光辉灿烂的中国古代文化，保存至今、依然能为我们所欣赏的，最完整的当数中国古代文学。中国古代的音乐、绘画，也都十分发达，但古乐谱多已散佚，绘画的真迹能见到的多是宋代以后的。惟有文学，先民创造的短歌与神话，今天仍为我们所熟知；《诗经》里周朝的皇天后土，依然是我们生活的家园。我们吟咏《诗经》、诵读诸子，其中有天理、有人情，横贯三千年的岁月，铸就了华夏民族华赡沉厚的文化认同。本书就对中国文学作了粗浅的探讨，供研究者及文学爱好者参考之用。

Foreword / 1

The Book of Songs / 5

"Folk Songs of 15 Regions" ("Guofeng") / 7

The Epic of the Western Zhou People / 9

Prose Writings of Various Schools of Thought during

the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Period / 13

Tao Te Ching / 15

The Analects / 19

Mencius / 23

Zhuangzi / 26

Qu Yuan and the Elegies of the State of Chu / 31

Qu Yuan / 32

The Lament on Encountering Sorrows / 34

Elegies of the State ofChu / 36

Records of the Historian—"The First and Last Great Work by

Historians, Li Sad without Rhyme" / 41

Pre-Qin Historical Books / 42

About Records of the Historian / 44

The Characterization in Records of the Historian / 46

History and Literature / 50

Literature in the Wei and Jin Period and Tad Yuanming / 53

Li Bai—A Romantic Genius Poet / 61

Du Fu—A Compassionate Sage Poet / 73

"Li and Du the Junior"—Late Tang Poems in the Sad,

Plaintive and Beautiful Style / 83

Li Shangyin / 84

Du Mu / 88

Ci Poetry—Poems That Can Be Sung / 93

Su Shi / 97

Li Qingzhao / 102

Xin Qiji / 106

Two Outstanding Playwrights of the Yuan Opera / 111

Ouan Hanfling / 112

Wang Shifu / 116

Brief Outline of Chinese Classical Fictions / 121

Early Classical Fictions in Chapter-titled Style: Romance

of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh and

Journey to the West / 127

Romance of the Three Kingdoms / 129

Outlaws of the Marsh / 132

Journey to the West/135

Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio—Pinnacle of Classical

Chinese Fiction / 139

A Dream of Red Mansions / 145

Appendix: A Brief Chronology of China / 157