Wang Zhenbai

Wang Zhenbai

Wang Zhenbai (875-958) was born in Yongfeng, Xinzhou (now Guangfeng District, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province). He is a famous poet in the late Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In the second year of qianning (895 A.D.) of Tang Dynasty, he became a Jinshi. Seven years later (902 A.D.) he was appointed as a school scholar. He sang with Luo Yin, Fang Gan and Guan Xiu. He is the author of seven volumes of Lingxi collection and one volume of poetry. Its famous sentence "an inch of time, an inch of gold" has been widely spread among the people. In the first year of Zhongxing in the Southern Tang Dynasty (958 AD), Wang Zhenbai died of illness in his hometown. The imperial court granted Wang Zhenbai the title of "Shangzhu Guogong" to Guanglu doctor, established "Daogong Temple" and buried him in the moat outside the west gate of Guangfeng district.

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Life of the characters

Early experience

In her early years, Wang Zhenbai studied in Bailudong, under the five old peaks of Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province. I used to use poetry to record my experience of concentrating on reading. "When I read, I don't realize that spring is deep, and every inch of time is golden. It's not the Taoist who makes me laugh, but Zhou qingkongsi is pursuing it." This poem "White Deer Cave" is a poem written by Wang Zhenbai when she was reading. It is a reflection of her reading life.

Two winners

In the second year of qianning (895 A.D.), Wang Zhenbai took part in the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. At that time, Cui Ning appointed 25 Jinshi. However, due to the turmoil in the examination, there was a lot of discussion in the market. At that time, some people thought that the examination was not "greasy", so they reported it one after another. Due to the pressure of public opinion, the imperial court overturned the results that had been released, and ordered the academician Lu Jian to have a second examination in the inner hall. There were four questions in the examination, which were "Qu Zhi BU Xiang Fu", "Liang Gong Xian Bu Fu", and "Li GUI Shi" and "Xian Xi Shi". In the end, only Guanwen, Chengyan, Cui Shang, Cui Renbao and other four people, and Lu Zhan, Wei Shuo, Feng Wei, Wei Xizhen, Zhang Heng, Huang Tao, Lu Ding, Wang Zhenbai, Shen Song, Chen Xiao, Li Guizhen and other 11 people won the exam together, while the remaining 10 people were eliminated through the second round. It was after three successive scientific examinations that Wang Zhenbai got the first place.

Life in the army

After that, Wang Zhenbai went to the frontier fortress for a period of military life. Wang Zhenbai had long cherished a great wish. Going out with the army to resist foreign enemies was his conscious action to realize his wish. He had already expressed his pride in his "planning to march outside the Great Wall" before he went out.

Stepping into official career

In the second year of Tianfu (902 A.D.), Wang Zhenbai was awarded the title of xueshulang, and formally entered the official career. It was seven years after he passed the entrance examination. Therefore, the famous poet Zheng Gu wrote a five character poem to comfort him. There is a saying: "the new Jinshi in front of the palace, the scholar under the palace." In politics, Wang Zhenbai has a clear-cut stand and determination. In his poem "Gong Chan Ruilian", he wrote: "I wish to refer to the sycophantic grass together and live in front of Emperor Yao." However, Wang Zhenbai, who was upright in nature, failed to realize his ambition. At this time, the Tang Dynasty was far from the past. The political faction was decadent. There were thieves, officials and traitors everywhere in the imperial court, and there were wars everywhere. Since entering the imperial court, Wang Zhenbai has deeply felt the political filth and corruption in the late Tang Dynasty, which is clearly reflected in many poems. He chanted the poem "when officials were corrupt, Tian she was worried" (Tian she Qu), which not only reprimanded those corrupt officials, but also showed great sympathy for the suffering of the working people. He appreciated Yan Ziling's style of "looking down on Han Gongqing" (Title Yanling diaotai) and "lying high without showing honor" (diaotai). At the same time, he opposed and criticized Yan Ziling's negative attitude of ignoring national security, and wrote: "at the beginning of the fishing month, the wind of singing is light. We should take pity on the old man in Weibin, and Kuang Guozheng should talk about the army. " (on Yanling diaotai) Wang Zhenbai felt that he was unable to save the declining Tang Dynasty and left office. But he could not get rid of the emotional pain of facing the national crisis. "I knew all about the famous flowers in the temple when I visited the emperor the year before last. Today, Chang'an is already in the ashes, so I'm willing to follow the south country to Fangzhi. " This kind of pain of subjugation deeply hurt the poet's soul. "Bad news of the death of Yue, wash ear to the riverside." In fact, his retirement is a helpless choice.

Keep righteousness and retire

Wang Zhenbai, who only worked in the imperial court for a few years, finally could not bear the official life of intrigue and panic. When Tang Zhaozong went to Qishan to hunt, he angrily withdrew from this land of right and wrong and returned to his hometown. Wang Zhenbai was less than thirty-five years old when she abandoned her official position and returned to seclusion. After Wang Zhenbai retired, he did not live a leisurely life. Instead, he devoted the rest of his life to the people in his hometown. He set up a "Shanzhai bookstore" in the south of the west mountain outside Yongfeng County, and devoted himself to teaching and preaching for the children in his hometown. He is known as "the four great poets of Jiangxi Province" for his self entertainment of writing books, constant diligence and no further official advancement. In 958 A.D., Wang Zhenbai died of illness in his hometown and was buried in the moat outside the west gate of Guangfeng county. The imperial court granted Wang Zhenbai the title of "Shangzhu Guogong" to Guanglu doctor and established "Daogong Temple".

Literary achievements

On achievements

Wang Zhenbai is a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. He is the author of seven volumes of Lingxi collection. There are entries in the dictionaries of Chinese writers (Shanghai Bookstore) and Jiangxi literature and artists (Jiangxi people's Publishing House). It is said that the collection of Lingxi contains 300 poems, essays, Fu and preface of Wang Zhenbai's own choice. Unfortunately, due to years of leisure, there is only one volume of Wang Zhenbai's poems in the complete collection of Tang poems, including 73 Poems (including "Addendum"), and now the complete collection of Tang poems is supplemented with 12 poems and a number of scattered sentences according to Wenyuan Yinghua, Tang poetry pinhui, Yongle Dadian and other books. In addition, according to Wang's surname in Shantou village, Hengshan Town, Guangfeng district In the genealogy of San Qiu Wang's genealogy, there are also more than 10 works of leisure, with a total of nearly 100 poems handed down. Wang Zhenbai's poems were well-known in the late Tang Dynasty, and his literary status was highly appraised in all dynasties. Pan ruotong of the Song Dynasty said in his elegant words of Jun Ge: "Zhenbai is a famous poem in the late Tang Dynasty.". The biography of Tang gifted scholars written by Xin Wenfang of Yuan Dynasty says that Wang Zhenbai is "well educated, dedicated to poetry, pure and elegant, and has won the first prize in both breathing and breathing, which is beyond Qingyun. The introduction of the article shows that.". Meng bin of the Five Dynasties combined Wang Zhenbai with Zheng Gu, a famous poet of the same period, in his preface to Biyun collection. In the Tang Dynasty, Wang Dingbao (870-954 AD), who was contemporary with Wang Zhenbai, also commented in Tang Zhiyan: "however, such as Wang Zhenbai's and Zhang's poems Wang Zhenbai was placed in front of the others. This shows the position and influence of Wang Zhenbai in the late Tang Dynasty. Wang Zhenbai wrote many poems in her life, and she was also conceited. His poem "to Zheng Gu" says: "500 new poems, to whom? It's only the teacher's advice, not the common people's knowledge! Fire rats burn cloth again and spin silk with ice. Straight to heaven, cut for collar in the phi Zheng Gu died shortly after Wang Zhenbai's accession to the throne. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, he became famous as gairui. Wang Zhenbai, as a younger generation, naturally regarded him as an idol. However, in Wang Zhenbai's opinion, other poets of the same period were all "laymen", not even qualified to comment on Zheng's poems. Wang Zhenbai had said so since she was young that if she did not have a certain reputation in the poetry world, she would not be so arrogant. At the same time, "500 new poems" also shows the number of his poems, which proves that he really "devoted himself to poetry" in his life. Among the few poems handed down by Wang Zhenbai, there are many excellent works. For example, in terms of scenery, his poems are pure and graceful, handsome and complacent. "The rainbow cuts off the river and the rain, and the wind chases the clouds." (climbing Yulou after the rain) describes the scenery of the river and lake, with broad vision and lofty artistic conception: "white grass moves by the side sound, and dry river flows by the morning color." (March in the army) describes the battlefield scenery, with sound and color, desolation and magnificence. Its artistic conception is better than Cen Shen's "long wind blows white grass, and wild fire burns dry mulberry".

Verification of famous sentences

"An inch of time is an inch of gold. An inch of gold can't buy an inch of time." This poem from Zengguang Xianwen is a well-known metaphor for precious time. However, there are still many controversies about the origin of this famous saying. In the new edition of CI yuan, the data of "Cunyin" is quoted from Yuan Dynasty Tongshu's "ju'an collection", in which there is a poem "to send Chen Jiahui", in which it is said that "every inch of time is worth every inch of money, every inch of time is worth every inch of money." But it was later proved that it was not the earliest source of this famous saying. by inquiring about the information of various parties, it is found in Volume 14 of the supplement to the whole Tang poetry in the first volume of the whole Tang poetry, that there are two poems of Bai Lu Dong written by Wang Zhenbai, the first of which is Bai Lu Dong. In the poem, there is a saying that "you don't feel spring is deep when you read, and every inch of time is golden". Wang Zhenbai in the late Tang Dynasty was more than 400 years earlier than Tongshu in the Yuan Dynasty Lu Dong is the earliest source of "an inch of time is an inch of gold".

Anecdotes and allusions

one-word teacher

Just when Wang Zhenbai knew Guan Xiu, the famous poet monk, he sent his poem "Yugou" to Guan Xiu, and politely asked for advice. At that time, after receiving Wang Zhenbai's letter, Guan Xiu attached great importance to it and read it carefully. However, he read a sentence: "this wave contains the emperor, and there is no place to wash the dust." At that time, I feel that this sentence is quite alarming, but I always feel that it needs to be deliberated. After all, they didn't know each other. Guan Xiu didn't say much for a while.
However, fate is always full of coincidences. A friend organized a party, and Wang Zhenbai and Guan Xiu came to the party with great interest. In this way, Guan Xiu mentioned that there seems to be a word in the works Wang Zhenbai sent to him before. If possible, it would be better to examine it again

Chinese PinYin : Wang Zhen Bai