Liú Zhēn jí 劉楨集
Collected Works of Liu Zhen (Reconstructed) by 劉楨 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Liú Zhēn 劉楨 (?–217 CE), one of the Jiàn’ān qīzǐ 建安七子 (Seven Masters of the Jiàn’ān Era). Organized in two juǎn, the collection draws citations primarily from Wén xuǎn 文選 (juǎn 20) and Shī jì 詩紀 (juǎn 16), with supplementary fragments from encyclopaedic works including Lèi jù 類聚. The 〈永日行遊戲〉 poem is among the verse preserved. Compiled by Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 for his Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Liú Zhēn 劉楨 (?–217 CE; zì Gōnggàn 公幹) was a native of Dōngpíng 東平 (modern Shandong). He served as a secretary (cóngshì 從事) on the staff of Cáo Cāo 曹操. His biography appears in Sān guó zhì (Wèishū, juǎn 21). He is one of the most critically acclaimed members of the Seven Masters: Zhōng Róng 鍾嶸 in the Shī pǐn 詩品 placed him in the upper grade (upper of three, alongside Cáo Zhí 曹植) and described his verse as possessing the “heroic spirit of a man who could lift a tripod” (qì guò qíying, yǒu bó ding zhī lì — to the effect of valiant force). An anecdote preserved in the Shì shuō xīn yǔ 世說新語 records that Liu Zhen famously stared directly at Cáo Pī’s wife Lady Zhēn 甄氏 without averting his gaze, an act of discourtesy for which he was punished by being made to do labor. He died in the epidemic of 217 CE. See 劉楨 for full biography.
Liu Zhen’s verse is particularly noted for its five-character shi 詩, especially the series of poems addressed to his cousin (zèng cóng dì 贈從弟), which use the imagery of the pine tree in winter to celebrate steadfastness in adversity. The Suíshū Jīngjí zhì records a collected works in four juǎn (lost). Zhāng Pǔ assembled the present reconstruction primarily from citations in Wén xuǎn and Shī jì. The standard reconstruction of his poetry is in Lù Qīnlì 逯欽立’s Xiān-Qín Hàn Wèi Jìn Nánběicháo shī 先秦漢魏晉南北朝詩 (Zhōnghuá, 1983). KR4b0093 (Xú Gān jí) contains a 〈答劉公幹詩〉 (Reply to Liu Gonggan [i.e., Liu Zhen]) that preserves the exchange between the two poets.
Translations and research
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Liu Zhen.
- Lù Qīnlì 逯欽立, ed. Xiān-Qín Hàn Wèi Jìn Nánběicháo shī 先秦漢魏晉南北朝詩. 3 vols. Zhōnghuá, 1983.
No substantial monographic study in European languages specifically devoted to Liu Zhen located.