The classical Chinese text and translation of "The Biography of Huang Tingjian" are as follows:
(1) The original text of the classical Chinese text:
Huang Tingjian's courtesy name was Lu Zhi, and he was a native of Fenning, Hongzhou. When I was young, I realized that I would read more than I could and recite it frequently. My uncle Li often passed by his house, picked up the books on the shelf and asked about them. He was always surprised, thinking that he had traveled a thousand miles in a day. He was promoted to Jinshi and transferred to Ye County Lieutenant. At the beginning of Xining, he selected academic officials from the four capitals. The first one was excellent in literature and taught at the Imperial Academy in Beijing.
When Su Shi tasted his poems, he thought he was transcendent and independent of all things. He had not written anything like this for a long time, and his reputation began to rise. Knowing Taihe County, it is governed by the people. When the salt policy is issued in time, the counties compete for the majority, and Taihe alone fails. The officials are displeased, but the people are peaceful. Zhe Zongli was appointed as the school secretary and the reviewer of "Records of Shenzong". Over the years, he moved to Zuo Lang and added Jixian as school manager. "Records" is completed, and people who live in daily life are promoted. Ding's mother is in trouble.
Ting Jian had a filial nature, but his mother had been ill for many years and could see colors day and night. After serving, he was promoted to secretary-general, appointed to Mingdao palace and editor of national history. At the beginning of Shaosheng's reign, he went out to know Xuanzhou and changed it to Ezhou. Zhang Dun, Cai Bian and their party theory "Records" made many false accusations, so the former historians separated in Jiyi to await questions. They extracted more than a thousand items to show them, saying that they were unverifiable. Now that the court officials have examined and read it, they all have evidence, and only thirty-two things are left. Ting Jian wrote, "Using iron dragon claws to control the river is like child's play."
This is the first question. He said to him: "When Tingjian was an official in the northern capital, I saw it in person. It's really funny." Whenever anyone asked, he answered directly, and those who heard it were very enthusiastic. After being demoted to Fuzhou and resettled in Qianzhou, the speaker still regarded living in a good place as his method. Because of his relatives' disapproval, he moved to Rongzhou. The court was strong and peaceful, so he didn't mind his relegation. Scholars from Shu admired him for his travels, and he lectured tirelessly, and all the scriptures he taught him were worthy of his writing.
Huizong ascended the throne and began to supervise the taxation of Ezhou. He signed a letter to the judge of Ningguo Army and knew Shuzhou. Beggar County learned about Taiping Prefecture, and on the ninth day of the visit, he took charge of Yulong Temple. Ting Jian had a slight rift with Zhao Tingzhi in Hebei, and Tingzhi came to power. He transferred the order of the judge Chen Jufeng, and published his "Jingnan Chengtian Yuan Ji", saying that it was a lucky disaster, and he was removed from his name and placed in custody in Yizhou. Three years later, he moved to Yongzhou and died without hearing his fate. He was sixty-one years old.
Ting Jian’s academic articles are innate. Chen Shidao said that his poems were inspired by Du Fu, but he was a scholar but not a scholar. Good deeds, cursive writing, and regular script are also in a class of their own. Together with Zhang Lei, Chao Buzhi and Qin Guan, they visited Su Shi's gate and were known as the Four Scholars in the world. Ting Jian was good at writing and especially poetry. The gentlemen of Shu and Jiangxi matched Shi with Ting Jian, so they were called "Su and Huang".
When Shi was an attendant, he took the initiative to represent himself. His poems include the words "magnificent writing, wonderful and unparalleled in the world, and filial piety to friends, matching the ancients", and this is also the importance of it. At the beginning, I visited the Haowuan Valley Temple and Shiniu Cave, enjoying the beauty of the forest and springs, so I called myself Valley Taoist Yun.
(2) Translation:
Huang Tingjian, courtesy name Luzhi, was born in Fenning, Hongzhou. He was clever and intelligent at an early age, and could recite it after reading it several times. His uncle Li Chang came to his house and took the books on the shelf to question him. He found that there was nothing he didn't know. Li Chang was surprised and thought he was making rapid progress. Later, Huang Tingjian passed the Jinshi examination and was appointed as the county captain of Ye County. In his early years, Xining took the examination for academic officials in Sijing.
Because he wrote the best essays in the exam, he was appointed as a professor at the Imperial College in Beijing. Wen Yanbo, who stayed behind, thought that he was a talented scholar. He was retained in two teaching posts. Su Shi once saw his poems and thought that his poems were extraordinary and independent among millions of poems. There had been no such masterpieces in the world for a long time. From this, his reputation began to shock the world.
Huang Tingjian served as the magistrate of Taihe County and governed the county using the laws of the people. At that time, superiors issued policies and decrees to levy salt tax, and other counties were vying for the majority. Taihe County was the only one who did not do this. The county officials were not happy, but the people in the county liked it. After Zhezong ascended the throne, he called Huang Tingjian to be the school secretary and reviewer of "Records of Shenzong".
A year later, he was appointed Zuo Lang and added the title of Jixian School Director. After the "Records" was completed, he was promoted to a living room attendant. Bereaved by his mother. Huang Tingjian was a very filial person. His mother had been ill for a year. He waited on her day and night to check on her face, without taking off her clothes. After her death, he built a house to pay filial piety next to her tomb. He was so sad that he almost died of illness.
After the mourning clothes were lifted, he served as Secretary Cheng, in charge of Mingdao Palace, and as editor of national history. In the early years of Shaosheng's reign, Huang Tingjian was appointed magistrate of Xuanzhou and then magistrate of Ezhou. Zhang Dun, Cai Bian and their accomplices believed that the "Records" contained many false accusations and false accusations, so they ordered the former historians to live in various places near the capital to prepare for cross-examination, and excerpted more than a thousand items to declare to them that these had not been verified.
Soon, after inspection and review by academic officials, they were all based on facts, and only thirty-two things were left. Huang Tingjian wrote in "Records" that he used iron dragon claws to control the river, which was a joke, so he was first questioned. Huang Tingjian replied: Tingjian was an official in Beidu at the time and saw this incident with his own eyes. It was indeed child's play at the time.
Whenever he asked questions, he answered truthfully without any scruples. People who heard him praised him for his courage. As a result, Huang Tingjian was demoted to Fuzhou Biejia and Qianzhou resettlement. His attackers thought he was going to a good place and falsely accused him of violating the law. Later, because of the dissatisfaction between relatives, he changed his official position to Shuzhou. Huang Tingjian took it calmly and did not take the demotion to heart at all.
The scholars in Sichuan all looked up to him and were willing to get close to him. He lectured tirelessly to them, and all the articles he directed were valuable.
When Huizong came to the throne, he appointed Huang Tingjian to supervise the taxation of Ezhou, signed a letter to be the judge of Ningguo Army, and appointed him as the magistrate of Shuzhou. He also recruited him to serve as an official of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Wailang. He was dismissed within nine days and put in charge of Yulong Temple.
Huang Tingjian had some disagreements with Zhao Tingzhi when he was in Hebei. After Zhao Tingzhi came to power, the transfer judge Chen Ju followed his wishes and presented Huang Tingjian's "Jingnan Chengtian Yuan Ji" to criticize him. Feeling grateful for the country's disaster, Huang Tingjian was once again removed from the list and sent to Xuanzhou for control.
Three years later, Huang Tingjian was exiled to Yongzhou and died without hearing the announcement. He was sixty-one years old. Huang Tingjian's intellectual articles were born from nature. Chen Shidao said that his poems were inspired by Du Fu, and he learned from Du Fu without imitating Du Fu's poems. He is good at running script and cursive script, and his regular script is also unique.
He, together with Zhang Lei, Chao Buzhi and Qin Guandu, studied under Su Shi's sect, and were known as the Four Scholars in the world. Huang Tingjian was especially good at poetry in terms of articles. The gentlemen and officials in Sichuan and Jiangxi all believed that Huang Tingjian was comparable to Su Shi, so they called them Su Huang.
When Su Shi was an attendant, he recommended Huang Tingjian to replace him. The recommendation contained magnificent articles, which were extremely wonderful in the world. The act of filial friend echoes the words of the ancients. He valued Huang Tingjian to this extent. At first, Huang Tingjian visited the Valley Poems and Shiniu Cave in Haowuan. He liked the beauty of the forest and spring scenery there, so he nicknamed himself Valley Taoist.
Introduction to Huang Tingjian:
Huang Tingjian (June 12, 1045 - September 30, 1105), courtesy name Luzhi, nicknamed Shengquan, also known as Qingfeng Pavilion, Valley Taoist, and Valley Old Man , Fu Weng, Fu Hao, the old man Mowei, the layman Qian'an, the old man Bagui, their posthumous names are Wenjie, and they are known as Huangshan Valley, Huang Taishi, Huang Wenjie, Mr. Yuzhang, and Jinhua Xianbo.
A native of Fenning, Hongzhou Prefecture, Jiangnan West Road, Song Dynasty (now Xiushui County, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province). His ancestral home is Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. The son of Huang Shu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the father of Huang Xiang, a senior official in the Southern Song Dynasty. A filial son of the Northern Song Dynasty, he was the protagonist of the story of "Drowning one's relatives and drowning one's relatives" in "Twenty-Four Filial Piety". He was a famous writer and calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty and the founder of Jiangxi Poetry School. Huang Tingjian has achieved high achievements in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, and painting. Huang Tingjian, Zhang Lei, Chao Buzhi, and Qin Guan all studied under Su Shi's sect, and they were collectively known as the "Four Scholars of the Su Sect".