Zeng Gong (1019-1083), whose courtesy name was Zigu. People from Nanfeng. An essayist of the Northern Song Dynasty, one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". He was smart at a young age, and wrote "Six Treatises" at the age of twelve. It was written in one stroke, concise and comprehensive, and powerful. He was praised by Ouyang Xiu and became famous all over the world. When he was young, he traveled abroad many times, became friendly with Wang Anshi, often exchanged poems and articles, and recommended Anshi to Ouyang Xiu. After becoming a Jinshi in the second year of Jiayou's reign (1057), he was transferred to Taiping Prefecture to join the army. The following year, he recalled the capital to compile and revise the history books, moved to the pavilion for collation and Jixian school management. In the second year of Xining (1079), he successively served as magistrates in Qi, Xiang, Hong, Fu, Ming, Hao and other prefectures. He stayed upright and had a good political reputation. In the third year of Yuanfeng, he moved to Cangzhou and passed the capital. When Shenzong summoned him, he proposed frugality as the key to financial management. He was highly appreciated by Shenzong and stayed in Sanbanyuan to serve. In the fourth year of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong, who was proficient in history, commissioned the History Museum to compile and compile a compendium of the history of the Five Dynasties, but it was not completed. In the fifth year of Yuanfeng, he worshiped the people of Zhongshushe. He died in Jiangning Mansion the following year. During Lizong's reign, he was given the posthumous title Wending. He is the author of 50 volumes of "Yuanfeng Leikuo", 40 volumes of "Continuation of Yuanfeng Leikuo" and 30 volumes of "Longping Collection".
Zeng Gong’s thoughts belong to the Confucian system. He agrees with the philosophical views of Confucius and Mencius, emphasizing "benevolence" and "sincerity". He believes that as long as he follows the "golden mean", he can understand with humility, self-examination and sincerity. world and dominate the world. Politically, he opposed the annexation policy and advocated the development of agriculture and the expansion of public opinion. When he was a local official, he always had "benevolence" in mind, "get rid of his treachery, and strengthen his slackness; remove his suffering, and heal his kindness." ("Preface to Qizhou Miscellaneous Poems") Because of his thoughtful thinking There are certain limitations. Therefore, there are some different views on Wang Anshi's reform. He believes that the more dense the Dharma is, the more harm it will cause. However, Zeng Gong did not advocate adhering to established laws. He expressed dissatisfaction with the obsessive behavior of those in power, and proposed that "the law is adapted, so it is not necessary to be the same; the Tao is the foundation, so it must be the same" ("Warring States Period") "Preface to the Policy Catalog"). It advocates necessary reforms to the law without losing the intention of the late king. In action, he was able to uphold the new law. When he was an official in Qizhou, he was able to implement the law of protecting the state so that the people of the state could live and work in peace and contentment.
Zeng Gong's prose writing achievements are very high, and he is an active participant in the poetry innovation movement of the Northern Song Dynasty. He studied under Sima Qian, Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu, advocated "literacy to clarify the Tao", and extended Ouyang Xiu's view of "letters and words" to historical literature and inscriptions. He said in the "Preface to the Catalog of the Southern Qi Dynasty": "The so-called good historian in ancient times must be clear enough to understand the principles of all things, his way must be enough to suit the world, and his wisdom must be enough to understand difficult emotions, and then he can do whatever he wants. He said that only "those who possess moral integrity and can write" can express their emotions and write "clear ways". Most of his prose works are "Ming Dao" works, and his writing style is famous for its "elegant, fair and harmonious" style. The "History of the Song Dynasty" originally said that he "established his words among Ouyang Xiu and Wang Anshi. He was gentle but not annoying, simple but not obscure, and distinguished himself." His argumentative prose analyzes micro-statements, clarifies doubts, is outstandingly self-reliant, and analyzes difficulties without showing off his edge. "Tang Lun" is one of the representative works. It draws on ancient events to demonstrate and argue, discusses gains and losses while emphasizing principles. The language is melodious and fluent, and the rhythm is slow and unhurried. It is comparable to Ouyang Xiu's "On Party". His narrative prose is detailed and emotional, and his reasoning is relevant and vivid. The famous "Mo Chi Ji" and "Yuezhou Zhao Gong's Disaster Relief Ji" combine narrative, discussion and lyricism, which are profound, powerful and reasonable. His books, prefaces and inscriptions are also very good prose. "A Letter to Ouyang Sheren" and "A Letter to the Governor of Fuzhou" have always been praised as model slips. The narrative is tactful and profound, the language is concise and concise, and the structure is very rigorous. "Preface to the Catalog of Warring States Policies" is well argued and majestic, and was highly praised by people at the time. When Xikun style became popular, the prose written by him, Ouyang Xiu and others swept away the tendency of carving and piling up and became more natural and simple. Wang Anshi once praised: "Zengzi's articles are rare in the world, and they are like rivers and rivers. The struggle between stars." ("Gift to Zeng Zigu") Su Shi also said: "The corporal of the drunken family is a mixed bunch of followers, and it is difficult to become a virtuous one; Zengzi is unique and outstanding, but he is solitary and humble. ."
Zeng Gong was also good at writing poems, with more than 400 poems handed down to the world. His poems may be majestic or majestic, or euphemistic and elegant, and all of them are profound in meaning and full of humor. Wu Gu's "Rent Chasing" describes the tragic situation of "this year's nine summers are drought, and the red sun is scorching thousands of miles away", and "although the plan is strong, the power is not weak", and states that "the body of the violent official should be eliminated, and the frivolous expense can be reduced." The cry is similar to Wang Anshi's poem "Merge". The quatrains "West Tower" and "Chengnan" are fresh and meaningful, and have the style of Wang Anshi's poetry in his later years. Most of his poems about things are full of new ideas, such as the poem "Ode to Willows": "The disordered strips have not yet turned yellow, leaning against the east wind and they are crazy. The flying flowers cover the sun and the moon, and I don't know that there is clear frost in the sky and the earth." The willow tree is used as a metaphor for the treacherous minister. and evil forces, the images are realistic, the meaning is profound, and the story is unique. Zeng Gong's poems have an elegant style and fresh words, but some of them also have the common problems of Song poetry's classical language, which are concealed by their literary names, so they are not much noticed by people. Later generations say that Zeng Gong could write but not write poems, which is actually not unfair.
Zeng Gong spent his life organizing ancient books and editing history books, and he was also very successful. "Warring States Policy", "Shuo Yuan", "Biography of Women", "Li Taibai Collection" and "Chen Shu" have all been edited by him. The two books "Warring States Policy" and "Shuo Yuan" were saved from being lost thanks to his visit and collection. He must write a preface for every book he studies, in order to "distinguish academic studies and examine the origins of the book." Zeng Gong had a good collection of books, with more than 20,000 volumes of ancient books and 500 volumes of seal cuttings, which he named "Inscriptions on Gold and Stone".
Zeng Gong was rigorous in his studies. He studied every lesson and searched for it deeply, so that he could know its essentials and recognize its subtleties, so he could "gallop up and down, and work better as he went out".
His younger brother Zeng Zhao said that his article was "passed from person to person as soon as it was written down, and it circulated around the world within a few months. Scholars and officials copied it by hand and recited it orally, for fear that it would be too late". (Zeng Zhao's "Acts of the Dead Brother", see the end of the volume of "Yuanfeng Lei Manu")
Zeng Gong trained a group of famous Confucian scholars, including Chen Shidao, Wang Wujiu, Zeng Zhao and Zeng Bu. "Study Cases of the Song and Yuan Dynasties" says: "Chen Wuji (Shi Dao) was eager to learn and was determined. He paid homage to Zeng Zigu with literature, and Zigu was the starting point for hundreds of crosses. The literary conventions were supplemented by meaning, and Wuji was greatly convinced."
< p>Zeng Gong's articles also had a great influence on later generations. Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty "loved his words to be strict and logical, and he practiced reciting them every day." The essayists Wang Shenzhong, Tang Shunzhi, Mao Kun, and Gui Youguang of the Tang and Song Schools in the Ming Dynasty, and the Tongcheng School Fang Bao, Liu Dahuai, Yao Nai, and Qian Lusi of the Qing Dynasty all regarded his articles as models. "History of Ming Dynasty." "The Biography of Wang Shenzhong" records: "Shen Zhong was a writer. He first dominated the Qin and Han Dynasties. He said that there was nothing to be done under Tokyo. He had already Si Ou and Zeng Zeng's composition methods. He burned all his old works and imitated them, especially Zeng Gong. At the beginning of Shun Zhi, he refused to obey. , it has changed over time."This shows Zeng Gong's status in the history of Chinese literature
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