He Zhizhang (about 659-about 744), whose courtesy name was Jizhen, called himself Siming Kuangke in his later years, and was a native of Yongxing, Yuezhou. He is less famous for his literary works. He was open-minded and uninhibited, and was known as "a smooth talker". He was especially indulgent in his later years, and he called himself "Si Ming Kuang Ke" and "Secretary and Supervisor". When he retired and returned to his hometown at the age of eighty-six, Xuanzong gave him poems, and the prince and Bai Jiajian presented them to him. Return home and pass away. Gongquatrains, 19 of his works are recorded in "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty". He was good at cursive calligraphy and his writing was exquisite. His cursive script "The Classic of Filial Piety" has been passed down to the world.
He Zhizhang's poems are famous for their quatrains. In addition to the music for worshiping gods and the poems composed according to the needs of the gods, his scenery and lyrical works have a unique style, fresh and unrestrained
There are only a handful of great poets in the Tang Dynasty who can start well and finish well. He Zhizhang can be said to be the leader among them. He and Chen Zi'ang were born roughly in the same year, and both were important poets who inherited the past and the future in the development of poetry from the early Tang Dynasty to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Chen Zi'ang's achievement lies in "breaking", while He Zhizhang's achievement lies in "establishing". The fate of the two masters was also very different. Chen Ziang died young and the cause of death was unknown, while He Zhizhang became an official at an old age and was sent off by the emperor. There are many "highlights" like this in He Zhizhang's life, and they can be called legends.
He Zhizhang, also known as Jizhen, called himself Siming Kuangke in his later years, also known as Secretary Waiyuan. Born in a family of officials, he was "little known for his literary works". Like other great poets, He Zhizhang showed his talent since childhood, but unlike them, he was a late bloomer. During the anniversary of Wu's reign, he was only named on the gold list at the age of thirty-seven. After the age of forty-seven, during the Shenlong period of Zhongzong, he, Zhang Ruoxu, Bao Rong, and Zhang Xu were known as the "Four Scholars of Wuzhong", and his name of Wenci gradually became known in the capital. A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise. The advantage of being a late bloomer is that halfway through his life, he is no longer young and arrogant, and his radical ambition for fame has slowed down. Therefore, he did not take the shortcut to Zhongnan and follow the emperor to live in seclusion, nor did he deliberately seek favors from the Zhang brothers. Being far away from the center of power means there is no chance for sudden prosperity and it also avoids the edge of political struggle.
After He Zhizhang passed the imperial examination, it is not known when he was released. The current historical record is that when he was fifty-four years old, he was awarded the rank of four assistants at the eighth level, and was promoted to the seventh grade the following year. Doctors from the four disciplines at the top were moved to Dr. Taichang from the seventh grade, who polished the re-translation of "Baoji Jing". The seventh rank was not as high as the official seventh rank, and he was "demoted" for no reason, because Dr. Taichang had a higher substantial status, and also because he was recommended by Lu Xiangxian, who was the prime minister at the time. Lu Xiangxian was both a relative and a close friend of He Zhizhang. He admired his charm of conversation and claimed that he felt lifeless after not seeing He Zhizhang for a day. Although Lu Xiangxian's evaluation of He Zhizhang was a bit exaggerated, He Zhizhang was indeed good at conversation, his language was humorous, his temperament was calm and cheerful, and "all the virtuous people at that time admired him." Since then, He Zhizhang's official career has developed steadily, and he has been promoted to Chaoyilang, Hubu Yuanwailang, and Living Lang. At the age of fifty-eight, he was appointed as an attendant of the King of Shaanxi (i.e. Suzong), and was promoted to Secretary, Shaojian, and Shaojian. Zhibaoshi, Taichang Shaoqing, Minister of Rites, Bachelor of Jixian Academy, Minister of Works, and Secretary-General. At the age of eighty, he was promoted to the third rank of Prince Guest, Yinqing Guanglu Doctor, and Secretary-General, until he was eighty. At the age of six, he resigned and returned to his hometown. Among them, when he was sixty-seven years old, on April 5, the thirteenth year of Kaiyuan, he was appointed as the Minister of Rites and the Bachelor of Jixian Hall on the same day. "Two honors and appointments at one time are enough to bring glory to scholars."
During his official career, He Zhizhang's poetry and calligraphy were fully recognized. Xuanzong went to Dongyue Taishan to enshrine Zen, and discussed the specific etiquette and prayer articles with He Zhizhang. He Zhizhang also composed the lyrics for the sacrificial music. During the emperor's banquets and major decision-making, he was always at his left and right, often responding to the emperor's wishes and singing rewards. His articles were well-known at the time and he was good at writing. He often "drunk and turned his words into scrolls, without adding any points to the text, but it was very impressive." Many ministers also asked him to write epitaphs, and his writing was highly polished. Eight epitaphs written by him have been unearthed.
He Zhizhang is good at cursive and official calligraphy. "Every time I am in high spirits, I write a good book with big characters, maybe 300 words, or 500 words. The poems are written according to my destiny. I asked how many pieces of paper there are. If I report ten pieces of paper, the words will be exhausted." Exhausted. Twenty or thirty papers, the words are exhausted when the paper is exhausted." In addition to his calligraphy skills, his talent is also evident. He Zhizhang's calligraphy was named after Zhang Xu in the Tang Dynasty, and was commented as "excellent in writing", "as colorful as a spring forest", "with extraordinary nourishment in the heart, deep roots and the way of nature", handed down from the "Book of Filial Piety" Vol. Known as the representative of cursive script in the Tang Dynasty. "Xuanhe Shupu" of the Song Dynasty records that there are twelve cursive scripts of He Zhizhang in the imperial palace collection, but unfortunately they have been lost. On the Feilai Stone south of Wanwei Mountain in the southeast of Shaoxing, there were twelve lines of cliff stone carvings written by He Zhizhang. The original carvings were destroyed during the Jiatai period of the Southern Song Dynasty. The current stone carvings were re-engraved by later generations.
In addition to Zhang Xu, another Tang Dynasty calligrapher Zhong Shaojing was also a good friend of He Zhizhang. The painting sage Wu Daozi also learned calligraphy from He Zhizhang.
He Zhizhang played a significant role in carrying forward the past and opening up the future of Tang poetry, with the effect of "one flower attracts thousands of flowers to bloom". He pioneered the majestic and passionate style of frontier poems, established the bright and uplifting mood of scene-describing farewell poems, pioneered the "palace resentment poems", cultivated the elegant and refined style of natural beauty, broke through the inherent paradigm of poems about objects, and created the first pastoral poem that yearns for seclusion and seclusion. , became the originator of the landscape pastoral school of Wang Wei and Meng Haoran; the poetry writing method that focuses on romance and the blending of scenes was more important to Li Bai and Du Fu; the "Returning to Hometown Oops", which is well-known to every household and respected by later generations as the enlightenment level, is rated as the foundation of homecoming poems. work. However, in the face of huge reputation, He Zhizhang has always been neither arrogant nor impetuous, upright and open-minded. Even in his later years, he indulged in alcoholism, "Zhizhang rode a horse like a boat, and fell into a well and slept under the water." His wantonness was just a lack of restraint in life. In fact, Secretly measured. He likes to socialize, and the people he associates with range from high officials to common people, as well as many people from outside the country. He drinks wine, talks about poetry, and practices meditation. He does not get involved in politics, does not seek benefits, and does not form cliques. He supports the underachievers and is good at understanding people. It is said that when he first met Li Mi, He Zhizhang concluded that "this child's eyes are like autumn water, and he must pay homage to the prime minister." Of course, the most famous anecdote is to exchange wine for Li Bai's golden turtle and recommend Li Bai to Xuanzong. In addition to Li Bai, He Zhizhang met Meng Haoran when he first entered Beijing, and also had good friends with Wang Changling, Yan Tingzhi, Li Yong, and Yan Zhenqing's father Yan Weizhen. Obviously, according to modern standards, He Zhizhang has good IQ and EQ, perfect personality, mental health, and excellent education and cultivation. Therefore, he was rated as "graceful, provincial, elegant and open-minded" by his contemporaries.
It was also based on this premise that when He Zhizhang resigned at an advanced age to return to his hometown and become a Taoist, Xuanzong agreed and "gave a song to the Yan River in Jinghu Lake for the fishermen and woodcutters." In order to make it easier for his family to take care of his life, his son was promoted to Sima of Kuaiji County and given Feiyu. Sima was an idle official, and he gave him a scarlet fish to show the emperor's favor. The greater honor is that "the emperor bestowed poems, and the crown prince and officials presented them to him." Xuanzong hosted a banquet for He Zhizhang in Changlepo. This revolution, like Wang Xizhi's Orchid Pavilion Revolution, is a major event in the history of literary circles. Participants wrote poems as farewells, which were compiled into a volume, with Xuanzong writing the preface.
Shortly after returning home, He Zhizhang died. Xuanzong dismissed Li Bai only after bidding farewell to He Zhizhang, which shows his special care for He Zhizhang. Not only did Xuanzong respect He Zhizhang, but Suzong did the same. Fourteen years after his death, Suzong posthumously awarded him the title of Minister of Rites in memory of his time as a student. He Zhizhang was not Suzong's only attendant when he was the prince. To receive this favor shows that Suzong valued him. There are not many literati and ministers who are respected by both Xuanzong and Suzong. He Zhizhang is a genius for being able to achieve such perfect merits.