Editing Northern and Southern dynasties (section)

==Culture==
===Language===
When the Jin court fled south they continued to speak in the refined common language, ''tongyu'', from the Central Plains in the North, which was regarded as highly prestigious. However, many local southern Chinese resisted adopting the speech of the newcomers. During the Southern dynasties period, beginning in the mid-4th century and spreading widely by the 5th century, elite northern emigres and southern locals around the capital of Jiankang developed a new elite speech form, with clearly distinctive pronunciation and phrasing that set it apart from the Central Plains speech. However, some of the emigres also resisted this new trend to "prize the speech of Wu", which they regarded as "seductive and frivolous". Meanwhile, the process of Han Chinese  courtiers learning Xianbei and Xianbei learning Chinese led to the court speech of the North changing as well. By the 6th century, southern elites looked down on the accent of Luoyang as "crude and clumsy".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Andrew Chittick |title=The Jiankang Empire in Chinese and World History |date=2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190937560 |pages=92–93}}</ref>

===Philosophy===
{{multiple image
| align = right | direction = vertical | header = | header_align = left/right/center | footer = Murals from a tomb of [[Northern Qi Dynasty]] (550–577 AD) in Jiuyuangang, [[Xinzhou]] | footer_align = left
| image1 = Tomb of Northern Qi Dynasty in Jiuyuangang, Xinzhou, Mural, Building.jpg | width1 = 200 | caption1  =
| image2 = Tomb of Northern Qi Dynasty in Jiuyuangang, Xinzhou, Mural, West Wall 1.jpg | width2 = 200 | caption2  =
}}

[[Confucianism]]'s unchallenged domination of Chinese culture and thought was greatly weakened during the [[Jin dynasty (265–420)|Jin dynasty]], which led to a wide diversification of political thought and philosophy by the time of the Northern and Southern dynasties.  This era produced a myriad of writers that advocated practical systems of governance and administration, such as [[Cao Cao]] and [[Zhuge Liang]] in the [[Three Kingdoms Period]], [[Wang Dao]] and Bao Jingyan of the Eastern Jin, as well as [[Fan Zhen]], Xing Shao ({{zh|t=邢邵}}), and Fan Xun ({{zh|t=樊遜}}) of the Northern and Southern period.  Much of the philosophy of the period is despondent and dispirited, and a number of scholars and poets became reclusive mountain [[hermit]]s living apart from society.<ref>Zou Jiwan 邹纪万, 1992. ''Wei-Jin-Nan-Bei Chao de Xueshu yu Xinyang'' 魏晋南北朝的学术与信仰, in ''Zhongguo Tongshi'' 中国通史, vol. 5, 165.</ref>  Of these various trends, the most influential was [[Xuanxue|Neo-Daoism]] ({{zh|t=玄學|p=Xuánxué}}).  Neo-Daoism was highly influential during the Southern Dynasty, to the point that [[Emperor Wen of Liu Song]] established a Neo-Daoist Academy and promoted it, along with Confucianism, literature, and history, as the four great subjects of study.  A phenomenon known as "empty chat" ({{zh|t=清談|p=Qīng tán}}) became common, where educated men would meet and talk about philosophy all day without paying any attention to "mundane" things such as their profession or family.  The phenomenon gradually waned during the [[Sui dynasty]], though it did not fully disappear until the [[Tang dynasty]].<ref>Zou, 168</ref>

===Literature===
{{Further|Six Dynasties poetry}}

Literature was particularly vibrant during the Southern Dynasty and tended to be flowery and frilly, while Northern Dynasty literature was rougher and more straightforward.  Notable writers include [[Yu Xin]], Xing Fang, [[Wei Shou]], and [[Wen Zisheng]] of the Northern Dynasty.  In poetry, [[Fu (poetry)|''fu'' poetry]] continued to be a dominant genre, though the five-syllable form that achieved great prominence during the [[Tang dynasty]] gradually increased in popularity. In the Southern Dynasty, a type of essay known as ''[[pianwen]]'', which used [[metered rhyme]], flowery language, and classical allusions, became popular.  Writings often spoke of removing oneself from everyday material existence and jettisoning cares and anxiety.

Poets of the Northern and Southern dynasties focused on imitating older classical poets of [[History of China#Ancient China|Ancient China]], formalizing the rhyme patterns and meters that governed poem composition.  However, scholars realized that ancient songs and poems, like those of the [[Shijing]], in many instances no longer rhymed due to [[sound shift]]s over the previous centuries.
The introduction of Buddhism to China, which began in the late [[Han dynasty]] and continued through the Tang dynasty, introduced Chinese scholars to [[Sanskrit]]. The [[Brahmi script]], with its sophisticated [[phonology|phonological]] organization, arrived in China in the 5th century, and was studied by [[Xie Lingyun]], who produced a (since-lost) glossary of Chinese transcriptions of Sanskrit terms "arranged according to the 14 sounds".<ref>{{cite journal
  | title = Chinese traditional phonology
  | given = Edwin G. | surname = Pulleyblank | author-link = Edwin G. Pulleyblank
  | journal = Asia Major | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | year = 1999 | pages = 101–137
  | jstor = 41645549
  }} pp. 107–108.</ref>
The [[four tones (Middle Chinese)|four tones]] of early [[Middle Chinese]] were first described by [[Shen Yue]] and Zhou Yong.<ref>{{cite book
  | title = A Handbook of Old Chinese Phonology
  | given = William H. | surname = Baxter | author-link = William H. Baxter
  | location = Berlin | publisher = Mouton de Gruyter | year = 1992
  | isbn = 978-3-11-012324-1
  | page = 303
  }}</ref>

===Other arts===
[[File:Buddhist paintings Yungang.jpg|thumb|upright|Northern Wei wall [[mural]]s and painted figurines from the [[Yungang Grottoes]]]]

The southern dynasties of China were rich in cultural achievement, with the flourishing of [[Buddhism]] and [[Daoism]], especially the latter as two new canons of scriptural writings were created for the [[Shangqing School|Supreme Purity sect]] and its rival the [[Lingbao School|Numinous Treasure Sect]]. The southern Chinese were influenced greatly by the writings of Buddhist monks such as [[Huiyuan (Buddhist)|Huiyuan]], who applied familiar Daoist terms to describe Buddhism for other Chinese. The Chinese were in contact and influenced by cultures of [[India]] and trading partners farther south, such as the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Funan|Funan]] and [[Champa]] (located in modern-day Cambodia and Vietnam).

The sophistication and complexity of the Chinese arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and playing of music reached new heights during this age. The earlier [[Cao Zhi]], son of [[Cao Cao]], is regarded as one of the greatest poets of his day. His style and deep emotional expression in writing influenced later poets of this new age, such as [[Tao Yuanming|Tao Qian]] (365–427) or Tao Yuanming. Even during his lifetime, the written calligraphy of the "Sage of Calligraphy", [[Wang Xizhi]] (307–365), was prized by many and considered a true form of personal expression like other arts. Painting became highly prized with artists such as [[Gu Kaizhi]] (344–406), who largely established the tradition of landscape art in classical [[Chinese painting]] (to learn more, refer to the "Far East" section of the article for [[Painting]]).

Institutions of learning in the south were also renowned, including the [[Zongmingguan]] (Imperial Nanjing University), where the famed Zu Chongzhi (mentioned above) had studied. Zu Chongzhi devised the new Daming Calendar in 465, calculated one year as 365.24281481 days (which is very close to 365.24219878 days as we know today), and calculated the number of overlaps between sun and moon as 27.21223 (which is very close to 27.21222 as we know today). Using this number he successfully predicted 4 eclipses during a period of 23 years (from 436 to 459).

Although multiple-story towers such as guard towers and residential apartments existed in previous periods,<ref>[http://collection.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/results.do;jsessionid=A0082D7F7A6F75A8FF3C7AEFB2CE697C?view=detail&db=object&id=24275 Art Gallery NSW]</ref> during this period the distinct [[Chinese pagoda]] tower (for storing Buddhist scriptures) evolved from the [[stupa]], the latter originating from Buddhist traditions of protecting sutras in ancient [[India]].

{{wide image|Zhigongtu full.jpg|1800px|A [[Song dynasty]] (960–1279) copy of a lost [[Liang dynasty]] original from 526-539: ''[[Portraits of Periodical Offering]]'' of Liang by Xiao Yi. Foreign emissaries to the Liang court, from right to left: Uar([[Hephthalites]]); [[Persia]]; [[Baekje]]; [[Qiuci]]; Wo ([[Japan]]); [[Langkasuka]]; [[Dengzhi]] (鄧至) of Qiang ethnic group; [[Kargilik County|Karghalik]] ([[Yarkant County|Yarkand]], 周古柯), [[Kabadiyan]] (呵跋檀), [[Kumedhan]] (胡蜜丹), [[Baiti]] (白題, of similar [[Hephthalite]] stocks), whom dwell close to Hephthalite; Mo ([[Qiemo Town|Qiemo]]) (且末). [[National Museum of China]].}}