KJCKorea
Journal Central

Ruan Ji’s Yong Huai Poetry uses metaphorical and symbolic ways to express one’s complaint and anger or to indirectly satirize the irrationality of the society. As most of the critics say, if the true meanings are hard to decipher due to its metaphorical and symbolic nature, the best solution to this problem would be to study and research the image that consistently appear in the satirizeing both comparision policy which pursue the beauty of metaphors. Through an ideal study of the body, it is clear that the means of description of satirizeing both comparision in Yong Huai Poetry follows the traditional ways of <Chu Ci>’s “the art annexing satirizeing both comparision”. Ruan ji used reality, history, and myths which transcend time and space to metaphorically compare the people living in their cruel reality. The people that he compared to included himself as well as people like petty people who flatter themselves and wise-man/hermit who did not meet his time. Furthermore, the images that appeared the most in Yong Huai Poetry were plants and flying birds. The plants very effectively described the satire of the society, the disappointment of the times spent in vain, lamentation of life and death and Ruan ji’s philosophy and his way of life that could not be described with word. The image of the flying birds described Ruan ji’s lonely and insecure circumstances and his noble ego.

Ruan Ji, Yong Huai Poetry, metaphor, image features, <Chu Ci>