Liu Zongyuan (773～819)
A writer and philosopher in the Tang Dynasty of China. One of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The character is thick. His ancestral home was Hedong (now Yongji, Shanxi), and he later moved to Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi), and was known as Liuhedong in the world. Because he died as the governor of Liuzhou, he was also called Liuliuzhou. Together with Han Yu, he initiated the ancient prose movement in the Tang Dynasty and was also known as "Han Liu".
Liu Zongyuan
Life Liu Zongyuan was born in an official family. He had little talent and great ambitions. But in his early years, he was admitted to Jinshi, and his writing was based on eloquent words. In the ninth year of Zhenyuan (793), he became a Jinshi. In the fourteenth year, he was admitted to the Bo Xue Hong Ci Department and was awarded the Zhengzi of Jixian Dian. He was once a captain of Lantian, and later became an official in the court. He actively participated in the political reform of Wang Shuwen Group and became a member of the Ministry of Rites, Wai Lang. In September of the first year of Yongzhen (805), the reform failed and he was demoted to the governor of Shaozhou. In November, he was further demoted to Sima of Yongzhou (now Lingling, Hunan). In the spring of the tenth year of Yuanhe (815), he returned to the capital and became the governor of Liuzhou (now part of Guangxi), with outstanding political achievements. He died in his post in November of the 14th year. During his demotion, many people in the south turned to him for academic advice.
Literary Advocacy Liu Zongyuan attaches great importance to the content of articles, advocates that literature should clarify the Tao, and believes that "Tao" should be beneficial to the country and the people, and is practical and feasible. He focused on the social function of literature and emphasized that literature must be beneficial to the world. He advocated the perfect combination of ideological content and artistic form, pointed out that writing must have a serious attitude, and emphasized the importance of writers' moral cultivation. He admired the articles of the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties, and proposed to learn from Confucian classics, Zhuangzi, Laozi, Li Sao, and Historical Records, etc., and use his extensive knowledge and experience for his own use, but he should not favor the past over the present. In terms of poetry theory, he inherited the tradition of Liu Xie advocating "Bixing" and Chen Zi'ang advocating "Xing Ji". It is consistent with Bai Juyi's proposition on allegorical poetry in "Yu Yuan Jiu Shu". His poetry theory represented the progressive tendency of the literary movement at that time.
Creation Liu Zongyuan left more than 600 poems and essays in his life, and his achievements in writing were greater than those in poetry. There are nearly a hundred pieces of parallel prose in his works, which are not out of the Tang parallel prose style, but there are also excellent works like "Nan Ji Yun Suiyang Temple Stele". Ancient prose can be roughly divided into five categories: ① Discussion. Including philosophy, political essays and other essays mainly focused on argumentation. The writing is sharp and the argument is precise. "Tian Shuo" is a representative philosophical treatise. "On Feudalism" and "On Punishment" are representative works of long and medium-length political commentaries. "Jin Wen Gong Asks Shou Yuan's Comments", "Tong Ye Fengdi Debates", "Yi Yin Wujiu Jie Zan" and other short political commentaries are representative. There is a simple materialistic element in his philosophical thought. His political thoughts are mainly manifested in the progressive social and historical view that emphasizes "power" and the Confucian people-centered thought. But they are also influenced by Buddhism, especially when they are politically frustrated, they often look to Buddhism for spiritual relief. ②Fable. It inherited and developed the traditions of "Zhuangzi", "Han Feizi", "Lü Shi Chun Qiu", "Lie Zi", and "Warring States Policy", and was mostly used to satirize and criticize the ugly phenomena of the society at that time. It is innovative and creative, making good use of various animal anthropomorphic artistic images to convey philosophy or express political opinions. His representative works include "Three Commandments" ("The Elk Linjiang", "The Donkey in Guizhou", "The Yong Family's Rat"), "The Biography of the Grasshopper", "Zhuo Shuo" and other chapters. Laughing and cursing, and adapting to the shape of things, show a high degree of humorous and satirical art. ③Biography. It inherits the tradition of "Historical Records" and "Hanshu" and also makes some innovations. His representative works include "The Anecdotes of Captain Duan", "The Biography of Zi Ren", "The Biography of Hejian", "The Story of the Snake Catcher", etc. Some works are exaggerated and fictional based on real people and real events, like fables and novels. Such as "The Biography of Song and Qing Dynasties" and "The Biography of Planting Trees and Guo Lituo". ④Landscape travel notes. The most popular works were all written after he was demoted, and his work on Yongzhou is even more popular. The eight exemplary records of Yongzhou are: "The Journey to Xishan Banquet", "The Story of the Cobalt Pond", "The Story of the West Xiaoqiu of the Cobalt Pond", "The Story of the Journey to the Xiaoshi Pond West of Xiaoqiu", "The Story of the Yuan Family's Thirst", "The Story of the Yuan Family's Thirst", "The Story of the Stone Canal", "The Story of the Stone Stream", and "The Story of the Little Rock City Mountain". These works not only use beautiful scenery to express one's own experiences and resentments; they also describe the author's quiet state of mind, showing that he turned to pursue spiritual sustenance in extreme depression. As for directly depicting landscapes, they may be steep and majestic, or may be clear, profound and beautiful, using exquisite language to reproduce the natural beauty. ⑤ Sao Fu. Unique. "Punishment Fu", "Min Sheng Fu", "Menggui Fu", "Qiu Shan Fu", etc. all use the "Li Sao" and "Nine Chapters" styles. Some express their feelings directly, some use ancient references to hurt themselves, some allegorize and express sarcasm, meditative and bitter words, which deeply capture the essence of Qu Sao. The two giant chapters "Tian Dui" and "Jin Wen" are of another type. Their form is imitated in "Tian Wen" and "Qifa", and their language is unique and profound. In addition, Liu Ji also contains many steles, inscriptions, notes, prefaces, poems and other works related to Buddhism, which involve Zen, Tiantai, Vinaya and other doctrines. There are more than 140 Liu poems in existence, all of which were written after he was demoted. The predecessors called him King Meng Weiliu together with Wang Wei, Meng Haoran and Wei Yingwu. Some of its Five Ancient Thoughts are close to Tao Yuanming's poems in content, the language is simple and natural, the style is elegant and meaningful. Other Wugu poems were influenced by Xie Lingyun. They composed exquisite words and mixed with mystical principles. They even learned from Xie poems when writing titles. But Liu's poems can contain resentment in their beauty, showing similarities but differences. In addition, Liu Shi also has the rhyme poem "Climb the Liuzhou Tower and Send to Zhangting to Connect the Four States" which is famous for its generosity, sadness and health. It is a famous seven-rhythm poem in the Tang Dynasty. The quatrain "Jiang Xue" is also a rare work among the quatrains of the Tang Dynasty.
This collection and research materials Liu Yuxi began to compile Liu's collection "Collection of Mr. Hedong".
There were many annotated editions in the Song Dynasty, and Han Chun's "Collected Works of Mr. Liu Xunxun" is the earliest surviving edition of Liu's collection. In the Ming Dynasty, Jiang Zhiqiao compiled and annotated "Liu Hedong Collection". His deeds can be found in Han Yu's "Liu Zihou's Epitaph", the new and old "Tang Shu" biographies, and Wen Anli's "Mr. Liu's Chronicle".