A Historical Taxonomy of Talking Birds in Chinese Literature

Parrots and mynahs have played a unique role in Chinese literature for two millennia. These birds that can talk and interact intelligently with their owners were treasured as pets both in the palace and in private homes. The caged birds were pitied for their homesickness but praised for their eagerness to serve. Over time they developed into exemplars of Confucian values such as filial piety and loyalty, and they also featured prominently in tales of love and war. Closely associated with Buddhism from early on, the parrot proved itself an effective preacher of the Dharma and became the favorite bird of the bodhisattva Guanyin.

In this wide-ranging thematic study, Wilt L. Idema traces the development of the parrot and the mynah as characters in many forms of poetry and prose of Chinese elite literature, as well as in the long narrative ballads of traditional popular literature. The book provides complete renditions of Mi Heng’s (173-198) Rhapsody on the Parrot, the anonymous Tale of the Parrot’s Filial Piety of the fifteenth century, and the anonymous Precious Scroll of the Parrot of late-imperial times. An epilogue discusses the disappearance of the parrot in modern Chinese literature.