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Chapter5ImageofChinesePoetryLetsbeginwiththetopicbyreadingthefollowingancientChinesepoems:乌衣巷刘禹锡朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜。旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家。EnglishVersionBytheBridgeofRedrankgrassesovergrow;O’ertheStreetofMansionsthestettingsunhangslow;SwallowswhichskimmedbypaintedeavesinbygonedaysArenowdippingamongcommonpeople’sdoorways.金陵图韦庄江雨霏霏江草齐，六朝如梦鸟空啼。无情最是台城柳，依旧烟笼十里堤。EnglishVersionThoughashowerbendstheriver-grass,abirdissinging.WhileghostsoftheSixDynastiespasslikeadreamAroundtheforbiddenCity,underweepingwillowWhichloomstillforthreemilesalongthemistymoat.天净沙·秋思（元）马致远枯藤老树昏鸦。小桥流水人家。古道西风瘦马。夕阳西下。断肠人在天涯。EnglishVersionWitheredvines,agedtrees,twilightcrows.Beneaththelittlebridgebythecottagetheriverflows.Ontheancientroadandleanhorsethewestwindblows.Theeveningsunwestwardgoes,Asabroken-heartedmanstandsatheaven’sclose.AnalysisThesepoemsarewell-knownfortheiruseofimages.Inthefirstone,thepoetemploystheimages,“grasses”,“settingsun”,and“swallows”,therankgrassesdecoratedtheBridgeofRedwithatintofdesolation,andthe“settingsun”coveredtheforsakenStreetofMansionswithafilmofforlornness，specially,the“skimmingswallows”revealsthevicissitudesofhumanaffairs.Theimagesareresponsibleforthegreatsuccessofthispoem.Whatisyixiang(意象)?Yixiang(意象)inChineseisactuallyacompoundword,consistingoftwoseparatewordsyi(意)andxiang(象),thetwoofwhichhavetheirownmeanings.Let’sbeginwithseveraltalksbyourancestorsconcernedwith“yixiang”:1.“Thesagesestablishedtheimagestogivethefullnessoftheconceptsintheirmind”.圣人立象以尽意2.”theuniquelydiscerningcarpenterwieldhisaxwithhiseyetotheconcept-image.”独照之匠，窥意象而运斤，3.“Astheconcept-imageisabouttoemerge,Theprocessofcreationisalreadywondrous”意象欲出，造化已奇，Inthefirstexpression,imageis“象”andconceptis“意”.“意”and“象”areseparated.Here,“意”referstoone’smentalactionorconcept,viz.one’saestheticexperienceorpersonality,etc.;while“象”suggestsexternalbeingorbeingsthatmaycomeintoone’smentalityandbecomethetargetofmentalactions.Inthesecondexpression,apparently,”意象”referstothe“physicalshape”inone’smind,outofwhichthecarpentercanmakeanimplement.Thethird“意象”issomethingexistinginthemind,shapelessandfluid.Thelasttwotermsareactualthe”象“inthemaker’smind,whichhasn’tfounditswayintotheworks.CommentAnyway,fromalltheseexpressions,wecanfindthatitisinappropriatetotranslate“意象”intoasinglewordimage,becausecertainconnotationsgetlostinsuchasimpleword;yetitisnotsoconsideratetoput“象”intoimage,foritmaycauseconfusion.Thewordobjectmaymakeabettertranslationof“象”,butitistoonarrowinitsreferent.ProfessorRichardspreferablychosetheconnotativewordvehicle.Vehiclemeanssomethingbymeansofwhichsomethingelsecanbepassedinorspreadorameansoftransmissionandcommunication.Asfor“意”,heusedthewordtenor.Thepurposeofpoetrycreationistoexpresswhatisinpoets’mind;therefore,thevehiclebywhichtheypourouttheirfeelingscanbeconcretethingsorsomethingabstractsuchasamemory,anallegory,orafantasy.Here,thoseconcretethingsofvehiclearenamedphysicalobjectsandthoseancientanecdotessuchasallegoriesandfantasies,etc.,realorimaginary,allusions.PhysicalObjectPhysicalobjectsareoftenemployedtoconveypoets’feelings,foritisrequiredthatpoeticlanguagebeconcreteratherthanabstract.Theyarenaturalvehiclesthatbridgepoets’feelingsandpoetry.ExampleThewordcloudineverydayuserefersto“visiblewatervaporfloatingintheair”.Whenitcomesintopoets’mind,itwillhaveanewmeaning,viz.,adifferenttenor,whichcanconveypoet’sfeelings.TakeTaoYuanming’spoemThePendingCloudsforexample.Whencloudisusedtogetherwithpending,itgainsanewtenor,longingforone’sfamilyorbosomfriends.Note:ThePendingClouds《停云》.AllusionsTodemonstratetheirfeelings,poetscanchooseallusionsratherthanonlyresorttophysicalobjects.ExampleTakeMengJiao’sLeaveMeNotforinstance.Thewifefearsherhusband’sshiftofhislove.Insteadofstraightforwardadviceorawarning“don’taccostanotherwoman”,shecleverlychoosesanexpression“莫向临邛去”.“临邛”isanallusionbodyingforththeloveaffairbetweenSimaXiangruandZhuoWenjunintheHanDynasty.Hereitisloanedtoalludetothehusband’sfindinganewlover.ConclusionWhatisimage?Imagereferstoobjectivevehiclepermeatedwiththepoets’subjectivetenororthepoet’ssubjectivetenorpresentedbymeansofobjectivevehicle.Insum,itiscombinationofvehicleandtenor.What’stheFunctionofImageAftermakingclearthemeaningofimage,let’scometodiscussthefunctionofimage.II.TheFuzzificationofImageFromtheabove,wecanfindthatimageconsistsofvehicleandtenor,andwhenpoetsentrusttheirtenors,orsay,theirintentionstovehicles,imagetakesthedutyasamediumtowhichpoetscannaturallyresorttoexpresstheirfeelingsinaroundaboutway.Inaddition,owingtothefactthatonevehicleusuallyhasmorethanonetenor,oneimageallowsofmultipleinterpretations.Thiseffectisachievedwhenphysicalobjectscombinetheirtenorstoformimagesbymeansofcomparisonandstirring,orwhenallusionsareinuse.Therefore,imageplaysanimportantroleincreatingfuzzybeautyofclassicalChinesepoetry.Apartfromthat,whenimagesaremodifiedbyapproximatenumbersorreduplicatedwords,poetryalsogainsatouchoffuzzybeauty.Thesameiswithimagesdeprivedofperson,timeandplace.(I)PoeticfuzzybeautyincombinationofvehicleandtenorComparisonisusedtonegotiatethedifferentobjectswiththesa