Image Formation and Composition in Ja-xuan's "Bor Shan Road" Tz'us

Author: Jy-ing Yan (Department of Chinese and Literature, National Taiwan Normal University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 50, No. 1
Date：April 2005
Pages：41-64
DOI：10.6210/JNTNULL.2005.50(1).03

Abstract：

Xin Ja-xuan was a patriotic poet in the Southern Song dynasty. Being unfortunately incompatible with those in power due to his firmness and uprightness, he was removed from office and then kept out of office for most of his political career. He was forced to live at Dai Lake in Jiangxi province for ten years; at this time he often came to visit "Bor Shan" and wrote five Tz'us （a form of poem developed in the Song） entitled "Bor Shan Road." These works recorded what he saw and thought on the way to "Bor Shan" and faithfully reflect his mind at that time. These five Tz'us, in terms of the forming of theme, display the conflict between his desire to be an officer and his desire to be a recluse. In terms of the forming of material （objects and events）, they are characterized by a sense of plenty, brightness and high "density." In terms of the combination of theme and material, they are composed via such oppositions as "positive- negative," "focus-background," "analysis-summary-analysis," "cause-effect" and "analysis-summary." These Tz'us reveal deep insights and display a great diversity of technique and aesthetic effect.

Keywords：Xin Qi-ji, Ja-xuan, Bor Shan Road Tz'us, image information, image composition, theme, material, oppositions

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