Ruǎn Yǔ jí 阮瑀集
Collected Works of Ruan Yu (Reconstructed) by 阮瑀 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Ruǎn Yǔ 阮瑀 (?–212 CE), one of the Jiàn’ān Qīzǐ 建安七子 (Seven Masters of the Jiàn’ān Period). Organized in three juǎn, the collection opens with the 〈太廟頌〉 (Hymn for the Imperial Ancestral Temple; cited from Chūxué jì 初學記 juǎn 13) and four pieces of Han court ceremonial music: 《矛俞新福歌》, 《弩俞新福歌》, 《安臺新福歌》, and 《行辭新福歌》 (all cited from Sòngshū Yuèzhì 宋書樂志 and Lèifǔ shījí 樂府詩集 juǎn 53). Subsequent juǎn contain the exchange poems 〈贈蔡子篤詩〉 and 〈贈士孫文始〉 (cited from Wénxuǎn 文選 juǎn 23, which collects zèngdá shī 贈答詩 — gift-and-reply poems). This jíyìběn was compiled by Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 (1602–1641) for his Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集 and is not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Ruǎn Yǔ 阮瑀 (?–212 CE; zì Yuányú 元瑜; CBDB id 29613; death year confirmed by Lìdài rénwù niánlǐ tōngpǔ) was one of the celebrated Jiàn’ān Qīzǐ 建安七子, the literary group associated with Cáo Cāo’s 曹操 court. From Chénliú 陳留 Wèishì 尉氏 (modern Henan), he entered Cáo Cāo’s service after a period of reclusion and became one of his principal secretaries, holding the position of Jūnmóu Jìjiǔ 軍謀祭酒 (Military Adviser Libationer). He was celebrated above all for his ability to draft official documents — official letters and memorials — that precisely captured Cáo Cāo’s intentions; Cáo Pi 曹丕 recorded in his Diǎn lùn Lùn wén 典論論文 that Ruǎn Yǔ’s forte was “shū jì” 書記 (documents and records). He died in 212 CE before the epidemic of 217 CE that carried off several other members of the Seven Masters. He is the father of Ruǎn Jí 阮籍 (210–263 CE; see KR4b0096). His biography appears briefly in Sānguózhì 三國志 and in Wèishū 魏書.
Wilkinson (Chinese History: A New Manual, §34.2) lists the Jiàn’ān period (196–220 CE) as producing “Seven Masters” (Jiàn’ān qīzǐ 建安七子, Wilkinson’s abbreviation 建安七子). Denecke et al. (Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature, 2017, 390, 16418) note that “Ruǎn Yǔ 阮瑀 (d. 212), in an untitled poem, poignantly takes note of” the human condition — situating him among the reflective voices of the Jiàn’ān era.
The 〈太廟頌〉 and the four court music pieces are official compositions: the yǔjué 俞歌 (music accompanying military ritual dances — the 矛俞 Máo yǔ [Spear Dance] and 弩俞 Nǔ yǔ [Crossbow Dance]) and the ān tái xīn fú 安臺新福 and xíng cí xīn fú 行辭新福 ceremonial pieces date in their present form to the Han court repertoire of Cáo Cāo’s era and are preserved in Sòngshū Yuèzhì. The gift poems to Cài Zǐdǔ 蔡子篤 and Shì Sūn Wénshǐ 士孫文始 are exchange verse in the established Jiàn’ān mode.
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 Ruan Yu.
- Holzman, Donald. Poetry and Politics: The Life and Works of Juan Chi. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976. (Background on the Ruan family and Jian’an period.)
- Dieny, Jean-Pierre. “Les sept maîtres de la période Jian’an.” In Portrait de l’artiste en Chine. Paris: Flammarion, 1994.
Links
- Wikipedia: Ruan Yu