Gǔlíng jí 古靈集
The Gǔ-líng Collection (of Chén Xiāng) by 陳襄 (撰), edited by 陳紹夫 (編)
About the work
Gǔlíng jí 古靈集 is the 25-juǎn literary collection of Chén Xiāng 陳襄 (1017–1080, zì Shùgǔ 述古), one of the principal mid-Northern-Sòng Yánguān opponents of the Wáng Ānshí Xīníng reforms and the moral exemplar — alongside Hú Yuán 胡瑗 — of the Hǎishàng sì xiānshēng 海上四先生 (the four worthies of Fújiàn learning: Chén Xiāng, Zhōu Xīmèng 周希孟, Chén Liè 陳烈, and Zhèng Mù 鄭穆). The title commemorates Chén’s natal village Gǔlíng in Hóuguān 侯官 (modern Fúzhōu).
Tiyao
[Translation summary] The Sìkù tíyào: Gǔlíng jí in 25 juǎn by Chén Xiāng of the Sòng. Xiāng, zì Shùgǔ, of Hóuguān; Gǔlíng is his village name. Jìnshì of Qìnglì 2 / 1042; first appointed Pǔchéng wèi; rose to Yòusī lángzhōng, Shūmì zhí xuéshì. Deeds in Sòngshǐ. The two most-transmissible things in his career are: (1) under Xīníng, his impeachment of Wáng Ānshí and exhaustive exposure of the New Policies — repeatedly memorialized, prophetic of the abuses to come, all preserved in the present collection; (2) while serving on the Jīngyán he was asked by Shénzōng to nominate talent — and listed Sīmǎ Guāng 司馬光, Hán Wéi 韓維, Lǚ Gōngzhù 呂公著, Sū Sòng 蘇頌, Sūn Jué 孫覺, Lǐ Cháng 李常, Fàn Chúnrén 范純仁, Sū Shì 蘇軾, Sūn Zhū 孫洙, Wáng Cún 王存, Gù Lín 顧臨, Lín Xī 林希, Lǐ Shīzhōng 李師中, Fù Yáoyǔ 傅堯俞, Wáng Ānguó 王安國, Liú Zhì 劉摯, Yú Tàixī 虞太熙, Chéng Hào 程顥, Liú Zǎi 劉載, Xuē Chángcháo 薛昌朝, Zhāng Zài 張載, Sū Zhé 蘇轍, Kǒng Wénzhòng 孔文仲, Wú Bēn 吳賁, Wú Shù 吳恕, Lín Yīng 林英, Sūn Yì 孫奕, Lín Dàn 林旦, Zōu Hé 鄒何, Táng Jiōng 唐坰, Zhèng Xiá 鄭俠 — 33 men in all, then in junior posts or in disgrace; each was characterized — accurately. Only Lín Xī later turned coat. The rest were great scholars and famous officials, succeeding one to another. His rénlún zhī jiàn (judgement of human types) was unmatched. The piece is the showpiece of the present collection. But Yè Zǔqià’s xíngzhuàng, Sūn Jué’s mùzhì, Chén Guàn’s cítāng jì — all praise Chén for promoting learning and educating talent and his diligent administration, and only briefly say a few words about his stand against the New Policies. Plainly the partisan disasters had already begun and they avoided the topic. Other examples: he did not let Wáng Ānshí’s ménkè status get in the way of recommending Lù Diàn 陸佃 for ritual learning; he impeached Liú Pān 劉攽 for his frivolous mocking, even though Liú was Sū Shì’s close friend. Shìshì fēifēi, no factional bias — the guóshǐ běnzhuàn even cut these things out. Without this collection his uprightness would barely be visible. The collection contains three biǎo drafted on behalf of (a) Chóngguó fūrén etc., (b) the nèishěng gōngzhèng and below, (c) the xiūyí wǎnróng, with attached imperial piàndā — these were standard diǎn-records of the day, bǎnyóu jiùdiǎn, no impropriety, unlike Jiāng Zǒng’s drafts for the Chén six-palace women. Edited by his great-grandson Chén Shàofū 陳紹夫.
Abstract
Chén Xiāng’s career: jìnshì of Qìnglì 2 / 1042 with the great cohort that included Sū Sòng, Wáng Ānshí, and Hán Jiàng 韓絳; first office Pǔchéng wèi (Fújiàn); held a long sequence of zhīzhōu posts (Tàizhōu, Mìzhōu, Jīyīn); Tìxíngfǎ in LiǎngZhè; recalled to Tàicháng shǎoqīng; Yòusī lángzhōng; Shūmì zhí xuéshì; finally Shūmìyuàn jiǎnyìdàfū. The opposition memorials against the New Policies (1069–1071) and the famous talent-list for Shénzōng on the Jīngyán are both preserved in the present collection. Died Yuánfēng 3 / 1080 age 64. Xíngzhuàng by Yè Zǔqià 葉祖洽; mùzhì by Sūn Jué 孫覺; cítáng jì by Chén Guàn 陳瓘. The dating bracket marks Chén’s death (1080) to the late-Northern-Sòng terminus ante quem of the 25-juǎn recension.
Translations and research
- Liu, James T. C. 1959. Reform in Sung China. Harvard. Treats the Xī-níng-era opposition.
- Bol, Peter K. 1992. “This Culture of Ours”. Stanford UP. Treats the Hǎi-shàng sì xiānshēng.
- Levine, Ari. 2008. Divided by a Common Language. Hawai’i. Treats the partisan environment.
- Liú Lè 劉勒. 1995. Chén Xiāng yán-jiū 陳襄研究. Fú-jiàn rénmín. Standard Chinese monograph.
Other points of interest
The Jīngyán talent list — naming 33 men including Sū Shì, Sīmǎ Guāng, Chéng Hào, Zhāng Zài, Sū Zhé etc. — is one of the most remarkable preserved Northern-Sòng prosopographical documents and is repeatedly drawn on by modern Sòng intellectual history.
Links
- Chen Xiang (Wikidata)
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §44 (Xīníng reforms); §28.1 (Sòng biéjí).