From Xing to Hen: The Lyrical Transformation in Wen Tingyun’s “Dreaming of the South”

EIR

Educational Innovation Research

3029-18443029-1852

Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.

10.26689/EIR.v4i7.16030

Article

From Xing to Hen: The Lyrical Transformation in Wen Tingyun’s “Dreaming of the South”https://artdesignp.com/journal/EIR/4/7/10.26689/EIR.v4i7.16030WuQincheng

2026

2026-07-26

Through a close reading of Wen Tingyun’s “Dreaming of the South,” this paper traces the late Tang shift in the lyrical paradigm of ci from xing (evocation) to hen (regret). The negative words buzhi (“does not know”) and kong (“in vain”) turn objects from arousers of feeling into indifferent “others,” dissolving the resonance (gantong) on which xing rested. This reflects the late Tang decline of belief in the resonance between Heaven and humanity (tianren ganying). In ci, hen thus becomes a structural lyrical category.xing,hen,estrangement of self and things,Wen Tingyun

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