The esteemed poet-scholar Zhan Antai held a distinguished position among the Four Greatest Ci Poets of the Republic of China, alongside literary luminaries such as Xia Chengtao, Tang Guizhang, and Long Yusheng. Recognized as the “Ci Master of the South”, Zhan Antai made indelible contributions to the genre of Chinese lyrical verse known as Ci. His Ci poems bore the imprint of influence of Jiang Kui and Zhang Yan of the Southern Song Dynasty. He also walked in the literary footsteps of Chen Lanfu and Chen Xun and became a representative luminary of the Lingnan School. In his dedicated pursuit of Ci studies, Zhan Antai inherited the profound legacy of the Tongcheng School and developed a unique approach to the exploration of history, rhetoric, phonetics, and principles of Ci poetry. 

This hand-picked collection of Zhan’s most celebrated writings is organized around three themes: essays on Shi, essays on Ci, and poetry research. Guided by Zhan’s masterful analysis of phonetics, rhythm, tune, structures, meanings, emotions, and rhetoric, readers will be able to gain insight into the intricacies of Ci.