Jìngxuān wénjí 敬軒文集
Reverence-Studio Literary Collection by 薛瑄 (撰), 張鼎 (編)
About the work
Jìngxuān wénjí 敬軒文集 in 24 juǎn — the formal literary corpus (1700+ pieces of poetry and prose) of Xuē Xuān 薛瑄 (薛瑄, 1389–1464), zì Déwēn 德溫, hào Jìngxuān 敬軒, posthumous title Wénqīng 文清; the founder of the HéDōng xuépài 河東學派 and the most institutionally established figure of the early-Míng Lǐxué triad (Cáo Duān 曹端, Hú Jūrén 胡居仁, Xuē Xuān). Xuē’s separately catalogued Dúshū lù 讀書錄 (KR3a0079) is the yǔlù-style sayings; the present Jìngxuān wénjí is the formal literary collection. The transmission story is exemplary: Xuē’s grandson Xuē Qí 薛禥, Xíngbù yuánwàiláng, gave the manuscript to Chángzhōu tóngzhī Xiè Tíngguì 謝庭桂 for printing — the work was unfinished. In Hóngzhì jǐyǒu (1489) the jiānchá yùshǐ Chàng Hēng 暢亨 obtained the manuscript from the Bǐlíng Zhū 毘陵朱 family; Xuē’s pupil Zhāng Dǐng 張鼎 of Guānxī obtained the text from Chàng Hēng, zìjù chuǎné (characters and lines awry-and-error), and made three rounds of editorial correction — totalling 1700 poems and prose pieces in 24 juǎn. The Sìkù tíyào makes a substantial historiographical argument: from the Northern Sòng forward, except Zhū Xī 朱熹, those called dàrú (great Confucians) generally did not pay attention to wénzhāng — the Jīrǎng jí school being the Lǐxué orthodox-line and the shījiā biépài (irregular branch); the late-Míng Zhuāng Áng 莊㫤 (and similar) school, with such lines as tàijítúér dàxiānshēng màozǐ gāo (the Tàijí picture’s Senior Mr.’s hat is high), claimed to be the fēngyǎ dípài — but their wing-supporters’ grand intimidation does not really convince. Xuē Xuān is the foremost pure Confucian of the Míng; his prose is yǎzhèng jù yǒu diǎnxíng, never using yǔlù / fāngyán / zòngqíng pògé (sayings, dialect, or formless wilfulness); his poetry has occasional lǐlù (philosophy-tracks) but mostly chōngdàn gāoxiù, sometimes with the wind of Táo Yuānmíng and Wéi Yìngwù. The Sìkù statement XuēXuān shall serve as the model that one with virtue can also have words — i.e., the Lǐxué / wénzhāng synthesis.
Tiyao
Jìngxuān wénjí in 24 juǎn — by Xuē Xuān of the Míng. His pupil Guānxī Zhāng Dǐng edited it. At first Xuān’s collection had no printed text; Xuān’s grandson the Xíngbù yuánwàiláng Qí 禥 gave the manuscript to Chángzhōu tóngzhī Xiè Tíngguì 謝庭桂 to engrave the boards; not yet finished, the work stopped. In Hóngzhì jǐyǒu (1489) the jiānchá yùshǐ Chàng Hēng 暢亨 obtained the manuscript from the Bǐlíng Zhū family; Dǐng in turn obtained it from Hēng — characters and lines were awry-and-erroneous, mostly not the original. So [Dǐng] again corrected [it]; thrice changing the manuscript, the book was completed; in total 1700 pieces of poetry and prose, divided into 24 juǎn. Dǐng made his own preface citing Zhūzǐ’s comparison of Chéngzǐ’s prose to bùbó zhī wén, shūsù zhī wèi (cloth-and-silk’s pattern, beans-and-millet’s flavour) — almost without unworthy words. Considering: from the Northern Sòng on, those called dàrú, except Zhūzǐ, generally did not pay attention to wénzhāng — the Jīrǎng jí of Shàozǐ and the like — dàoxuéjiā (Lǐxué men) called the orthodox lineage; shījiā (poets) all called it biépài (irregular branch). Continued down to the Zhuāng Áng and similar, who took such lines as the Tàijí-picture-child’s old-master’s hat is high; sending me two parcels of Chén Fújiàn [tea]; returning him a length of fine Nánjīng [silk] — and called this the fēngyǎ dípài (orthodox lineage of fēngyǎ). Although their wing-supporters subjugated by grand words, in the end this cannot satisfy people’s hearts. Of the Míng pure Confucians, Xuē is the foremost, and his prose is yǎzhèng jù yǒu diǎnxíng (elegant-correct, with the model), absolutely not using yǔlù, fāngyán, zòngqíng pògé. His poetry, like the Wán Yīzhāi type, also brushes against lǐlù (philosophical paths), but in general is chōngdàn gāoxiù (gentle-light, high-distinguished); the words come forth heaven-uplifted; often with the wind of Táo and Wéi. Indeed, one virtuous man also has words — Xuān is enough to embody this; only then do we know that to use mere mínglǐ zàidào (clarifying-principle, carrying-the-Way) as chángtán lǐyǔ (everyday talk and base words) — there is no way to put these into prose. This was still empty bravado. Compiled and presented respectfully in the fifth month of Qiánlóng 43 (1778). Chief Compilers: Jì Yún, Lù Xīxióng (Sūn Shìyì). General Editor: Lù Fèichí.
Abstract
The Sìkù tíyào makes one of the most substantial Lǐxué / wénzhāng historiographic arguments in the Sìkù corpus: that from the Northern Sòng onward, the dàoxué lineage and the wénzhāng lineage have been treated as separate (with Zhū Xī the principal exception, and the Shào Yōng Jīrǎng jí manner the chief case of biépài); that the late-Míng Zhuāng Áng school’s claim to fēngyǎ dípài status — on the basis of explicitly Lǐxué-themed poetry — is essentially false; and that Xuē Xuān is the rare case of true yǒu dé yǒu yán (virtuous-man also has words) — his poetry-and-prose is genuinely literary, not merely versified philosophy. The Xuē / Zhuāng Áng contrast is one of the cleaner statements of the late-Qiánlóng position on the philosophical-poetic problem.
The transmission story — manuscript → grandson Xuē Qí → Chángzhōu tóngzhī Xiè Tíngguì (incomplete printing) → Bǐlíng Zhū family preservation → 1489 Chàng Hēng recovery → pupil Zhāng Dǐng’s three editorial passes → 24-juǎn recension — is one of the cleaner cases of late-15th-century biéjí recovery. The pupil Zhāng Dǐng is from Guānxī (Shānxī), confirming the HéDōng xuépài geographical concentration.
CBDB id 30622 (1389–1464) and Míng shǐ j. 282 (Rúlín zhuàn) confirm catalog meta dates.
Translations and research
- L. Carrington Goodrich and Chaoying Fang, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography 1368–1644. New York: Columbia UP, 1976. Major notice of Xuē Xuān.
- Wing-tsit Chan, Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton UP, 1963. (Selections from Xuē Xuān.)
- Liu Ts’un-yan, “Xuē Xuān and the Hé-Dōng School,” in Selected Papers from the Hall of Harmonious Wind. Brill, 1976.
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §28.4 (Míng bié-jí) and §31.4 (Lǐ-xué).
- Míng shǐ j. 282 (Rú-lín zhuàn) — Xuē Xuān biography.
Other points of interest
The Sìkù tíyào’s XuēXuān shall serve as the model that one with virtue can also have words (yǒu dé yǒu yán Xuān zú dāng zhī) is one of the principal late-Qiánlóng affirmations of the Lǐxué / wénzhāng synthesis as a possibility — against both the late-Míng Zhuāng Áng false-orthodox claim and the (implied) Hòuqīzǐ fùgǔ dismissal of Lǐxué writing.