Yue-fu chuan-shi (Music Bureau Folk-Song Transmission: the imperial-institution collecting and setting folk-ballads to music, dismantling aristocratic-monopoly and integrating commoner-poetry into the national literature) is, in the map of the Chinese classical music-collection and poetry-transmission tradition, the first-generation source-code of the decentralized-audio-sampling and central-standardized-mixing-processing tradition that, under the historical pressure of cai-shi system state-ritualization and folk-song elite-ization and Yue-fu bureau institutionalization and music-accompanied-editing standardization and literati Yue-fu realism-ization from Zhou-dynasty to Qing-dynasty (11th century BCE to 19th century CE), defined as the Yue-fu Shi-ji (Guo Mao-qian, 100 juan) as the grand-systematization and Kong-que-dong-nan-fei and Mu-lan-ci and San-li-san-bie and Xin-yue-fu 50 shou as the canonical texts the most-fundamental civilizational answer that, in the Chinese classical music-collection and poetry-transmission system, the Yue-fu chuan-shi is the decentralized-audio-sampling and central-standardized-mixing-processing that hard-codes folk-song and music and poetry as the cai-shi-guan bottom-probe and tai-shi central-server and xie-lv-du-wei standardized-mixing and Yue-fu bureau state-ritualized cai-shi-and-music-accompanied-editing mechanism. To trace a single coherent lineage down to its source, you have to start from the Zhou-dynasty cai-shi system to the Spring-and-Autumn Confucius Shi-jing 305-pian collection (c. 500 BCE) to the late-Warring-States to Qin Chu-ci to the Western-Han Emperor-Wu Yuan-ding fifth year (112 BCE) established Yue-fu (per Han-shu Li-yue-zhi Emperor-Wu established the suburban-sacrifice rituals... then established Yue-fu, cai-shi night-chanting) the canonical founding to the Western-Han xie-lv-du-wei Li Yan-nian (?-87 BCE) music-accompanied-editing and 19-chapter jiao-si-ge to the Western-Han Sima Xiang-ru (179-117 BCE) and-others ci-fu music-accompanied-editing to the Western-Han Han-shu Yi-wen-zhi ge-shi 28-jia 314-pian catalogization to the Eastern-Han Ban Gu (32-92 CE) Han-shu Li-yue-zhi and Yi-wen-zhi Han-dynasty Yue-fu-history to the late-Eastern-Han Kong-que-dong-nan-fei (c. 200 CE, Jiao-zhong-qing's wife and Liu Lan-zhi) the Yue-fu long-narrative-poem peak to the Northern-Dynasty Yue-fu folk-song and Mu-lan-ci (c. 6c CE, the Hua Mu-lan father-replacing-soldier 12-years) the Yue-fu hero-poem peak to the Southern-Dynasty Song Bao Zhao (414-466) Ni-xing-lu-nan 18-shou Yue-fu seven-character form founding to the Southern-Dynasty Liang Xi-zhou-qu and the Northern-Dynasty Chi-le-ge (c. 5-6c) the South-North folk-song collection to the Southern-Dynasty Chen Zhi-jiang Gu-jin-yue-lu (c. 568 CE, later lost) the Yue-fu musicology rudiment to the Tang Du Fu (712-770) San-li-san-bie the Yue-fu realism peak to the Tang Bai Ju-yi (772-846) Xin-yue-fu 50 shou and Qin-zhong-yin 10 shou the Xin-yue-fu movement peak to the Tang Yuan Zhen (779-831) Yue-fu-gu-ti-xu the ancient-topic Yue-fu-poetics treatise to the Song Guo Mao-qian (c. 1041-1099) Yue-fu Shi-ji 100 juan (c. 1086 CE) the canonical Yue-fu anthology, containing 12-categories 5000 and shou to the Ming Mei Ding-zuo (1549-1615) Gu-yue-yuan the Ming supplement-collection to the Qing Zhu Qian (Qing 18th c) Yue-fu Zheng-yi the Qing textology-collection. To trace Yue-fu chuan-shi as the decentralized-audio-sampling and central-standardized-mixing-processing you have to do the most-complete back-trace author-by-author book-by-book.
The earliest textual anchor is the Zhou-dynasty cai-shi system: with the Han-shu Shi-huo-zhi recording the Zhou-dynasty cai-shi system in the first-month-of-spring, the xing-ren vibrates the mu-duo, along-the-road, to cai-shi, present to the tai-shi, compare the yi-lv, to make-hear the Son-of-Heaven. Thus the king's way to observe the customs, know the gain-loss, self-examine-correctly as the marker of the cai-shi system origin , so that cai-shi system in the Western-Zhou first acquires the fundamental position of the cai-shi system origin. The Spring-and-Autumn cai-shi-result textualization: Confucius (551-479 BCE) , with the Shi-jing 305-pian (Western-Zhou-early to Spring-and-Autumn-mid c. 500 years collected, containing Guo-feng 160 and Xiao-ya 74 and Da-ya 31 and Song 40 pian) as the cai-shi-result textualization (per Shi-ji Kong-zi Shi-jia the ancients had three-thousand-plus shi-pian, and-at Confucius, removed-the-duplicates, took-the-applicable-to-ritual-yi... three-hundred-five-pian, Confucius all-stringed-and-sang-them) , so that Shi-jing in the Spring-and-Autumn first acquires the fundamental position of the cai-shi-result textualization. The late-Warring-States to Qin South-folk-song textualization: c. 4th-3rd century BCE , with the Chu-ci (Qu Yuan and Song Yu and-others) as the Southern Chu-region folk-song textualization , so that Chu-ci in the late-Warring-States first acquires the fundamental position of the Southern folk-song textualization.
The Western-Han Yue-fu state-ritual bureau: the Western-Han Emperor Wu (156-87 BCE, r. 141-87 BCE) , with the Yuan-ding fifth year (112 BCE) established Yue-fu (per Han-shu Li-yue-zhi Emperor-Wu established the suburban-sacrifice rituals... then established Yue-fu, cai-shi night-chanting, with the Zhao-Dai-Qin-Chu's ou) as the marker of the state-ritual bureau , so that Emperor Wu and Yue-fu in the mid-Western-Han first acquires the fundamental position of the state-ritual bureau. The Yue-fu music-accompanied-editing standardization: the Western-Han xie-lv-du-wei Li Yan-nian (?-87 BCE) , with Han-shu Li-yue-zhi Li Yan-nian... good-at-singing, made the new-change-sound and 19-chapter jiao-si-ge (the Han Jiao-si-ge 19 chapters containing Di-lin and Qing-yang and Zhu-ming and Xi-hao and Xuan-ming) as the marker of the standardized-mixing , so that Li Yan-nian and jiao-si-ge in the mid-Western-Han first acquires the fundamental position of the standardized-mixing. The Western-Han literati Yue-fu ci-fu music-accompanied-editing: the Western-Han Sima Xiang-ru (179-117 BCE) and-others , with the Shang-lin-fu and Da-ren-fu and Zi-xu-fu and Chang-men-fu music-accompanied-singing as the marker of the ci-fu music-accompanied-editing , so that Sima Xiang-ru and-others in the mid-Western-Han first acquires the fundamental position of the ci-fu music-accompanied-editing.
The Western-Han cai-shi-result catalogization: the early-Eastern-Han Ban Gu (32-92 CE) and Ban Biao (3-54 CE) father-son Han-shu Yi-wen-zhi , with ge-shi 28-jia 314-pian (the Western-Han Yue-fu-collected folk-song catalog) arrangement as the marker of the catalogization , so that Ban Gu and Han-shu Yi-wen-zhi in the early-Eastern-Han first acquires the fundamental position of the catalogization. The late-Eastern-Han Yue-fu long-narrative-poem peak: the late-Eastern-Han (c. 200 CE, per earliest appearing in Yu-tai-xin-yong edited by Chen Xu-ling, c. 545 CE) Kong-que-dong-nan-fei , with 357-sentence 1785-character (Jiao-zhong-qing's wife and Liu Lan-zhi and Jiao-zhong-qing and Jiao-mother and Liu-brother five-roles, the longest ancient-poem and Yue-fu dual-roost long-narrative-poem) as the marker of the long-narrative-poem peak , so that Kong-que-dong-nan-fei in the late-Eastern-Han first acquires the fundamental position of the long-narrative-poem peak. The Northern-Dynasty Yue-fu hero-poem peak: the Northern-Dynasty (c. 6c CE) Mu-lan-ci , with 62-sentence 320-character (the Hua Mu-lan father-replacing-soldier 12-years) Yue-fu hero-poem as the marker of the hero-poem peak , so that Mu-lan-ci in the Northern-Dynasty first acquires the fundamental position of the hero-poem peak.
The Southern-Dynasty literati Yue-fu seven-character form founding: the Southern-Dynasty Song Bao Zhao (c. 414-466 CE) , with Ni-xing-lu-nan 18-shou seven-character Yue-fu (per Nan-shi Bao Zhao... prose-words ample-fluent, once-made-the-ancient-yue-fu, prose-very-strong-and-beautiful) as the marker of the seven-character form founding , so that Bao Zhao and Ni-xing-lu-nan in the Southern-Dynasty-Song first acquires the fundamental position of the seven-character form founding. The South-North folk-song collection: the Southern-Dynasty Liang and the Northern-Dynasty (c. 5-6c CE) , with Southern-Dynasty-Liang Xi-zhou-qu (the remembering-plum and plucking-plum and sending-plum woman-missing-man poem) and Northern-Dynasty Chi-le-ge Chi-le-chuan, Yin-shan-xia, tian-shi-qiong-lu, long-gai-si-ye, tian-cang-cang, ye-mang-mang, feng-chui-cao-di-jian-niu-yang 36-character pastoral as the marker of the South-North collection , so that Xi-zhou-qu and Chi-le-ge in the South-North Dynasties first acquires the fundamental position of the South-North collection. The South-North Yue-fu musicology rudiment: the Southern-Dynasty Chen Zhi-jiang (c. 6c CE, active in the Chen reign) , with Gu-jin-yue-lu 12 juan (the earliest Yue-fu musicology systematic-arrangement, later lost; per Sui-shu Jing-ji-zhi Gu-jin-yue-lu 12 juan, Chen Zhi-jiang compiled) as the marker of the musicology rudiment , so that Zhi-jiang and Gu-jin-yue-lu in the Southern-Dynasty-Chen first acquires the fundamental position of the musicology rudiment.
The Tang Yue-fu realism peak: the Tang Du Fu (712-770) , with San-li (Xin-an-li and Shi-hao-li and Tong-guan-li, Qian-yuan second year 759 CE composed-on-the-way from Luo-yang to Hua-zhou) and San-bie (Xin-hun-bie and Wu-jia-bie and Chui-lao-bie) as the marker of the realism peak , so that Du Fu and San-li-san-bie in the Tang Qian-yuan first acquires the fundamental position of the realism peak. The Tang Xin-yue-fu movement peak: the Tang Bai Ju-yi (772-846) , with Xin-yue-fu 50 shou (each-shou xu and shi and zhu, containing Mai-tan-weng and Xin-feng-zhe-bi-weng and Du-ling-sou and Liao-ling and Pi-pa-xing attached) and Qin-zhong-yin 10 shou as the marker of the Xin-yue-fu movement , so that Bai Ju-yi and Xin-yue-fu in the Tang Yuan-he first acquires the fundamental position of the Xin-yue-fu movement. The Tang Yue-fu-poetics ancient-topic treatise: the Tang Yuan Zhen (779-831) , with Yue-fu-gu-ti-xu the poet's making-words, all-based-on-the-feng-yao (arguing the Yue-fu-ancient-topic's realism-origin) poetics-treatise as the marker of the ancient-topic treatise , so that Yuan Zhen and Yue-fu-gu-ti-xu in the Tang Yuan-he first acquires the fundamental position of the ancient-topic treatise.
The Song Yue-fu grand-systematization anthology: the Song Guo Mao-qian (c. 1041-1099) , with Yue-fu Shi-ji 100 juan (c. 1086 CE completed, containing 12-categories: jiao-miao-ge-ci and yan-she-ge-ci and gu-chui-qu-ci and heng-chui-qu-ci and xiang-he-ge-ci and qing-shang-qu-ci and wu-qu-ge-ci and qin-qu-ge-ci and za-qu-ge-ci and jin-dai-qu-ci and za-ge-yao-ci and xin-yue-fu-ci, total 5000 and shou) as the marker of the grand-systematization anthology , so that Guo Mao-qian and Yue-fu Shi-ji in the late-Northern-Song first acquires the fundamental position of the grand-systematization anthology. The Ming Yue-fu supplement-collection: the Ming Mei Ding-zuo (1549-1615) , with Gu-yue-yuan 52 juan (based-on-Yue-fu-Shi-ji supplementing-the-Ming-previously-omitted Yue-fu-shi) Ming supplement-collection as the marker of the Ming supplement-collection , so that Mei Ding-zuo and Gu-yue-yuan in the Ming Wan-li first acquires the fundamental position of the Ming supplement-collection. The Qing Yue-fu textology-collection: the Qing Zhu Qian (Qing 18th c) , with Yue-fu Zheng-yi 16 juan the Qing Yue-fu textology as the marker of the textology-collection , so that Zhu Qian and Yue-fu Zheng-yi in the Qing Qian-jia first acquires the fundamental position of the textology-collection.
The line of Yue-fu chuan-shi , from the Zhou-dynasty cai-shi system Han-shu Shi-huo-zhi the xing-ren vibrates the mu-duo along-the-road to cai-shi to the Spring-and-Autumn Confucius Shi-jing 305-pian cai-shi-result textualization to the late-Warring-States to Qin Chu-ci Southern folk-song textualization to the Western-Han Emperor-Wu Yuan-ding fifth year 112 BCE established Yue-fu state-ritual bureau to the Western-Han Li Yan-nian 19-chapter jiao-si-ge standardized-mixing to the Western-Han Sima Xiang-ru and-others ci-fu music-accompanied-editing to the Eastern-Han Ban Gu Han-shu Yi-wen-zhi ge-shi 28-jia 314-pian catalogization to the late-Eastern-Han Kong-que-dong-nan-fei 357-sentence 1785-character long-narrative-poem peak to the Northern-Dynasty Mu-lan-ci 62-sentence 320-character hero-poem peak to the Southern-Dynasty-Song Bao Zhao Ni-xing-lu-nan 18-shou seven-character form founding to the Southern-Dynasty-Liang Xi-zhou-qu and Northern-Dynasty Chi-le-ge South-North collection to the Southern-Dynasty-Chen Zhi-jiang Gu-jin-yue-lu musicology rudiment to the Tang Du Fu San-li-san-bie realism peak to the Tang Bai Ju-yi Xin-yue-fu 50 shou Xin-yue-fu movement to the Tang Yuan Zhen Yue-fu-gu-ti-xu ancient-topic treatise to the Song Guo Mao-qian Yue-fu Shi-ji 100 juan grand-systematization anthology to the Ming Mei Ding-zuo Gu-yue-yuan Ming supplement-collection to the Qing Zhu Qian Yue-fu Zheng-yi Qing textology-collection ; the internal logic has always been the same single statement: under the historical pressure of cai-shi system state-ritualization and folk-song elite-ization and Yue-fu bureau institutionalization and music-accompanied-editing standardization and literati Yue-fu realism-ization, to hard-wire folk-song and music and poetry as the cai-shi-guan bottom-probe and tai-shi central-server and xie-lv-du-wei standardized-mixing and Yue-fu bureau state-ritualized cai-shi-and-music-accompanied-editing mechanism (i.e., decentralized-audio-sampling and central-standardized-mixing-processing), is the most-fundamental mechanism by which the Chinese classical music-collection and poetry-transmission system could carry the folk-spoken-language and palace-elite and realism three-fold historical pressure catalyzed largest and deepest state-ritualized cai-shi tradition on a single Yue-fu and poetics protocol. The reason the four characters yue fu chuan shi can endure in Chinese as the perennially-cited decentralized-audio-sampling and central-standardized-mixing-processing name-phase is precisely because it gathers the entire eighteen-cluster thread from Zhou-dynasty cai-shi system Han-shu Shi-huo-zhi to Confucius Shi-jing to Chu-ci to Emperor-Wu Yuan-ding-fifth-year 112 BCE established Yue-fu to Li Yan-nian 19-chapter jiao-si-ge to Sima Xiang-ru ci-fu music-accompanied-editing to Ban Gu Han-shu Yi-wen-zhi ge-shi 28-jia 314-pian to Kong-que-dong-nan-fei to Mu-lan-ci to Bao Zhao Ni-xing-lu-nan 18-shou to Xi-zhou-qu and Chi-le-ge to Zhi-jiang Gu-jin-yue-lu to Du Fu San-li-san-bie to Bai Ju-yi Xin-yue-fu 50 shou to Yuan Zhen Yue-fu-gu-ti-xu to Guo Mao-qian Yue-fu Shi-ji 100 juan to Mei Ding-zuo Gu-yue-yuan to Zhu Qian Yue-fu Zheng-yi, the entire author-date-context thread of all eighteen clusters, into the simplest four characters.