The Assimilation and Dissimilation of Fu and Shi Poetry up to the Tang Dynasty (Translated by Chan Chok Meng)

Abstract

The intimate relationship between fu and shi poetry, whose mutual influence has been so important throughout the history of the genres, cannot be neglected. The two genres started out with distinct definitions, motivations, and contexts, but they frequently assimilated to one another; and yet a countervailing trend of dissimilation also led each genre to assert its independence after all. This chapter aims to shed light on this dynamic by tracing its development through different historical periods in early medieval China, and thus, to reveal the mutual influence and distinction between the fu and shi genres.