Zhang Zai

Zhang Zai

Zhang Zai (1020 - December 6, 1077) was known as Mr. Hengqu. Fengxiang county (now Hengqu Town, Meixian County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province) people. As a thinker, educator and one of the founders of Neo Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty, his famous saying of "establishing the heart for heaven and earth, establishing the life for the people, inheriting the unique learning, and opening peace for all generations" is known as "Hengqu four sentences". Because of its simplicity and comprehensiveness, it has been praised throughout the ages.

In 1020, Zhang Zai was born in Chang'an (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province). Shao likes to talk about war, and once wanted to get a guest to recover Taoxi's lost land. On Chen's Bian Yi Jiu Tiao. Make friends with Fan Zhongyan and study the six classics of Confucianism. Jiayou Jinshi. Ren signed a letter to the magistrate of Weizhou to assist Cai Ting, commander-in-chief of Weizhou army, in planning the border defense. Xining two years (1069) for Chongwen college book. The next year, due to illness, he held his house and read and lectured. Xining ten years (1077) Tongzhi taichangli hospital, return to disease. He died at the end of the year. Jiading has a posthumous title of "Ming". Zhang Zai is a well read scholar. His studies are based on Yi, the doctrine of the mean and Confucius and Mencius. He thinks that all existence and phenomena of all things in the world are "Qi", that is "Taixu", and advocates that "reason lies in Qi". He also thinks that only the "knowledge of virtue" can understand the "things in the world". The school of Guanzhong is called Guanxue.

In 1077, Zhang Zai died of illness in Lintong at the age of 58. He was honored as Zhang Zi and was granted the title of sage. He was worshipped as the 38th person in the west of Confucius Temple. Together with Zhou Dunyi, Shao Yong, Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao, he was called the "five sons of the Northern Song Dynasty". His works include zhengmeng, hengquyishuo, jingxueliku, Zhangzi quotations, anthology, etc. later generations compiled him as Zhangzi Quanshu (Zhangzai Collection).

Life of the characters

Zhang Zai was born in Chang'an (today's Xi'an) in 1020, the fourth year of emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. His name comes from Kun Gua in the book of changes, which is "carrying things with virtue". Zhang Zai was gifted and intelligent when he was young. When he was ten years old, he studied with Waifu. He showed a different character of ordinary people, "he has different ambitions, but he knows nothing and follows his father's orders.". The loss of his father made him mature earlier. At that time, Xixia often invaded the western border of Song Dynasty, and the Song court "granted" a lot of silk, silver, tea and other materials to Xixia in exchange for border peace. These state affairs have greatly stimulated Zhang Zai's idea of "Shaoxi talking about soldiers". In 1041, when Zhang Zai was 21 years old, he wrote "Bian Yi Jiu Tiao". He wrote a letter to Fan Zhongyan, who was the Deputy envoy of Shaanxi economic strategy and presided over Northwest defense at that time. He stated his views and opinions. He planned to unite Jiao Yin (a native of Yongshou, Shaanxi Province, who was proficient in military strategy) to organize a militia to recapture Taoxi's lost land occupied by Xixia, so as to make contributions and gain fame for the country. from the first year of Kangding to the second year of Qingli (1040-1042), Fan Zhongyan knew Yongxing army, Shaanxi JINGLUE appeased Deputy envoy, and also knew Yanzhou (now Yan'an). He summoned this ambitious scholar in Yanzhou military mansion. Zhang Zai's ambition to talk about military border defense, defend his hometown and recover his lost land was warmly praised by Fan Zhongyan. However, Fan Zhongyan said, "Confucianism has its own famous religion. What's the matter with soldiers?" He thought that Zhang Zai could become a great tool. He advised him that as a Confucian, he would become a great tool. He did not need to study military affairs. He encouraged him to read the doctrine of the mean and work hard on Confucianism. Zhang Zai listened to Fan Zhongyan's advice and went home to study the doctrine of the mean assiduously, but he was still dissatisfied. After more than ten years of study, I finally realized that Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism were complementary and interrelated, and gradually established my own theoretical system. In 1042, Fan Zhongyan completed the construction of Dashun city in the northwest of Qingyang prefecture (now Qingyang City, Gansu Province) in order to defend against the invasion of Xixia. He invited Zhang Zai to Qingyang and wrote a record of Qingzhou Dashun city as a memorial. In the second year of Jiayou (1057), thirty eight year old Zhang Zai went to Bianjing (now Kaifeng) to take an examination. At that time, he was the main examiner of Ouyang Xiu. Zhang Zai, together with Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers, became a Jinshi. While waiting for the imperial edict, Zhang Zai was supported by Prime Minister Wen Yanbo and set up a tiger chair in Xiangguo Temple of Kaifeng to talk about the book of changes. He met Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. Zhang Zai was Cheng's cousin. However, he was modest and listened to Cheng's views on the book of changes. Then he felt that he had not learned enough. The next day, he said to the audience, "I'm not as good as Er Cheng in learning the way of Yi. Ask them. " Thus Cheng became famous in Beijing. However, after discussing the essence of Daoism with Er Cheng, he was confident that he had achieved morality and there was nothing else to pursue. He abandoned all the theories he had studied and devoted himself to learning Daoism. It shows his active pioneering spirit in the academic field, and his work Yi Shuo was written in this period. In the second year of Jiayou's reign (1057), Zhang Zai became a Jinshi in the first place. He successively served as a judicial officer in Qizhou (now Anguo, Hebei Province), a military judge in Weizhou (now Pingliang, Gansu Province) and a magistrate in Yunyan county (now Yichuan, Shaanxi Province). When he was the magistrate of Yunyan County, he was conscientious and strict in his work. In dealing with political affairs, he put "good manners and customs" first, carried out moral administration, attached great importance to moral education, advocated the social custom of respecting the old and loving the young, and called the old people to the county government on the first day of every month. There is a regular reception for wine and food. During the dinner, people are asked about their sufferings, and the principles and requirements of admonishing their children are put forward. According to the regulations and notices of the county government, every time the villagers are called together, and the people who attend the meeting are repeatedly urged to tell the villagers. Therefore, even the illiterate people and children do not know what he sends out. In Weizhou, he had a good relationship with CAI Ting, the economic envoy of Huanqing road. He was deeply respected and trusted by Cai ting. He had to consult him about the military affairs. He once convinced Cai ting to take tens of thousands of military funds to relieve the victims in the year of the disaster, and created a "general law" to promote the joint training and combat between the army and the people in the border defense. He also put forward some suggestions, such as stopping the Garrison (the central Army) and replacing it with local people. In addition, he wrote the statement of Jingyuan road jingluesi on border affairs and the unification of jingluesi on border affairs, which showed his military and political talents. In the second year of Xining reign of emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty (1069), LV Gong, the censor Zhongcheng, recommended Zhang Zai to Emperor Shenzong and praised Zhang Zai for his original learning, which was followed by scholars from all over the world. Shenzong summoned Zhang Zai and asked him how to govern the country. Zhang Zai "took the gradual restoration of three generations (i.e. Xia, Shang and Zhou) as the right choice.". Shenzong was very satisfied and wanted to send him to the second government (Privy Council of Zhongshu province). Zhang Zai thought that he had just been transferred to Kyoto and knew little about Wang Anshi's political reform. He asked to wait for a period of time for further deliberation. Later, he was appointed to Chongwen University. at that time, Wang Anshi was in power and wanted the support of Zhang Zai. One day I saw Zhang Zai and said to him, "the imperial court is about to implement the new law. I'm afraid it's not competent. I want to ask you for help. Are you willing?" On the one hand, Zhang Zai agreed that politicians should make great achievements, but on the other hand, he implicitly refused to participate in the new deal, which gradually aroused Wang Anshi's antipathy. Zhang Zai Shangzuo resigned from his position as a secretary of Chongwen University, but was not approved. Soon after, he was sent to Mingzhou (now Ningbo, Zhejiang Province) in eastern Zhejiang Province to hear Miao Zhen's corruption case. After the case was handled, he returned to the DPRK. At this time, Zhang Zai's younger brother, the censor Zhang Jian, was demoted to Gong'an County (now Jiangling, Hubei Province) because he opposed Wang Anshi's political reform and had a fierce conflict with Wang Anshi. Zhang Zai estimated that he would be implicated, so he resigned and returned to Hengqu. When Zhang Zai returned to Hengqu, he read and thought. If you have something, you will know it. Or you can sit up in the middle of the night and take a candle to read a book. " Living on hundreds of acres of thin farmland at home, teaching and reading all day. During this period, he wrote a lot of works, summarized his academic achievements in his life, and personally led the students to carry out the two practices of restoring the ancient rites and the minefield system. In order to admonish scholars, he wrote the admonitions of Bian Yu and Ding Wan, which were written on both sides of the gate. Zhang Zai made the most efforts to promote "minefield". He once wrote his own "minefield argument" to the emperor, and bought a piece of land with his students. According to the model of "Zhou Li", he divided it into public land and private land, and divided them into landless and landless farmers. He dredged the "one village of experience" between the East and the west to prove the feasibility and effectiveness of the minefield system. Today, yaxia village of Hengqu Town, Fufeng Wujing town and Ziwu town of Chang'an still keep the relics, and the story of "Hengqu eight water mine field inspection" is spreading. In 1077, LV Dafang, the commander-in-chief of qinfenglu (now Tianshui, Gansu Province), thought that Zhang Zai's academic thought inherited the ancient sages' thought and could be used to revive the ancient rites and correct the weathering, and Shangzuo Shenzong called Zhang Zai back to Beijing to take office. At this time, Zhang zaizheng was suffering from lung disease, but he did not want to miss the opportunity to implement his political ideals and ideas, so he came to Beijing with illness. Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty appointed Zhang Zai as the deputy of the Ministry of rites. At that time, some people suggested to the imperial court that the ceremony of wedding crowns and funerals should be carried out by the official. However, the official thought that the customs of ancient and modern times were different, so it was impossible to carry out the ritual system of the past. Only Zhang Zai thought that it was feasible, and pointed out that the opponents were "not suitable for Confucian doctors", so they were very isolated. In addition, they were seriously ill, so they soon resigned and returned to the West. He went to Lintong on November 17 of the same year. He stayed in the library that night, bathed and went to bed. He died the next morning at the age of 58, with only one nephew beside him. In his life, Zhang Zai was summoned to Jin Dynasty twice and served as an official for three years. He wrote books and wrote stories. He was poor all his life, and there was no way to bury him when he died. After hearing the news, the students in Chang'an were able to buy coffins and protect them back to Hengqu. Xu Quan, the academician of the Imperial Academy, played the role of the Ming Court and begged for a gift. Shenzong issued an imperial edict to grant "half" of funeral expenses according to the duty of the three halls of Chongwen Academy. In March of the first year of Yuanfeng (1078), Zhang Zai was buried in the south of the tomb of his father Zhang Di in Dazhen valley of Hengqu, opposite the tomb of his younger brother Zhang Jian. in 1220, the 13th year of Jiading reign of ningzong in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty conferred a posthumous title of "Minggong". In the first year of emperor LiZong's Chunyou in the Southern Song Dynasty (1241), he was granted the title of "Bo" and worshipped Confucius Temple.

Main achievements

Establishing Guanxue

"Guan Xue"

Chinese PinYin : Zhang Zai