韵 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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yùn 韵

Rhyme / Charm

主要含义有二:其一,作为文体形式的组成要素,指清雅、和谐、动听的声音之美。“韵”最先指构成汉语字音的要素之一。诗、词、曲等文体讲究押韵,被称为韵文。韵文讲求韵的位置安排和合理组合,节奏参差而和谐,能充分体现汉语的韵律美。其二,作为文艺范畴,主要指文艺作品中飘逸流动的精神气质和清远淡雅的意味。常组合成“气韵”“风韵”“神韵”等词语,广泛运用于画论、书论、乐论中。“韵”与“气”皆可指能意会不能言传的艺术感受,但是“韵”更侧重于温柔含蓄及清雅灵动。

This term has two meanings. Firstly, as a stylistic term in writing, it represents a combination of elegant, concordant, and melodious sounds. Rhyme originally was one of the factors contributing to the correct pronunciation of Chinese characters. Rhyme is important for poetry, including ci poetry, and ballad verses. In such writings, attention is placed on where rhyming should take place in a poetic line, whether rhymes actually match well, and rhythms’ harmonious variations, thus showing the rhythmical beauty of the Chinese language. Secondly, as a literary term, it means charm, suggesting natural fluidity and elegant simplicity. It is often used together with other Chinese characters to mean vivid charm, graceful appeal, or creative verve. Nuanced beauty is widely used in commentaries on painting, calligraphy and musical composition. Charm and vividness both refer to an indescribable appeal a piece of artistic writing emanates, but the former is more about aspects such as tenderness, implications, elegance and natural flow of such a work.

引例 Citations:

◎六法者何?一气韵生动是也,二骨法用笔是也,三应物象形是也,四随类赋彩是也,五经营位置是也,六传移模写是也。(谢赫《古画品录》)

(绘画的六个法则是什么呢?其一是作品要充满生气,富有神韵;其二是运笔能自如呈现各种线条变化;其三是造型要顺应对象外形特征;其四是要根据对象特征进行着色;其五是构图要合理搭配,呈现整体效果;其六是要临摹佳作以传承前人画技。)

There are six rules for painting. A painting should be full of vitality and artistic appeal; the painting brush should be used in such a way as to make variations in lines natural; the image painted should suit the appearance of the painted object; coloring should suit the features of the object portrayed; the painting should be well structured to present an overall visual effect; and masterpieces of past painters should be copied to draw inspiration from them. (Xie He: An Appraisal of Ancient Paintings)

◎乍读渊明诗,颇似枯淡,久久有味。东坡晚年酷好之,谓李杜不及也。此无他,韵胜而已。(陈善《扪虱新话》上集卷一)

(初读陶渊明的诗,好像很枯燥平淡,读久了就有味道了。苏轼晚年最喜爱陶诗,认为李白、杜甫的诗都比不上。这没有其他原因,就是在“韵”方面胜出罢了。)

I found Tao Yuanming’s poems boring when I first read them. Only after a more thorough reading did I recognize their charm. In his old age, Su Shi loved Tao’s poems most, believing that even Li Bai or Du Fu was no match for him. What attracted him was the distinctive appeal of charm in Tao’s poems. (Chen Shan: Daring Remarks on Literature)

◎读古人诗,须观其气韵。气者,气味也;韵者,态度风致也。如对名花,其可爱处,必在形色之外。(方东树《昭昧詹言》卷一)

(读古人的诗,应该观察其气韵。气,就是气味;韵,就是态度风致。如同欣赏名花,名花可爱的地方,一定在形状颜色之外。)

When reading ancient people’s poems, one needs to watch for their spirit and charm. Spirit means a poet’s charisma, whereas charm reflects his style and grace. It is like admiring a fine flower, when one comes to learn that its loveliness lies beyond mere color or form. (Fang Dongshu: Rambling Remarks on the Merits and Demerits of Classical Poetry)

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