Zeng Gong was born in a family of scholars for generations. His grandfather once served as a doctor in the Ministry of Finance, and his father was Dr. Taichang. Influenced by the elders in the family, Zeng Gong was able to read and write from an early age. Below is a brief introduction of the writer Zeng Gong that I collected and compiled. I hope it will be helpful to you.
Introduction to the writer Zeng Gong
When Zeng Gong was 18 years old, he came to the capital with his father and became close friends with Wang Anshi. After joining Ouyang Xiu, he recommended Wang Anshi to Ouyang Xiu. Zeng Gong entered Taixue at the age of 20. Since then, Zeng Gong has written letters to Yan, Fan Zhongyan, etc., contributed articles, discussed current affairs, and stated his attitude towards life. Later, Zeng Gong served as a judicial officer in the Taiping Zhou Dynasty and joined the army. Later, he was recommended by Ouyang Xiu to the capital as a colographer and editor of Jixian. He compiled and edited a large number of ancient books such as "Warring States Policy", "Shuo Yuan", "New Preface" and "Liang Shu". He also did a lot of organizing work on the books of the past dynasties and wrote Lots of prefaces.
Zeng Gong was honest and dedicated to government, diligent in political affairs, and concerned about people's livelihood and suffering. He implemented it according to the purpose of Wang Anshi's new law and combined with the actual situation. Dedicated to redressing injustice and maintaining public order, he is deeply supported by the masses. In 1080, Zeng Gong was summoned by Song Shenzong, accepted his brief introduction, and stayed in the capital. The imperial court believed that Zeng Gong's historiography was comparable to that of scholar-bureaucrats and that he was suitable to take charge of the historical affairs of the Five Dynasties. He was appointed as a historian and editor, in charge of compilation and repair of the academy, and as a judge of Taichang Temple and ceremonial affairs. Later, the imperial court asked him to be the minister of Zhongshu, but Zeng Gongshu himself was already old and hoped that the imperial court would choose another worthy person. In April 1083, Zeng Gong died in Jiangning Mansion at the age of 65.
What is Zeng Gong’s alias?
Zeng Gong’s alias is Zigu. He was born into a Confucian family. His grandfather and father were both famous officials in the Northern Song Dynasty. Because Zeng Gong was born in Nanfeng, Jianchang, people collectively called Zeng Gong, Zeng Zhao, Zeng Bu, Zeng Yu, Zeng Hong, Zeng Xie and Zeng Dun the "Nanfeng Seven Zeng". And because Zeng Gong also made great achievements in literature, and his articles were "elegant, upright, and harmonious", Zeng Gong was also one of the eight great writers of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The world called Zeng Gong "Mr. Nanfeng".
Zeng Gong’s ancestors were all scholars in their time. His grandfather Zeng Zhiyao once served as a doctor in the Ministry of Finance, while Zeng Gong’s Zeng Yizhan was also a doctor named Taichang. Because Zeng Gong was very talented and had poor memory, he showed good talent since he was a child. When he was twelve years old, he tried to write "Six Essays". Unexpectedly, as soon as he started writing, his literary thoughts seemed to flow out, and he finished it in a short time. The language of "Six Essays" is very impressive. When Zeng Gong was twenty years old, his reputation was already widely known.
When Zeng Gong was eighteen years old, he went to the capital with his father. At that time, he met Wang Anshi, and the two became close friends. After joining Ouyang Xiu's family early, he also asked Ouyang Xiu. Wang Anshi was recommended. In this way, Zeng Gong not only met Ouyang Xiu, but also became close friends with Wang Anshi. At that time, he also exchanged letters with Du Yan, Fan Zhongyan and others. They discussed the current affairs with each other and stated their respective attitudes towards life. Since then, Zeng Gong has become famous all over the world.
What are Zeng Gong’s representative works?
Zeng Gong’s diction is simple, but his narrative is very roundabout, and the article seems to be very grand. Although Zeng Gong is not good at describing scenes, he is good at narrative. Zeng Gong's representative works include "The Story of Xingxin Pavilion" and "The Story of Traveling to the Mountain", which demonstrate his ability to organize narratives. Of course, there are also masterpieces such as "The Story of Daoshan Pavilion". Works such as "Mochi Ji" and "Yuezhou Zhao Gong's Disaster Relief" are excellent works that combine narrative and scene description, integrating discussion and lyricism in one article, with a natural and reasonable writing style.
In addition, Zeng Gong also wrote very good argumentative articles. "Tang Lun" and "Preface to the Catalog of Warring States Ce" are also Zeng Gong's representative works. These articles are clear in reasoning and eloquent. Unparalleled, majestic, and a very good argumentative article. Zeng Gong's "A Letter to Ouyang Sheren" and "A Letter to the Governor of Fuzhou" have always been praised as the best in the field of letter slips. They have a rigorous structure, capable narrative, and euphemistic wording, and are highly praised by later generations. In addition to these articles, Zeng Gong also has articles such as "Yuanfeng Leikuo" and "Longping Collection" handed down to the world. Zeng Gong's articles are generally practical articles on historical biographies, policy discussions, etc. This should be related to his many years of compiling historical books and ancient books in the imperial court. relation. As an active participant in the new poetry movement in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zeng Gong can be said to be the core force of the new classical prose movement in the Song Dynasty.
Related articles about the introduction of writer Zeng Gong:
1. Introduction to Zeng Gong
2. The story and introduction of Wang Xizhi
3. Introduction to Zeng Guofan
4. Introduction to Wang Anshi