ABSTRACT

The Book of Odes (Shijing or Shi) is a collection of 305 poems, presumably compiled over a period spanning from the early Zhou dynasty (1100 b.c.e.) to the Spring and Autumn period (722 b.c.e.-481 b.c.e.). Considered to be both poetry and scripture, the Shijing is not only the fountain of Chinese literature but also one of the five most sacred Confucian classics.