Chen Ziang, born in 659-702 AD, was born in Shehong County, Suining City, Sichuan Province today. He was a poet of the Tang Dynasty and one of the innovative figures in poetry in the early Tang Dynasty. Because he once served as the "Youshiyi", later generations called him "Chen Shiyi" (Shiyi - admonishment officer, consultation and advice officer, equivalent to the contemporary supervisory and assistant agency. The left and right "Shiyi" official positions were "zhengbapin", and in ancient times, the left was the largest). In memory of Chen Ziang, a museum was built at the place where he studied when he was young, named "Chen Ziang Reading Table".
When he was young, he made a lot of money and was generous and generous. He was elected as a Jinshi at the age of 24. His political comments in the above books were valued by Empress Wu Zetian. imprison. At the age of 26 and 36, he joined the army twice and had some foresight on border defense. When he was 38 years old, his father retired from office and returned to his hometown. Soon after, his father died. While Chen Ziang was in mourning, the powerful official Wu Sansi instigated Duan Jianluozhi, the magistrate of Shehong County, to persecute him and he died in prison unjustly. Believe in Taoism.
Characteristics of Poetry
The poem pursues the "Wei and Jin Dynasty style" and does not like to chant empty objects. "Thirty-Eight Poems on Encounters" is a collection of five-character ancient poems left by Chen Ziang. The content Realism is closely connected with what happened in reality in Chen Ziang.
Chen Ziang further developed the substantial and vigorous poetic style pursued by the "Four Masters of the Early Tang Dynasty", completely eliminated the delicate and delicate habits of Qi and Liang poems, and had a profound impact on the poets Zhang Jiuling, Li Bai and Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty. .
Biography of the Frontier Poet of the Tang Dynasty - Chen Ziang's Elegy of Youzhou
In the land of Sichuan and Shu, not only women are like water, but also talented men are like jade. In the first year of Longshuo, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, which was 661 AD In 1999, in Shehong County, Sichuan, a great talent came out. His name was Chen Zi'ang and his courtesy name was Boyu. However, when he was young, he didn't seem to have any talent at all.
Chen Ziang’s father, Chen Yuanjing, was a Jinshi in economics during the Ming Dynasty, and later returned to his hometown. He was a well-known local entrepreneur in Shehong, and his family was very wealthy. It seems that he was born in a poor family, and he probably couldn't even get a wife, because he was indeed very artistic. According to historical records, he was short in stature and ugly in appearance. What's more terrible is that Chen Zi'ang was free and frail. , taking medicines and injections all the time, which makes Chen Yuanjing very worried. As the saying goes, without a good body, everything is in vain. This is such a cruel reality that Chen Ziang faced when he was young.
Perhaps in order to keep his children in good health, Chen Yuanjing taught Chen Ziang how to learn swordsmanship. In the great Tang Dynasty, many literati actually had chivalrous qualities. For example, the great poet Li Bai traveled the world alone with his sword. , and that Wang Zhihuan, who used to fence and sing whenever he had free time when he was young, because it is very common for literati to learn swordsmanship, not to mention that Chen Ziang is thin, so swordsmanship can be a good exercise for his body.
This study lasted for more than ten years. By the time he was seventeen years old, he had almost mastered the swordsmanship. Chen Ziang fought with people in the countryside and injured them. Just with his little He is capable of injuring people with his body, and he is somewhat accomplished in swordsmanship. At the very least, he is one of the best swordsmen in Shehong. It was through this incident that Chen Ziang actually stopped practicing swordsmanship and decided to abandon martial arts and follow literature. After more than ten years of unremitting training, his health has improved a lot. For a rich second generation born in a wealthy family, until he was seventeen If you start studying at the age of 18, you can't get education later than later. But Chen Zi'ang doesn't think so. Those who go to school early may not necessarily become talented. As long as you work hard, an iron rod can be ground into a needle.
Chen Ziang's Reading Desk
Chen Ziang locked himself up and concentrated on studying the classics and history collection. At least the Chen family was well off, and he didn't need to go out to work to make money. He could buy whatever books he wanted. Regardless of whether he was in class or extracurricular, Chen Ziang would forget to eat and sleep, and his head would be suspended from the beam and his buttocks would be stabbed. There is still Chen Ziang's reading desk in Shehong County. Those who are interested can go and pay their respects. After four years of hard study, coupled with his extraordinary intelligence.
When he was twenty-one years old, that is, in 681 AD, the first year of Tianyao, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Ziang said goodbye to his family, first went to the Imperial Academy in the capital to study, and then took the exam. Unfortunately, he did not Passed the exam and failed in the exam. Failure is not terrible, what is terrible is losing hope. Chen Ziang did not give up and entered the Imperial College to study again. During this period, he had written a lot of poems, but unfortunately most of them were lost. A year later, he took the exam again and still failed. Chen Ziang could I'm not the kind of person who just gives up, keep learning and studying.
Two more years later, in 684 AD, the first year of the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, the previous year, in the winter of 683 AD, Tang Gaozong Li Zhi passed away. At the beginning of 684, Wu Zetian established Li Zhi Xian became emperor and Yuan was changed to heir. Less than a month later, Wu Zetian deposed Li Xian and installed Li Dan as emperor. Yuan Wenming was changed. Although Ruizhong ascended the throne as emperor, he could only sit next to him at work, on the dragon chair. Sitting there was his mother Wu Zetian, who had the final say on all major affairs in the court, and Ruizhong was basically a puppet.
In the first three months of 684, two emperors were changed in a row, and the capital was in a smog. However, this could not stop Chen Ziang's determination to take the exam. After Ruizhong came to the throne, Wu Zetian took over the government, and the court finally calmed down. After Wu Zetian It was also changed to Guangzhai. In the year 684 AD, it was a bit troublesome and chaotic. At this moment, Chen Ziang was living in the capital, and he was still confident about taking the exam. This year was a turning point for the Tang Dynasty, and it was also a turning point for Chen Ziang, because he was very He skillfully passed the hype and successfully entered the political circle.
A month or two before the exam, Chen Ziang wandered around the streets of the capital. At that time, the capital of the Tang Dynasty was much more elegant and civilized than Hong Kong and New York today. Even though If you set up a stall on the roadside, no one will chase you away, let alone collect protection fees. Chen Ziang took the book boy for a stroll for a while, and saw a lot of people gathered in front of him. Everyone seemed to be discussing this or something, and they joined in. I went over to watch the excitement, and it turned out that an old man was setting up a street stall selling guqin. There were many people watching the fun, but no one bought it. After asking around, I found out that the old man was selling a famous piano. It was said to be made from a paulownia coffin board from a thousand-year-old tomb. He said it was either a thousand-year-old paulownia wood or a very ordinary piano, and the price was too expensive. Min originally meant rope. In ancient times, copper coins were all tied up with ropes. Later, this word became a unit of measurement. One string was equivalent to a thousand coins. In layman’s terms, it was a thousand copper coins. According to research by relevant scholars, in the Tang Dynasty The purchase amount of one penny is about 40 cents today, so one copper coin is four hundred, and one thousand copper coins is four hundred thousand. Moreover, ancient copper coins have weights. One copper coin weighs about 5 kilograms, and one thousand copper coins is 5,000 kilograms. , Calculate, you can imagine how many coins are needed, but copper coins are not the only currency. In addition to copper coins, there is also silver. One string is one tael of silver. In other words, one tael of silver in the Tang Dynasty is about 400 dollars today. It’s about 1,000 taels. In some movies and TV shows, the knights often throw away 1,000 taels of silver. This is pure bragging. In short, a thousand taels of silver is equivalent to one thousand taels of silver. Even if the people in the capital of the Tang Dynasty were rich, Spending a thousand taels of silver to buy a broken piano is something a normal person would not be able to do, unless he has ulterior motives.
Chen Ziang was a smart man. He saw the opportunity and generously spent thousands of dollars to buy the piano. It caused quite a sensation on the spot. Then he said to the onlookers, Tomorrow I will use this very expensive piano to hold a concert here for everyone, and it’s free of charge. Then everyone can come and enjoy it for free. The publicity effect was still very good, better than the blabbering media. Sure enough, the next day it was a nice day and the wind was decent. The capital was almost deserted and everyone who had time came to see it. Went to the concert. After waiting for a long time, Chen Ziang, who was not handsome, finally appeared. He stepped to the center of the stage. He did not play or sing, but smashed the piano. Yes, he smashed it, and it was smashed to pieces. Just in time When the viewers were puzzled, Chen Ziang took the opportunity to ask his servants to distribute to everyone the booklets with his poems and poems that he had prepared on the first night, and then said something to the general meaning: I, Chen Ziang, a Sichuanese, write down I have hundreds of poems and essays, but after running around in the capital for several years, no one knows about me. Now I am shameless and use this broken piano to let everyone know about me. Playing the piano is just a trick played by actors. There is nothing worth listening to. We should learn more about culture so that we can realize our ideals in life.
Through this hype, Chen Ziang successfully became a celebrity in the capital. Hype also requires capital. First, he must have real ability, and secondly, he must have money. Chen Ziang has both of these things. The hype was very successful. Chen Ziang passed the exam this time. The first official position was Lintai Zhengzi. This official was very small and was under the School Secretary. Lintai was the Secretariat Department, and Zhengzi was responsible for managing books and the like. Officials, starting from the ninth rank, the salary earned can only solve the problem of food and clothing.
Chen Ziang was talented and politically gifted. Not long after he worked in this position, he was promoted to Right Supplementary. This was his first promotion because he wrote a letter against a major event at that time. At that time, Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, had not yet been buried. Ministers were arguing over whether to bury Emperor Gaozong in Luoyang or Chang'an. Chen Ziang wrote a memorial to advise Wu Zetian to bury Emperor Gaozong in Luoyang. In the article, he stated the pros and cons in a clear and logical manner. , highly praised Wu Zetian. Although Gaozong was eventually transported back to Chang'an and buried in Qianxian County in the west of Chang'an, Wu Zetian saw Chen Ziang's article and promoted him not long after. His main job is to give opinions or suggestions on current government affairs. Although he is not a big official, he can talk to central agencies, which gives Chen Ziang some opportunities to state current affairs.
Although Chen Ziang was a highly educated person, he was not good at flattery. Sometimes he greatly admired Wu Zetian, but sometimes he strongly opposed it. He dared to tell the truth, a young man who was only 24 years old. , there are not many people in ancient times who can point fingers in front of Wu Zetian. Although Wu Zetian is cruel, she also has a talent-loving side and never embarrasses Chen Ziang.
In the second half of 686 AD, the borders between the four towns in Anxi of the Tang Dynasty were tense. Chen Ziang followed Qiao Zhizhi to the northwest front to support him. This was his first expedition, reaching as far as Juyanhai and Zhangye. He, today's Ejina Banner in Inner Mongolia and Jiuquan in Zhangye, Gansu Province. During the days at the border, Chen Ziang saw the bitter cold land in the northwest for the first time, and personally experienced the cruelty of the war. Later, the war subsided, and Chen Ziang returned to the capital again. , at this time, Ruizong had given up the position of emperor to his biological mother, and he was willing to be a prince. During Wu Zetian's reign, Chen Ziang submitted many petitions, sometimes accepted, but most rejected. He wanted to imitate Wei Zheng of the early Tang Dynasty and become a qualified admonishment official, but his master was not Li Shimin. Chen Ziang's official performance was very good. It didn't go well, because he dared to speak out and offended many colleagues, and he himself was not good at dealing with people. During this period, he was imprisoned twice, but he was later released because he was talented. Over time, he became very unhappy. Part of the thirty-eight poems in the famous "Feelings of Encounter" was written during this period. The poem is used to lament the ups and downs and difficulties of life, which reflects the ups and downs of his official career. Once such a day passes, That’s ten years.
Ju Yanhai in Ejina
In 696 AD, the first year of Long Live Tongtian of Wuzhou, Chen Ziang was already 36 years old. It was a good age for creation. In this year, the northern border of the Tang Dynasty The Khitan Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong rebelled because they were dissatisfied with the government. Wu Zetian ordered his nephew Wu Youyi, King of Jian'an, to lead the army to fight the rebellion. Chen Ziang joined Wu Youyi's army and went to the northern border together, and finally stationed in Yuyang, which is today's Beijing. Near Miyun County, the city was fighting with the enemy. Wu Youyi was Wu Zetian's nephew. He relied on Wu Zetian to become the king of Jian'an. He was narrow-minded and had no good impression of Chen Ziang. As a participant, Chen Ziang followed Wu Youyi and lived a good life. Chen Ziang was very depressed and depressed all day long. Every time he suggested was mercilessly rejected by Wu Youyi, and he was also severely reprimanded. In the end, he even refused to join the army and was demoted to sergeant. Chen Ziang was very angry, but he had no other choice. I can only hope that the war will end as soon as possible, but these depressing days have made Chen Ziang successful. The familiar song "Deng Youzhou Taiwan Song" was composed during this period.
It was a dusk afternoon. Chen Ziang, who was scolded by Wu Youyi again, felt like a big stone was pressing on his chest. He left the military camp to relax, and waited until he reached Youzhou Terrace, the Jimen Tower in Beijing, and looked around. , a desolate place, sadness comes from the heart, and I chant: I don’t see the ancients before me, and I don’t see them after me. Thinking of the long journey of heaven and earth, I shed tears alone with sadness. This was the truest portrayal of his heart at the time. Wu Youyi took advantage of the fact that he had a very arrogant aunt, so he didn't take Chen Ziang seriously at all, saying that he was a scholar and didn't understand anything, which made Chen Ziang very embarrassed.
The following year, in 697 AD, after quelling the Khitan rebellion, Chen Ziang returned to Beijing and made no further achievements since then. In 698 AD, the first year of the Holy Calendar of the Wu Zhou Dynasty, Chen Ziang's father Chen Yuanjing was seriously ill. Chen Zian simply resigned and returned to Sichuan to serve his old father. The next year was 699 AD, which was the Year of the Pig. Chen Yuanjing died of illness and Chen Ziang was at home. According to the ancient etiquette, one has to mourn for one's biological father for three years. In the third year, that is, 701 AD, Duan Jian, the magistrate of Shehong County, was instructed by Wu Sansi. First, he demanded a huge amount of family property from Chen Ziang, and then made a lot of accusations. , and tortured him severely. Chen Ziang was already weak. After all this torture, he only had half a breath left. Duan Jian threw him into prison again. Chen Ziang had his fate read in prison and knew that he would not die soon. Feeling even more sad and angry, coupled with physical pain, he died in prison within a few days at the age of only 42.
The death of Chen Ziang has always been controversial. His death is full of questions. It is estimated that more than one book can be written. The whole story cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. After many discussions, experts Research, but difficult to define, because his death is inextricably related to Wu Sansi, a powerful minister at the time, and Shangguan Wan'er, a talented woman. After Wu Zetian came to the throne, the Wu family flourished. Even distant relatives like Wu Youyi were given the title of king. You can imagine that Wu Sansi, Wu's nephew, relied on his own rights to openly come in and out of Zhongzong Li Xian's house. In the harem, he hooked up with Zhongzong's empress Wei Shi and became an adulterer. As the emperor, Zhongzong turned a blind eye and allowed this cuckold to be worn casually. Later Wu Sansi had an affair with Shangguan Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er's grandfather Shangguan Yi was also a great poet in the Tang Dynasty. He was later executed for his crime. Shangguan Wan'er was sent to Yeting Palace as a slave along with her mother. She had to do some dirty and tiring manual work in the palace, but Shangguan Wan'er was extremely intelligent, beautiful, and could write well. She was discovered by Empress Wu and was deeply appreciated. Later she became Zhongzong's harem and was granted the title Zhaorong. After Wu Sansi had an affair with Empress Wei, she also had an affair with Shangguan Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er was summoned by Empress Wu and became Empress Wu's confidant. From ancient times to the present, this kind of woman is unique. Shangguan Wan'er Although her private life is a bit messy, her attainments in poetry are profound. She was influenced by the poetry of the Six Dynasties, and most of her poems are flashy, gorgeous, exquisite and meticulous, such as her representative work "Resentment in Colored Books": At the beginning of the night under the leaves in Dongting, I miss you. More than ten thousand miles. The strong fragrance of dew is cold, and the moon falls on the brocade screen. If you want to play the music of Jiangnan, you will be granted the title of Jibei. There is no other meaning in the book, except that I have been away from home for a long time. Does it smell like a palace woman? Most of Shangguan Wan'er's poems were like this, which made Chen Ziang look down on her poems.
Tomb of Chen Ziang
Chen Ziang was the most epoch-making figure in the Tang Dynasty. His poems changed from the fragrant and lustful flavor of the previous dynasty, and his poems were vigorous and powerful. The leader of literary style reformers in the early Tang Dynasty, his poetry had a great influence on later generations, but at that time he offended Shangguan Wan'er. Shangguan Wan'er's Shangguan style was like a conservative, while Chen Zi'ang's Zi'ang style was a reformist At home, the dispute between the two factions over literary styles intensified. Chen Ziang wrote many articles to denounce Shangguan style and called on the literary world to carry out drastic reforms. The conservative Shangguan Wan'er group also fought back. As for personal issues, Shangguan Wan'er relied on her talents and status to gather many literati around her. She often invited Wu Zetian to hold various poetry competitions, or Inviting famous officials to gather together to compose poems and sing songs was her political capital, and it was also her face. Chen Ziang's actions angered Shangguan Wan'er. If Shangguan Wan'er didn't have so many literati around her, then she Despite his influence in the literary world, Chen Ziang's opponent was indeed too strong, and his failure was doomed.
Shangguan Wan'er took advantage of the opportunity of her tryst with Wu Sansi to turn a deaf ear to Wu Sansi and wanted to get rid of Chen Zi'ang to consolidate her position in the literary world. Wu Sansi was inferior to ten thousand people and killed him. Chen Ziang was not as easy as strangling an ant to death, so he gave a death order to Duan Jian, the magistrate of Shehong County, and he must try to kill Chen Ziang. Duan Jian was only a seventh-grade county magistrate. How dare he not listen to Wu Sansi's words? Only then did a lot of charges be laid, forcing Chen Ziang to die.
Although Chen Ziang died, his reform ideas in the literary world did not die with his death. Instead, he gradually expanded his influence and played a decisive role in the future development of Tang poetry. Chen Ziang was not a professional frontier fortress poet, but he served in the army twice and stayed at the border for several years. He had personal experience of frontier fortress life and war. Among his more famous frontier fortress-style poems are "Farewell to Wei Da to Join the Army" and "Farewell to Cui Shushu" "Eastern Expedition", "He Lu Mingfu presented the general with a return to the fortress", and the twenty-eight and thirty-four poems of "Grateful Encounter", etc.
As a representative reformist poet in the early Tang Dynasty, Chen Ziang wrote many poems in his life, with more than 100 poems left to this day. His poetic style is majestic and powerful. Although his frontier poems are not the main content, they can also be From this, we can see that his magnificent writing style was worthy of being a leader of the reformists in the early Tang Dynasty. It is a pity that he was harmed by others, which is sad!
Reposted from: "Murder" Chen Ziang (Part 1) - , "Murder" Chen Ziang (Middle) - , "Murder" Chen Ziang (Part 2) Finale -
About Chen Ziang's death: < /p>
The chaotic political situation made Chen Ziang breathless. After joining the army, his father Chen Yuanjing happened to be old and frail and needed to serve, so he asked Wu Zetian to resign for this reason. Wu Zetian approved his resignation. He also gave him preferential treatment and allowed him to retain his official position and receive his salary to go home.
Chen Ziang returned to his hometown in Shehong County and stayed away from the political world. He built several houses in Jinhuashan Town, Shehong County. He made a living by planting trees and collecting herbs, and planned to use his free time at home to write history books. , to spend the rest of my life.
In 699 AD, Chen Ziang’s father, Chen Yuanjing, passed away. Chen Ziang was a filial son, and his father’s death was a great blow to him. Chen Ziang was originally sick, and his father’s death left him ill. During the mourning period, he could only lean on a chair. Walking with a cane.
In Shehong County, there was a magistrate named Duan Jian, who was a cruel official, greedy and cruel. He heard that Chen Ziang's family was wealthy and wanted to frame him. He made some accusations on the Internet to frame him. Chen Ziang was afraid. When he got into trouble, his family members took the initiative to pay 200,000 yuan in protection fees, but Duan Jian was still not satisfied.
Chen Ziang was driven to the county government for trial many times by car. Chen Ziang was very ill and was mentally depressed by his father's death. His illness became more and more serious. Duan Jian finally took Chen Ziang to the county government prison. got up.
Chen Ziang was influenced by his father Chen Yuanjing and had some knowledge of Taoist magic, so he made up a hexagram for himself in prison. Unexpectedly, the divination showed that it was "bad luck" and he expected that he would die this time. In prison, as expected, Chen Ziang died within a few days. He was forty-two years old. Chen Ziang, the "Wen Zong" of the generation, passed away like this, leaving too many doubts about his death.