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A Study on the Creative Characteristics and Significance of Wen Tingyun’s Yuefu Poetry

  • The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
  • Abbr : JSLCKC
  • 2026, (81), pp.261~284
  • DOI : 10.16874/jslckc.2026..81.010
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : July 10, 2026
  • Accepted : August 20, 2026
  • Published : August 31, 2026

Jin-ah LEE 1

1이화여자대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study examines the musical specificity and creative background of Wen Tingyun’s yuefu poetry during the Late Tang period, exploring its value in literary history. While Wen Tingyun has held an unrivaled reputation as a ci lyricist, his yuefu poetry has been relatively marginalized in poetic history despite its extraordinary achievements. Accordingly, this paper focuses on Wen Tingyun’s musical expertise and creative background to elucidate the distinctive accomplishments of his yuefu poetry. Distinct from the prevailing trend of the contemporary yuefu, which gradually detached from music and became fixed as textual literature, Wen Tingyun fully practiced a creative approach known as yuefu yiqu—fitting lyrics to existing musical melodies. This method acquired a vivid sense of immediacy through close interaction with female entertainers and the flourishing banquet culture of Jiangnan during the Late Tang, thereby bringing about a close affinity between yuefu and ci. Furthermore, in terms of style and prosody, Wen Tingyun actively embraced the traditions of the Qi-Liang style from the Southern Dynasties. Eschewing social critique, he pursued a stylized aesthetic and a voluptuous tone. He also introduced sophisticated prosodic variations, such as sequentially placing three level-tone syllables at the end of a line, profoundly influencing the subsequent development of ci literature. In conclusion, Wen Tingyun’s yuefu poetry, while belonging to the broader category of verse, inherently embodies the creative principles of ci literature, offering significant value by demonstrating the historical transition of traditional yuefu poetry into ci.

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