Online Sinology Fortnightly: Zhu Xi's Theory of "Licentious Poetry": From Canon Interpretation to Reading Practice

Zhu Xi identified more than twenty “licentious poems” in the Guofeng section of the Shijing. It seems that the relevant studies have been confined within the field of classical studies. Still, it is worthy of a further examination of how the theory of “licentious poetry” exerted its influence in the history of reading. The kernel of Zhu Xi’s theory of “licentious poetry” lies in his assumption of “elopers composing poems themselves.” Zhu Xi insisted that the author of the Shijing could be licentious but the reader should remain virtuous attitude. That theory envisioned the ideal reader and the ideal reading strategy, with the emphasis on the function of reading negative examples in the process of self-cultivation according to the New Confucian program. However, the real reader might not be able to fulfill that task. It is needed to delineate how Chinese scholars from Southern Song to Ming period expressed their concern about the reader’s situation and how the real reader reacted to “licentious poems” in their reading practice.

Enquiries: hkbujas@hkbu.edu.hk / 34116655