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A Quiet Night Thought
Quiet Night Thought () is a famous poem written by the Tang Dynasty poet, Li Bai (also known as Li Bo or Li Po). Text The text below is a Qing-dynasty version, with Mandarin pronunciation. It is taught to children in both Taiwanese and Chinese schools. Variants There are other versions of this poem that replace "the bright moonlight" () with "I see the moonlight" () and/or "gazing at the bright moon" () with "gazing at the mountain and the moon" (). p.171. [Baidu] |
Ritual
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, but not defined, by formalism, traditionalism, invariance, rule-governance, sacral symbolism, and performance. Rituals are a feature of all known human societies. They include not only the worship rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also rites of passage, atonement and ritual purification, purification rites, oaths of allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations and presidential inaugurations, marriages, funerals and more. Even common actions like handshake, hand-shaking and saying "hello" may be termed as ''rituals''. The field of ritual studies has seen a number of conflicting definitions of the term. One given by Kyriakidis is that a ritual is an outsider's or "Emic and etic, etic" category for a set activity (o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schools
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools. The names for these schools vary by country (discussed in the '' Regional terms'' section below) but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught is commonly called a university college or university. In addition to these core schools, students in a given country may also attend schools before and after primary (elementary in the U.S.) and secondary (middle school in the U.S.) education. Kindergarten or preschool provide some schooling to very young children (typically ages 3–5). University, vocational school, college or seminary may be availabl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Three Hundred Tang Poems
The ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' () is an anthology of poems from the Chinese Tang dynasty (618–907). It was first compiled around 1763 by Sun Zhu (1722–1778Yu, 64–65), who was a Qing Dynasty scholar and was also known as Hengtang Tuishi (, "Retired Master of Hengtang"). Various later editions also exist. All editions contain slightly more than 300 total poems. The number 300 (or more exactly 305) was a classic number for a poetry collection due to the influence of the ''Classic of Poetry'' (, ''Shijing''), which was generally known as ''The Three Hundred Poems''. Dissatisfied with the anthology ''Poems by a Thousand Masters'' (, ''Qianjiashi'') compiled by Liu Kezhuang in the late Southern Song, and influenced by Ming Dynasty poetry anthologies, Sun selected the poems based on their popularity and educational value. The collection has been popular ever since and can be found in many Chinese households. For centuries, elementary students memorized the poems and used them to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthologies
In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ..., an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categorizes collections of shorter works, such as short stories and short novels, by different authors, each featuring unrelated casts of characters and settings, and usually collected into a single volume for publication. Alternatively, it can also be a collection of selected writings (short stories, poems etc.) by one author. Complete collections of works are often called "The Complete Works, complete works" or "" (Latin equivalent). Etymology The word entered the English language in the 17th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gushi (poetry)
''Gushi'' (), is one of the main poetry forms defined in Classical Chinese poetry, literally meaning "old (or ancient) poetry" or "old (or ancient) style poetry": ''gushi'' is a technical term for certain historically exemplary poems, together with later poetry composed in this formal style. Poetic form The normal formal style is for uniform line lengths of 5 or 7 syllables (or characters), with lines in syntactically paired couplets. Parallelism emphasizing thesis or antithesis is frequently found but is not an obligatory feature. Rhymes generally occur at the ends of couplets, the actual rhyme sound sometimes changing through the course of the poem. Caesura usually occurs as a major feature before the last 3 syllables in any line, with the 7 syllable lines also often having a minor caesura in between the first two pairs of syllables. The final 3 syllables in a line are often varied syntactically by whether the first and second of these are more closely linked by the syntax or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Dialects
Chinese language, Chinese, also known as Sinitic languages, Sinitic, is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of hundreds of local variety (linguistics), varieties, many of which are not mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible. Variation is particularly strong in the more mountainous southeast of mainland China. The varieties are typically classified into several groups: Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin, Wu Chinese, Wu, Min Chinese, Min, Xiang Chinese, Xiang, Gan Chinese, Gan, Hakka Chinese, Hakka and Yue Chinese, Yue, though some varieties remain unclassified. These groups are neither clades nor individual languages defined by mutual intelligibility, but reflect common phonological developments from Middle Chinese. Chinese language, Chinese varieties differ most in their phonology, and to a lesser extent in vocabulary and syntax. Southern varieties tend to have fewer initial consonants than northern and central varieties, but more ofte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The Swedish linguist Bernard Karlgren believed that the dictionary recorded a speech standard of the capital Chang'an of the Sui and Tang dynasties. However, based on the more recently recovered preface of the ''Qieyun'', most scholars now believe that it records a compromise between northern and southern reading and poetic traditions from the late Northern and Southern dynasties period. This composite system contains important information for the reconstruction of the preceding system of Old Chinese phonology (early 1st millennium BC). The ''fanqie'' method used to indicate pronunciation in these dictionaries, though an improvement on earlier methods, proved awkward in practice. The mid-12th-century ''Yunjing'' and other rime tables incorp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhyme Scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. An example of the ABAB rhyming scheme, from "To Anthea, who may Command him Anything", by Robert Herrick: Function in writing These rhyme patterns have various effects, and can be used to: * Control flow: If every line has the same rhyme (AAAA), the stanza will read as having a very quick flow, whereas a rhyme scheme like ABCABC can be felt to unfold more slowly. * Structure a poems message and thought patterns: For example, a simple couplet with a rhyme scheme of AABB lends itself to simpler direct ideas, because the resolution comes in the very next line. Essentially these couplets can be thought of as self-contained statements. This idea of rhyme schemes reflecting thought processes is often discussed particularly regarding sonnets. * Determine whether ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Regulated Verse
Regulated verse – also known as Jintishi () – is a development within Classical Chinese poetry of the ''shi'' main formal type. Regulated verse is one of the most important of all Classical Chinese poetry types. Although often regarded as a Tang Dynasty innovation, the origin of regulated verse within the Classical Chinese poetic tradition is associated with Shen Yue (441–513), based on his "four tones and eight defects" (四聲八病) theory regarding tonality.Watson, 110–112 There are three types of regulated verse: the eight-lined '' lüshi'', the four-lined ''jueju'', and the linked couplets of indeterminate length '' pailu''. All regulated verse forms are rhymed on the even lines, with one rhyme being used throughout the poem. Also, and definitionally, the tonal profile of the poem is controlled (that is, "regulated"). Furthermore, semantic and tonal parallelism is generally required of certain interior couplets. During the Tang Dynasty, the "Shen-Song" team of Shen Quanq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shi (poetry)
''Shi'' and ''shih''Based on the Wade-Giles system formerly used by Taiwan and English-speaking countries. are romanizations of the character /, the Chinese word for all poetry generally and across all languages. In Western analysis of the styles of Chinese poetry, ''shi'' is also used as a term of art for a specific poetic tradition, modeled after the Old Chinese works collected in the Confucian ''Classic of Poetry''. This anthology included both aristocratic poems (the "Hymns" and "Eulogies") and more rustic works believed to have derived from Huaxia folk songs (the "Odes"). They are composed in ancient Chinese, mostly in four-character lines. In such analysis, "''shi''" poetry is contrasted with other forms such as the Chu-derived "'' cí''" and the Han-era "'' fu''".Watson, Burton. ''Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century''. Columbia Univ. Press (New York), 1971. .Frankel, Hans. ''The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady''. Yale Univ. Press (New ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family Reunion
A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year. A typical family reunion will assemble for a meal, some recreation and discussion. The older attendees are generally grandparents, parents, siblings or first cousins while the youngest may be second, third or fourth cousins to each other. It is also not uncommon for regular family reunions to be sponsored by family organizations or family associations centered on a more distant common ancestor (often referred to as "ancestral family organizations") or a commonly shared surname ("single surname family organizations"). Family reunion programs Family reunion programs are sponsored by Red Cross organizations. See the List of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) leads the international movement and which has special responsibilities under international humanitarian la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
