Qu Yuan (approximately 340 BC - 278 BC) was a poet and politician of the Chu State during the Warring States Period in China. Born in Zigui, Danyang, Chu State (now Yichang, Hubei Province). Mi's surname is Qu's, her given name is Ping, and her courtesy name is Yuan; her name is Zhengze, and her courtesy name is Lingjun. Descendants of Qu Xia, son of Xiong Tong, King of Chu Wu. When he was young, he received a good education, was knowledgeable and had great ambitions. In his early years, he was trusted by King Huai of Chu and served as Zuotu and Sanlu officials, and was also in charge of domestic and foreign affairs. He advocated "beautiful government", advocated appointing talents internally, amending laws and regulations, and advocating to unite Qi to resist Qin externally. Because he was excluded and slandered by the nobles, he was exiled to northern Han Dynasty and Yuanxiang River Basin. [1] After the Yingdu of Chu State was captured by the Qin army, he sank into the Miluo River and died for his country.
Qu Yuan was a great patriotic poet in Chinese history, the founder of Chinese romantic literature, the founder and representative writer of "Chu Ci", and pioneered the tradition of "vanilla beauty", known as "The ancestor of Chu Ci", Song Yu, Tang Le and Jing Chai, the famous Ci and Fu writers in Chu State, were all influenced by Qu Yuan. [2] The emergence of Qu Yuan's works marks that Chinese poetry has entered a new era from elegant singing to romantic originality [3]. His main works include "Li Sao", "Nine Songs", "Nine Chapters", "Tianwen", etc. The Songs of Chu, with Qu Yuan's works as the main body, is one of the sources of Chinese romantic literature. The most famous chapter in "Chu Songs" is "Li Sao" and "Guo Feng" in "The Book of Songs", which are also called "Feng Sao" [ 4], which had a profound impact on later poetry.
In 1953, on the 2230th anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, the World Peace Council passed a resolution identifying Qu Yuan as one of the four major cultural celebrities in the world commemorated that year. [5][6][7][8][9]
Real name
Qu Yuan
Also known as
Qu Ping, Qu Zi , Qu Zhengze
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Yi Zi Ling Jun
Era
End of the Warring States Period
Ethnic groups
Chinese people
Character relationships
Song Yu
Students
Recommended reading
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Why should we commemorate Qu Yuan on Dragon Boat Festival? Should we commemorate Qu Yuan?
Author: Zhihu
What you don’t know about Qu Yuan - the reformer of the Chu State
Author: Haoran Literature and History
Life of the Character
Early Experience
On the seventh day of the first lunar month in the 29th year of King Xian of Zhou Dynasty (340 BC), it is said that on the 10th day of the first lunar month in the 30th year of King Xian of Zhou Dynasty (339 BC) On the fourth day, Qu Yuan returned to Zigui, Danyang, Chu State. The next year, he lived in Lepingli.
Portrait of Qu Yuan
In the 39th year of King Zhou Xian (330 BC), Qu Yuan lived in Lepingli. I have been addicted to books since I was a child, and I read a lot and miscellaneously. "Reading in the Stone Cave" and "Teaching the Scriptures by Bashan Ye Lao" should be in this year.
In the 40th year of King Xian of Zhou Dynasty (329 BC), he lived in Lepingli. Although Qu Yuan was born into a noble family, he sympathized with the poor people very much because he had lived among the people since childhood and had the good influence of his family. From then on, he did many good deeds that showed compassion for the people at a young age and won unanimous praise. [5][9][10]
First appearance of talent
In the forty-eighth year of King Zhou Xian (321 BC), the Qin army invaded the Chu territory, and Qu Yuan organized the young people in Lepingli to fight hard On the one hand, he condescended to provide ideological education to the young people, and on the other hand, he skillfully used various tactics to deal a heavy blow to the enemy with wit and courage, showing off his extraordinary talents.
In the first year of King Shenliang of Zhou Dynasty (320 BC), in February and March, Qu Yuan was summoned by King Huai of Chu to leave the mountain and go to Beijing. This year he served as county magistrate in Ezhu.
In the second year of King Zhou Shenliang's reign (319 BC), he was promoted to the left disciple of King Huai of Chu. In late autumn of this year, Qu Yuan went to Qi as an envoy for the first time.
In the third year of King Zhou Shenliang's reign (318 BC), he was busy with the internal affairs and diplomacy of Chu. The five kingdoms of Chu, Wei, Zhao, Han, and Yan allied forces to attack Qin, and Qu Yuan followed the army. [9][10]
Reforms
In the fourth year of King Zhou Shenliang's reign (317 BC), Qu Yuan was busy with reforms, formulating and promulgating various laws.
In the fifth year of King Zhou Shenliang's reign (316 BC), he continued to carry out reforms and fought against the old aristocracy and all stubborn forces.
In the sixth year of King Zhou Shenliang's reign (315 BC), he carried out in-depth reforms and the people's hearts were boiling. The situation in Chu changed drastically, and the old aristocracy faced the fate of destruction. [9][10]
Slander led to alienation
In the first year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (314 BC), Qu Yuan was slandered by Shangguan officials and alienated. He was dismissed from the post of Zuo Tu. He was appointed as the official of Sanlu.
In the second year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (313 BC), Qu Yuan was exiled to the northern Han Dynasty for the first time (today's Xixia, Xichuan, and Neixiang areas in Henan). Zhang Yi of Qin broke the Chu-Qi alliance, and King Huai of Chu raised troops to attack Qin twice, but was defeated by Qin both times. Hanzhong County fell, which is known as the "Battle of Danyang" in history.
Chen Hongshou's "Qu Zi Xing Tu"
In the third year of King Zhou Nan (312 BC), the Chu State sent troops to counterattack the Qin State and was defeated in Lantian (today's Lantian area of ??Shaanxi Province). King Huai of Chu re-enabled Qu Yuan and sent him as envoy to Qi, with the purpose of establishing a new alliance between Qi and Chu.
In the fourth year of King Nan of Zhou (311 BC) and the fourteenth year of Gengyuan of King Huiwen of Qin, they captured Chu Zhaoling. King Huiwen was willing to give half of Hanzhong to Chu and form an alliance with Chu. King Huai of Chu wanted Zhang Yi more than the land of Hanzhong.
Zhang Yi came to the State of Chu, bribed Jin Shang with a large sum of money, and received advice from King Huai of Chu's favorite concubine Zheng Xiu, so he was released and returned to the State of Qin. King Huiwen of Qin died, and King Ziwu stood up. Qu Yuan was sent to Qi State as an envoy. When he returned to Chu State, Zhang Yi had already left. Qu Yuan advised King Huai, "Why don't you kill Zhang Yi?" King Huai regretted it and sent people to chase Zhang Yi but failed to catch him.
In the fifth year of King Nan of Zhou (310 BC) and the first year of King Wu of Qin, Zhang Yi left Qin and rushed to Wei because he was not satisfied with King Wu. Qu Yuan still served King Huai as the official of Sanlu. King Huai realized that he had been deceived by Zhang Yi and appointed Qu Yuan as an envoy to Qi out of temporary expediency. When Qu Yuan returned from Qi, he was immediately alienated by King Huai of Chu.
In the sixth year of King Nan of Zhou (309 BC) and the second year of King Wu of Qin, King Xuan of Qi wanted to be the leader, but hated Chu for joining Qin, so he sent an envoy to leave a letter from King Chu, but King Huai hesitated. Zhao Sui remonstrated hard, so he did not unite with Qin but united with Qi to benefit South Korea. Qu Yuan could not participate in the government affairs, and it was most likely that he would join forces with King Dunhuai through Zhao Sui and other ministers.
In the seventh year of King Nan of Zhou (308 BC) and the third year of King Wu of Qin, Gan Mao captured Han Yiyang. Qu Yuan lived in Yingdu and set up an altar to teach.
In the seventeenth year of King Hao of Zhou Dynasty (298 BC), King Zhao of Qin sent troops out of Wuguan to attack Chu, beheaded 50,000 people, and took away Fifteen Cities (now Xichuan, Henan) and left. [9][11]
Exiled to Northern Han
In the eleventh year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (304 BC), Qu Yuan wandered north (above the Han River, present-day Xixia and Xichuan, Nanyang, Henan area). The reunification of Qin and Chu was contrary to Qu Yuan's plan, and the traitor would definitely have slanderous words to harm him. He should have had no choice but to avoid the north of Han Dynasty, so "Nine Chapters·Taosi" means that he cannot return if he wants to.
Fu Baoshi's "Pictures of the Songs of Qu Zi"
In the thirteenth year of King Nan of Zhou (302 BC), the allied forces of Qi, Wei and Han attacked Chu. King Huai of Chu sent the prince to attack Chu. He went to Qin as a hostage and asked Qin to send troops to rescue him. The King of Qin ordered Ke Qingtong to lead his troops to rescue Chu and repelled the Allied Forces of the Three Kingdoms. The following year, a senior official of Qin State and Prince Heng were killed because of a private dispute. Prince Heng was afraid that King Qin Zhao would blame him, so he fled back to Chu State privately. This incident worsened the relationship between Qin and Chu, which led to Qin's frequent attacks on Chu. "Qu Yuan hated King Huai of Chu for listening to the villain's slander and letting untrue language obscure the correct language. These rumors would harm the interests of the Chu State and were intolerable to the Founder people. Therefore, Qu Yuan wrote "Li Sao" in sorrow and meditation. "
In the sixteenth year of King Nan of Zhou (299 BC), Qu Yuan had returned from his exile in northern Han Dynasty. Together with Zhaoju and others, he urged King Huai not to attend the meeting, saying: " Qin is a country of tigers and wolves. If you cannot trust him, it is better to do nothing." But King Huai's youngest son, Zilan, was afraid of losing the favor of King Qin, so he tried his best to encourage King Huai to go. As a result, as soon as King Huai entered Wuguan, he was detained by the Qin army and taken to Xianyang, forcing him to cede Wu County and Qianzhong County. King Huai of Chu was kidnapped and taken to Xianyang. The prince of Chu was welcomed back by Qi and he was established as the king of Qingxiang. The prince Zilan was appointed as the commander. However, he refused to cede the land to Qin. Qin sent troops to attack Chu again, defeated the Chu army and beheaded 50,000 people. Take sixteen cities. [9][12]
Exiled to Jiangnan
In the nineteenth year of King Nan of Zhou (296 BC), King Huai of Chu died in Qin, and Qin sent his body back Buried in Chu State. The princes thought that Qin was unjust. Qin and Chu broke off diplomatic relations. Qu Yuan was dismissed from the post of Sanlu official and exiled to the south of the Yangtze River. He set out from Yingdu, first to Ezhu, and then to Dongting.
Zhang Xiangzhou's work "Qu Zi Throwing into the River"
In the 20th year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (295 BC), Qu Yuan arrived in Changsha and viewed the mountains and rivers at the place where the first king of Chu was first enfeoffed. The situation aroused the feeling of the clan.
In the 22nd year of King Nan of Zhou (293 BC) and the sixth year of King Qingxiang of Chu, the State of Qin sent Bai Qi to Yique to attack South Korea and achieved a major victory, beheading 240,000 people. The State of Qin then sent a letter to the King of Chu saying: "The State of Chu has betrayed the State of Qin, and the State of Qin is preparing to lead the princes to attack the State of Chu to decide the outcome. I hope you can rectify your troops and fight happily." King Qingxiang of Chu did not forget his desires. It also pointed out that King Huai ended up dying in a foreign country because "the so-called loyal people are not loyal, and the so-called wise people are not wise."
King Nan of Zhou 21 From 294 BC to the 36th year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (279 BC), Qu Yuan was exiled to a remote area in the south for the second time. According to the analysis of "Nine Chapters Ai Ying", Qu Yuan's route of exile was from Starting from Yingdu (today's Jiangling, Hubei), we first went southeast and went down the river, passing through Xia Shou (today's southeast of Shashi, Hubei), looking into the distance at Longmen (east gate of Yingdu), entering the Yangtze River via Dongting Lake, and then left Xiapu (today's Hankou, Hubei). ), and finally arrived in Lingyang (said to be the south of Qingyang County in present-day Anhui Province). During this period, he wrote a large number of excellent literary works, such as "Nine Chapters: Sad Return to the Wind" [ 9][12]
Self-surrendered to Miluo
In the thirty-fifth year of King Nan of Zhou (280 BC) and the nineteenth year of King Qingxiang of Chu, Qin general Sima mistakenly attacked Chu. Chu ceded Shangyong and northern Han Dynasty; the next year, Qin Bai attacked Chu and took Xie, Deng, and Xiling.
In the thirty-seventh year of King Nan of Zhou (278 BC), Bai Qi took a step further. After capturing Yingdu, King Qingxiang of Chu had no choice but to flee in embarrassment with the ruling nobles, "protecting themselves in Chencheng (now Huaiyang County, Henan)." In a mood of extreme depression and complete despair, Qu Yuan died. He committed suicide by throwing himself into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This year was probably the 21st year of King Qingxiang of Chu (278 BC). Qu Yuan was about sixty-two years old at that time.[12][13][14]
Main Achievements
Literary Achievements
Qu Yuan was a poet. Since him, China has had writers who are famous for their literature.
He founded the literary style of "Chu Ci" (also known as "Sao style"), and is known as "a poet of a different generation". Qu Yuan's works, according to the revision by Liu Xiang and Liu Xin and his son and the annotation by Wang Yi, include 25 chapters, namely one chapter of "Li Sao", one chapter of "Tianwen", and eleven chapters of "Nine Songs" ("Donghuang"). "Tai Yi", "Yun Zhongjun", "Xiang Jun", "Mrs. Xiang", "Da Siming", "Shao Siming", "Dong Jun", "He Bo", "Mountain Ghost", "National Sorrow", "Li Hun"), "Nine Chapters" Nine chapters ("Cherishing", "Wending the River", "Sorrowing", "Thoughts", "Huaisha", "Thinking of Beauty", "Cherishing the Past", "Ode to Oranges", "Sorrowful Return"), "Traveling Away", "Divination" and " One article each for "The Fisherman". According to Sima Qian's "Historical Records: Biography of Qu Yuan", there is also an article "Calling the Soul". Some scholars believe that "Dazhao" is also Qu Yuan's work; but others suspect that the following chapters of "Yuanyou" and several chapters of "Nine Chapters" were not written by Qu Yuan. According to Guo Moruo's research, 23 of Qu Yuan's works have been handed down in Japan. Among them, there are 11 chapters of "Nine Songs", 9 chapters of "Nine Chapters", and one chapter each of "Li Sao", "Heavenly Questions" and "Calling Souls".
The Original Portrait of Chu Quyuan
Generally speaking, "Li Sao", "Tianwen" and "Nine Songs" can be regarded as representatives of the three types of Qu Yuan's works. The content and style of "Nine Chapters", "Yuanyou", "Divination", "Fisherman", "Summoning Souls" and "Big Move" can be grouped together with "Li Sao". Express the author's inner feelings. "Li Sao" is a magnificent poem made by Qu Yuan based on his own ideals, experiences, pain, passion and even his whole life. It shines with the brilliance of his distinctive personality and is the focus of all Qu Yuan's creations. "Tianwen" is a poem written by Qu Yuan based on myths and legends, focusing on the author's academic attainments and his views on history and nature. "Nine Songs" is a piece of music for worshiping gods from the state of Chu. It was processed and polished by Qu Yuan. It is full of a strong flavor of life in the expression of the characters' emotions and the description of the environment and atmosphere. However, it is expressed on behalf of people or gods, not the author's self-expression. It shows more traces of the Southern Chu literary tradition. The "Li Sao" group and the "Nine Songs" group constitute the basic style of Qu Yuan's works.
Qu Yuan’s works are closely related to mythology. Many illusory contents are developed from myths. Qu Yuan is also a poet who pays attention to reality. His works reflect various contradictions in real society, especially the dark politics of Chu State.
The style of Qu Yuan's works is obviously different from that of "The Book of Songs". This is related to the difference between the folk customs in the Yangtze River Basin and the Yellow River Basin. At that time, the north had already entered a patriarchal society, but the Chu region still had the legacy of a clan society. The people were strong in character, lively in thought, and not bound by etiquette and law. Therefore, the expression of love between men and women and the patriotism of patriots is so direct, and the materials used are so rich that everything can be written into the pen. They write about the love between humans and gods, about crazy people, about ancient history and legends, and about traveling with gods and ghosts. All gods have ordinary human nature among the people, and gods are just people who are beyond ordinary people. They make the works appear bright in color, full of emotion and unrestrained momentum. Such works show different characteristics from northern literature. From an institutional point of view, most of Qu Yuan's previous poems, whether they were "The Book of Songs" or southern folk songs, were short stories, while Qu Yuan developed them into full-length poems. "Li Sao" has more than 2,400 words in one chapter. In terms of expression techniques, Qu Yuan cleverly integrated fu, bi and xing into one, and extensively used the "vanilla beauty" bi-xing technique to vividly express abstract moral character, consciousness and complex realistic relationships. In terms of language form, Qu Yuan's works break through the pattern of mainly four-character sentences in The Book of Songs. Each sentence has five, six, seven, eight, or nine characters, and there are also three-character and cross-character sentences. The syntax is uneven and flexible; The word "xi" is often used at the end of the sentence, as well as empty words such as "zhi", "yu", "hu", "hu" and "er" to coordinate the syllables and create a rhythm of ups and downs and three sighs in one song. In short, his works have great creativity from content to form.
Qu Yuan’s works had a huge impact after the Chu people established the Han Dynasty as its capital in Guanzhong. With the continuous spread and development of "Chu Ci", northern literature gradually became Chu-oriented. The emerging five- and seven-character poems are all related to Chu Sao. All the poets in the Han Dynasty were influenced by the "Chu Ci". There are "Shao Sao" works after the Han Dynasty in all dynasties. The authors often use Qu Yuan's poems to express their feelings, and even use Qu Yuan's experiences to describe themselves. This is the hallmark of Qu Yuan's literature. develop directly. In addition, poems, songs, lyrics, tunes, dramas, piano poems, operas, scripts, etc. based on Qu Yuan's life and deeds, as well as paintings such as Qu Yuan's portrait, "Nine Songs Picture", "Tianwen Picture", etc., are also difficult to reproduce. Count. Therefore, Lu Xun said that Qu Yuan's works were "resonant and magnificent, outstanding in history" and "its influence on subsequent articles may even be greater than that of "Three Hundred Chapters" ("The Book of Songs")" ("Outline of the History of Chinese Literature"). The famous poet Guo Moruo once wrote "Ode to Thunder and Lightning" for him to commemorate his deeds.
Qu Yuan’s works have the richest imagination and magnificent words. "Li Sao" makes extensive use of myths and legends, integrating the sun, moon, wind and clouds into the poem, making the diction very brilliant. He also prominently described the story of three courtships to express his persistence and pleasure." He He is good at using beautiful women and herbs to describe gentlemen, and evil trees and filthy grass to represent villains. Through metaphors, he vividly describes the situation of the king being slandered, the traitor being in power, and the patriots having no way to serve the country.
Qu Yuan's works are full of positive romanticism. The main expression is that he integrates his passionate pursuit of ideals into artistic imagination and magical artistic conception, which is the style of Qu Yuan's Chu Ci.
Because Qu Yuan was excluded and framed by Xiaoxiao, King Chu Huai, who once trusted him very much and relied on him to reform and strengthen himself, became suspicious of him and even alienated him and was exiled. After King Chu Xiang came to power, he became even more stupid and the government became increasingly corrupt. Facing the crisis of national subjugation, the persecution of patriots like Qu Yuan increased. Qu Yuan's upright character, noble personality, and patriotic actions all turned into sins. He turned his angry emotions into poetry, forming a passionate mood. This passionate sentiment is very strong in "Nine Chapters".
Qu Yuan’s works also use a series of pictorial techniques to express his feelings. For example, he uses flowers and vanilla to describe noble men; he uses smelly things and Xiao Ai to describe traitors or traitorous villains; and he uses vanilla to symbolize the poet's moral cultivation. This "vanilla beauty" comparison technique creates a sharp contrast between loyalty and treachery, beauty and ugliness, good and evil in reality, and produces an artistic effect that is concise, comprehensive, and full of meaning. For example, "Nine Chapters: Sorrow" begins with: "The impure fate of the emperor and heaven is so shocking to the people. The people are separated and lose each other, and they move eastward in mid-spring." The poet expressed the pain of the destruction of the country and the loss of the family, and the people In the pain of separation, he showed great resentment and wrote his unique poems of strange anger, desolation and coldness. In many poems, he expressed his great indignation that the society at that time did not value talents and that he was not recognized for his talents. The poet is angry but also reveals a desolate and resentful mood. Although Qu Yuan's Chu Ci has a passionate sentiment, due to his broad mind and deep emotions, the meaning is profound and there is no sense of superficiality or frivolity in reading. This profound meaning is deeply embedded in all kinds of poems he wrote. Not to mention the deep patriotic enthusiasm expressed in "Li Sao" and the poet's sincerity to the country and nation, which deeply tug at the heartstrings of readers, is the strange form of poetry composed of questions in "Tianwen" , the rhetorical questions contain quite profound thoughts, fully demonstrating his erudition and wisdom, making the poems rich in meaning and spiritual, and giving readers a beautiful inspiration.
Statue of Qu Yuan in East Lake, Wuhan
As a great poet, the emergence of Qu Yuan not only marked the entry of Chinese poetry into a new era from collective singing to individual originality, but also the The new poetic style, Chu Ci, broke through the expression form of the Book of Songs, greatly enriched the expressive power of poetry, and opened up a new world for ancient Chinese poetry creation. Later generations also referred to the "national style" in "Chu Ci" and "The Book of Songs" as "coquettish". "Wind" and "Sao" are the sources of the two fine traditions of realism and romanticism in the history of Chinese poetry. At the same time, Chu Ci represented by Qu Yuan also influenced the formation of Han Fu. [8][14][15][16][17][18][19]
Political Achievements
In order to realize the great cause of revitalizing the Chu State, Qu Yuan actively assisted internally King Huai carried out reforms to strengthen his power and insisted on uniting Qi to resist Qin, which made the state of Chu rich and powerful. Regarding the contents of Qu Yuan's reform, the records in "Historical Records" and "Warring States Policy" are very brief, and future generations cannot get a full picture of it. Some information can be obtained from "Li Sao" and "Nine Chapters": first, his reforms were ordered by King Huai of Chu; second, they were "Feng Xian Gong", that is, they inherited the legacy of the previous innovators; third, The central content is "the suspicion of clarifying the law", that is, the establishment of a new legal system; the fourth is a top-down reform movement with the sole purpose of national prosperity. Tang Bingzheng, an expert on Chu history, summarized Qu Yuan's reforms into six points after tedious and rigorous research:
Qu Yuan Temple in Miluo, Hunan
First, reward farming wars. Rewarding farming is to increase taxes and enrich the country and the people, and rewarding war is to strengthen military strategic equipment. The reforms of Shang Yang and Wu Qi are all in this way, so that the people have hope, motivation and ideas whether they are farming or going to war. Only by establishing With the reward and punishment system, ministers and people will be willing to do their best for the title.
Second, promote talents. During the Warring States Period, Marquis Wen of Wei was the first to promote the etiquette of honoring virtuous and corporal officials, which enabled the Wei State to dominate for more than a hundred years in the early Warring States Period. Secondly, Duke Huan of Qi in Tian Qi established Jixia as an academy and recruited talented people. By the time of King Wei of Qi, Jixia Academy was still surpassed. Daliang is firmly in the world's glory and has become a place where scholars from all over the world flock to. At this time, Qu Yuan felt that such reforms were timely. However, it was in sharp contrast to the military reforms of King Zhao Wuling at that time. More than ten years later, when the State of Zhao rose to become a powerful state in the Warring States Period, the State of Chu gradually declined due to its weak culture.
Third, anti-blocking. That is to say, it is necessary to break the communication barriers between the monarch, his ministers and the common people, so that the orders issued by the King of Chu can be accurately and immediately conveyed to the government offices of the ministers, and the government offices of the ministers can also convey the orders issued by the palace to the general public at the first time. Common people; let the king of Chu and the common people communicate with each other, breaking the situation where the king is surrounded by traitors; the king can clearly and clearly understand the sufferings of the people's livelihood, and will not listen to partial beliefs. The opinions of the subjects can also reach Chu Ting directly at high speed.
Fourth, ban cliques. In view of the fact that the nobles and old families of the Chu State often form cliques for personal gain and work together in collusion, they will lash out at ministers and workers with different political views and restrain them in the form of laws.
Fifth, clearly reward and punish. Whether it is the famous legalist Shang Yang or the military strategist Wu Qi, they both pay attention to strict laws and regulations to restrain the merits and demerits of soldiers. On issues such as reform, Qu Yuan combined the best of legalists and military strategists into a unique entity.
Sixth, change customs. Qu Yuan deeply hated the unhealthy tendencies of the Chu State, and all the eloquent ministers and senior officials were opportunistic at the expense of the country's core interests.
This reform also restricted the bad habits of Chu State in legal form. [19][20]
Anecdotes and Allusions
Qu Family
Qu Yuan was born into a noble family of Chu State. Like the King of Chu, his surname was Mi, but Chu The king is from the Xiong family. This surname comes from the Zhu Rong clan of the Huangdi Zhuanxu system; the Mi tribe migrated from the Shang Dynasty to the Chu region in the south. When it was passed to Xiong Yi, they were granted the title of Chu by the Zhou Dynasty for their merits and settled in Danyang (now Yichang, Hubei). This is Qu Yuan's hometown.
Qu Yuan Statue
In the early Spring and Autumn Period, about the seventh century BC, the son of Xiong Tong, King of Chu Wu, was sealed in the place of "Qu" and named Qu Xia. His descendants named him Qu Yuan. ’s. Among the ancestral families of the King of Chu, similar to the Qu family, there were the Ruoao and Xie families in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the Zhao family and Jing family in the Warring States period. Zhao, Qu, and Jing are the three major surnames of the Chu Kingdom. The Qu family has been able to last from the early Spring and Autumn Period to the late Warring States Period, and has always been at the top of the Chu Kingdom. This family can be said to be enduring. Qu Yuan once served as the Sanlu doctor, and it is said that he was in charge of the affairs of the three surnames of the royal family.
Since Qu Yuan was the descendant of the King of Chu, which was called a "gong clan" or "gongshi" at that time, his relationship with the Chu State was of course unusual. The descendants of the Qu family, such as Qu Chong, Qu Wan, Qu Dao, Qu Jian, etc., all held important positions in the Chu State. In Qu Yuan's generation, there were not many high-ranking officials in the Qu family, only Qu Yuan and the general Qu Gai who was later captured by the Qin State. According to Qu Yuan's poem "Nine Chapters: Cherishing", "Suddenly forgetting one's humble status and poverty", it can be seen that the aristocratic family had declined at that time. [15][21]
Birthday horoscopes
According to many modern studies, Qu Yuan’s birth date was between the 27th and 30th years of King Zhou Xian’s 27th year (342 BC). years (339 BC). According to Jiazi's calculation, that year should be the year of Wuyin. It happened that Qu Yuan was born not only in the year of Yin, but also in the month and day of Yin. According to the old saying in the Chinese calendar, "people are born in Yin", so Xia Zheng uses the month of Jian Yin (i.e. the first month) as the beginning of the year. Since Qu Yuan was born on the Yin year, Yin month and Yin day, it truly conforms to the birth date of a "person". Therefore, Qu Yuan said in his work "Li Sao": "Photographing Ti Zhen came from Meng Zuoxi, but only Geng Yin Wu descended." "Photographing Ti Zhen Yu "Meng Zou" means that the Tai Sui star meets Yin, indicating that this year is the year of Yin; Meng is the beginning, Zou is the first month, and the lunar calendar uses the month of Jian Yin as the beginning of the year, indicating that the first month of this year is the Yin month; "Only Geng Yinwu descends" It means that the day when Qu Yuan was born was Yin day. Qu Yuan was born on the Yin day of the Yin month of the Yin year. According to calculations by Zou Hanxun and Liu Shipei using the Yin calendar and the Xia calendar, it was determined to be the 21st day of the first month of the twenty-sixth year of King Zhou Xian (343 BC). Chen Jue of the Qing Dynasty used the weekly calendar to calculate it as the 22nd day of the first month of the same year. Academic circles generally set it as the 29th year of King Xian of Zhou Dynasty (340 BC). [15]
Qu Yuan’s naming
Qu Yuan felt that his birthday was a little different, so he said in "Li Sao": "Huang Lan Kuiyu came to visit for the first time, Zhao Xiyu To give me a good name, my name is Zhengzexi, and my courtesy name is Lingjun. "It means: My father saw that my birth was extraordinary, so he gave me a good name. My name is "Ping" and my given name is "Yuan". When Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty explained Qu Yuan's name in "The Songs of Chu", he said: "Zheng means Ping; Ze means Dharma; Ling means God; Balance means harmony. There is no one who can teach Zhengping better than Heaven. When all things are in balance, there is no need to rely on the earth." Hence the name "Ping Yifa Tian" and the Chinese character "originally Yifa Earth". Coupled with the year, month and day of his birth, literally speaking, "ping" means justice, and "pingzheng" is the symbol of heaven; "yuan" is the wide and flat terrain, which is the symbol of earth. Qu Yuan's birth date and name are correct. It is in line with the three unities of heaven, earth and man that "the sky is created by Zi, the earth is created by Chou, and life is created by Yin". This was considered a good sign at the time.
Sima Qian once said in "Historical Records: Biography of Qu Yuan": "Qu Yuan, named Ping, has the same surname as Chu." The royal family of the Chu Kingdom has the surname Mi Xiong. The surname is based on the father's line. Qu Yuan was a descendant of the royal family, and his ancestry was with Xiong Huai, King Huai of Chu. During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Wu of Chu named his son "Xia" to be the leader of Qu Yi. Because Prince Xia was an official in the court and did well, he was allowed to enjoy the products of Qu Yi, so people called him "Qu Xia". . As a result, the King of Chu named Mi the Xiong family, and the Qu family became a branch of the Xiong family.
In the pre-Qin period, men were called surnames instead of surnames, so he was called Qu Yuan, not Mi Yuan. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, when the surnames were unified, this problem no longer existed. [15]
Historical evaluation
Positive evaluation
Ancient times
Sima Qian's "Historical Records: Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng": "Although Qu Yuan was in exile , I care about the Kingdom of Chu, and I don’t forget to rebel. I hope that the king will realize it and change the customs. In this article, there are three ambitions. ”
< p>Ban Gu's "Preface to Li Sao": "Although he is not a wise man, he can be said to be a wonderful talent."Bust of Qu Yuan
Wang Yi's "Preface to the Songs of Chu": "Ying The quality of loyalty and the purity of the body are as straight as a stone and the face is like a painting; when advancing, one does not hide his plans and when retreating, he does not care about his fate. This is an act of sincerity that is unparalleled and is the hero of a handsome man."
Liu Xie's " "Wen Xin Diao Long·Bian Sao": "Without Qu Yuan, there would be no "Li Sao". Astonishing talent and elegance, high ambitions. Endless mountains and rivers, rationality and practical work. Metal and jade style, overflowing with beauty."
< p>Hong Xingzu's "Supplementary Notes to Chu Ci": "Qu Yuan and Chu have the same surname. There is no meaning in leaving the country with the same surname." "The same surname combines kindness and righteousness, but Qu Yuan can survive?" "There is no one in Chu, and Qu Yuan is like leaving the country. Then Chu will surely perish." "Although Qu Yuan was exiled, he still lingered and did not go to Chu. His intention was that he would not be able to give strong advice while he was still alive." "Even if he is dead, he will not die."
Li Bai's "Yin on the River": "Qu Ping's poems and poems hang over the sun and the moon, and the King of Chu's terrace is empty on the hills. "
Su Shi: "I have been admiring my writing all my life, but I can't reach it by any chance, only Qu Zi has one ear. "
Zhu Xi's "Annotations to the Songs of Chu": "Entrusted with this journey, he traveled up and down, and died back to Chu Yan; it is also the most benevolent, and the most righteous." "[23]
Modern and Modern Times
Liang Qichao: Qu Yuan is "the ancestor of Chinese writers."
Lu Xun's "Outline of the History of Chinese Literature": "Compared As for "Poetry", its words are very long, its thoughts are very illusionary, its writing is very beautiful, its purpose is very clear, and it speaks from the heart and does not follow the rules... Its influence on subsequent articles may even be in the 300th chapter. above. "
Guo Moruo: Qu Yuan is "a great patriotic poet", a star shining in "the era of beautiful stars", "especially a first-class star with extraordinary splendor".
Mao Zedong : "Qu Yuan's name is more sacred to us. He was not only a talented singer in ancient times, but also a great patriot, selfless, fearless, brave and noble. His image remains in the mind of every Chinese person. Whether at home or abroad, Qu Yuan is an immortal image. We are witnesses of his everlasting life. "
Wen Yiduo: Qu Yuan is "a person in Chinese history who has sufficient conditions to be called the people's poet."
Feng Youlan's "New Edition of the History of Chinese Philosophy": "After Wu Qi, The politician who advocated reform in Chu State was Qu Yuan. He was a politician who promoted the "rule of law" in Chu State and a disseminator of Huang-Lao's learning. He had great achievements in literature, so his political opinions and philosophical thoughts were overshadowed by his literary achievements. In fact, his literary works are also based on his political opinions and philosophical thoughts. His literary works are great precisely because they have such content. "
Hu Qiaomu, editor-in-chief of "Encyclopedia of China·Chinese Literature": Qu Yuan is "the founder of Chinese romantic literature."
Zhang Zhengming's "History of Chu Culture": "Laozi There are two trends in the development of the school: one is to develop into Zhuangzi's philosophy, and the other is to develop into Jixia Jingqi theory. The representative of Jixia Jingqi theory in the south is Quzi's philosophy. "
Gong Pengcheng's "History of Chinese Literature": Qu Yuan is "the first great patriotic poet in China's history."
In 1953, Qu Yuan was selected as the world's greatest poet by the World Peace Council in 1953. One of the four major celebrities commemorated, the "Literary News" editorial No. 11 "Qu Yuan and Us" of that year said: "Qu Yuan is a world-wide great poet and one of the figures who has reached the highest peak in the history of world literature. "
Federin, an academician of the Academy of Sciences of the former Soviet Union, "On the Uniqueness and Universality of Qu Yuan's Poems": "Qu Yuan's poems have inherent national characteristics, but they also have universal world significance. Qu Yuan's thoughts are universal." wealth of mankind. ""Qu Yuan's Poems and Poems Last Through the Ages": "The immortal name of the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan ranks at the forefront of the best authors of Chinese poetry and language arts in the world. Qu Yuan's works belong to this cultural phenomenon with world historical significance. Its greatness and social significance become more fully and clearer later on. ”
Serebryakov, Director of the Chinese Language and Literature Teaching and Research Section of the Oriental Department of Leningrad University in the former Soviet Union, "Qu Yuan and Chu Ci": "Qu Yuan, the most important writer of Chu Ci, is also famous in the world." A forest of literary giants. ”
James Hataowei, a professor at Harvard University, a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a member of the Asian Studies Association, "Qu Yuan Research": "A great poet, and such a pursuit of innovation, this is in the world literary garden It is indeed extremely rare. "[24][25][26][16][27][28][29][30]
Negative comments
Yang Xiong: "Too much is too much. "Walking in the sky." "
Ban Gu: "Competing with the sun and the moon for glory, this theory seems to be too true. "Revealing one's talent and promoting oneself, blaming the king Huai, resenting Jiaolan, thinking hard, being too strong for someone he was not, resentful and intolerable, sinking into the river and died." "It is not a wise tool."
Yan Zhitui: "Since ancient times, literati have often been frivolous. Qu Yuan showed his talents and promoted himself, which showed the fault of a tyrant." ”[23][24]
Influence on later generations
Personality and spirit
1. The influence of Qu Yuan’s life consciousness on later literary creation
Cheng Lianou's painting "Qu Zi Yin"
The consciousness of life reflected in Qu Yuan's works is mainly reflected in two aspects: on the one hand, the sense of time urgency of the passing of time and the beauty's twilight, and the cold consciousness of death. The changing seasons of nature can arouse human beings' common sense of time and life. The expressions of ancient Chinese literati's feelings about beauty's twilight are timeless and timeless, but no one has faced time like Qu Yuan. It flies by and produces feelings of urgency and even fear.
2. The impact of the patriotic spirit in Qu Yuan’s literary works on later generations
Qu Yuan is admired by later generations as a great patriot and patriotic poet. . His deep and persistent patriotic enthusiasm, his spirit of adhering to his ideals, refusing to surrender, pursuing truth and boldly criticizing reality in political struggles, set an example for later writers. There are many poems in "Li Sao" that express Qu Yuan's patriotism. .
After the failure of the political struggle in the early Han Dynasty, Jia Yi was demoted to Changsha. When he passed the Miluo River, he felt that he and Qu Yuan had similar experiences, and wrote a very sad "Ode in Memory of Qu Yuan" On the one hand, they mourned Qu Yuan and made Qu Yuan a confidant; on the other hand, they learned from Qu Yuan's creative spirit and boldly exposed and criticized the dark social reality of no distinction between right and wrong. The great historian and writer Sima Qian admired Qu Yuan so much that he wrote a biography of Qu Yuan in "Historical Records", which correctly affirmed Qu Yuan's status in history.
He said: