Chuci (lyrics of Chu) is a type of poetry that flourished in the Chu region during the
Warring States period (403–227 b.C.e.). The poems were collected in the anthology
Chuci zhang ju (Commentary Edition of Chuci), edited by Wang Yi (fl. 114–119) of the
Han dynasty. It contains nearly sixty poems, which can be divided into two groups.
The first group is composed of the earlier poems, written and compiled, according
to Wang Yi and other Chinese scholars, by Qu Yuan (340?–278 b.C.e.), a statesman
and nobleman of the Chu state (it should be noted that there is a great deal of
controversy regarding the authorship of these works). The second group consists
of poems written by later poets (including Wang Yi himself ) in imitation of the
earlier works. The most significant poem in this anthology is “Lisao” (On Encoun-
tering Trouble), presumably composed by Qu Yuan. It represents the crowning
achievement of the genre. Sao, the second character of its title, is often used to
refer to the entire Chuci repertoire and any work written in the Chuci style.
As a product of the Chu culture in the south, Chuci poems demonstrate con-
siderable differences from those in the Shijing (The Book of Poetry), in both content
and form. In content, the influence of shamanism is most remarkable, as many of
the early poems in this genre, especially the “Jiuge” (Nine Songs), apparently por-
tray its rituals and performances. This is even evident in many passages of “On En-
countering Trouble,” a long narrative poem with a discernible and unprecedented
autobiographical framework and voice. In form, Chuci poems adopt a format that
is marked by longer lines than those in the Shijing. The following sample is from
“On Encountering Trouble”:❀ 2 ❀
Sao Poetry
The Lyrics of Chu (Chuci)
ancestor Gao Yang of offspring descendant xi 帝高陽之苗裔兮 (dì gāo yáng zhī miáo yì xi)
my honored father called Bo Yong 朕皇考曰伯庸 (zhèn huáng kăo yuē bó yōng)
she ti point to beginning first month xi 攝提貞于孟陬兮 (shè tí zhēn yú mèng zōu xi)
on geng yin I hence descend 惟庚寅吾以降 (wéi gēng yín wú yĭ jiàng)
The length of these four lines alternates between six and seven characters. This
is the dominant pattern in “On Encountering Trouble,” although there are quite a
few exceptions. In other poems, however, the lines can be either shorter or longer.
Another prominent formal feature in the Chuci is the use of the refrain word xi.
Although this usage also occurs in the Shijing and other earlier texts, it was rather
sporadic. In the Chuci, it became a constant, although its positions in the poems
belonging to this genre also varies. In “On Encountering Trouble,” as evident in