Zōng Zǐxiàng jí 宗子相集
Collection of Zōng Zǐ-xiàng by 宗臣 (撰)
About the work
The literary collection of Zōng Chén 宗臣 (1525–1560), zì Zǐxiàng 子相, of Xìnghuà 興化 (Yángzhōu, Jiāngsū). Jiājìng 29 (1550, 庚戌) jìnshì; appointed Xíngbù zhǔshì; transferred to Lìbù wénxuǎn sī; advanced to Jìxūn sī yuánwài láng. For his contribution-of-funds for Yáng Jìshèng’s funeral, offended Yán Sōng; sent out as Fújiàn cānyì; transferred to Tíxué fùshǐ. Died in office at only 36 sui. Zōng is one of the Hòu Qī Zǐ (Latter Seven Masters) — placed with Lǐ Pānlóng, Wáng Shìzhēn, Xú Zhōngháng 徐中行, Wú Guólún 吳國倫, Liáng Yǒuyù 梁有譽 (five-only versions) — also called the Jiājìng qīzǐ. The catalog meta calls the collection Fāngchéng jí; the WYG title is Zōng Zǐxiàng jí. The collection was substantially edited by Zōng himself before his death (per Wáng Shìzhēn’s tomb-record).
Tiyao
Zōng Zǐxiàng jí in 15 juǎn — by Zōng Chén of the Míng. Chén, zì Zǐxiàng, native of Yángzhōu Xìnghuà. Jiājìng gēngxū (1550) jìnshì; appointed Xíngbù zhǔshì; transferred to Lìbù wénxuǎn sī; advanced to Jìxūn sī yuánwài láng. For bù (contribution-of-funds) for Yáng Jìshèng, offended Yán Sōng; sent out as Fújiàn cānyì; transferred to Tíxué fùshǐ; died in office at only 36 sui. Míngshǐ Wényuàn appended-record in Lǐ Pānlóng biography — surely Pānlóng, Xú Zhōngháng, Wú Guólún, Liáng Yǒuyù, and Chén have the Wǔzǐ (Five Masters) appellation. Zhū Yízūn’s Míngshī zōng says: Chén’s composed-works has Fāngchéng jí; this běn actually titled Zōng Zǐxiàng jí; its catalog-of-juǎn matches the Míngshǐ Yìwénzhì. Wáng Shìzhēn’s zhì of Chén’s tomb says: qǐnzhàijí, ménrén shāocì shēngpíng zhùshù fán shíyú juǎn, zǐ zhī (“at the qǐnzhàijí (state of grave illness), his disciples briefly ordered his lifetime compositions into more than 10 juǎn, cut them”). So the collection is what Chén had not yet died fixed and decided. Chén often discussed poetry with Wú Guólún with bùshèng (defeat), returned and jīngsī (deep-thought) for days and months — finally able to zhuórán chéng jiā (rising-tall to form a house) — as one of the Jiājìng qīzǐ. His poetry is diēdàng jùnyì (tossing-and-flowing, élegant-and-quick), can take rule from Qīnglián (i.e. Lǐ Bái) — but the yìjìng (idea-realm) is not yet deep — sometimes injured by qiǎnsú (shallow-vulgar). Jìngzhìjū shīhuà says: “had he met WángLǐ (Wáng Shìzhēn, Lǐ Pānlóng) zhōng (cherishing), not difficult with Chānggǔ (Lǐ Hè), Sūmén (Gāo Shūsì) to be brothers (i.e. ranked equal); from entering the Seven Masters’ society, gradually rǎn xíqì (was-dyed-by the school-air), daily becoming jiǒngruò (cramped-and-weak) — most regrettable.” The words truly hit his disease. Yet his tiāncái wǎnxiù tǔshǔ fēngliú (natural talent tender-and-graceful, expression flowing) — ultimately without piāoduō tiánqì zhī xí (skinning-off, filling-and-stuffing habits) — the běnzhì wèi jǐn lí yě (the original-quality not entirely lost). Only the Zhújiān (among-the-bamboo) various pieces, body close to xiānzè (slender-narrow), not avoiding gǔmò yú shíqū (submerged in the era’s trends). As for the Xīmén Xīzhēng various jì (records) — zhǐchén shíbì, fǎnfù xiángmíng (pointing-out time-afflictions, repeatedly-and-clearly) — surely because Chén officed at Mǐnzhōng (Fújiàn) during the yùwō (pirate-repelling) campaigns, where he had fāngluè (a strategy); hence speaks of them qīnqiè (intimately-and-pressingly) like this — moreover not to be discussed merely as wénzì. Compiled and presented in the ninth month of Qiánlóng 43 (1778). Compilers as usual.
Abstract
Zōng Chén of Xìnghuà is the youngest and shortest-lived of the Hòu Qī Zǐ archaists (he died at 36 sui), and the Sìkù tíyào treats him with unusual sympathy: had Zōng not entered the WángLǐ Seven-Masters society, his natural talent — tiāncái wǎnxiù tǔshǔ fēngliú — would have placed him alongside Lǐ Hè (Chānggǔ) and Gāo Shūsì (Sūmén, Sūmén jí KR4e0183). The literary-historical loss is read as the Seven-Masters social system’s damage to a delicate poet. The collection’s Xīmén and Xīzhēng records are substantial yùwō (Jiājìng anti-piracy) operational documents from Zōng’s Fújiàn tenure — comparable to Rén Huán KR4e0199 for the same campaigns. Zōng’s editorial-textual history: the 15-juǎn WYG recension is the qǐnzhàijí (grave-illness) edition rapidly assembled by his disciples shortly before his death.
The collection is also famous as the source of the often-anthologized Bào Liú Yīzhàng shū 報劉一丈書 — a satirical letter on Wàn-lì-era guānchǎng (officialdom) bribery customs that is one of the standard pieces in modern Chinese gǔwén anthologies.
Date bracket: 1550 (Jiājìng 29 jìnshì) — 1560 (death). CBDB 34725 confirms 1525–1560.
The catalog meta records the title as Fāngchéng jí (likely a confusion with the Míngshī zōng record); the WYG-base text is titled Zōng Zǐxiàng jí.
Translations and research
- Míng shǐ j. 287 — Zōng Chén in the Lǐ Pān-lóng Wén-yuàn biography (appended).
- L. Carrington Goodrich and Chaoying Fang, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography 1368–1644. New York: Columbia UP, 1976: entry on Zōng Chén.
- Bào Liú Yī-zhàng shū (報劉一丈書) — anthologized in many modern gǔ-wén readers.
- Yu Pauline, The Poetry of Wang Wei — comparable to Hòu Qī Zǐ Táng-imitation context.
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §28 (Míng bié-jí).
Other points of interest
The Bào Liú Yīzhàng shū — a satirical denunciation of bàimén (gate-paying) bribery culture — is the most-anthologized single Zōng Chén prose piece and a primary document of mid-Wàn-lì officialdom critique from inside the Hòu Qī Zǐ circle.