Cai Wenji (date of birth and death unknown), formerly known as Cai Yan, was born in Pixian County, Chenliu County (now Qixian County, Henan Province). She was a famous writer and musician in the Eastern Han Dynasty and the first outstanding poetess in the history of China literature.
When Cai Wenji was young, his father was framed, and his whole family was expelled from the army and drifted abroad 12 years. In the second year of Xingping (195), she married Wei Zhongdao in Hedong, and her husband died soon, leaving her childless and widowed. In the third year of Chuping, the world was in chaos. Yan was taken captive by tarquin to the South Xiongnu (now Yikezhao League in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), remarried to Xiongnu Zuo, stayed for 12 years, and gave birth to two children.
In the twelfth year of Jian 'an (207), Cao Cao unified the north and pitied Cai Yong, so he sent envoys to Xiongnu to redeem Cai Yan with two thousand gold, a pair of white jade and a hundred silks. After Yan returned to Han, he married Dong Sishi in the same county. Later, at the behest of Cao Cao, he recalled more than 400 "completely correct" books collected in the old days.
Cai Yan's life was bumpy, confused by time and pursuing grief and indignation. His grief and indignation poem 108, with 540 words, is the first five-character poem in the history of China literature. Eighteen Beats of Hu Jia was included in Biography of Chu Ci compiled by Zhu, a poet in Song Dynasty, which was widely circulated by later generations.
Cai Yan's achievements:
1, literature achievement
After Cai Yan returned to Han Dynasty, she wrote two sorrowful and indignant poems, one in five words and one in Sao style. Among them, Wuyanben, which focuses on Sentimental Parting, is an emotional narrative poem and the first autobiographical long narrative poem written by literati in the history of China poetry.
Zhang Yugu, a poetic theorist in the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a five-character poem praising Cai Yan: "Wenxi only wants to crush Wen Jun, and' grief and indignation' is long. The old Du family lived in the Seventh Division of Cao Cao, and the incense can also reach the hairpin skirt. " Cai Yan's talent overwhelmed Zhuo Wenjun, a talented woman in the Han Dynasty, and his five-character narrative poems were all influenced by Cai Yan.
Sorrow and indignation poems, written in Sao style, are aimed at expressing emotions. The first and second sections briefly describe the experience of Hu and his son being captured in Han Dynasty, and in the middle, a large part of natural scenery is used to render Cai Yan's sad mood of leaving his hometown. In these descriptions of scenery and human feelings, Chae Yeon talked about their differences from her hometown of China, in order to describe her deep sadness and indignation in this different environment from China.
2. Musical achievements
"Eighteen Beats of Hu Jia" is a lyric of China ancient Yuefu with 1297 words, and it is a vocal suite composed of 18 songs. The original issue of Guo Maoqian's Poems of Song Yuefu (Volume 59) and Zhu's Comments on Chu Ci (Volume 3) are slightly different. Lu Shiyong, a Ming Dynasty man, said in "A General Theory of Poetry and Mirrors": "When the wind in Tokyo wanes, Cai Wenji will become a talent in Ying Ying. Reading "Hu Yiyin" can make people feel shocked, and the wind and sand are flying, which is really fierce. "
3. Calligraphy achievements
Cai Yan's father, Cai Yong, is a great calligrapher. He created eight-point fonts. Cai Yan's handwriting is also very good. Han Yu once said: "The corps commander (Cai Yong) has a woman who can carry on the family line." [10] Cai Yan once wrote ancient books silently at the request of Cao Cao, saying that he could write both portrait books and cursive scripts.