Like the four beauties in ancient China, there are different opinions. There are several widely circulated theories.
The most common saying is: Pan An, King Lanling, Song Yu, Wei Jie;
The second saying is: Song Yu, Yin Yi, Zhuge Liang, Pan An;
The third theory is: Song Yu, Li Shimin, Du Ke, Yan Song;
The fourth theory is: Qin Shihuang, Wei Qing, Zhou Yu, Li Bai;
These beautiful men all have one thing in common: they are both talented and beautiful, or they have extremely high accomplishments in literature and music, or they are powerful in China with their martial arts and martial arts. It is said that when these people travel, they have caused crowds of people to rush to witness the scene.
Pan An
People often praise a man's beauty by saying "he looks better than Pan An". Pan An has become the "spokesperson" for beautiful men through the ages. So what kind of person is he? ? How beautiful is he?
Pan An (247-300), also known as Pan Yue, also named Anren, was a famous writer in the Western Jin Dynasty. He was a native of Gongyi, Henan (now Gongyi City, Zhengzhou, Henan), and his native place was Zhongmu, Henan (now Dapan, Zhongmu County, Zhengzhou, Henan). Village), known as the "Flower of Heyang County".
Historical books directly say that Pan An was beautiful in three words - "beauty, appearance, and grace". He naturally has good appearance and good temperament. Although the book does not record in detail what Pan An's facial features were like or how tall he was, there is no doubt about his beauty. Pan An already had a large number of die-hard "fans" at that time. "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" records that every time Pan An goes out to play, a large number of girls will chase him. Groups of girls chasing Pan An presented him with flowers and fruits. Every time Pan An returns home, he always comes back with a full load. This is the origin of the allusion of "throwing a fruit-filled cart". [1]
Although there are so many beauties chasing him all day long, Pan An remains unmoved at all. Pan An is definitely a good husband when it comes to treating his wife. Pan An's wife came from a well-known family, and her family status was higher than that of Pan An's family. The two were not a good match. Pan An was very infatuated with his wife. Not only did he never go out to flirt with women when she was alive, but he still missed her after her death. A year after his wife passed away, he wrote three "Mourning Poems". In the history of Chinese literature, these three "Mourning Poems" are of groundbreaking significance. Because women's status was very low at that time, before Pan An's "Mourning Poems", there were almost no works about men missing their wives. Pan An's articles were also very good, and he liked to write mournful articles. It can be said that he was a melancholy man. Beautiful writer.
There is nothing to say about Pan An's appearance, and he can be regarded as a good husband with a dedicated and dedicated relationship. However, his life path is not as enviable as his appearance, but has a bit of tragedy. His political path was still very bumpy, and he was not reused in his early years. Later, he took refuge in the Jia Group headed by Jia Nanfeng and her nephew Jia Mi. At that time, it was the time when the Jia Group was making all the changes. Jia Nanfeng wanted to depose the prince, and Pan An was unfortunately involved in this conspiracy. One time when the prince was drunk, Pan An was asked to write an article to worship the gods and asked the prince to copy it. The prince was already drunk and unconscious, so he wrote a lot. After Pan An got the article written by the prince, he sketched a few more strokes and turned it into a treasonous article, which led to the prince being deposed and the prince's biological mother executed. Although he was not the mastermind, Pan An obviously played a role in fueling the conspiracy. Although the evil plot succeeded this time, Pan An did not get any good results in the end. After the Eight Kings Rebellion, King Sima Lun of Zhao succeeded in seizing power. He immediately arrested Pan An and sentenced him to annihilate the three clans. [2]
Throughout Pan An's life, he was a complex and contradictory individual who combined talent, beauty, dedication and political evil. If future generations only remember his beauty, it will undoubtedly simplify him. Among all the handsome men who are as brilliant as stars, Pan An is still known by modern people as a symbol of beautiful men after thousands of years of baptism. His handsome appearance and overflowing talent are the reasons why he will be remembered forever. If a handsome man wants to avoid being a flash-in-the-pan, it is the last word to cultivate both internal and external qualities. Wang Bo's "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" says, "Please pour water on the Pan River, and everyone will pour clouds over the land and sea." Since ancient times, Pan An has been as famous as Lu Ji. Pan An's poems ranked high in Zhong Rong's "Poems". In addition, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally wrote the preface to Lu Ji's biography of "Book of Jin", which proves Lu Ji's status in literary history. The surviving works such as "The Widow's Fu", "The Death of Yuan Yong" and "Poems in Mourning" are all famous for their ability to describe grief, and Pan An carried forward the style of Fu during the Western Jin Dynasty. Among them, his "Western Expedition" "Fu", "Xianju Fu", "Jitian Fu", "Canghai Fu", "Qiu Xing Fu", "Hibiscus Fu", "She Pheasant Fu", etc. are all immortal works that are famous throughout the ages.
King of Lanling
King of Lanling Gao Changgong (541-573), formerly known as Gao Xiaoguan, also known as Gao Su, with the courtesy name Changgong, was a native of Anyang (now Anyang, Henan Province), the capital of the Northern Qi Dynasty. , the grandson of Emperor Shenwu Gao Huan and the fourth son of Emperor Wenxiang Gao Cheng. A royal family member and general of the Northern Qi Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, he was one of the four most beautiful men in ancient China. The God of War in the Northern Qi Dynasty, the tragic and beautiful man under the mask. These two words are used to describe King Lanling. This shows how much influence King Lanling has. He is both the God of War and a handsome man. He can be said to be a peerless handsome man with both civil and military skills. , but it was such a man who ended up being jealous and died unjustly because he was too perfect.
King Lanling of the Northern Qi Dynasty was also one of the beautiful men who left endless reveries to future generations.
He has all the necessary conditions to become a legend, such as his mysterious origin, his bravery and proficiency in battle, his family full of blood and killing, and his unjust death in his prime. The most splendid part of this legend is undoubtedly his breathtaking beauty.
There is a very famous legend about King Lanling - his appearance is too soft to intimidate the enemy, so he always wears a mask on the battlefield. In the Battle of Mangshan, the Northern Zhou Dynasty attacked the area around Luoyang, but the siege was not captured. Duan Shao, Hu Luguang and Gao Changgong were ordered to go to the rescue. Duan Shao used his strategy to defeat the Northern Zhou army. Gao Changgong led 500 cavalry into the Northern Zhou army and arrived at the besieged city of Jin Yong (now the northeastern city of Luoyang, Henan). Because Gao Changgong was wearing a mask, the people in the city were not sure he was the enemy. The army was still our army. Gao Changgong took off his mask and revealed a stunningly beautiful face. The soldiers' morale was boosted and they won a great victory.
However, looking at its true history, there is no record of King Lanling wearing a mask because of his excessive beauty. "Book of the Northern Qi Dynasty" and other historical records record: "In the defeat of Mangshan, Chang Gong was in the middle army. He led 500 cavalry to reenter the Zhou army, and then reached the foot of Jin Yong. He was severely surrounded. The people on the city did not recognize him, so Chang Gong did not show off his armor. In the face of the enemy, he sent a crossbowman to save him, and the victory was achieved. "It is clearly recorded that he was wearing a helmet and not a mask. In the history books, soldiers with "iron mask" equipment appeared in the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi and Western Wei, that is, heavy cavalry protective equipment that integrated a helmet and an iron face shield and had to take off the helmet to reveal the face. It was not a mask that was passed down in later generations. Despite this, King Lanling's beauty is undeniable and otherworldly. "Book of the Northern Qi Dynasty" and "History of the Northern Dynasty" say that he has a "soft appearance and a strong heart, and a beautiful voice and appearance"; "The Monument of King Zhongwu in Lanling" says that he has a "bright and cheerful style, and the color and clearness of his utensils"; "Old Book of the Tang Dynasty· "Music Chronicles" said that she was "talented and beautiful"; "Sui and Tang Dynasties" said that she was a "white and beautiful woman".
The father of King Lanling was Emperor Wenxiang Gao Cheng, the eldest son of Emperor Shenwu Gao Huan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, but his mother did not even have a surname, which made his life experience confusing. "Book of Northern Qi" records: "Lanling Wu Wang Changgong, a filial piety, is the fourth son of Wenxiang." It also records that among Wenxiang's six sons: "Queen Wen Jingyuan gave birth to Hejian Wang Xiaowan, and the Song family gave birth to Henan Wang Xiaoyu. The Wang family gave birth to Wang Xiaoheng of Guangning, the Lanling Wang Changgong had no mother's surname, the Chen family gave birth to Ande Wang Yanzong, and the Yan family gave birth to Yuyang Wang Shaoxin. "
Changgong has a gentle appearance, a strong heart, and a beautiful voice. If you work diligently and meticulously for your generals, every time you get something sweet, even if you have a melon with several fruits, you will definitely enjoy it with the soldiers.
King Lanling spent most of his life in the military and had great military exploits. But while this brought him glory, it also brought him misfortune because he was too perfect. After the great victory at Mangshan, the later master Gao Wei asked him: "The battle was too deep, and there was nothing to regret about the defeat." He replied: "The family affairs are cordial, and I didn't realize it happened." Gao Wei suspected that King Lanling, who had military power, wanted to replace him. , wanting to turn "state affairs" into "family affairs" began to be taboo. King Lanling noticed the emperor's hostility towards him, so he began to accept bribes from others in the hope of saving his life (people who love money do not love power), and later followed others' advice to avoid government affairs due to illness. But even with such caution, King Lanling still did not escape the fate of death. One day in May of the fourth year of Wuping (AD 573), the later master Gao Wei sent an envoy to visit his brother Gao Su, and the gift he sent was a cup of poisonous wine. King Lanling was extremely sad and angry, and said to his beloved concubine Zheng: "I am loyal to my work, why should I betray heaven and be poisoned?" Concubine Zheng persuaded him: "Why not ask to see Tianyan?" The naive concubine Zheng thought it was possible. It's just a misunderstanding between brothers. As long as Gao Su pleads with the emperor, he may get his life back. But King Lanling knew in his heart that it was useless to ask Gao Wei for an explanation. Years ago, wasn't Hu Luguang, an important minister and veteran who lived with him through life and death, also innocently lured into the palace and brutally strangled to death with a bowstring? The despondent King Lanling said, "How can the beauty of the sky be seen?" He drank the poisonous wine in one gulp and burned all the bonds before his death.
Song Yu
Song Yu (about 322 BC - about 298 BC), also known as Ziyuan, is said to be a student of Qu Yuan, Han nationality, born in the Warring States Period The capital of the Song Dynasty (today's Shangqiu, Henan) was the son of the Song Dynasty. He ran away from the Chu Kingdom due to conflicts between father and son. One of the four most beautiful men in ancient China, he was born after Qu Yuan and studied under Qu Yuan. He once served as King Qingxiang of Chu. Hao Ci Fu was the master of Ci Fu after Qu Yuan. Later generations often referred to the two as "Qu Song", as famous as Tang Le and Jing Zai. According to legend, he wrote many poems and poems. "Hanshu Volume 30 Yiwenzhi 10th" contains 16 poems, many of which are lost today. The popular works include "Nine Bian", "Feng Fu", "Gaotang Fu", "Dengtuzi Lustful Fu", etc., but some people suspect that the last three were not written by him. The so-called allusions of "Lower Liba people", "Bright spring and white snow", and "Qu Gao and few" all come from him. A writer of Ci and Fu from Chu State in the late Warring States Period.
In ancient literary works such as novels and operas, men are often described as beautiful as Song Yu and as handsome as Pan An. Song Yu is not only beautiful, but also talented, which fascinates many women.
The legend of Song Yu’s beauty has been passed down through the ages, but how he was so beautiful has been a mystery through the ages because he didn’t even leave a portrait. But we can get an idea of ??how beautiful Song Yu was from the records in "Dengtuzi Luosefu".
According to the record of "Dengtuzi Lustful Fu", Dengtuzi reported to the King of Chu that Song Yu was a handsome man, he could talk well, but he was lustful by nature, so Song Yu must not be allowed to run into the harem. After hearing this, Song Yu wanted to fight back.
He ran to the King of Chu and said, please be a notary and see whether it is me who is lustful or the disciple who is lustful? Song Yu first said that there is no beauty in the world better than the State of Chu, and there is no beauty in the State of Chu better than my hometown, and there is no beauty in my hometown better than my next door neighbor - the daughter of the east neighbor. The beauty next door to me would be too long if she added one point, and too short if she took off one point. If she applied powder, she would be too white, and if she applied vermilion, she would be too red. The eyebrows are as straight as bird feathers, the skin is as white as snow, the waist is very thin, and the teeth are very white. Even if there is such a beautiful woman lying on the wall and watching me for three years, I am not moved at all. Can I be considered a womanizer? On the contrary, being a scumbag is not a good thing. There was an ugly wife at home. His wife had wild hair, deformed ears, turned-out lips, uneven teeth, walked with a limp, had a hunchback, and was covered in scabies. But Deng Tuzi liked her very much and had five children with her. You see, as long as it’s a woman, the slut will like it, so he’s more lustful than me. In fact, judging from today's point of view, it is commendable to be a disciple and not abandon the wife who is the chaff. But Song Yu's eloquence was extraordinary. Being fooled by him in this way, the King of Chu was stunned and concluded that Deng Tuzi was a lecherous person. This sentence actually made Deng Tuzi bear the reputation of lechery from then on, and became synonymous with perverts in later generations.
Song Yu is not just his appearance, he also has excellent literary talents, has a master-level status in the literary world, and has created several firsts. He was the first to write about the sad autumn and the first to write about women. His description of female classics had a great influence on later generations such as Cao Zhi. The goddess in Song Yu's "Ode to the Goddess" embodies the concept of female beauty in the pre-Qin Dynasty. It has accumulated in the collective consciousness of the Han nation as a prototype with permanent vitality. From Cao Zhi to Cao Xueqin, whenever literati wanted to express the beauty of women, Always going back to this archetype, consciously or unconsciously. Song Yu's famous poems "Ode to the Goddess" and "Ode to the High Tang Dynasty" describe the beauty of the Wushan goddess (Wushan Goddess), which has been coveted by future generations for thousands of years. There are only 16 of his surviving works, among which "Nine Debates" is believed to be written by him. In the history of Chinese literature, it can be compared with Qu Yuan's "Li Sao" and can be regarded as a double gem among Chu Ci.
There are not many records about Song Yu's life experience. All we know is that he was born in a poor family. In order to seek a political future, he once went to the capital of Chu State and worked as a literary attendant for the King of Chu. It is said that he was also appreciated by the King of Chu for a time. But Song Yu was actually not good at being an official and was out of step with the times. He finally left the court and returned to his hometown, finishing his life full of regrets. [3]
Wei Jie
Wei Jie (286-June 20, 312), named Shubao, was a native of Anyi, Hedong (now north of Xia County, Shanxi), Shanxi A court metaphysician and official, one of the four most beautiful men in ancient China. His grandfather Wei Guan rose to the rank of Taiwei during the reign of Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty, and his father Wei Heng rose to the rank of Shangshulang and was a famous calligrapher. Wei Jie was a famous talker and metaphysician after He Yan and Wang Bi during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. He rose to the rank of Prince Xian Ma. In the fourth year of Yongjia (310), he moved to the south. In the sixth year of Yongjia (312), Wei Jie passed away at the age of twenty-seven.
When Wei Jie was five years old, his demeanor was different from ordinary people. His grandfather Wei Guan said that Wei Jie was different, but he was old and could not see the day when he grew up. When Wei Jie was young, he rode a sheep cart to the market. Everyone who saw him thought he was a beauty, and people went to watch him. General Wang Ji is Wei Jie's uncle. He is handsome, forthright and graceful. Every time he sees Wei Jie, he sighs and says that he feels ugly when Zhu Yu is around him. He once told others that traveling with Wei Jie was like having bright beads beside him, shining brightly.