Zhōnghuì jí 忠惠集
The Loyal-and-Beneficent Collection by 翟汝文 (撰)
About the work
Zhōnghuì jí 忠惠集 in 10 juǎn + 1 appendix-juǎn (Sìkù reconstruction) preserves the writings of Zhái Rǔwén 翟汝文 (1076–1141), Rùnzhōu Dānyáng jìnshì and Cānzhī zhèngshì under Gāozōng. The title takes Zhái’s posthumous canonisation Zhōnghuì 忠惠 (Loyal-and-Beneficent) — given by his disciples (a sīshì private canonisation, not a state honour). Zhái’s distinctive position: a direct Yuányòu-circle disciple — having studied with Sū Shì, Huáng Tíngjiān, and Zēng Gǒng — making him one of the few documented direct-transmitters of the central late-Northern-Sòng literary culture into the early Southern Sòng. The collection’s prose has Xīníng / Yuányòu residual style. Original 30 juǎn per Sòng shǐ Yìwénzhì. The collection was compiled by his son Zhái Qínián 翟耆年.
Tiyao
The Sìkù tíyào: Zhōnghuì jí 10 juǎn, appendix 1, by Zhái Rǔwén of the Sòng. Rǔwén, zì Gōngxùn, of Rùnzhōu Dānyáng. Jìnshì served HuīzōngQīnzōng both reigns to Xiǎnmógé xuéshì; out as Zhī Yuèzhōu; under Gāozōng held office to Cānzhī zhèngshì; for kàngzhí (steadfast-upright) offended Qín Guì, dismissed-and-returned. Career details in Sòng shǐ biography and the grandson Fán’s composed zhìmíng. Zhōnghuì — his death’s afterward, disciples privately canonised.
Rǔwén loved-antiquity, broad-and-extensive, deeply-penetrating zhuànzhòu (seal-and-ancient-script). Once travelled-with Sū Shì, Huáng Tíngjiān, Zēng Gǒng — hence what he composed of wénzhāng still has Xīníng / Yuányòu residual-style. The shǐ says: as Zhōngshū shèrén time, wàizhì (outer-drafting) diǎnyǎ (typical-elegant) — at-the-time praised. Probably at the end of Northern Sòng — like Wāng Zǎo and Sūn Dí — both with sìliù (parallel-prose) famous; only Rǔwén able with-them jiéháng (ride-side-by-side). Zhōu Bìdà preface for [Sūn] Dí’s Hóngqìng jí says inside often-erroneously-included Rǔwén’s compositions — also enough to see their style-frame’s mutual-resemblance.
Yáng Wànlǐ’s Chéngzhāi shīhuà quotes Rǔwén’s Zuǒ púshè zhì — within: “Gǔ wǒ xiānwáng wéi túrèn jiùrén; gòngzhèng xiàn yǒu yīdé kè zuǒyòu jué bì zháishī” two lines — taking it as an example of using chéngyǔ (ready-language) elegantly-trained-and-fitted. Further quotes the Hè Cài Yōu chú shǎoshī qǐ — within: “Cháotíng wú chū qí yòu; fùzǐ tóng shēng zhū gōng” two lines — taking it as an example of jiéduàn gǔyǔ bǔ yǐ yīzì ér dúzhě bù jué wéi qiǎo zhī zhì (cutting-the-old-language and supplementing-with-one-character so that readers do not notice — the maximal-skill).
Today examining his prose — generally gēndǐ shēnzhòng cuòcí xióngjiàn (root-base deep-and-weighty; placement-of-language vigorous-and-strong) — what is called wúyīzì wú láichù (no-one-character has no source) — close-to-being able to handle this. Not what Southern-Sòng biǎoqǐ túshì piāoduō (memorial-and-notification, mud-painted, plundering) can-be-compared. He being-pushed by writers — really not in-vain.
The collection is what his son Qínián compiled — visible in Sòng shǐ Yìwénzhì — 30 juǎn. Since Míng long again-not-transmitted. Today from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn’s various-韻 abstracted-and-arranged — composing into 10 juǎn — to preserve the broad-outline.
Further: Rǔwén after-being-dismissed-from-the-cabinet, once tíjǔ Dòngxiāogōng; Sòng shǐ missed-recording this affair. Recently Zhū Yízūn composed Dòngxiāo tímíng jì — only relying on Lǐ Míxùn’s Yúnxī jí’s composed zhìcí — fixing it to Shàoxīng 2 — and taking the Jìngkāng original-position called Xiǎnmógé xuéshì. Today examining Sūn Fán’s zhìmíng — Rǔwén actually in Shàoxīng 7 winter, through suburban-altar grace appointed Zīzhèngdiàn xuéshì Tíjǔ Dòngxiāogōng. Yízūn never-saw this prose — hence what is recorded all erred. Now also append Fán’s prose at-end — also enough to be one help to kǎozhèng (philological investigation). Qiánlóng 46 (1781), 9th month, respectfully collated.
Abstract
Zhōnghuì jí preserves the writings of one of the few documented direct Yuányòu-circle transmitters into the early Southern Sòng. Zhái Rǔwén’s discipleship-under Sū Shì, Huáng Tíngjiān, and Zēng Gǒng makes him a key figure for tracing the genealogical continuity of Sòng literary culture across the Jīngkāng / Jiànyán divide. His prose-style — preserving Xīníng / Yuányòu residual register — is contrasted by the Sìkù editors with the piāoduō (plundering-and-pasting) tendency of Southern-Sòng biǎoqǐ (memorial-and-notification) prose, with Zhái’s gēndǐ shēnzhòng (deep-rooted, weighty) judged superior.
The Yáng Wànlǐ Chéngzhāi shīhuà citations of two characteristic examples of Zhái’s cǎozhì (drafting) technique — yòng chéngyǔ (using ready-language) and jiéduàn gǔyǔ bǔ yǐ yīzì (cutting old-language and supplementing with one-character) — preserve the most-celebrated late-Sòng critical-appreciation of Zhái’s parallel-prose style. The Zhōu Bìdà observation that Sūn Dí’s Hóngqìng jí erroneously includes pieces by Zhái indicates the strong stylistic resemblance between the two early-Southern-Sòng címìng masters.
The Sìkù editors’ philological correction of Zhū Yízūn’s Dòngxiāo tímíng jì (which mistakenly dated Zhái’s Tíjǔ Dòngxiāogōng appointment) — based on Sūn Fán’s zhìmíng preserved in the appendix-juǎn — is a model of kǎozhèng applied to a near-contemporary Qīng compilation. Lifedates 1076–1141 are confirmed.
Translations and research
- Sòng-shǐ j. 372 — biography.
- Yáng Wàn-lǐ, Chéng-zhāi shī-huà — preserves the critical-aesthetic appreciation.
- Zhōu Bì-dà 周必大 — preface to Sūn Dí’s Hóng-qìng jí; preserves stylistic comparison.
- No dedicated Western-language monographic study of Zhái Rǔ-wén located.
Other points of interest
- Zhái’s zhuànzhòu (seal-script and ancient-script) calligraphy expertise links the literary collection to the broader jīnshí xué tradition; this is one of the few late-Northern-Sòng / early-Southern-Sòng biéjí whose author was simultaneously a major calligraphic-philological figure.
- The triple discipleship — Sū Shì + Huáng Tíngjiān + Zēng Gǒng — is a remarkable concentration of central-Yuán-yòu transmission; Zhái is one of the few to have studied with all three, making him a key figure for the genealogical history of late-Northern-Sòng literary culture.