FU

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INTRODUCTION

Giving praise is almost as ancient as breathing itself. It has shown up in many different ways throughout the years. In ancient China, one such way emerged in the form of rhymed prose. It was called Fu. Let us examine this poetry form.

BETWEEN PROSE AND POETRY

Fu, translated as "rhapsody", is a form of Chinese rhymed prose. It came into being around the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, was the dominant literary form in China during the Han dynasty, and continued to be regularly used into the Song dynasty. (2)

As experts at Wikipedia state, Fu are intermediary pieces between poetry and prose in which a place, object, feeling, or other subject is described and rhapsodized in exhaustive detail. They were mostly used as grand praises for the imperial courts, palaces, and cities. (2)

CHARACTERISTICS OF FU

Fu are known for alternating rhyme and prose, varying line lengths, close alliteration, onomatopoeia, loose parallelism, and extensive cataloging of their topics. They often contain rare and archaic Chinese words and characters. Also, they were recited or chanted, not sung. (2)

ORIGINS

The term "Fu" first appears in the Zhou dynasty, where it meant "to present", as in poetic recitations. It is one of the three literary devices traditionally assigned to the songs of the Classic of Poetry. In the 1st millennium BC, fu became the name of poetic expositions in which an author or composer created a comprehensive exposition and performed it as a rhapsody. It is often viewed as a descendant of the "Verses of Chu," and it achieved its greatest prominence during the early Han dynasty. (2)

During the Six Dynasties period (220–589), fu remained a major part of contemporary poetry, although shi poetry became more popular. The poems were shorter and less extravagant. It continued to be popular during the Liang dynasty but slowly began to merge with the popular five- and seven-syllable poetry forms in the Tang dynasty and was eventually eclipsed. (2)

In general, Fu went through quite a transformation during the Tang dynasty. A new form of fu called "regulated fu" took over. It had strict rules of form and expression, and required the use of consistent rhymes throughout each piece. (2)

Between 130 and 100 BC, Chin's territory greatly increased. That brought with it a great number of new foreign plants, animals, goods, and rarities. Poets wrote many fu poems regarding the new things, and a new form of Fu appeared called "fu on things". (2)

COLLECTIONS

The multitude of fu poems was collected into a wide variety of collections. The most famous among them are:

• First main category in Wen Xuan (Selections of Refined Literature)

• Selections

• Collection of Fu Through the Ages. (2)

CONCLUSION

Fu is a form of Chinese rhymed prose. The name translates as "rhapsody". It came into being around the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, was the dominant literary form in China during the Han dynasty, and continued to be regularly used into the Song dynasty. They are intermediary pieces between poetry and prose and contain alternating rhyme and prose, varying line lengths, close alliteration, onomatopoeia, loose parallelism, and extensive cataloging.

SOURCES

1. Image was created via canva.com

2. Wikipedia. Fu (poetry). Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_(poetry)