Ancient ballads and myths and legends are recorded in ancient books. It is said that it is a "wax word" that appeared in the Shennong era: "Earth, against its home! Water belongs to its valley! Insect, don't do it Herbs, return to it! " This is a farming sacrifice song. As for Song of Breaking the Earth, Song of Resistance to Deflection, Song of Qingyun, Song of Yaojie, Song of Liao and Song of Nanfeng, etc. It is said that it was in the Yao and Shun period, and its ideological content and words were obviously false promises of later generations. But there are some simple rhymes, which may be the legacy of the original song. For example, "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" Volume 9 "Playing Songs" said: "Break bamboo, continue bamboo, fly soil, kill one by one. The word "ancient meat" reflects the process of primitive people making slingshots and hunting. The language is simple but rhythmic. Obviously, this is a very old ballad. "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" The song "Waiting for People" sung by Tu Shanshi's daughter in the era, although only one sentence, is a more credible legacy of summer poetry that we see today. Belonging to ancient myths and legends, it reflects the ancestors' understanding of nature and society when the productivity level is very low. Most of the later written records were fragmented, and some were transformed by later generations, so the original form of China myth was not well preserved.
After the writing came into being, China literature broke away from the legendary period. The appearance of characters is one of the symbols of social civilization. The origin of Chinese characters has always been inferred, and it is still an unsolved problem. With the continuous excavation of Oracle Bone Inscriptions and bronzes in the Yin and Shang Dynasties, there are reliable materials to explore ancient literature, which provides conditions for the development of literature and marks the germination of written literature in China. From the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period, some long inscriptions on Zhong Ding appeared, which indicated that there were literary texts. Since then, various literary forms have developed in different ways in the process of continuous maturity of language and writing.
Poetry is one of the oldest literary forms. China's original poems are combined with music and dance, which is clearly recorded in China's ancient books. "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals and Ancient Music" says: "In the past, the three of them sang eight songs: one was to carry the people, the other was to sow birds, the third was to plant trees, the fourth was to work for food, the fifth was to respect heaven, the sixth was to achieve great things, the seventh was to rely on heaven, and the eighth was the extreme of all things." "Ge Shitian" should be a tribal chief in the legendary period. This is probably the oldest set of music known now. There are songs and dances, the lyrics are beyond reproach, and the dance is extremely simple. Shangshu Yiji records the music "Less" in the Shundi era: "Kui said: Suddenly hit the ball, hit the piano, and sing. Zu Kao Lai Ge, Yu Bin in office, Hou Qun, De Jean. Put down the drum, you can stop, the cymbals are swaying, and the birds and animals are staggering. " Xiao Shao is 90%, and the phoenix comes to the instrument. Hey: Yu! It is necessary to hit the stone and hit the stone, and all the animals will dance together, and the rhyme will be harmonious. " Twenty-nine Years of Zuo Zhuan's "xianggong" recorded Ji Zha's evaluation of its content and significance, and thought that this song was "virtuous and great!" If there is nothing in the sky, there is nothing on the earth. Although it is very virtuous, its contempt is added to it, and the view is over! If there is nothing in the sky, there is nothing on the earth. Although it is very virtuous, its contempt is added to this, and the point of view has passed. According to the Analects of Confucius' Eight-legged essay, Confucius once praised: "Shao is both beautiful and good." Kong is dismissive: "If you have fun, you will have fun, and there will be singing and dancing. Songs sing their words, while sounds spread them, dances move their faces, and songs follow. "This paper specifically discusses the grand occasion of the integration of poetry, music and dance in Less." Song, chanting its voice; Dance, move your face. "The close combination of poetry, music and dance is an important feature of China's poetry.
The combination of poetry, music and dance has existed for a long time after the development of writing, and has been widely used in literature records. For example, the works in The Book of Songs are all music songs, among which ode poems are sacrificial songs and dance music. After the Spring and Autumn Period, poetry gradually separated from music and dance and developed in the direction of literary significance and rhythm.