ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Classic of Poetry

The Classic of Poetry is a very old book that has lots of poems from a long time ago. It was written in China thousands of years ago. The book has more than 300 poems that talk about lots of different things like love, nature, and family.

The poems in the Classic of Poetry are written in a special way called lyric poetry. Lyric poetry uses beautiful words and sounds to make the poems sound nice. They are like songs but without music. People in ancient China used to sing and recite these poems to tell stories and talk about their feelings.

The poems in the Classic of Poetry are also important because they tell us about life in ancient China. They talk about the crops that people grew, the animals they took care of, and the different seasons and weather they experienced. These poems help us understand how people lived and felt a long time ago.

The Classic of Poetry is also special because it has different sections. Each section has a different theme. For example, one section is all about the different seasons and how they change. Another section is about the different emotions that people feel, like happiness, sadness, or anger.

When you read the Classic of Poetry, you will find that some of the poems are a bit confusing because they were written so long ago. The language is different and some words may not make sense to us now. But that's okay! We can try to understand the feeling and emotions the poets wanted to express even if we don't understand every single word.

Even though the Classic of Poetry is very old, people still read and study it today. It helps us learn about the history and culture of ancient China. Some of the poems are still very famous and loved by people all around the world. They remind us that even though many years have passed, people's feelings and emotions haven't changed.