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Civil servants during China’s Tang and Song dynasties were more than just the educated administrators of government bureaucracy; they were expert poets and Confucian philosophers who produced works of literature that have endured for centuries.

But until now, scholars and translators haven’t explored the deep connections between these literary works and the philosophy that shaped it. Enter ����AV��Ƶ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Asian and Asian American Studies Zu-yan Chen, whose latest book presents — for the first time — Confucian literature as a multidisciplinary genre.

is Chen’s eighth book. In it, he presents 28 literary works — 12 poems and 16 prose pieces — by 21 authors from the Tang and Song Dynasties, which span the years 618 to 1279. The annotated, English translations are arranged side-by-side with the original texts and strive to remain as faithful as possible to the source material’s meaning. Meanwhile, the accompanying commentary investigates the places where literature intersects Confucian philosophy and exemplifies Confucian values.

“Translation always has two sides: understanding the original work and being able to express it in the target language,” Chen said. “It’s more than knowing the two languages well; you also should be a scholar and research the original work and what it’s trying to convey on a deeper level.”

The works he selected — some translated for the first time into English — are considered masterpieces of Chinese literature. But they’re more than just beautiful pieces of writing; they also explore Confucian ideas, which structured their authors’ lives and thought.

An ethical philosopher, Confucius lived in the sixth century BCE. His philosophy is centered on approximately a dozen core values, including benevolence; filial piety, in which children and parents are called to love one another; and the importance of learning.

“It’s quite different from Western philosophy, which emphasizes logical thinking. He mainly taught how to be a good person and to contribute to family and society,” Chen explained.

Confucianism was the dominant ideology in China for over 2,000 years, starting in the second century before the common era. The sixth and seventh centuries saw the maturation of China’s civil service examination system, which tested scholars’ knowledge of classical Confucian texts, he explained. Poetry writing was another important exam subject.

“They needed to practice writing from a very young age. They were both Confucian scholars and, by default, good poets,” Chen said.

The challenges of literature in translation

The Tang and Song dynasties are two important periods in Chinese cultural history. The Tang period in particular is considered the golden age of Chinese poetry. The Song dynasty saw the rise of what is now called Neo-Confucianism, and further developments in poetry, painting and calligraphy.

Poetry, at its heart, expresses complex ideas and feelings through the intricate and precise use of language. Classical Chinese poems are often short, comprised of four or eight lines, with five or seven Chinese characters per line. In their native language, they rhyme and also exhibit tone patterns not present in English.

Translating them into a different language involves making choices. Preserving the rhyme — as many Chinese translators into English have done in the past — often sacrifices the impact of the poem’s imagery and metaphor, while imparting a “nursery rhyme” feel not present in the original. Because of this, Chen doesn’t attempt to preserve the rhyme in his translated versions.

“In translation, you have to focus on what’s important — the content, the ideas, the metaphors. You cannot just focus on one of the stylistic features,” Chen explained.

You also need to situate a piece of literature in its historical context, which is often critical to its meaning. Consider, for example, the famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, who lived during a period of civil war known as the An Lushan Rebellion.

“He wrote, for example, a poem about a spring scene but he actually wanted to relay his ideas and his feelings about the war,” Chen said. “If you don’t know when he wrote this particular poem, how can you understand and translate it?”