Chinese literature

Introduction
General characteristics
Origins: c. 1400–221 bce
- Literary use of myths
- Poetry
- Prose
Qin and Han dynasties: 221 bce–220 ce
- Poetry
- Prose
The Six Dynasties and Sui dynasty: 220–618 ce
- Poetry
- Prose
Tang and Five Dynasties: 618–960
- Poetry
- Folk literature
- Prose
Song dynasty: 960–1279
- Prose
- Poetry
Yuan dynasty: 1206–1368
- Drama
- Poetry
- Vernacular fiction
Ming dynasty: 1368–1644
- Classical literature
- Vernacular literature
Qing dynasty: 1644–1911/12
- Poetry and prose nonfiction
- Prose fiction
- Drama
- 19th-century translations of Western literature
- 19th-century native prose and poetry
Modern Chinese literature
- May Fourth period
- 1927–37
- The war years: 1937–49
- 1949–76
- After the Cultural Revolution
- Literature in Taiwan after 1949

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Quizzes

4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul

Famous Poets and Poetic Form

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:

Poetry: First Lines

Handscroll is one of a set that illustrates the 305 poems in the Shijing (The Book of Odes), a work traditionally believed to have been compiled by Confucius, by Ma Hezhi and assistants, Southern Song dynasty, mid-12th century.

Chinese Literature Quiz

Related Questions

How did Buddhism first affect Chinese literature during the Six Dynasties period?
How did Chen Duxiu support the literary revolution of the May Fourth period?
How did Daoism and Buddhism encourage individuality among Six Dynasties writers?
How did Daoist writings influence the themes and language of Chinese poetry?
How did Ding Ling’s fiction explore women’s lives and social conditions?
How did Li Daoyuan’s Commentary on the Water Classic combine practical information with folklore?
How did Lu Xun contribute to the League of Left-Wing Writers?
How did Qu Yuan’s life influence the themes of his poetry?
How did Su Shi change the ci form of Chinese poetry?
How did Wang Meng and Bai Hua challenge earlier literary restrictions after the Cultural Revolution?
How did Xu Zhimo and Wen Yiduo use Western models in their poetry?
How did Zhang Ailing portray life in occupied Shanghai?
How did poetry of the 1930s become more politically engaged in China?
How did regional writing portray Taiwan’s shift from rural to urban life?
How did scar literature respond to the Cultural Revolution?
How did the Creation Society’s approach to literature differ from that of the Literary Research Association?
How did the May Fourth Movement change the language used in Chinese literature?
How did the Sino-Japanese War influence the subjects and purposes of Chinese writing?
How did the ci form differ from regulated lüshi verse?
How did translations of Western literature shape modern Chinese drama and poetry?
How does Ba Jin’s novel The Family portray patriarchal society and social change?
How does Romance of the Three Kingdoms combine history legend and storytelling?
How does Romance of the Three Kingdoms portray Cao Cao Liu Bei and Sun Quan?
How far back does the history of Chinese literature extend?
How many poems are included in the Shijing?
What is the significance of the peach orchard oath in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
What kind of writing did the All-China Anti-Japanese Federation of Writers and Artists encourage during the war?
What kinds of literature were permitted during the Cultural Revolution?
What kinds of poems appear in the Shijing anthology?
What reforms did Hu Shih propose in his 1917 article on literature?
What role did Socialist Realism play in Chinese literature after 1949?
Which Chinese writers have won the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Which four novels are considered the great classic novels of Chinese literature?
Which major forms of writing are included in Chinese literature?
Which writers led the Tang dynasty’s ancient-style prose movement?
Why did Bai Juyi write poetry in clear and simple language?
Why did Lu Ji emphasize originality in creative writing?
Why did May Fourth writers favor vernacular Chinese over classical Chinese?
Why did Rickshaw Boy become a classic novel of modern Chinese literature?
Why is Du Fu considered one of China’s greatest poets?
Why is Lisao important in the development of Chinese romantic poetry?
Why is Liu Xie’s Wenxin diaolong significant in Chinese literary criticism?
Why is Qu Yuan associated with the Dragon Boat Festival?
Why is Romance of the Three Kingdoms considered a classic Chinese novel?
Why is The True Story of Ah Q a major work of the May Fourth period?
Why is the Tang dynasty called the Golden Age of Chinese poetry?
Why was Cao Yu’s play Thunderstorm so successful?
Why was poetry important to well-educated people in traditional China?
Why were Shen Congwen and Zhang Ailing rediscovered in mainland China during the mid-1980s?

Literature World Literature

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External Websites

World History Encyclopedia - Chinese Literature
Columbia University - Asia for Educators - Introduction to Chinese Literature
Association for Asian Studies - Chinese Literature: An Introduction

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Chinese literature - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Chinese literature - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Chinese literature

Written by

Hellmut Wilhelm

Professor of Chinese History and Literature, University of Washington, Seattle. Author of Change: Eight Lectures on the I Ching and others.

Hellmut WilhelmAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Chinese literature, the body of works written in Chinese, including lyric poetry, historical and didactic writing, drama, and various forms of fiction. Chinese literature is one of the major literary heritages of the world, with an uninterrupted history of more than 3,000 years, dating back at least to the 14th century bce. Its medium, the Chinese language, has retained its unmistakable identity in both its spoken and written aspects in spite of generally gradual changes...

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