Wang Wei was originally from Qi County, Shanxi Province. A famous poet and painter in the Tang Dynasty, his courtesy name was Mojie and his nickname was Mojie Jushi. Wang Wei's achievements in poetry are multifaceted. Whether it is frontier fortresses, landscape poems, rhymed poems or quatrains, there are all excellent poems that have been passed down to the public. In the 19th year of Kaiyuan (731), he won the first prize. Li Guanyou collected relics, censored the censor, and made the judge during the Hexi Festival. The Old Book of Tang·The Biography of Wang Wei is a short biography of his life. I have compiled it and you are welcome to read it!
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The Old Book of Tang
Original text:
Wang Wei, courtesy name Mojie, was born in Qi, Taiyuan. His father was born in Lian and died in Fenzhou Sima. He moved to Pu and became a native of Hedong. In the ninth year of Wei Kaiyuan's reign, he was promoted to Jinshi. Cui, the mother-in-law, heard of it as a filial piety. He and his younger brother Jin were both talented and equally famous for their erudition and many arts. They were close friends with each other and were highly regarded by many scholars. Li You was responsible for collecting relics, supervising the censor, Zuo Buque, and being a doctor in the Treasury Department. When the mother of the house is mourned, the firewood is destroyed and the bones are left standing. The mourning is almost unbearable. Serve the emperor and pay homage to the doctor from the Ministry of Officials. At the end of Tianbao, it is for giving.
Lushan fell into the two capitals. Xuanzong was lucky, but Wei Hu was never able to catch up and was captured by thieves. He took medicine to get dysentery, pretending to be mute disease. Lushan Su took pity on him and sent people to meet him in Luoyang. He was detained in Pushi Temple and forced to give him a fake certificate. Lushan hosted a banquet for his disciples in Ningbi Palace, and the musicians were all disciples of the Liyuan Garden and workers of the teaching workshop. Wei was so sad when he heard about it that he wrote a poem: "Thousands of households are sad and the wild smoke is growing. When will hundreds of officials rise to the sky again? The autumn locust flowers fall in the palace, and the orchestra plays on the top of the green pond." The thief was defeated, and the thief was caught and convicted by the third-class official. Wei heard of "Ningbi Poetry" in Xingzai, and Suzong praised it. Huijin asked him to cut off his minister of punishment to atone for his brother's sins. He especially pardoned him and awarded the crown prince Zhongyun. During the Qian and Yuan Dynasties, he was moved to the throne as the concubine of the Crown Prince and the wife of Zhongshu. He paid homage to Shizhong again and was transferred to Youcheng, the Minister of the Secretariat.
Wei was famous for his poetry in Kaiyuan and Tianbao. Officials from Kunzhong traveled to the two capitals. All kings and princes who came to the door of a noble family would welcome them with their mats. King Ning and King Xue treated him like a mentor and friend. . Weiyu is a long five-character poem. Calligraphy and painting are particularly wonderful. The strokes of the brush reflect thoughts and participate in nature. However, the creative sutras and pictures are lacking, such as the mountains are far away, the clouds and the colors of the rocks are extinct. They are beyond the reach of the painter. Someone got the "Picture of Playing Music" but didn't know its name. Wei looked at it and said: "It's the first beat in the third stack of "Neon Clothes"." A good person gathered the musicians and played with it. There was no difference in every detail, and I admired his fine thinking.
Brothers Wei all worshiped the Buddha, lived on a vegetarian diet, and did not eat meat or blood. In their later years, they fasted for a long time and did not wear elegant clothes. Went to Song Zhiwen's Lantian Villa, which was located at Wangkou. The Wangshui River flowed under the house, and he went to Zhuzhou Huawu. He went on a floating boat with his Taoist friend Pei Di, playing the piano, composing poems, and whistling and chanting all day long. The poems he wrote in his countryside were titled "Wangchuan Collection". There were more than ten monks in the capital every day, enjoying mystical talks. There is nothing in the studio, just a tea pot, a medicine mortar, a sutra case, and a rope bed. After retreating from the court, he burned incense and sat alone, doing meditation and recitation. After his wife died, he no longer married. He lived alone in one room for thirty years, isolated from all the dust. He died in July of the second year of Qianyuan. On his deathbed, Jin was in Fengxiang, and he suddenly took out his pen to write a farewell calligraphy on the Jin. He also wrote several farewell letters to his relatives and friends. He gave up his pen in order to cultivate his mind in accordance with the Buddha's instructions.
During the reign of Emperor Daizong, Jin was the prime minister. Emperor Daizong was good at writing. He often referred to Jin and said: "Your uncle is the most famous poet in Tianbao. I have tasted and heard his music in the throne room. How many collections of essays are there today? Qing You can come in." Jin said: "Brother Chen wrote more than one thousand poems in Kaiyuan. After Tianbao's death, there are not even one of them left. Compared with the Chinese and foreign friends, there are more than four hundred poems." The next day, the emperor said. The imperial edict commends and rewards. Jin has his own biography.
(Selected from "Old Tang Book·Biographies 140")
Translation:
Wang Wei, courtesy name Mojie, is a native of Qi County, Taiyuan people. His father's name was Chu Lian, and his official position was finally Sima in Fenzhou. His family moved to Pu, so he became a native of Hedong.
Wang Wei passed the Jinshi examination in the ninth year of Kaiyuan. He was known for his filial piety by supporting his mother Cui. He and his younger brother Wang Jin are both talented and equally renowned for their erudition and versatility. Brothers and friends are respected by scholars. He successively served as You Shiqian, Supervisory Censor, Zuo Buque, and Treasury Doctor. His mother was bereaved, and she was so emaciated from grief that she could hardly bear the mourning. After mourning, he removed his clothes and became a doctor in the Ministry of Officials. In the last years of Tianbao's life, he was appointed to work.
He took medicine to make himself suffer from diarrhea and pretended to be mute. An Lushan always loved him, so he sent someone to take him to Luoyang, detained him in Pushi Temple, and forced him to accept a fake official position. An Lushan held a banquet for his disciples in Ningbi Palace. The musicians were all Liyuan disciples and workers of the teaching workshop. Wang Wei was very sad after hearing this, and wrote a poem in secret: "Thousands of households are sad and the wild smoke is growing. When will hundreds of officials rise to the sky again? The locust flowers in autumn fall into the empty palace. The orchestra plays at the head of the Ningbi Pond." After the thieves were defeated, they were trapped among the rebels. The officials are divided into three levels of conviction. Because of "Ningbi Poems", Wang Wei came to the place where the emperor was stationed. Emperor Suzong praised him and rewarded him. It happened that Wang Jin asked to be relieved of his position as Minister of Justice to atone for his brother's crime, so he was specially pardoned and appointed as Crown Prince Zhongyun. During the Qianyuan period, he was moved to the position of Prince Zhong's concubine and Zhongshu Sheren, and was appointed to Shizhong, and was transferred to Shangshu Youcheng.
Wang Wei was famous for his poems during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years. His brothers served as officials in the two capitals. All the princes and princes of the princes and powerful families would greet him respectfully. King Ning and King Xue treated him well. Like his mentor and friend, Wang Wei is particularly good at five-character poetry. Calligraphy and painting are extremely magical. The handwriting is thoughtful and consistent with nature. However, there are some shortcomings in creating the meaning of the painting and operating the circle painting. As for the mountains far away, the colors of the clouds and rocks, and their disappearance in the heavens, it is beyond the reach of ordinary paintings. Someone got the "Music Picture" and didn't know what it was playing. After reading it, Wang Wei said: "This is the first beat of the third stack of "Neon Clothes"." The good guy called the musicians to play, and it was not bad at all. They all admired him of fine thoughts.
Both Wang Wei brothers believe in Buddhism. They often eat vegetables and avoid meat and blood. In their later years, they fast for a long time and wear gorgeous clothes. During the Song Dynasty, I got a villa in Lantian. At Wangkou, I surrounded the house with Wangwang water and built a Zhuzhou flower dock. I went boating with my Taoist friend Pei Di, played the piano, composed poems, and sang all day long. He once collected the poems he wrote in the countryside and called it "Wangchuan Collection". When he was in the capital, he gave meals to more than a dozen monks every day and enjoyed mystical talks. There is nothing else in the room, only a tea pot, a medicine mortar, a sutra case, and a rope bed. After leaving the court, he burned incense and sat alone, concentrating on reciting. After the death of his wife, he stopped marrying and lived alone in one room for thirty years, completely eliminating the burdens of the world. He died in July of the second year of Qianyuan. On his deathbed, because Wang Jin was in Fengxiang. Suddenly he took the pen and wrote a farewell letter to Wang Jin, and wrote several farewell letters to his relatives and friends, most of which were to encourage his friends to believe in Buddhism and cultivate their minds. He threw down his pen and passed away.
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During the reign of Emperor Daizong, Wang Jin was the prime minister. Emperor Daizong was good at writing and often said to Wang Jin: "Brother Qing was the most famous poet in the world during the Tianbao period. I have heard it on the thrones. Play his music. How many collections are there now? You can submit them." Wang Jin said: "Brother Chen had more than one hundred and thousand poems during the Kaiyuan period. After the Tianbao Rebellion, not even one of them has been collected and compiled. , the general secretary got more than 400 articles." He presented it the next day, and the emperor praised it. Wang Jin has another biography.