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Being Mild and Gentle, Sincere and Broadminded 131

an expression of a very unfree emotion. Its expressions are different from the first
three: they are in a state of hatred, and the emotions are vented in the throat and
then swallowed back into the stomach. Therefore, the syllables are very short and
intermittent. It would be wrong to write such emotions in the medium of a long
ballad.” (Liang, 2018, p. 94) Liang Qichao pointed out with great insight that this
method of expressing emotions in The Book of Songs reflects the aesthetic psy-
chology of our nation, and that this method of expression, which is subtle and
implicit, with tricolons, is unique to our nation. The term “being mild and gentle,
sincere and broadminded” is a perfect summary of this cultural mentality, for
which he asserted:

Our poetry teaching is originally based on being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded,
which fully expresses the identity of the Han/Huaxia people (诸夏民族). The Book of Songs is
the only model. The Songs of Chu (《楚辞》) were the work of a newly included ethnic group
in the south. They had assimilated into the people of the Central Plains and used the cultural
tools of the Xia (夏) to write about their emotions, incorporating the semi-mystical color of
their inherent thought, thus adding a new realm to our literature (Liang, 2018, pp. 131–132).

Liang Qichao used the term “being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded” to
summarize Chinese poetry teaching. This concept was actually given the conno-
tation of Chinese poetic culture and psychology by later generations. The ex-
pressions commonly used in poetic discourse, such as enjoyment without
indulgence, grief without excessive distress, gentle but beautiful, the sad and
profound mood, and subtle and implicit, are all related to the concept of being mild
and gentle, sincere and broadminded. Liang Qichao emphasized that the concept
of being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded in poetry teaching expresses
the characteristics of the Chinese people, a highly astute observation.
This statement is also shared by contemporary scholars. In The Course of
),
Beauty (《美的历程》 Li Zehou (李泽厚 1930–2021) cited the famous lines of the
Ballads from the State Bei “Depression,” (《诗经 · 邶风 · 柏舟》) the Ballads from
)
the State Wang “The Ruined Capital,” (《诗经 · 王风 · 黍离》the Ballads from the
)
State Wang “The Reed,” (《诗经 · 秦风 · 蒹葭》and Minor Odes of the Kingdom
)
“Home-coming After War” (《诗经 · 小雅 · 采薇》and stated that:
It is difficult to know what were the specific events or contents that these poems chanted,
sighed, and mourned about, but aren’t we still moved today by the sincere emotions of joy or
sorrow they convey, the vivid and realistic artistic images they create, the linguistic form of
singing sighs repeatedly and the depths of their delicate and lingering charm? They are
different from the long narrative epics of other ancient peoples, since from the outset they
inspire people with this short but deep lyrical art of practical reason. They embody the
national characteristics of Chinese aesthetics in terms of specific works of art (Li, 2009, p. 58).