Varied styles of pre-Qin prose
By 2009-2-9 8:47:29
The essays of the kind consisted of argumentations of the various schools to explain their view and opinions . The chief pieces were the following : “Doctrine of Master Lao” or the “Book of Way and Virtues”. It has been prized by 
Daoism as its scripture . It uses a lot of rhymes like prose poems imbued with philosophical ideas . The “Confucius Analects”, a Confucian classic , recorded mainly the conduct and remarks of Confucius and his disciples in a quotation style . Its wordings were plain and succinct , filled with philosophy . Of all the essays of the masters , the “Book of Mencius” and the “Book of Master Zhuang” had the highest literary value . The former was characterized by its magnificent style and strong feelings . Whether for convincing the kings , debating with opponents , or discussing with his disciples , the articles in the “Book of Mencius” were often poignant and agitational , and good at grasping the key points as suiting a political strategist or a political debater . The latter was considered later as an important classic of Daoism , it adapted the myths and was full of imagination . It had a rich romantic poetic flavor , impressing the readers with his freedom of thoughts . Lin Yueyan , commended aptly : “Master Zhuang is like a deity descending from Heaven . His every word and joke is an elixir “.
Besides , the writings in the “Book of Master Mo” were simple and plain with less literary flavor , but were very logical . The writings in the “Book of Master Xun” were meticulous . The writings in the “Book of Master Han Fei” were stern . Both gave the readers a fresh impression .
The Pre-Qin historic prose was vivid and life-like . The essays of the masters were varied in style . They both combined knowledge and aesthetics , representing a golden age in the history of Chinese prose .
Daoism as its scripture . It uses a lot of rhymes like prose poems imbued with philosophical ideas . The “Confucius Analects”, a Confucian classic , recorded mainly the conduct and remarks of Confucius and his disciples in a quotation style . Its wordings were plain and succinct , filled with philosophy . Of all the essays of the masters , the “Book of Mencius” and the “Book of Master Zhuang” had the highest literary value . The former was characterized by its magnificent style and strong feelings . Whether for convincing the kings , debating with opponents , or discussing with his disciples , the articles in the “Book of Mencius” were often poignant and agitational , and good at grasping the key points as suiting a political strategist or a political debater . The latter was considered later as an important classic of Daoism , it adapted the myths and was full of imagination . It had a rich romantic poetic flavor , impressing the readers with his freedom of thoughts . Lin Yueyan , commended aptly : “Master Zhuang is like a deity descending from Heaven . His every word and joke is an elixir “.Besides , the writings in the “Book of Master Mo” were simple and plain with less literary flavor , but were very logical . The writings in the “Book of Master Xun” were meticulous . The writings in the “Book of Master Han Fei” were stern . Both gave the readers a fresh impression .
The Pre-Qin historic prose was vivid and life-like . The essays of the masters were varied in style . They both combined knowledge and aesthetics , representing a golden age in the history of Chinese prose .
From china-fun