Wu Ge Xiqu (English: Wú gē Xī qǔ)

Japanese: 呉歌西曲 - ごかせいきょく（英語表記）Wú gē Xī qǔ

Popular songs in the Yangtze River basin during the Six Dynasties period in China. Most of them belong to the Qing Shang Quci in the Yuefu Poetry Collection, and have a basic form of five characters and four lines. Wu Ge developed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, centered around Jiankang (Jianye), from the Three Kingdoms period to the Western Jin Dynasty, and then Xi Ge became popular a little later from Xiangyang to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, spreading to the entire society of Jiangnan, including the intellectual class. Most of the themes are love songs, but emotions are conveyed in witty expressions such as dialogue between men and women and the use of double-language (dialogue), and strong-willed young women are often sung, such as in Zi Ye Ge.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国，六朝時代に長江(揚子江)流域で流行した歌謡。《楽府（がふ）詩集》の清商曲辞に属するものが大多数で，五言四句を基本形式とする。三国から西晋時代にまず建康(建業)を中心とする長江下流域で呉歌が発達し，少しおくれて襄陽から長江中流域のあたりで西曲が流行して，知識人層をふくめた江南の社会全体にひろがった。その主題はほとんどが恋歌であるが，男女のかけ合いや双関語(かけことば)の使用など，機知的な表現の中に感情が託され，〈子夜歌〉など勝気な若い女性がうたわれることが多い。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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