from c. the 5th century BCE . For millennia thereafter,
790-575: A pyramid shape. The leaves also give a special aroma and flavor to the sticky rice and fillings. Choices of fillings vary depending on regions. Northern regions in China prefer sweet or dessert-styled zongzi, with bean paste, jujube, and nuts as fillings. Southern regions in China prefer savory zongzi, with a variety of fillings including eggs and meat. Zongzi appeared before the Spring and Autumn period and were originally used to worship ancestors and gods. In
869-586: A rich history of ancient ceremonial and ritualistic traditions, which originated in southern central China more than 2500 years ago. The legend starts with the story of Qu Yuan, who was a minister in one of the Warring State governments, Chu. He was slandered by jealous government officials and banished by the king. Out of disappointment in the Chu monarch, he drowned himself in the Miluo River. The common people rushed to
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#1732855472283948-417: A rich picture of life in China during the early 20th century from a panoramic perspective and a variety of viewpoints. The sense of realism was very strong. The Fiction Monthly published some 800 articles about literature from 39 countries including over 300 authors. Translations by Geng Jizhi 耿济之 in 1921 include Russian realism such as: Lu Xun translated Artsybashev and wrote an essay on him; and there
1027-417: A two-issue Special about "Research into Chinese Literature" 中国文学研究, consisting of 60 articles by 35 authors. The topics included pre-Qin, Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties literature, Tang and Song dynasty poetry, Yuan dynasty dramas, Ming and Qing dynasty novels, and folk literature. Fiction Monthly published classical novels and poems for the first ten years before 1921. It then changed editorial policy to promote
1106-679: Is a traditional Chinese holiday that occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar , which corresponds to late May or early June in the Gregorian calendar . The holiday commemorates Qu Yuan who was the beloved prime minister of the southern Chinese state of Chu during the Warring States period , about 600 B.C. to 200 B.C., and is celebrated by holding dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi , which were southern Chinese traditions. Dragon Boat Festival integrates praying for good luck and taking respite from
1185-581: Is competition of western and traditional literatures in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The competition between Butterfly writers and May Fourth writers was represented like new versus old or westernized versus traditionalized. "Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School" was one of the most popular popular genres in the literary field before the New Culture Movement, which made Fiction Monthly very popular among readers. Mandarin ducks and butterflies 蝴蝶鸳鸯 live in pairs, which made them symbols of lovers. However, it
1264-814: Is far more common in Chinese languages than in English: for example, each of the following words had a distinct Old Chinese pronunciation, but are now perfectly homophones with a pronunciation of yì [î] in Standard Chinese: The poem Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den was composed during the 1930s by the linguist Yuen Ren Chao to demonstrate this: it contains only words pronounced shi [ʂɻ̩] with various tones in modern Standard Chinese. The poem underlines how language had become impractical for modern speakers: when spoken aloud, Literary Chinese
1343-550: Is largely incomprehensible. However, the poem is perfectly comprehensible when read, and also uses homophones that were present even in Old Chinese. Romanizations have been devised to provide distinct spellings for Literary Chinese words, together with pronunciation rules for various modern varieties. The earliest was the Romanisation Interdialectique by French missionaries Henri Lamasse [ fr ] of
1422-413: Is not easy, revolution was always criticized by old writers at that time. Mao Dun wrote article to stand for new literatures. He worked on Fiction Monthly for 2 years. Zheng Zhenduo : Zheng Zhenduo took charge of the literature research association, thus he has a higher reputation among editors. Mao Dun received help from Zheng during the time he worked on Fiction Monthly , many important manuscripts of
1501-581: Is not read with a reconstructed Old Chinese pronunciation; instead, it is read with the pronunciations as categorized and listed in a rime dictionary originally based upon the Middle Chinese pronunciation in Luoyang between the 2nd and 4th centuries. Over time, each dynasty updated and modified the official rime dictionary: by the time of the Yuan and Ming dynasties , its phonology reflected that of early Mandarin. As
1580-464: Is related to the number 5. For example, the Guangdong and Hong Kong regions have the tradition of having congee made from 5 different beans. Realgar wine or Xionghuang wine is a Chinese alcoholic drink that is made from Chinese liquor dosed with powdered realgar , a yellow-orange arsenic sulfide mineral. It was traditionally used as a pesticide, and as a common antidote against disease and venom. On
1659-421: Is said to have been the origin of dragon boat races . When his body could not be found, they dropped balls of sticky rice into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi . During the twentieth century, Qu Yuan became considered a patriotic poet and a symbol of the people. He was promoted as a folk hero and a symbol of Chinese nationalism in
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#17328554722831738-440: Is second editor after Wang Chunnong. Fiction Monthly transform to a serious and elegant literature magazine, it became one of the most outstanding magazines in China when he was the editor. Its sales amount was more than ten thousand every month, it also sold overseas to Japan, British, etc. It was an ideal platform for development of new literature. Mao Dun : Mao Dun studied how to marry the new and old literatures together. When
1817-542: Is visually similar to general journals, comprised 80 to 100 pages, shorter than Xin Xiaoshuo 新小说 and longer than Xiuxiang Xiaoshuo 绣像小说 . It was printed much more closely than other journals, split to upper and lower halves in a regular format, fifteen lines of twenty-one characters on each of it. There are many more characters on one page which make the magazine very small thus it can be easily carried around and read at anywhere. Notable contributors Yun Tieqiao : Yun
1896-528: The Book of Han (111 CE) is the oldest extant bibliography of Classical Chinese, compiled c. 90 CE ; only 6% of its 653 listed works are known to exist in a complete form, with another 6% existing only in fragments. Compared to written vernacular Chinese, Classical Chinese is terse and compact in its style, and uses some different vocabulary. Classical Chinese rarely uses words two or more characters in length. Classical Chinese can be described as
1975-563: The Old Chinese words in the Classical lexicon, many cognates can still be found. There is no universal agreement on the definition of "Classical Chinese". At its core, the term refers to the language used by the classics of Chinese literature roughly from the 5th century BCE to the end of the Han dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). The form of Chinese used in works written before
2054-506: The Paris Foreign Missions Society and Ernest Jasmin, based on Middle Chinese, followed by linguist Wang Li 's Wényán luómǎzì based on Old Chinese in 1940, and then by Chao's General Chinese romanization in 1975. However, none of these systems have seen extensive use. Duanwu Festival The Dragon Boat Festival ( traditional Chinese : 端午節 ; simplified Chinese : 端午节 ; pinyin : Duānwǔ jié )
2133-422: The dragon king , while dragon boat racing naturally reflects a reverence for the dragon and the active yang energy associated with it. This was merged with the tradition of visiting friends and family on boats. Another suggestion is that the festival celebrates a widespread feature of east Asian agrarian societies: the harvest of winter wheat. Offerings were regularly made to deities and spirits at such times: in
2212-531: The imperial examination system required the candidate to compose poetry in the shi genre, pronunciation in non-Mandarin speaking parts of China such as Zhejiang , Guangdong and Fujian is either based on everyday speech, such as in Standard Cantonese , or is based on a special set of pronunciations borrowed from Classical Chinese, such as in Southern Min . In practice, all varieties of Chinese combine
2291-415: The written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary Chinese , which was used for almost all formal writing in China until the early 20th century. Each written character corresponds to a single spoken syllable, and almost always to a single independent word. As a result, the characteristic style of the language is comparatively terse. Starting in
2370-596: The 2nd century CE, use of Literary Chinese spread to the countries surrounding China, including Vietnam , Korea , Japan , and the Ryukyu Islands , where it represented the only known form of writing. Literary Chinese was adopted as the language of civil administration in these countries, creating what is known as the Sinosphere . Each additionally developed systems of readings and annotations that enabled non-Chinese speakers to interpret Literary Chinese texts in terms of
2449-581: The 4th century BCE, like the Five Classics , is distinct from that found in later works. The term "pre-Classical Chinese" is used to distinguish this earlier form from Classical Chinese proper, as it did not inspire later imitation to a comparable degree despite the works' equal importance in the canon. After the Han dynasty, the divergence of spoken language from the literary form became increasingly apparent. The term "Literary Chinese" has been coined to refer to
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2528-465: The American sociologist Wolfram Eberhard wrote that it was more widely celebrated in southern China than in the north. Another theory is that the Dragon Boat Festival originated from dragon worship . This theory was advanced by Wen Yiduo . Support is drawn from two key traditions of the festival: the tradition of dragon boat racing and zongzi . The food may have originally represented an offering to
2607-511: The Dragon Boat Festival a day for getting rid of disease and bad luck. The story best known in modern China holds that the festival commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan ( c. 340 –278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou dynasty . A cadet member of the Chu royal house , Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with
2686-606: The Dragon Boat Festival, people may put realgar wine on parts of children's faces to repel the five poisonous creatures. In some regions of China, people, especially children, wear silk ribbons or threads of 5 colors (blue, red, yellow, white, and black, representing the five elements ) on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. People believe that this will help keep evil away. Other common activities include hanging up icons of Zhong Kui (a mythic guardian figure), hanging mugwort and calamus , taking long walks, and wearing perfumed medicine bags. Other traditional activities include
2765-428: The Dragon Boat Festival, people try to avoid this bad luck. For example, people may put pictures of the five venomous creatures (snake, centipede, scorpion, lizard, toad, and sometimes spider ) on the wall and stick needles in them. People may also make paper cutouts of the five creatures and wrap them around the wrists of their children. Big ceremonies and performances developed from these practices in many areas, making
2844-551: The Dragon Boat Festival. ... Now about this Feast. It is also called the Dragon Boat Feast. The fifth of the fifth moon at noon was the most poisonous hour for the poisonous insects, and reptiles such as frogs, lizards, snakes, hide in the mud, for that hour they are paralyzed. Some medical men search for them at that hour and place them in jars, and when they are dried, sometimes use them as medicine. Her Majesty told me this, so that day I went all over everywhere and dug into
2923-579: The Festival of Five Poisonous/Venomous Insects ( traditional Chinese : 毒蟲節 ; simplified Chinese : 毒虫节 ; pinyin : Dúchóng jié ; Wade–Giles : Tu -chʻung -chieh ). Yu Der Ling writes in chapter 11 of her 1911 memoir Two Years in the Forbidden City : The first day of the fifth moon was a busy day for us all, as from the first to the fifth of the fifth moon was the festival of five poisonous insects, which I will explain later—also called
3002-501: The Japanese readings of Literary Chinese, is part of the high school curriculum in Japan. Japan is the only country that maintains the tradition of creating Literary Chinese poetry based on Tang-era tone patterns . Chinese characters are not phonetic and rarely reflect later sound changes in words. Efforts to reconstruct Old Chinese pronunciation began relatively recently. Literary Chinese
3081-505: The Jin dynasty, zongzi dumplings were officially designated as the Dragon Boat Festival food. At this time, in addition to glutinous rice, the Chinese medicine yizhiren ( Alpinia oxyphylla ) was added to the ingredients for making zongzi. This cooked zongzi is called yizhi zong . 'Wu' (午) in the name 'Duanwu' has a pronunciation similar to that of the number 5 in multiple Chinese dialects, and thus many regions have traditions of eating food that
3160-754: The Journey to the West because they were fulfilled with traditional moral rules such as Confucian morality. Soon after Shen Yanbing joined the Shanghai Communist Party group, the authorities of the Commercial press decided to adapt to the new trend of the May 4th movement and completely reform the Fiction Monthly. It was the second literary journal to be published by Commercial Press . The Shape of Journal It
3239-614: The People's Republic of China after the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War . The historian and writer Guo Moruo was influential in shaping this view of Qu. Another origin story says that the festival commemorates Wu Zixu (died 484 BC), a statesman of the Kingdom of Wu . King Goujian of the state of Yue sends Xi Shi , a beautiful woman, to the state of Wu to distract its King Fuchai from state affairs. Wu Zixu sees through
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3318-406: The ancient Yue, dragon kings; in the ancient Chu, Qu Yuan; in the ancient Wu, Wu Zixu (as a river god); in ancient Korea , mountain gods (see Dano ). As interactions between different regions increased, these similar festivals eventually merged into one holiday. In the early 20th century the Dragon Boat Festival was observed from the first to the fifth days of the fifth month, and was also known as
3397-688: The characters often having the same pronunciation. Hence Duanwu , the festival on "the fifth day of the fifth month". In Cantonese , it is romanized as Tuen Ng Jit in Hong Kong and Tung Ng Jit in Macau , hence the name "Tuen Ng Festival" used in Hong Kong , and Tun Ng ( Festividade do Barco-Dragão in Portuguese ) in Macau. The fifth lunar month is considered an unlucky and poisonous month, and
3476-509: The day of the festival according to the Chinese calendar. The Chinese name of the festival is pronounced differently in different Chinese languages . Duanwu ( 端午 ) literally means 'starting five'—i.e., the first "fifth day" of the month according to the Chinese zodiac . However, despite the literal meaning referring to the Earthly Branches , this character has also become associated with wǔ ( 五 ; wu ; 'five'), due to
3555-458: The early years of the Republic of China , Duanwu was celebrated as the "Poets' Day" due to Qu Yuan's status as China's first known poet. In Taiwanese tradition, balancing an egg on Duanwu is said to bring good fortune for the rest of the year. The sun is considered to be at its strongest around the time of the summer solstice, as the daylight in the northern hemisphere is the longest. The sun, like
3634-752: The extremely laconic style. Presently, pure Literary Chinese is occasionally used in formal or ceremonial contexts. For example, the National Anthem of the Republic of China is in Literary Chinese. Buddhist texts in Literary Chinese are still preserved from the time they were composed or translated from Sanskrit. In practice there is a socially accepted continuum between vernacular and Literary Chinese. For example, most official notices and formal letters use stock literary expressions within vernacular prose. Personal use of Classical phrases depends on factors such as
3713-460: The festival first appeared during the early Han dynasty. The stories of both Qu Yuan and Wu Zixu were recorded in Sima Qian 's Shiji , completed 187 and 393 years after the respective events, because historians wanted to praise both characters. According to historians, the holiday originated as a celebration of agriculture, fertility, and rice growing in southern China . As recently as 1952
3792-527: The fifth day of the fifth month especially so. To get rid of the misfortune, people would put calamus , Artemisia , and garlic above the doors on the fifth day of the fifth month. These were believed to help ward off evil by their strong smell and their shape (for instance, calamus leaves are shaped like swords). Venomous animals were said to appear starting from the fifth day of the fifth month, such as snakes, centipedes, and scorpions; people also supposedly get sick easily after this day. Therefore, during
3871-443: The ground, but found nothing. In 2008 the Dragon Boat Festival was made a national public holiday in China . The festival was long marked as a cultural festival in China and is a public holiday in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan . The People's Republic of China's government established in 1949 did not initially recognize the Dragon Boat Festival as a public holiday but reintroduced it in 2008 alongside two other festivals in
3950-620: The historical literary use of Latin in Europe, that of Arabic in Persia , or that of Sanskrit in South and Southeast Asia. However, unlike these examples, written Chinese uses a logography of Chinese characters that are not directly tied to their pronunciation. This lack of a fixed correspondence between writing and reading created a situation where later readings of Classical Chinese texts were able to diverge much further from their originals than occurred in
4029-534: The historical records of all non- Qin states to be burned, along with any literature associated with the Hundred Schools of Thought . The imperial library was destroyed upon the dynasty's collapse in 206 BCE, resulting in a potentially greater loss. Even works from the Classical period that have survived are not known to exist in their original forms, and are attested only in manuscripts copied centuries after their original composition. The " Yiwenzhi " section of
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#17328554722834108-486: The increasingly powerful state of Qin , Qu was banished for opposing the alliance and even accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry . Eventually, Qin captured Ying , the Chu capital. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River . It is said that the local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him, or at least retrieve his body. This
4187-594: The journal are organized and approved by Zheng Zhenduo. Although Zheng became the main editor from volume 14, he was involved in working on Fiction Monthly from two years ago. Zheng added new contents to Fiction Monthly , such as old literature verses new literatures, history of Chinese and Foreign literature , literature principles , make it popular and favourable until 1932, the sales amount became much better than 1921. Creative works Fiction Monthly published novels in abundance, followed by poetry, plays and essays. They included " Duanwu Festival ", "Upstairs in
4266-400: The journal. It was an important platform for the traditional scholars. But they were going against the new literature tide and Mao Dun (茅盾) changed the editorial direction in 1921. He enticed contributors from the " new literature " circles. The January 10 issue proclaimed its "new editorial direction": to translate and critique important European works; develop literature of realism, and use
4345-476: The kanji represents a native word such as the reading of 行 in 行く ( iku ) or the reading of both characters in " Osaka " ( 大阪 ), as well as a system that aids Japanese speakers with a Classical word order. As pronunciation in modern varieties is different from Old Chinese as well as other historical forms such as Middle Chinese , characters that once rhymed may not any longer, or vice versa. Poetry and other rhyme-based writing thus becomes less coherent than
4424-412: The later forms of written Chinese in conscious imitation of the classics, with sinologists generally emphasizing distinctions such as the gradual addition of new vocabulary and the erosion of certain points of Classical grammar as their functions were forgotten. Literary Chinese was used in almost all formal and personal writing in China from the end of the Han dynasty until the early 20th century, when it
4503-565: The laws of Taiwan are still written in a subset of Literary Chinese. As a result, it is necessary for modern Taiwanese lawyers to learn at least a subset of the literary language. Many works of literature in Classical and Literary Chinese have been highly influential in Chinese culture, such as the canon of Tang poetry . However, even with knowledge of its grammar and vocabulary, works in Literary Chinese can be difficult for native vernacular speakers to understand, due to its frequent allusions and references to other historical literature, as well as
4582-459: The literary revolution in China that began with the 1919 May Fourth Movement , prominent examples of vernacular Chinese literature include the 18th-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber . Most government documents in the Republic of China were written in Literary Chinese until reforms spearheaded by President Yen Chia-kan in the 1970s to shift to written vernacular Chinese. However, most of
4661-676: The local vernacular. While not static throughout its history, its evolution has traditionally been guided by a conservative impulse: many later changes in the varieties of Chinese are not reflected in the literary form. Due to millennia of this evolution, Literary Chinese is only partially intelligible when read or spoken aloud for someone only familiar with modern vernacular forms. Literary Chinese has largely been replaced by written vernacular Chinese among Chinese speakers; speakers of non-Chinese languages have similarly abandoned Literary Chinese in favour of their own local vernaculars. Although varieties of Chinese have diverged in various directions from
4740-491: The memory of the young girl Cao E (130–144 AD) instead. Cao E's father Cao Xu ( 曹盱 ) was a shaman who presided over local ceremonies at Shangyu . In 143, while presiding over a ceremony commemorating Wu Zixu during the Dragon Boat Festival, Cao Xu accidentally fell into the Shun River . Cao E, in an act of filial piety , searched the river for 3 days trying to find him. After five days, she and her father were both found dead in
4819-508: The mid-1930s, the entire written and printed Chinese language was transformed. Fiction Monthly provided a focus on these changes participating fully in the transition by its creative authors and in establishing the framework for the transition from critical and theoretical points of view. Beginning in 1923, Fiction Monthly provided a special column called "Movement to organize ancient literature and new literature". Additionally there were numerous treatises about classical literature as well as
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#17328554722834898-594: The new literature to reflect the life of ordinary people, also to provide a platform for inquiry into classical literature in the modern context. Zheng Zhenduo (郑振铎) became the main editor since the volume 14, issue 1 in 1923. Due to the Shanghai Massacre on April 12, 1927, Zheng went to Europe and Ye Shengtao (叶圣陶) became the main editor instead of Zheng. Zheng came back to be the main editor again since volume 20, issue7 in June 1929. Background There
4977-465: The new literature, including "Responsibility and Hard Work for the New Literature" 《新文学研究者的责任与努力》、"The future of Creativity" 《创作的前途》、"Social Background and Creativity" 《社会背景与创作》、"Naturalism and Contemporary Chinese Fiction" 《自然主义与中国现代小说》 and more. The journal from time to time provided special columns for discussion of theoretical issues. Spirited disagreements flourished in these columns as well as in
5056-494: The new literature. It had a unique perspective from which to view classical Chinese literature and wenyan . In its entirety, these articles form an important comprehensive collection of research into old traditional Chinese literature even today. From the beginning, Fiction Monthly presented a certain freshness to the reader. The articles were chosen quickly, accurately (to match the reader's taste), and with multiple dimensions. There were entertaining novels and short stories for
5135-418: The new reformed version of Fiction Monthly was published, the issue is an adaptation of literary evolution. Mao Dun not only hired popular writers like Lu Xun, Zhuo Zuoren, but also gave chances to new writers like Hu Yepin , Dai Wangshu. Actually the selling amount of Fiction Monthly was not satisfying in the first year after the revolution of Mao Dun, it became hard to read for some readers. The revolution
5214-546: The original reading must have been. However, some modern Chinese varieties have certain phonological characteristics that are closer to the older pronunciations than others, as shown by the preservation of certain rhyme structures. Another particular characteristic of Literary Chinese is its present homophony . Reading Classical texts with character pronunciations from modern languages results in many homophonous characters that originally had distinct Old Chinese pronunciations, but have since merged to varying degrees. This phenomenon
5293-529: The other literary traditions, adding a unique dimension to the study of Literary Chinese. Literary Chinese was adopted in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature states that this adoption came mainly from diplomatic and cultural ties with China, while conquest, colonization, and migration played smaller roles. Unlike Latin and Sanskrit, historical Chinese language theory consisted almost exclusively of lexicography , as opposed to
5372-453: The plot and warned Fuchai, who became angry and forced the latter to commit suicide. His body was thrown into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month. After his death, in places such as Suzhou , Wu Zixu is remembered during the Dragon Boat Festival. Although Wu Zixu is commemorated in southeast Jiangsu and Qu Yuan elsewhere in China, much of Northeastern Zhejiang , including the cities of Shaoxing , Ningbo and Zhoushan , celebrates
5451-419: The reviews and essays. The antagonists would respond in alternative issues. These proved to be irresistible to writers and scholars of the time. Some important examples were: "Discussions on Translating Literature" “翻译文学书的讨论”, "Discussions on Europeanization of Literature"、“语体文欧化讨论”、 "Discussions about Creative Works" “创作讨论”，and "Naturalism" “自然主义”、and "Nature of Literature and its Problems" “文学主义问题”。From 1910 to
5530-749: The river from drowning. Eight years later, in 151, a temple was built in Shangyu dedicated to the memory of Cao E and her sacrifice. The Shun River was renamed Cao'e River in her honor. Cao E is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu ("Table of Peerless Heroes") by Jin Guliang. Some modern research suggests that the stories of Qu Yuan or Wu Zixu were superimposed onto a pre-existing holiday tradition. The promotion of these stories might have been encouraged by Confucian scholars, seeking to legitimize and strengthen their influence in China. The relationship between zongzi, Qu Yuan and
5609-412: The school curriculum is taught primarily by presenting a literary work and including a vernacular gloss that explains the meaning of phrases. The examinations usually require the student to read a paragraph in Literary Chinese and then explain its meaning in the vernacular. Contemporary use of Literary Chinese in Japan is mainly in the field of education and the study of literature. Learning kanbun ,
5688-510: The study of grammar and syntax. Such approaches largely arrived with Europeans beginning in the 17th century. Christian missionaries later coined the term 文理 ( wénlǐ ; 'principles of literature', 'bookish language') to describe Classical Chinese; this term never became widely used among domestic speakers. According to the traditional " burning of books and burying of scholars " account, in 213 BCE Qin Shi Huang ordered
5767-445: The subject matter and the level of education of the writer. Excepting professional scholars and enthusiasts, most modern writers cannot easily write in Literary Chinese. Even so, most Chinese people with at least a middle school education are able to read basic Literary Chinese, because this ability is part of the Chinese middle school and high school curricula, and is a component of the college entrance examination. Literary Chinese in
5846-658: The summer heat. In September 2009, UNESCO officially approved the holiday's inclusion in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity , becoming the first Chinese holiday to be selected. The English language name for the holiday is "Dragon Boat Festival", used as the official English translation of the holiday by the People's Republic of China . It is also referred to in some English sources as Double Fifth Festival which alludes to
5925-676: The two extremes of pronunciation: that according to a prescribed system, versus that based on everyday speech. Mandarin and Cantonese, for example, also have words that are pronounced one way in colloquial usage and another way when used in Literary Chinese or in specialized terms coming from Literary Chinese, though the system is not as extensive as that of Min or Wu . Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese readers of Literary Chinese each use distinct systems of pronunciation specific to their own languages. Japanese speakers have readings of Chinese origin called on'yomi for many words, such as for "ginko" ( 銀行 ) or "Tokyo" ( 東京 ), but use kun'yomi when
6004-590: The water and tried to recover his body, but they failed. In commemoration of Qu Yuan, people hold dragon boat races yearly on the day of his death according to the legend. They also scattered rice into the water to feed the fish, to prevent them from eating Qu Yuan's body, which is one of the origins of zongzi . A notable part of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival is making and eating zongzi, also known as sticky rice dumplings, with family members and friends. People traditionally make zongzi by wrapping glutinous rice and fillings in leaves of reed or bamboo, forming
6083-440: Was a Volume 12 special edition on Russian Literature . There were numerous other articles, which taken together comprise a systematic exploration of Russian realism and romanticism . The 15th volume was a French Literature special. It introduced French romanticism, naturalism and realism in literature and plays, including Balzac , Maupassant , Phillipe, Anatole France , George Sand , and others. Fiction Monthly provided
6162-450: Was critiqued by May Fourth writers because it represents of old feudal thoughts and rules. Because Chinese literature need revolution, "Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School" became the opposite of new culture. Old national forms were broke to conform to the new forms of the world trend during the May fourth Movement. Zhou Zuoren strongly promoted humanist literature, struggled for human freedom, attacked all traditional literatures including
6241-598: Was largely replaced by written vernacular Chinese . A distinct, narrower definition of the Classical period begins with the life of Confucius (551–479 BCE) and ends with the founding of the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE. The adoption of Chinese literary culture in the Sinosphere amid the existence of various regional vernaculars is an example of diglossia . The coexistence of Literary Chinese and native languages throughout China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam can be compared to
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