The Sound and Sense of Chinese Poetry

In Chinese poetry, the primacy of sound has long been overlooked. A demonstration of the pivotal roles of sound in various major genres is the primary goal of this special issue. By employing approaches of literary interpretation, statistical analysis, practical criticism, and theoretical inquiry, this collection of ten articles authored by American and Chinese literary scholars and linguists has explored the aural dimensions of Chinese poetry, shown that sound does not merely echo the sense in Chinese poetry, and shed new light on the interplay of sound and sense in one or more particular genres across time. The goal of this issue is to draw more scholarly attention to the primacy of sound in Chinese poetry and contribute to the broader discourse on the sound of poetry/the poetry of sound initiated by scholars of Western poetry.