Adopting allusion was an essential technique in classical Chinese poetry and still is a major form of expression in the modern jiu-shi--meaning old poetry--and poetry composed in Chinese characters and Chinese style by non-Chinese poets. There are, however, two interesting aspects of the use of allusion in Chinese poetry. One is that the definition of allusion has never been precise. Therefore the concept of allusion is a quite broad one in Chinese versification. The other point is that allusion might have been, paradoxically, neglected by critics of many generations because of its commonplaceness. It does not seem to have received attention proportional to its centrality. There has been no detailed systematic discussion of it, although, more recently, it has become a concern of Western scholars.;This study attempts, therefore, to approach these two aspects of allusion from the perspective of Western literary theories. The goal is to give a more exact definition of allusion, quasi-allusion--its derivative, and non-allusion--its specious offshoot--through comparison between allusion and metaphor, influence, and intertextualities. This will narrow allusion to a number smaller than is conventionally accepted to be the case.;This study discusses the various aspects of allusion: its categorization, the sense of time and space that it expresses, its motives and effects, and its lingering influence on the modern Chinese jiu-shi and on Chinese poems composed by non-Chinese poets.;To sum up, this study investigates allusion rather comprehensively and with Western theoretical approaches, in the hope that through comparison, each of the compared parties--the Western and the Chinese--will shine more brilliantly in the other's company.
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