Li Bai & Du Fu (Traditional)

"不学诗, 无以言: If you do not study poetry, you will have no words."
—Confucius

Returning to a Chinese tradition that locates poetry at the heart of education, Li Bai & Du Fu: An Advanced Reader of Chinese Language and Literature offers an innovative approach to studying the writings of China’s most revered classical poets.

In this volume, Tang poetry expert Zu-yan Chen has artfully compiled and annotated twenty-six poems of Li and Du in their original, classical Chinese. Organized by poet and by themes such as “Moon Poetry,” “Wine Drinking Poetry,” and “War Poetry,” each poem is accompanied by a short essay of analysis and appreciation in contemporary Chinese, which discusses the poem’s linguistic, historical, literary, and philosophical aspects. Together these poems and essays encourage students to assimilate the subtleties of both contemporary and classical Chinese language. Audio recordings of the poems in this volume are available for sale in audio CD format and as downloadable files.

Combined with biographical and historical background in both Chinese and English, exercises in translation and comprehension, and indexed vocabulary, Li Bai & Du Fu will be a welcome and enduring addition to any advanced Chinese literature or language classroom.

A simplified character edition is also available.