Ouyang Xiu

Ouyang Xiu

Ouyang Xiu (from August 1, 1007 to September 22, 1072) was born in Yongfeng, Jizhou (now Yongfeng County, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province). He was born in mianzhou (now Mianyang City, Sichuan Province) in the fourth year of Jingde (1007). He was a politician and writer in the northern Song Dynasty.

Ouyang Xiu became a scholar in 1030, and served as an official in the three dynasties of Renzong, Yingzong and Shenzong. After his death, he was given the title of "Wenzhong" to the grand master and Duke of Chu.

Ouyang Xiu is the first literary leader to create a generation of literary style in the history of Song Dynasty literature. Together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Su Shi, Su Xun, Su Zhe, Wang Anshi and Zeng Gong, Ouyang Xiu is known as the "eight great writers of Tang and Song Dynasties". Together with Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu is also known as the "four great writers of ancient times". He led the innovation movement of poetry and prose in the Northern Song Dynasty and inherited and developed Han Yu's ancient prose theory. His high achievement in prose creation and his correct ancient prose theory complement each other, thus creating a generation of writing style. At the same time, Ouyang Xiu innovated the style of poetry and CI. He once majored in the book of the new Tang Dynasty and wrote the history of the new Five Dynasties. Ouyang Wenzhong collection is handed down.

On September 22, 1072, Ouyang Xiu died at home at the age of 66.

Life of the characters

Early experience

Ouyang Xiu was born in mianzhou (now Mianyang, Sichuan Province) on June 21, the fourth year of Jingde in Northern Song Dynasty (August 1, 1007). At that time, his father Ouyang Guan was a military officer in mianzhou. He was 56 years old.

In 1010, Ouyang Guan died at the age of 4. Ouyang Xiu and his mother, Zheng, went to Suizhou, Hubei Province to join Ouyang Xiu's uncle Ouyang Ye. Ouyang Ye served as a Tui Guan in Suizhou for 25 years. He was upright, especially honest and self reliant. His personality had an important influence on young Ouyang Xiu. Ouyang Ye's family is not very rich. Fortunately, the Zheng family was born in a famous family in the south of the Yangtze River. She is a well-educated lady. She taught Ouyang Xiu how to read and write in the sand with Dikan (Lu Gan as a pen). Ouyang ye also cared from time to time, but he didn't let his childhood Ouyang Xiu lose his basic education.

When Ouyang Xiu was ten years old, he got six volumes of Mr. Changli's anthology written by Han Yu, a poet of Tang Dynasty, from Li's family in Suizhou. He loved his prose very much and couldn't put it down, which sowed the seeds for the poetry innovation movement in the future.

The road of imperial examination

Ouyang Xiu's road to the imperial examination was bumpy. In the first year of emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty (1023), at the age of 17, he failed in the examination. In the fourth year of emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty (1026), he tried again but failed. He failed in the imperial examination twice.

At the age of 22, Ouyang Xiu followed Xu Yan, who knew Hanyang army, to the capital. In the spring of the seventh year of Tiansheng (1029), recommended by Xu Yan, Ouyang Xiu tried to work in Guozijian of Kaifeng Prefecture. In the autumn of that year, Ouyang Xiu took part in the examination of Guozijian. He won the first place in Guangwen library examination and Guoxue examination of Guozixue, becoming Jianyuan and Jieyuan. In the second year, he won the first place in the provincial examination of Ministry of rites, becoming Shengyuan.

In 1030, Ouyang Xiu took part in the palace examination presided over by Renzong and held it in Chongzheng Hall. He sang fourteen songs, ranking second in the list of Jinshi. According to Yan Shu, the then chief examiner of Ouyang Xiu's hometown, he failed to win the first prize, mainly because he was too sharp, and many examiners wanted to frustrate his spirit and promote his success.

Entering the officialdom

Although he didn't win the first prize, Ouyang Xiu also won a good place. He was awarded the title of general Shi Lang, Secretary of provincial school Shu Lang, and served as the left behind official of Xijing (Luoyang). At the same time, he also ushered in the wedding. In the Song Dynasty, there was a custom of "choosing a son-in-law from the list of candidates". As soon as Ouyang Xiu became a scholar in middle school, he was appointed as his son-in-law by his mentor Xu Yan.

In March of 1031, Ouyang Xiu arrived in Luoyang and became close friends with Mei Yaochen and Yin Zhu. In the same year, he married his wife Xu in Dongwu county. At that time, his superior was Qian Weiyan, the son of Qian Chu, King Zhongyi of Wu Yue, who stayed in Xijing.

Qian Weiyan was kind to Ouyang Xiu and other young talents. He not only rarely let these young scholars undertake trivial administrative affairs, but also openly supported him to eat, drink and play.

Besides eating, drinking and having fun, these young talents can also recite poems and write Fu. At that time, gorgeous and neat parallel prose was popular in the literary world. Ouyang Xiu and other people were dissatisfied with the vulgar and rigid style of parallel prose. Instead, with their rich knowledge, they tried to break the stale style of literature and promote "ancient prose" by imitating the ancients in the pre Qin and Han Dynasties. With the support of Qian Weiyan, Ouyang Xiu and others had enough time to ponder over the creation of ancient Chinese prose.

Later, when Qian Weiyan was frustrated in politics, he was forced to leave Luoyang and was taken over by Wang Shu, a famous minister. Wang Shu was strict with his subordinates and dissatisfied with the laxity of these people. One day, Wang Shu gathered Ouyang Xiu and others together, and sternly taught them, "you see, people like Kou laigong (Kou Zhun) are demoted because they indulge in pleasure. Besides, you can't compete with Kou laigong in talent. How dare you do that?" Ouyang Xiu retorted: "the reason why koraigong was unlucky later was not because he indulged in pleasure, but because he didn't know to retire when he was old." After hearing this, Wang Shu was silent.

A rough career

In the first year of Jingyou (1034), Ouyang Xiu was called to take part in the examination of the bachelor's college and was granted the official title of xuandelang. He went back to Beijing to collate the pavilion and participated in the compilation of Chongwen Zongmu.

During the reign of emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty, the malady of poverty and weakness in the Northern Song Dynasty began to appear, the gap between the rich and the poor widened, and social contradictions became increasingly prominent. In 1036, Fan Zhongyan, who had a lot of contacts with Ouyang Xiu, began to call for reform. He attributed the social problems to corruption, but Ouyang Xiu saw it more deeply. He thought that redundant officials and staff were the fundamental problem. Finally, Fan Zhongyan's reform offended the vested interests and was demoted to Raozhou. Ouyang Xiu was also implicated as Fan Zhongyan and was demoted to Yiling county magistrate.

In the first year of Kangding (1040), Ouyang Xiu was called back to Beijing, where he was appointed to collate and edit Chongwen Zongmu.

Qingli three years (1043), as rightist, zhizhigao. At that time, Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi and others carried out the "Qingli New Deal". Ouyang Xiu participated in the reform and became a cadre of the reformers. He proposed the reform of official administration, military affairs, tribute and law. However, under the obstruction of the Conservatives, the new deal failed again.

In 1045, fan, Han and Fu were demoted one after another. Ouyang Xiu wrote a resolution. He was demoted to Chuzhou (today's Chuzhou in Anhui), and later changed to Yangzhou, Yingzhou (today's Fuyang in Anhui) and yingtianfu (today's Shangqiu in Henan).

In Chuzhou, Ouyang Xiu wrote the immortal masterpiece "the story of the drunken man Pavilion", which made the ancient prose art mature. He still maintained a relaxed and lazy attitude, and "lenient and simple" for the government, making the officials and the people comfortable. However, it was under such a ruling policy that Chuzhou was well managed.

In the first year of emperor you's reign (1049), he returned to the imperial court and successively held the posts of academician and historian.

In August of 1054, Ouyang Xiu was framed and demoted. As soon as the order was given, Renzong regretted it. When Ouyang Xiu left for the imperial court, Renzong personally urged him to stay: "don't go to Tongzhou, stay and repair the book of Tang." As a result, Ouyang Xiu studied in Korea as an academician and began to write history books. Together with Song Qi, he studied the new book of Tang Dynasty, and also studied the historical records of the Five Dynasties (the new history of the Five Dynasties).

Examination department

In February of the second year of Jiayou (1057), Ouyang Xiu was the chief examiner of the ceremony department. He presided over the Jinshi examination as a Hanlin bachelor, advocated the plain style of writing, and admitted Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong and others, which had a great influence on the transformation of the style of writing in the Northern Song Dynasty.

At that time, there was a literary school called "Taixue style". Liu Ji, the leader of the school, was a Taixue student. His greatest specialty was playing with the rare words in ancient books. Ouyang Xiu's ancient prose has always been accessible and easy, most opposed to the style of "Taixue style". When reviewing the examination paper, Ouyang Xiu saw an examination paper and wrote at the beginning: "heaven and earth are rolling, all things are thriving, and sages are spreading." It seems that the words are ancient and abstruse, but in fact they are very awkward. It means nothing more than that heaven and earth intersect, everything comes into being, and then the sage comes out. Ouyang Xiu continued with his rhyme wittily and incisively: "scholar's tattoo, official's brush!" It means that the scholar is not good at learning, and the examiners will not be admitted!

In this exam, Ouyang Xiu also saw a better answer, the article fluent language, reasoning thoroughly. Ouyang Xiu is supposed to be his own student Zeng Gong. This style of writing needs to be encouraged, but after all, he is "his own person". If it is not easy to get the first place, he will take this paper as the second. Results after the test paper was opened, it was found that the author of this paper was Su Shi. Together with Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu was admitted by his younger brother Su Zhe and a group of important figures in the literary world of the Northern Song Dynasty. Ouyang Xiu made a great contribution to the Northern Song Dynasty and the whole history of Chinese literature.

Su Shi wrote a letter of thanks to Ouyang Xiu after he won the entrance examination. Ouyang Xiu praised Su Shi for his good writing. He said that after reading his letter, "I don't feel sweating", and he felt that he should avoid this third generation. He rewarded Su Shi, and Su Shi lived up to Ouyang Xiu's expectations, and finally became another cultural giant after Ouyang Xiu. In his later years, Ouyang Xiu often took out articles he wrote when he was young to revise them. The madam distressed ground admonishes a way: "so old age, still fee this heart.". Are you still a child, afraid that your husband will scold you? " Ouyang Xiu said with a smile, "I'm not afraid of being scolded by my husband, but I'm afraid of being laughed by later generations." This sense of literary history and serious attitude have made a great literary master.

When the list was released, the arrogant examinees who wrote "taixueti" found that they were not selected, and they made trouble one after another

Chinese PinYin : Ou Yang Xiu