Knowra Han Yu Han Yu Han Yu (768–824) was a Tang dynasty writer and official whose prose, poetry, and advocacy of Confucian learning helped shape later Chinese literary and intellectual traditions.
Classical Chinese prose : Literary Chinese prose modeled on the language and styles of ancient Chinese texts. Han Yu made ancient prose models the basis of his campaign against ornate parallel writing.
Ancient-style prose movement : A literary movement that revived prose models and rhetorical principles associated with ancient Chinese texts. Han Yu became its leading advocate, opposing formulaic parallel prose.
Liu Zongyuan : A Tang dynasty writer and official known for literary prose, poetry, and political exile. He shared Han Yu’s ancient-prose reform while developing a distinct literary voice.
On the Way : A short essay by Han Yu arguing that Confucian teaching preserves the proper moral and intellectual way. It states his claim that Confucian learning carries a continuous moral inheritance.
Song dynasty : A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 960 to 1279 and fostered major developments in scholarship and the arts. Song writers revived Han Yu’s prose ideals and strengthened his place in literary history.
Confucianism : A Chinese ethical and philosophical tradition centered on moral cultivation, social roles, and exemplary conduct. His writing presented Confucian teaching as the rightful foundation of public life.
Parallel prose : A formal Chinese prose style built around balanced clauses, parallel syntax, and patterned diction. Its elaborate conventions were the immediate target of Han Yu’s prose reform.
Ouyang Xiu : A Song dynasty statesman, historian, and writer who helped establish classical prose as a literary ideal. He later elevated Han Yu as a model for literary renewal.
Teachers’ Discourse : An essay by Han Yu defending the practice of learning from teachers, regardless of age or status. It applies his reforming prose to the social value of instruction.
Neo-Confucianism : A revival and reconstruction of Confucian thought that developed during the Song dynasty and later periods. Han Yu’s defense of Confucian moral transmission anticipated concerns central to later Confucian revival.
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