Master of Arts

This thesis is a study of the rhetorical features of Du Fu's poems. It aim to suggest a practical guidance to the appreciation of Du Fu's poems in particular and classical Chinese poems in general. The thesis adopts the terminology of Chen Wangdao's masterpiece Xiucixue Fafan (An Introduction to Rhetoric). The poems under study are taken from the book Dushi Jing Quan ( A mirror to Du Fu's Poems). The poems are analysed in terms of rhetorical techniques.The thesis is divided into nine chapters :Chapter one is a brief introduction and general description of Du Fu's poems. It also outlines the methodology and significance of the study. Chapter Two comprises a brief account of Du Fu's career and analyses the relationship between the poet's great achievement and his life experience. In the Chapters Three through six, the features of Du Fu's poems are analysed with the rhetorical terms proposed by Chen Wangdao.Chapters Seven and Eight examine the rhetorical techniques used in Du Fu's poems. Through the analysis of the multi-aspect of the poems, the rhetorical artistry of Du Fu's poems is revealed. The conclusion summarizes the systematic construction and rhetorical skills demonstrated in Du Fu's poems. The ingenuity of the poet's application of rhetorical techniques is highlighted.