Humor in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons

Liu Xie (劉勰, courtesy name Yan-he 彥和; ca. 465-520), in his work of literary criticism, (Wen Xin Diao Long 文心雕龍, the first comprehensive aesthetic work of literary theory and criticism in Chinese history, divided into 50 chapters; better known among western sinologists as The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons) deals with humor, or more precisely, the function of humor. In The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, the canonical work of Chinese literary criticism in verse, humor (諧 xie2) is placed side by side with innuendo (讔 yin3) under discussion (Yes. The close relation between humor and innuendo is suggested in Tractatus Coislinianus, and noted by Lane Cooper and Figueroa-Dorrego & Larkin-Galiñanes. See the first quote of Tractatus Coislinianus posted under “Tractatus Coislinianus, the fragmented threatise”).*

Xie and yin, according to Liu Xie, share a mutual origin and a common goal. Both result from corollary rhetorical development in feudal times; both attempt to sway oligarchic authorities in order to curb iniquity or serve the public. Part of a poem is quoted in “Xieyin(諧讔),”Chapter 15 of The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, to elaborate on their origin:

“When a monarch begins to distance himself,
    In body and mind, in thoughts and otherwise,
    From his people, whom he calls commoners,
    He, in due course, drives them into madness.”

—The Book of Odes, Greater Odes of the Kingdom, Sang Rou*

This is the political climate in which people seek a means to voice their pain or to word their contempt, and yet at the same time the means has to allow them enough subtlety that exonerates them from any blame or charge. In other words, this political climate gives birth to xie and yin. They are both derivative rhetorical skills from the feudal times when people seek to secure their rights along with their lives. Hence and henceforth, “words wrought in xie and phrases framed in yin remain in use” (諧辭讔言,亦無棄矣.).

(to be continued)

*In the English translation by Yang Guobin (楊國斌), the chapter on humor and innuendo (諧讔; Chapter 15) is entitled “Jesting Rhymes and Puzzles” (which is at first very puzzling), while Vincent Yu-chung Shih (or Shi Youzhong 施友忠), in his translation, renders the chapter title into “Humor and Enigma.” On the translation of xie (諧), I agree with Shih; yet for yin (讔), I think “innuendo” serves as a better equivalent in the English language. The character yin, which etymologically means “hidden words” or a message “hidden in words”, usually refers to the planting of a veiled meaning between the lines, and, with its metaphorical use of a word, phrase, or allusion to a story, it aims to achieve certain admonition or awakening through insinuation. In terms of its resort to insinuation and the fact that yin is a term which defines a rhetorical skill, I suggest yin be translated into English as innuendo, which is a familiar rhetorical term with a similar definition to yin’s.

*The original line is : “自有肺腸,俾民卒狂 (from 詩經 大雅, 桑柔; the English translation is mine.).” It is part of a poem by Rui Liang-Fu (芮良夫), a royal subject in the Zhou Dynasty. In the fully annotated edition published by 三民書局 (ed. 羅立乾. ISBN: 957-14-3045-5), it is recorded on Page 143. I recommend this edition (and I think my supervisor at Leiden University would do the same), if you are ever interested in the original text of Liu Xie’s work.