Sanwen essay writing
2 min readConfucius believed that the classical literary form known as sanwen, or essay writing, wasmost appropriate for communicating ethics and ideology. Throughout the history of Chinese sanwen essay writing, authors have continuously developed their writing techniques and styles of discourse in order to better articulate such matters.
Although the language of pre-Qin(prior to 221-207 BC) sanwen essays is somewhat difficult formodern readers to understand, the ideas that these essays express are quite profound. It is important for modern writers to study this style, just as it is for modern Western philosophers to study Latin. By the beginning of the Han Dynasty(202 BC-220 AD), sanwen essay writing had become increasingly formal. This trend became even more pronounced during the Southern Dynasties period(420-589AD). Sanwen essays employed numerous literary embellishments extensive quotations, and vague generalities in the pursuit of form, becoming increasingly irrelevant to real life. At the same time, their composition adhered to an extremely rigid format. Because of this excessive emphasis on form, sanwen essays became increasingly devoid of content and lacking in vitality. Around the middle of the Tang Dynasty(618-907AD),a movement arose to reform sanwen essay writing. Writers working in the genre rejected the restrictions of the traditional form while retaining the best aspects of classical sanwen essay writing, creating a style suitable for reflecting real life. The sanwen essay reform movement of the Tang-Song period(618-1276 AD) produced eight representative authors. Among them Han Yu(768-824 AD) and Ouyang Xiu(1007-1072 AD) were the most prominent. Han Yu’s writing made extensive use of the vernacular language of the people, closely expressing real life concerns. He articulated his propositions clearly, provided extensive supporting arguments, and used eminently logical reasoning, making his writing extremely persuasive.
Although contemporary Chinese essay writers no longer exclusively use classical literary forms and language,a great deal of the vocabulary and technique of classical sanwen essay writing has been preserved. The works of modern essay writers such as Zhu Ziqing (1898-1948AD), Guo Moruo(1892-1978AD), and Mao Dun(1896-1981 AD) still offer the opportunity to experience the exquisite aesthetics of this elegant literary form.
