Introduction to Kongque Dongnan Fei | Generated by AI
Question: Provide an introduction to “Kongque Dongnan Fei” (孔雀东南飞)
Answer:
孔雀东南飞 (The Peacock Flies Southeast) is one of the most famous long narrative poems in Chinese literary history. It is generally regarded as the pinnacle of Han dynasty yuefu poetry (乐府诗) and is often called the longest and most accomplished “ancient-style” narrative poem of the Han period.
Basic Information
- Chinese title: 孔雀东南飞 (Kǒngquè Dōngnán Fēi)
- Alternative titles:
- 古诗为焦仲卿妻作 (The Ancient Poem Written for Jiao Zhongqing’s Wife)
- 焦仲卿妻 (Lady of Jiao Zhongqing)
- Length: 约355–357 lines (depending on edition), roughly 1,700–1,800 Chinese characters
- Time of composition: Most scholars date it to the late Eastern Han dynasty (≈ 2nd century CE), though the text was probably polished and transmitted during the Six Dynasties period.
- First major appearance: Preserved in 《玉台新咏》 (New Songs from a Jade Terrace), compiled by Xu Ling around 545 CE during the Liang dynasty.
Main Story Summary
The poem tells a tragic love story between Jiao Zhongqing (焦仲卿), a minor official, and his wife Liu Lanzhi (刘兰芝).
- Liu Lanzhi is beautiful, talented, hardworking, and completely devoted to her husband.
- Jiao Zhongqing’s mother strongly disapproves of the daughter-in-law (for reasons including personality clash, lack of children, and family status issues).
- Under intense pressure from his mother, Jiao Zhongqing is forced to divorce Liu Lanzhi even though he deeply loves her.
- After returning to her natal home, Liu Lanzhi is pressured by her family to remarry (a powerful local official’s son).
- Rather than remarry or live without her husband, Liu Lanzhi commits suicide by drowning herself in a lake.
- When Jiao Zhongqing learns of her death, he hangs himself from a tree in the courtyard so they can be together in death.
- The poem ends with the famous romantic-tragic image:
两家求合葬，相去不盈尺。
东西植松柏，南北种梧桐。
枝枝相覆盖，叶叶相交通。
中有双飞鸟，自名为鸳鸯。
仰头相向鸣，夜夜达五更。
行人驻足听，寡妇起彷徨。
多谢后世人，慎勿忘斯篇！(The two families request to bury them together; the graves are less than a foot apart.
East and west they plant cypresses, north and south they plant plane trees.
Branches cover each other, leaves touch one another.
Among them a pair of birds fly, calling themselves mandarin ducks.
They face each other and sing, every night until the fifth watch…)
Literary Significance
- Considered China’s first long narrative poem with realistic characters and detailed psychological描写.
- One of the representative works of “汉乐府民歌” (Han folk yuefu songs).
- Together with 《木兰诗》 (Mulan), 《陌上桑》，and 《上邪》，it represents the highest achievement of Han narrative poetry.
- Frequently called “长篇叙事诗的双璧” (the twin jewels of long narrative poetry) together with 《木兰辞》.
- Deeply influenced later Chinese literature, especially Tang-Song chuanqi, Yuan zaju, Ming-Qing novels, and countless regional operas (most famously the Huangmei opera 《天仙配》 storyline draws from similar tragic love themes).
In short:
孔雀东南飞 is both a heartbreaking love tragedy and one of the greatest masterpieces of early Chinese narrative poetry — often summarized as “中国古代最长、最完整的爱情悲剧叙事诗”.
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