Primers and Poetry in Ancient China: Shenglu fameng and Beyond

Abstract

This article examines the history of primers on shenglu (tone and rhythm) in pre-modern China. The first section of the article investigates the original version of Zhu Ming’s (Yuan Dynasty) Shenglu fameng (A Primer of Shenglu ), as well as its sequel and revisions. The increased use and popularity of shenglu primers, especially in primary education from the Song forward, is explored in section 2. The third section illustrates how shenglu primers emphasized an integration of yun (rhyme) and dui (paired phrasing or parallelism). While tracing the rise of shiyun shu (poetic rhyme books) during the Song-Yuan transition period, the author argues that shenglu primers focused instead on tone and rhyme, aestheticizing the rules of couplet composition and tailoring couplets for singing. Through a discussion of several key developments in pairing rules and standards, the final section reveals the curious interaction between the taste of the poetry elites and that of the masses educated and informed by such popular poetry primers.