Three Styles/Genres of Chinese Literature from its beginnings through about 100 C.E.

History - Classic of Documents (Shujing)

• One of the earliest historical texts made up of speeches/proclamations/official records (Esteemed Documents)

• Collection of political speeches and documents, showing how rulers justified their actions, gave commands, and communicated with their people

• Several types of texts: Consultations (Mo, between king and his ministers), Instructions (xun, to the king from ministers), Announcements (gao, by the king to his people), Declarations (shi, by a ruler on the occasion of a battle), Commands (ming, by the king to a specific vassal)

Philosophy - Classic of Changes (Yijing or I Ching)

Philosophy is one of the most important genres/fields of early Chinese literature, with an emphasis on how everything is constantly changing and transforming, rather than staying fixed or the same.

• Ancient chinese text used for divination (guidance/decision-making)

• Everything exists in relation to something (light and dark, ying and yang)

• Humans are apart of a larger comic system. Your actions must align with the conditions around you (timing and awareness are crucial)

• Divination is not about fate, but instead observing patterns, interpreting situations, making better decisons.

• Texts include the Ten Wings (Shi Yi) : Commentaries added to the I Ching and linked to Confucius, which explain how the universe works as a constant process of change and creating, emphasize harmony, show how yin and yang interact.

Yin Yang (Classic of Changes - Yijing)

Yin = shady side (dark)

Yang = sunny side (light)

• Now these words came to represent the two basic forces of the universe

• Any pair of opposites (like light and dark) can be seen as yin or yang

• Whether something is Yin or Yang depends on what its compared to

• Nothing is completely one or the other. each contains a little of the other and they exist and depend on each other - one cannot exist without the other

A framework to understand how things transform, including in language, nature, and moral or cosmic patterns

Lines, Trigrams, and Hexagrams in The Classic of changes

• Using Yin and Yang to represent change in the universe, to guide decisions

• Solid Line = yang

• Broken Line = Yin

• Trigrams (gua): Figures made of 3 lines, representing natural phenomena - 8 trigrams

  • Eight Trigrams (Bā Guà 八卦):

    • Top line = heaven, middle = humans, bottom = earth

    • They come from the Tài Jí 太極 (Great Ultimate)

    • Four Images = combinations of yīn and yáng lines

• Hexagrams (gua) : Figures made of 6 lines (2 trigrams stacked), represneting natural and human situations - 64 hexagrams

  • Read from the bottom to top and shows a situation in the cosmos and gives guidance on how to act

  • Each has

    • A name

    • A statement or Judgement

    • An image

    • line statemates

  • The lines and how they relate are key to understanding the hexagram

Your position and situation show what you can do and how you should act, everyone is connected in a web of cuases and effects - your actions affect others and the world

Yijing Divination - the coin stuff we did in class. Represents changing reality through symbols. Especially trigrams and hexagrams. Instead of predicting a fixed future, it helps people understand their situation and respond wisley to change. Yijing divination originated outside Confucianism but was later incorporated and interpreted by Confucians as a moral and philosophical tool.

what are Ten Wings (Shi Yi), and what genre are they in?

• Commentaries added to the I Ching and linked to Confucius, which explain how the universe works as a constant process of change and creating, emphasize harmony, show how yin and yang interact.

• Genre: the classic of changes (yijing)

Specifics about Divination (Classic of Changes : Yijing)

• Analyzing a situation

  • Every decision or problem can be divided into three parts:

    • Intentions (zhì 志) → what you want or plan to do

    • Tasks (yè 業) → what needs to be done to reach your goal

    • Problems (yí 疑) → obstacles or questions you need to solve

  • You have to understand intentions first, then define tasks, and finally solve problems.

  • There’s a right way and wrong way to respond depending on the situation.

• Understanding the right timing

  • Divination helps you see the flow of change and know when to act.

  • It’s about adjusting to circumstances instead of forcing your own will.

• The process of divination

  • Observation (guān 觀) → carefully watch nature and the world to see patterns. Think of it as an early, practical form of science.

  • Symbolization → represent what you observe in lines, trigrams, hexagrams, or images. Symbols help you think about meanings and relationships.

  • Divination → interpret the symbols to answer questions like: “Is this situation good or bad?” “What might happen?” and “What is the best way to act?”

  • It’s practical, moral, and connected to the cyclical patterns of life, like seasons in agriculture.

Divination is a tool for understanding change. You observe carefully, represent patterns with symbols, and use those symbols to guide your actions at the right time, while staying in harmony with the flow of the universe.

What are the three powers in the classic of changes cosmology?

Three Powers (sān cái 三才):

• Tiān 天 = heaven/sky

• Dì 地 = earth

• Rén 人 = humans

Poetry - Classic of Poetry (Shijing)

• Collection of 305 poems from the Western Zhou Dynasty divided into 3 s

• Poems were originally sung, but music is lost

• Mao version only survives: it gives poems political or moral meaning.

• 3 sections

  • 1. “Airs” (Feng) - Songs are usually short, emotional, and focus on themes of love/daily life/nature and humans. Often had hidden political criticism

  • 2. “Odes” (Ya) - court poetry

    • Greater Odes (Daya): 31 formal court ceremonies, celebrating founding events and national history

    • Lesser Odes (Xiaoya): 74 written by courtiers, longer than Airs, about court life or officials, complaints about public affairs

  • 3. “Hymns” (Song) - 40 Oldest and most religious poems, used for rituals and sacrifices. Praise ancestors and rulers