Research On The Expressions Of Tan Zhu In Ancient Chinese Xiao Shuo Theories

The expressions,such as helping chat cheerfully,contributing to talking and adding the handle,are all about the function of assisting in chatting,which is one of the most important functions of ancient Chinese Xiao Shuo.Those various expressions also make up the important part of criticism of Xiao Shuo.Taking the statement of YUAN Song in Hou Han Shu that CAI Yong usually reads Lun Heng in private for Tan Zhu as an example,this paper is going to name those expressions as Tan Zhu uniformly,which means assisting in chatting.Considering that there has not been a systematic research about it yet,the paper is also going to comb those expressions diachronically and analyze their theoretical connotation synchronicallyl,then explore the connection between those expressions and the style of Xiao Shuo so as to find out the unique value of the latter.The paper is divided into four chapters,besides the introduction and the conclusion.Chapter one explores the cultural environment of the expressions of Tan Zhu.From ancient times people have tended to chat with each other for fun.That chatting context not only gave birth to Chinese Xiao Shuo but also required them to have the function of assisting in chatting.On the one hand,the limited scope of chatting activities makes the expressions of Tan Zhu so subjective that critics usually talk about them based on their own cultural levels and friends circles.On the other hand,because the expressions of Tan Zhu mainly aim to match with readers’preference and use in order to promote the novels’ spreading range,they are also of advertising.Chapter two combs the accumulating process of the expressions of Tan Zhu.Tang Guo Shi Bu Xu written by LI Zhao is the earliest material about the expression of Tan Zhu.After that,many expressions of Tan Zhu sprang out during the Tang,Song,Yuan,Ming and Qing Dynasties,which even still existed in modern times.Generally,different times made those expressions different periodic characteristics.For example,the expressions were mainly as an extension of the historical notion in the Tang Dynasty,negative on the historical Xiao Shuo but positive on the ghost stories in the Song Dynasty,emphasizing the practicable and funny function in the Ming Dynasty,and epitomized in the Qing Dynasty.those make the expressions of Tan Zhu historical.Chapter three analyzes the theoretical connotation of the expressions of Tan Zhu.Although those expressions mainly talk about the function of assisting in chatting of Xiao Shuo,they are not limited to it yet.The function of assisting in chatting of Xiao Shuo is based on the things it narrated while the things are based on the features of fun,so the funny thing is the fundamental element of the expressions of Tan Zhu.Based on that,the expressions of Tan Zhu are referring to deeper meaning and feelings from the texts as well,so the theoretical connotation of Tan Zhu should also involve the reasonable things and emotional things.From that perspective,the expressions of Tan Zhu can be understood form things,fun,reason and emotion at least,which shows to be quite inclusive.The last chapter discusses the literary theoretical value of the expressions of Tan Zhu.From the perspective of the functions of Xiao Shuo,those expressions reveal a kind of social entertaining function of Xiao Shuo,providing a new way to treat the functions of Xiao Shuo historically and dynamically.And from the perspective of the style of Xiao Shuo,Tan is similar to even the same as Shuo,which all mean talking with each other,implying that ancient Chinese Xiao Shuo is mainly written for oral communication and people’s cognition on Xiao Shuo is tended to be aesthetic and not so serious.