Biography of the character
Yao Nai is a descendant of the prominent Yao family in Wuxing. His first generation ancestor lived in Maxi (now the collection of Yao Wang on the south bank of Qianqiao River in Songyang), and his fifth generation ancestor Yao Xuming lived in Jingtai years. Moved to Tongcheng city. As for Yao Nai, his family has lived in Tongcheng County for more than 300 years. Yao Nai was born on December 20, 1731 (January 17, 1732) in the south gate of Tongcheng into a scholarly family. His ancestors Yao Xu was the Chief Secretary of Yunnan in the Ming Dynasty, and Yao Zhilan was the prefect of Jiangzhou Prefecture and had the title of deputy inspector. Both of them are recorded in the "Ming Dynasty Xunli Biography"; , Xu Liyue). Two champions across the river (Liu Ruozai, Long Ruyan) are famous far and wide. The great ancestor Yao Wenran was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice during the Kangxi period; the great ancestor Yao Shiji was once the magistrate of Luotian County, Hubei Province. They were all virtuous and honest, and they all died famously. Sacrifice at the eunuch's temple. His uncle Yao Fan was a Jinshi scholar and editor for the Hanlin Academy. He wrote the "Collected Works of Yuan Quail Hall - Poetry Collection" and studied the history of Confucian classics. He had a deep relationship with Liu Da, one of the founders of the Tongcheng School, which enabled Yao Nai to study Confucian classics with his uncle. , studied with Liu Xuewen. His grandfather Yao Kongying died when he was twenty-six years old, and his father Shu was a commoner all his life. When Yao Nai was born, his family was in decline, and he was fond of learning at a young age. His uncle Yao Fan taught him scriptures, and he also learned ancient Chinese from Liu Da. Liu Da paid special attention to Yao Nai, saying that he was "a crowned prince at that time, and he already has wings in the sky." , "come from behind and wait for Zi'er". In the fifteenth year of Qianlong's reign (1750), after he passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty, he failed in all five examinations of the Ministry of Rites. It was not until the twenty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign (1763) that he took the sixth examination of the Ministry of Rites at the age of thirty, and was awarded the title of Jinshi. Shu Jishi, three years later, he was transferred to the Ministry of War and was assigned to the Ministry of War. He was also appointed as the head of the Ceremony Department of the Ministry of Etiquette. Later, he successively served as deputy examiner of Shandong and Hunan rural examinations, co-examiner of joint examinations, and mid-level official of Guangdong Division of the Ministry of Punishments. In the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign (1773), the Qing government opened the Sikuquan Library, and Yao Nai was recommended to join the library as a compiler. This post should only be filled by Hanlin officials. Du Nai, together with 8 people including Dai Dongyuan from Xiuning, Wu Dachun from Xinghua, and Cheng Jinfang from Shexian County, were elected by exception. When "Sikuquanshu" was completed, Nai returned home begging for food and did not enter official career at the age of 44. Academicians Yu Minzhong and Liang Guozhi successively tried to offer high-ranking officials and generous salaries, but both were dismissed.
Since the 42nd year of Qianlong (1777), Yao Nai has lectured at Yangzhou Meihua Academy, Anqing Jingfu Academy, Shexian *** Academy, and Nanjing Zhongshan Academy. He is committed to education, so his His disciples are all over the southern provinces. The most famous among them are Fang Dongshu, Yao Ying and Liu Kai of Benyi; Mei Zengliang and Guan Tong of Shangyuan; Wu Dexuan of Yixing; Li Zhaoluo of Yanghu; Yao Chun of Lou County; Lu Jiugao and his nephew Chen Yongguang of Xincheng, etc. These students were all literati who adhered to the Shi theory and the Tongcheng family tradition, and they played a great role in the spread of the Tongcheng sect. The biography of Tongcheng School's ancient prose started from Fang Bao and became known throughout the country for its articles. It was connected to Zhenchuan, followed by Liu Da in the same city as Yizhen, and passed to Yao Nai where it was completed. Therefore, there is a saying that "the Tongcheng family law has been established up to this point, and the flowing wind and rhyme are based on Hunan and Guangxi in the south and Yan and Zhao in the north." Zhou Shuchang of Licheng said: "The best articles in the world are in Tongcheng!"
In the forty-fourth year of Qianlong (1779), Liu Da passed away at the age of eighty-two. Yao Nai undoubtedly became the core of the Tongcheng Sect. The "Compilation of Ancient Chinese Ci", which he compiled with great effort, was finally completed, with 75 volumes. It is a selection of ancient Chinese Ci, divided into thirteen categories according to the application of the articles: argumentation, preface and postscript, memorial, book explanation, preface, Edicts, biographies, tablets, miscellaneous notes, inscriptions, praises, poems, and mourning offerings. The selected works are mainly Warring States Policy, Han Dynasty Prose, Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, as well as Gui Youguang, Fang Bao, Liu Da, etc., which shows that the Tongcheng School's tradition of admiring ancient prose has established the "authentic" prose history for the Tongcheng School. The status reflects Yao Nai's literary ideas. This collection is very popular and has a great influence to this day.
In the forty-ninth year of Qianlong (1784), Yao Nai resigned from his official position. He hoped to spare time to advocate the Tongcheng School's ideas, and began his more than forty years of lecturing career. Yao Nai successively presided over Zhongshan, Meihua, ***, and Jingfu academies in Jiangning, Yangzhou, Huizhou, and Anqing. "A scholar is lucky to have a good family." Many of his disciples later became famous writers of the Tongcheng School, such as the famous "Four Disciples" of the Yao School, Mei Zengliang, Guan Tong, Fang Dongshu, Yao Ying, and Liu Kai, etc. They made the Tongcheng School more prestigious. .
Many writers who are not originally from Tongcheng also believe that the Tongcheng School was born on September 13 (October 15), the fifteenth year of Jiaqing (1815). Yao Nai, 85, died at Zhongshan Academy in Nanjing and was buried in Yangshu Bay, Tongcheng. At this time, the Tongcheng School's position in ancient literature was unshakable. During the reign of Daoguang and Xianfeng, the Tongcheng School once again flourished in the hands of Zeng Guofan and his disciples, which lasted until the birth of Yan Fu, Lin Shu and New Literature. Main Achievements
Yao Nai, together with the founders Fang Bao and Liu Da, are known as the "Three Patriarchs of Tongcheng" and are highly praised as "the first person in Chinese ancient prose" and "the peak of Chinese ancient prose". Based on the achievements of Jifang and Liu, he advocated that "principle", "textual research" and "diction" should complement each other in the article. The so-called "righteousness" refers to Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism; "textual research" refers to the textual research of ancient documents, literary meanings, and words; "ci Zhang" means that writing articles requires literary talent. These propositions enrich the writing content of the prose and are the supplement and development of Fang Bao's theory of "righteousness and law". In terms of aesthetics, it is proposed to use "masculine" and "feminine" to distinguish the style of articles. "Masculine" means bold and bold, and "feminine" means graceful. The two major styles cooperate with each other. Adjusting each other creates a variety of styles. At the same time, Liu Da's idea of ??"imitating the ancients" was developed and he proposed "spirit, principle, gas, taste, pattern, rhythm, sound and color" as the eight essentials of the article. To learn from the ancients, you must first master the form (rhyme, rhythm, sound, color), and then pay attention to the spirit (spirit, reason, qi, taste), in order to reach a high state. The ancient prose of the Tongcheng School reached Yao Nai and formed a complete theoretical system. Yao Nai authored "The Complete Works of Xibao Another major contribution Nai made to traditional literary theory was his innovative "Yin Yang theory of hardness and softness", which was a major breakthrough in the aesthetic theory and style characteristics of ancient Chinese prose. He believes that "the way of heaven and earth is just yin and yang, hardness and softness. The writers are the elites of heaven and earth, and the yin and yang are hard and soft." The changes in yin and yang, hardness and softness in an article are the expression of the author's character, temperament, and moral character. In developing the literary thoughts of his predecessors, Nai used the philosophical concept of yin and yang to explain the origin of article style and the style characteristics of prose, which contains simple materialism and dialectical ideas.
Yao Nai proposed that the core of the article lies in the unity of "philosophy, textual research, and rhetoric". This has its own historical reasons. Yao Nai entered the literary world during the Qianlong period. The textual research trend of the Qing Dynasty also began to prevail at this time. People call this kind of textual research "Hanxue", and the opposite is the weaker "Songxue". The academic community mostly praises Sinology and dislikes Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties, which often leads to the reduction of the ideological quality of the articles. Yao Nai did not agree with the tendency to exclude Song studies. At the same time, in response to the disdainful attitude of Sinologists and Song scholars towards literature, he proposed that theory, textual research, and articles should not be neglected. This became the program of the Tongcheng School’s ancient prose theory.
"Yili" refers to the Neo-Confucian thought at that time, mainly from Song Dynasty; "textual criticism" means that the article must have solid evidence and avoid vagueness, mainly from Sinology; "Ci Zhang" means that the article must also have There is literary beauty in structure, words, and phonology. Yao Nai believes that the unity of the three is the highest and most beautiful state. "If you use them well, they will be able to succeed; if you don't use them well, they may harm each other." Of course, the three are light and heavy, and the textual research must be based on righteousness. Serve. Yao Nai wanted to reconcile the Han and Song Dynasties and integrate the three, and believed that a writer who could combine the strengths of the three would be a good writer. This idea actually became the literary program of the Tongcheng School. Yao Nai himself also practiced it. In the 39th year of Qianlong's reign (1774), Yao Nai, who served in the imperial court, came to Shandong and climbed Mount Taishan in Dongyue. Later, he wrote the famous article "Records of Climbing Mount Taishan". The whole article is only a few hundred words long and very rich in content. It is a model of integrating textual research and discourse. The article starts from Wenshui and Jishui in the north and south of Mount Tai, and covers many historical sites such as Tianmen and Dai Temple, with beautiful words. For example, after climbing Mount Tai, "Up to now, the Cangshan Mountain is covered with snow, and the sky is brightly lit to the south. Looking at the city wall in the evening, the Wenshui River and Xi Lai are picturesque, while the middle of the mountain is filled with mist."
" "Principles, textual research, and diction" had a huge impact on that time and later generations. On the one hand, Yao Nai actually stood in the position of defending Neo-Confucianism, trying to reconcile the debates between Han and Song Dynasties, taking into account the strengths of textual research, and using textual research to enrich the emptiness of Neo-Confucianism, thus improving the value of the ancient texts of the Tongcheng School.
On the one hand, if this proposition is extended, it can be regarded as a basic requirement for articles. It is also of great significance today: "righteousness" requires words to be meaningful and thoughtful; "textual research" requires solid arguments and persuasiveness; "words and chapters" require smooth words and artistic expression.
Yao Nai regarded Song Confucianism as the foundation of his scholarship, so he criticized Sinologists who criticized textual criticism for abandoning the foundation and pursuing the weak; but he did not abandon the strengths of Han Confucianism in studying classics. Yao Nai "is a writer of high conciseness and profound knowledge of the past, especially close to Ouyang Xiu and Zeng Gong. His essays are rooted in morality, and their explorations are derived from classics and teachings. When it comes to its shallowness and depth, there are things that the ancients have never said, and Nai alone can judge the subtleties. Extracting its Yun, commentators believe that the Ci is closer to Fang and the theory is deeper than Liu" ("Qing History Manuscript·Wenyuan·Yao Nai Biography"). His prose is "based on spirit and rhyme" (Fang Zongcheng's "Preface to Tongcheng Wenlu"), forming a circuitous, profound and euphemistic style that is full of sighs and is thought-provoking and infinite in meaning. Modern scholars Zhang Taiyan called it "Jin" and Liu Shipei called it "Rhyme", both of which spoke highly of its rich charm and concise language. In his early years, Yao Nai's poetry imitated the "Seven Sons" of the Ming Dynasty to learn Tang poetry. In his later years, he also imitated the poetry of the Song Dynasty. "Inscriptions on the Collection of Chao Celebrities"). Yao Nai's calligraphy attainments are very profound. Bao Shichen recommended Deng Shiru, Liu Shi'an and Yao Nai as the top calligraphers in the Qing Dynasty, and listed Yao Nai's cursive calligraphy as a masterpiece. Therefore, Yao Nai is not only unique in literary beauty, but his calligraphy is also world-famous. Heavy. Nai is the author of 19 volumes of "Shuo Jiu Jing", 3 volumes of "Supplementary Notes to the Three Biographies", 1 volume of "Laozi Zhangyi", 10 volumes of "Zhuangzi Zhangyi", 16 volumes of "Collected Works of Xibaoxuan", and "Collection of Wenhou" 12 volumes, 10 volumes of "Collected Poems", 1 volume of "Fa Tie Inscriptions", 10 volumes of "Notes", 4 volumes of "Shu Lu", 10 volumes of "Zhi Shou", 75 volumes of "Compilation of Ancient Chinese Ci", and "Wu Qi Yan Modern Style" "Shi Chao" 18 volumes. "Climbing Mount Tai" is Yao Nai's masterpiece, which mainly depicts the magnificent scenery of Mount Tai in the early days of wind and snow. Characteristics of writing: First, in chronological order and with travel traces as clues, it narrates the author's journey to Mount Tai and the scenery he saw. It is well-cut and detailed. The Tongcheng School's advocacy of "elegantness" and opposition to "redundant speech" can be seen from here. Anecdotes and Allusions
In the 28th year of Qianlong's reign (1763), he was a Jinshi, selected common people, and became the head of the Ministry of Etiquette. He was also a doctor in the Guangdong Division of the Ministry of Officials and Punishments. He served successively as an examiner of the Shandong and Hunan Provincial Examinations, a co-examiner of the General Examination, and a member of the Siku Hall. Kai, served as editor and editor, and wrote 91 records. In the twelfth year of Daoguang (1832), he compiled 4 volumes of "Xibao Xuan Records", which are included in the postscripts of his collection. There is one volume of "Xibao Xuan Si Ku Guan Collation Book Title". He has been in charge of academies in Jiangning, Yangzhou and other places for 40 years. His scholarship was mainly focused on Confucian classics, as well as history, poetry and prose. He once studied under Liu Da. Commentators said that he was close to Fang Bao and had more profound theories than Liu Da. All three of them were from Tongcheng, and they were known as the "Tongcheng School". The family's library is named "Xibao He is the author of "Collected Works of Xibaoxuan". The selected collections include "Compilation of Ancient and Modern Ci Classes" and "Copy of Modern Poems in Five or Seven Characters". Representative works
"Climbing Mount Tai" The yang of Mount Tai is that the Wen River flows to the west; its yin is that the Jishui River flows to the east. The Yang Valley all enters Wen, and the Yin Valley all enters Ji. When it is divided into north and south, it is the ancient Great Wall. The highest Sun View Peak is fifteen miles south of the Great Wall.
In December of the 39th year of Qianlong's reign, I rode the wind and snow from the capital, traveled through Qihe and Changqing, passed through the northwest valley of Mount Tai, crossed the limit of the Great Wall, and arrived at Tai'an. At the end of the month, I ascended from the southern foothills with the prefect Zhu Xiaochun and his son Ying. For forty-five miles, the roads are all built with stone slabs, with more than seven thousand levels. There are three valleys directly south of Mount Tai. The middle valley goes around the city of Tai'an, which Li Daoyuan said is surrounded by water. I started to follow it in, and the road was less than half way across the middle ridge, then followed the west valley again, and then reached its top. In ancient times, when climbing mountains, one would follow the east valley and there would be a Tianmen on the way. The east valley is known as the Tianmen Stream in ancient times, and cannot be reached by others. Today, those who pass through the middle ridges and mountain top cliffs are also called Tianmenyun. The road is foggy and slippery, making it almost impossible to climb. As we go up, Cangshan Mountain is covered with snow, and the sky is brightly lit to the south. Looking at the city wall in the evening, the sun shines on it, the Wenshui River and Cuulai River are picturesque, while the mid-level mountains are filled with mist.
Wu Shenhui, Wu Gu, and Ziying sat in the sungazing pavilion, waiting for the sunrise. The strong wind blew up the snow. To the east of the pavilion, there are clouds everywhere. I saw dozens of tall white trees standing in the clouds, it was a mountain. The clouds in the sky are of different colors, and they become five colors in a moment. The sun is as red as red pills above, and there is a red light shaking below.
Or say, this is the East China Sea. Looking back at the sun and looking at the peak to the west, you may see the sun, or not, the color is crimson, but all of them are like hunchbacks.
To the west of the pavilion there is Dai Temple and Bixia Yuanjun Temple. The emperor's palace is in the east of Bixia Yuanjun Temple. On this day, the stone carvings in Guandao were lost. Since the Xianqing period of the Tang Dynasty, all the ancient carvings have been lost. Those who are secluded and do not follow the right path will not be able to reach it.
The mountains are more rocky and less soily. The stone is pale black, mostly square and less round. There are few miscellaneous trees, many pine trees, and stone fences, all with flat tops. Ice and snow, no waterfalls. There is no sound of birds or animals. On the solstice, there are no trees for several miles, and the snow is as deep as a person's knees.
Records of Yao Nai in Tongcheng.
DD is selected from the "Collected Works of Xiboxuan" in the "Sibu Congkan"
To the south of Mount Tai, the Wen River flows to the west, and to the north of Mount Tai, the Jishui River flows to the east. The water in the valleys to the south of the mountain flows into Wenshui River, and the water in the valleys to the north of the mountain flows into Jishui River. At the boundary between Yanggu and Yingu is the ancient Great Wall. The highest Riguan Peak is located fifteen miles south of the ancient Great Wall.
In December of the 39th year of Qianlong's reign, I set off from the capital in the snow and wind, passed through Qihe County and Changqing County, passed through the valley in the northwest of Mount Tai, crossed the boundaries of the ancient Great Wall, and arrived at Tai'an Mansion. On the last day of this month, I went hiking from the southern foot of the mountain with the prefect Zhu Xiaochun (Zi Ying). The forty-five miles of mountain roads are all made of stone slabs, with more than 7,000 steps. There are three valleys directly south of Mount Tai. The water in the middle valley flows around the city of Tai'an. This is what Li Daoyuan calls "ring water". We started to go in along the middle valley, walked less than half of the way, climbed over the middle ridge, and then walked along the west valley to reach the top of the mountain. In ancient times, when you climbed Mount Tai, you followed the valley to the east. There was a Tianmen on the way. The valley to the east was called Tianmen Stream in ancient times, but we did not reach it. This time when passing through Zhongling to the top of the mountain, there are also cliffs like portals standing across the road. Most people call them Tianmen. It was cloudy and foggy along the way, the ice was very slippery, and the stone steps were almost impossible to climb. When we reached the top of the mountain, we saw dark green mountains carrying white snow, shining brightly in the southern sky. Looking at Tai'an City under the sunset, Wenshui River and Culai Mountain look like pictures, while the clouds and mist lingering halfway up the mountain look like a belt.
Wushen day was at the end of the month. At the fifth watch, Ziying and I were sitting on the sun viewing pavilion, waiting for the sunrise. The strong wind whipped up the snow and slapped it on his face. The east side of the Riguan Pavilion is covered with mist from the feet up. I could vaguely see dozens of white dice-like things standing in the clouds and mist. They were some mountain peaks. At the end of the sky, there is a line of strange colors in the clouds. In a moment, it turns into a colorful cloud. The sun rises, the color is pure red like sand, and there is a swaying red light underneath to support it. Some people say that this is the East China Sea. Looking back at the peaks to the west of Riguan Peak, some are illuminated by the sun, some are not illuminated, some are red, some are white, the colors are mixed, and they all look like they are hunched over.
To the west of Riguan Pavilion are Dai Temple and Bixia Yuanjun Temple. The emperor's palace is to the east of Bixia Yuanjun Temple. On this day, I admired various stone carvings along the way, all dating from after the Xianqing period of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. Those older stone carvings were all obliterated and damaged. There is no time to see the stone carvings that are remote and not on the roadside.
There are many rocks and little soil on Mount Tai. The stones are blue-black, mostly square and angular, and rarely round. There are few miscellaneous trees and many pine trees, which grow in the cracks of the rocks and have flat tops. There is ice and snow everywhere, there are no waterfalls, and there are no sounds or traces of birds and animals. There are no trees within a few miles of Riguan Peak, and the snow is knee-deep.
The story of Yao Nai, a native of Tongcheng.