ABSTRACT
Prose is structured using self-contained sentences; it seeks no parallel forms, and eschews rhyme. In fact, it is close to natural speech. However, because speech changes relatively quickly, speech which is written down tends to become conservative and standardized compared to the spoken word. The contents of Chinese prose are variegated, so much so that it is often difficult to draw a line of demarcation between what is a work of literature and what is not. Each prose writer of ancient China had his own style, and it is difficult to lump them all together under any single criterion. Basically, each type of prose has its own prose style. The study of Chinese literature necessarily entails the study of all of its prose writings; to simply focus on poetry, drama and the novel would mean failure to unfold the whole picture of Chinese literature.
