Hénglú jīngshè cánggǎo 衡廬精舍藏稿
Manuscripts Stored at the Héng-Lú Disciplined Lodge by 胡直 (撰)
About the work
The literary collection of Hú Zhí 胡直 (1517–1585), zì Zhèngfǔ 正甫, hào Lúshān 廬山, of Tàihé 泰和 (Jiāngxī). Jiājìng 35 (1556, 丙辰) jìnshì; office reached Fújiàn ànchá shǐ. Hú is the author of the Húzǐ héngqí 胡子衡齊 (separately recorded in the Sìkù); his family-residence at Tàihé is roughly 1000 lǐ east of Héngshān 衡山 and 1000 lǐ north of Lúshān 廬山, hence the studio (and the collection) name. The 30-juǎn cánggǎo plus 11-juǎn xùgǎo (Continued Manuscripts) was cut by Hú’s disciple Guō Zǐzhāng 郭子章. The collection comprises: 1 juǎn fù, 1 juǎn yuèfǔ, 5 juǎn ancient-and-near-style poems, 19 juǎn prose, 4 juǎn miscellaneous prose; plus the xù 11 juǎn of poetry, fù, prose. Hú is a major Jiāngyòu Yáng-míng-school figure: he first studied with Ōuyáng Dé 歐陽德, then with Luó Hóngxiān (cf. Niànān wénjí KR4e0187); his xué yī yǐ Yáojiāng wèi zōng (learning singularly takes the Yáojiāng [Wáng Shǒurén] tradition as ancestor). His Húzǐ héngqí in 8 juǎn is principally a xīnxué exposition; the prose in this collection however is, by the Sìkù’s assessment, yǎjiàn yǒu gé, wú chāocuō yǔlù zhī xí (“elegant-strong, having frame, without the Yǔlù (recorded-sayings) excerpting habit”) common to other Wángxué writers.
Tiyao
Hénglú jīngshè cánggǎo in 30 juǎn, xùgǎo in 11 juǎn — by Hú Zhí of the Míng. Zhí has the Húzǐ héngqí — already recorded. Native of Tàihé. Jiājìng bǐngchén (1556) jìnshì; office reached Fújiàn ànchá shǐ. This collection is what his disciple Guō Zǐzhāng cut. Fù 1 juǎn; yuèfǔ 1 juǎn; ancient-and-near-style shī 5 juǎn; wén 19 juǎn; zázhù 4 juǎn. The xùjí shīfù 1 juǎn; wén 10 juǎn — unknown who edited it. The juǎn-head’s Dàocái fù annotates shàozuò (juvenilia) — surely his later-people took the initial-collection’s jiǎntài zhī yú (deletion-rejected leftovers) with his late-year not-yet-cut works to consolidate into one zhì (bundle). Zhí’s home at Tàihé is to the east of Héngshān not 1000 lǐ, and to the north of Lúshān also not 1000 lǐ — hence takes the two-mountain names to name his book-room and thereby names the collection. Zhí first followed Ōuyáng Dé as travelling-companion; then followed Luó Hóngxiān as travelling-companion. His learning singularly took Yáojiāng (Wáng Shǒurén) as ancestor — hence the Húzǐ héngqí in 8 juǎn — broadly expounds xīnxué.
But the Míngrú xuéàn says: he in youth was tàidàng (loose-and-easy) and loved attacking gǔ wéncí (ancient prose-and-words); at age 26 only began jiǎngxué (lecturing-on-philosophy) — hence his wénzhāng is rather yǎjiàn yǒu gé, wú chāocuō yǔlù zhī xí (“elegant-strong with frame, without the yǔlù-excerpting habit”). Furthermore, his guiding principle says: Shìshì (Buddhists) take chūshì (transcending the world) as principal, hence their learning stops at míng xīn (clarifying mind); clarified-mind, even though it shines on heaven-and-earth and 10,000 things, ultimately returns to non-existing. Rúzhě (Confucians) take jīngshì (statecraft) as principal, hence their learning lies in jìn xīn (exhausting mind); exhausted-mind, then able-to examine heaven-and-earth and constantly dwell-in existing. Hence his prose also is pō dǔshí jìn lǐ (substantial-and-close-to-principle), not arriving at the Wáng-school mòliú (later-stream)‘s dànfàng (loose-libertine). As for the zázhù various pieces — such as Shètóng lièrén zhī lèi (the “Bird-net hunter” type) — dǐhē bósú (cursing-and-scolding shallow-customs) — not avoiding shǎo shāng zhōnghòu (slightly injuring loyalty-and-thickness). Examining Zhí’s first meeting with Ōuyáng Dé: Dé criticized him for jíè tàiyán (hating-evil too-severely) — every-detail fènfèn bùpíng (indignant-not-at-rest) — already xiān shī réntǐ (first lost the rén (humaneness) substance) — perhaps also for his sùjiàn wèi róng (early-seeing not yet smelted) — hence his xīxiào nùmà (laughter-mocking, anger-cursing) unconsciously yán zhī guò (speech goes-to-excess). Compiled and presented in the tenth month of Qiánlóng 45 (1780). Compilers as usual.
Abstract
Hú Zhí of Tàihé is one of the most articulate prose-stylists of the Jiāngyòu Wángmíng school. The Sìkù tíyào’s assessment is unusually nuanced: where most Wángxué mòliú (later-Wáng-school) writers fall into yǔlù-excerpting prose, Hú’s pre-26 gǔwéncí training preserved a yǎjiàn yǒu gé prose register. His guiding Confucian vs. Buddhist distinction — Buddhists jìngxīn → wú (clarify-mind → emptiness), Confucians jìnxīn → yǒu (exhaust-mind → being) — is one of the more articulate Jiājìng/Wànlì Wángxué responses to the rùChán critique. The 30-juǎn cánggǎo was cut by Guō Zǐzhāng (Hú’s disciple); the 11-juǎn xùgǎo is a posthumous family compilation of juvenilia (the Dàocái fù is annotated shàozuò) and late unedited works.
Date bracket: 1556 (Jiājìng 35 jìnshì) — 1585 (death). CBDB 34726 confirms 1517–1585.
Translations and research
- Míng-rú xué-àn j. 22 — Hú Zhí section, principal source for his intellectual biography.
- L. Carrington Goodrich and Chaoying Fang, eds., Dictionary of Ming Biography 1368–1644. New York: Columbia UP, 1976.
- Julia Ching, To Acquire Wisdom: The Way of Wang Yang-ming.
- Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual, §28 (Míng bié-jí).
Other points of interest
Hú Zhí is one of the few Wáng-school writers whose biéjí the Sìkù tíyào explicitly approves on prose-stylistic grounds, citing his pre-conversion gǔwéncí training as the reason. The Confucian/Buddhist distinction in his guiding principle is a notable mid-Míng jīngshì xīnxué (statecraft-philosophy) formulation.