A study of Yuxin's "Nilianzhu" = Yu xin 'Ni lian zhu' yan jiu

Abstract

“Lianzhu” style (連珠體) is a kind of miniature parallel prose (駢文) created by Yang Xiong (揚雄53 B.C.–18 A.D.) in Western Han Dynasty (西漢).It was one of the most popular literary styles in Six Dynasties (六朝).The first great author of “Lianzhu” style was Lu Ji (陸機261 – 303) in Jin Dynasty (晉代). His “Lianzhu”, named “Yanlianzhu” (演連珠). After Lu Ji, Yu Xin’s (庾信513–581) “Nilianzhu”(擬連珠) presented the most successful achievement of Southern and Northern Dynasties (南北朝). “Nilianzhu” presented his sorrows of home country (鄉關之思), whose contents were completely different from the traditional Yang Xiong’s and Lu Ji’s “Lianzhu” styles. His consummate techniques influenced the later authors. It is undeniable that Yu Xin was one of the best authors of “Lianzhu” style. Consequently, this dissertation aims at discussing the literary value of Yu Xin’s “Nilianzhu”. The dissertation consists of 8 chapters. The first chapter introducesthe purpose of research, results of previous studies ,framework and method of this dissertation. The second chapter is divided into two parts. The first part aims at defining “Lianzhu” style and Yu Xin’s “Nilianzhu”. The second part is a brief introduction of 6 representative writers before Yu Xin. The third chapter introduces the biography of Yu Xin and investigates on the creation year of Yu Xin’s “Nilianzhu”. The fourth chapter is a version inquiry of Yu Xin’s “Nilianzhu”.