Introduction to Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan (approximately 339 BC - approximately 278 BC), a poet and politician of the Chu State during the Warring States Period, was the founder and representative author of "Chu Ci". In the 20th century, he was elected as a world cultural celebrity and widely commemorated.

Qu Yuan’s life experience. The material recording Qu Yuan’s life experience is earlier and more specific in "Historical Records·Biography of Qu Yuan". Before Sima Qian, Jia Yi wrote a poem in memory of Qu Yuan when he was relegated to Changsha and passing through the Xiang River. The article quotes some passages from Qu Yuan's "Li Sao" and "Nine Chapters" to recount Qu Yuan's thoughts and experiences, which are completely consistent with what is recorded in "Historical Records". Contemporaries of Sima Qian but slightly earlier include Dongfang Shuo who wrote "Seven Remonstrances", and Zhuang Ji (who was a strict avoidant of taboos in the Eastern Han Dynasty) wrote "The Ming of the Time", both of which imitated Qu Yuan's works. The thoughts and experiences of Qu Yuan described in the article are It is also close to what is stated in "Historical Records", so Qu Yuan's deeds recorded in "Historical Records" are basically credible. Of course, there are also occasional omissions or misremembering of historical facts in the biography.

There is no basis for the statement that a few modern scholars have expressed doubts about Qu Yuan's existence.

"The Biography of Qu Yuan" says that Qu Yuan's name was Ping and his courtesy name was Yuan. In "Li Sao", he calls himself Zhengze and Lingjun, which is a pseudonym of the former. "Zhengze" and "Lingjun" are the extended meanings of the two words Pingheyuan.

As for Qu Yuan’s date of birth, "Li Sao" states: "Photographed by Meng Zouxi, only Geng Yinwu surrendered." There are different explanations for this, which can be roughly divided into two theories: one Wang Yi said that he believed that "Sheti" was the provincial name of "Shetige". Qu was born in "Tai Sui in Yin, the first month of spring, the day of Gengyin", that is, the Yin month and the Yin day of the Yin year; the second is Zhu Xi He said that he believed that "Sheti" was the name of a constellation in the sky and did not indicate the year. The two sentences just said that Qu was born on the Yin month and Yin day, but the year is unknown. Among the two theories, Wang Yi's theory is more popular, but it has different conclusions due to different calendars. Pu Jiangqing concluded that Qu Yuan was born on the fourteenth day of the first month of the first year of King Wei of Chu (339 BC). This conclusion is more precise.

Qu Yuan’s distant ancestor was the Gaoyang clan of Zhuanxu, who should be part of the Xia clan. According to "Historical Records: The Chu Family", the sixth generation grandson of the Gaoyang family was named Ji Lian, who was the founder of Chu's business. During the reign of King Cheng of Zhou Dynasty, Ji Lian's great-grandson Xiong Yi was granted the title of Chu and lived in Danyang (today's Zigui, Hubei Province). It was passed down to Xiong Tong (Yi Zuoda) that he became King Wu of Chu. His son Xia was granted a fiefdom in Qu, and his descendants took Qu as their surname, so Qu was a branch of the Chu surname. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, people with the surname Qu have held prominent positions in the Chu State. The senior officials in Mo Ao include Qu Chong, Qu Wan, Qu Dang (see before and after), Qu Dao, Qu Jian, Qu Sheng, etc. Most of them were passed down from father to son. .

Qu Yuan’s father is named Boyong in "Li Sao", which may also be a pseudonym. In addition, it is said that Qu Yuan had a sister.

It is difficult to pinpoint where the surname Qu Di was from Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan's hometown can only be inferred based on the theories of various families after the Han Dynasty. Among the various theories, the legend of Danyang and Zigui is the most common. Danyang is the place where Chu first enfeoffed. Li Daoyuan's "Shui Jing Zhu·Jiang Shui Zhu" quoted Yuan Shansong's "Yi Du Ji" and said: "Zigui is the founder of Chuzi Xiong Yi's country and it is also the hometown of Qu Yuan. The original house still exists today." "Zigui County is dozens of miles northeast of Zigui County." There is Qu Yuan's old farm house. Although the border is overgrown, it is still called Yuan Tian. There is Qu Yuan's old house one hundred and sixty miles north of the county. It is built with stone as its foundation. The place is called Lepingli, sixty miles northeast of the house. There is a Nuyu Temple and the Clothing Stone still exists." This is the most specific statement about Qu Yuan's hometown since the Han and Wei dynasties.

Qu Yuan’s political activities Qu Yuan was an important politician in the Chu State during the Warring States Period. His life was spent in fierce and complex political struggles. Understanding his political activity experience is an important prerequisite for studying Qu Yuan's thoughts and literary achievements.

Since Qu Xia was appointed Mo Ao, this position was almost exclusively inherited by Qu's descendants. His position is second only to Ling Yin. "The Biography of Qu Yuan" says that Qu Yuan was a disciple of King Huai of Chu. According to existing historical data, only Qu Yuan and Chun Shenjun were the disciples of Chu Zuo during the Warring States Period. Chun Shenjun promoted Zuo Tu to Ling Yin, which was the same as the old Chu system in which Mo Ao was promoted to Ling Yin. Judging from Qu Yuan's domestic and diplomatic responsibilities recorded in "The Biography of Qu Yuan", Zuo Tu also had the same position as Mo Ao, and may be Mo Ao in the Spring and Autumn Period. Qu Yuan had the same ancestor as King Huai, and he was a disciple of the left, so he served as an important minister because of his clan connection.

Qu Yuan's political activities, according to "The Biography of Qu Yuan" and corroborated by Qu Yuan's works, mainly include: assisting King Huai in domestic affairs, discussing state affairs and dealing with guests, drafting constitutions and reform laws; diplomacy On the other hand, he participated in the Hezong faction's struggle against Qin and went to Qi twice as an envoy.

Qu Yuan's political activities are related to the changes in history at that time.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the ruling system of the Zhou Dynasty could no longer adapt to the requirements of the development of the social situation. The vassal states had become their own centers and competed with each other for hegemony. The situation of Chu State was similar to that of other countries in the Central Plains, and due to favorable geographical and political conditions, it developed become an emerging power. During the Warring States Period, various vassal states successively implemented reforms to varying degrees. After long-term annexation, a new situation was formed in which seven heroes coexisted, among which Qin and Chu were the strongest.

Qu Yuan assisted King Huai of Chu when the seven heroes were fighting fiercely. At first, Qu Yuan was trusted and used by King Huai, who asked him to "make the constitution", that is, to preside over the drafting and announcement of national decrees. The "Constitution" involves the implementation of reforms. When Chu State was mourning its king, there was a precedent for Wu Qi's reform. In the early years of King Huai's reign, he also wanted to achieve something, and he tried to gain the advantage of joining forces. Therefore, Qu Yuan hoped to change the old and update the old, and was supported by King Huai for a time. However, the Chu State's reforms were not thorough enough, and the political power was mainly in the hands of aristocratic ministers. They opposed the reforms in order to maintain their personal status.

At that time, the court of Chu State was full of sycophants, and Qu Yuan was also ranked among the Shangguan officials. He was jealous and competed with Qu Yuan for favor. Qu Yuan was drafting a constitution before it was decided, and Shangguan officials wanted to seize it. Qu Yuan refused, so he slandered King Huai, saying: "The king sent Qu Ping to make an order. Everyone knows. Every order is issued. , He said that he could not do anything but me. "King Huai was cowardly and ignorant, and without any discernment, he became angry and shunned Qu Yuan. The fundamental reason for Qu Yuan's alienation was that his political reform plan offended the interests of the nobility and was slandered by the old nobility.

The struggle between Qu Yuan and the old aristocratic group is also reflected in foreign policy. Qu Yuan analyzed the situation at that time and firmly advocated the strategy of uniting Qi and fighting Qin. This was a correct strategy that was beneficial to Chu. King Huai adopted his idea and sent him as an envoy to Qi. After Qu Yuan was alienated, Qin sent Zhang Yi as envoy to Chu to seduce King Huai of Chu with land. The short-sighted King Huai changed his foreign policy and adopted the policy of destroying Qi and being pro-Qin. As a result, Chu State suffered great losses politically and diplomatically. King Huai was angry and rashly sent troops to attack Qin. Without the support of Qi, he was severely defeated by Qin and lost the land of Hanzhong. In the critical situation, Qu Yuan was sent to Qi again by King Huai in an attempt to restore the good relations between the two countries. But soon, King Zhao of Qin proposed a marriage between Qin and Chu, and wanted to meet with King Chu. Qu Yuan objected, saying: "Qin, a country of tigers and wolves, cannot be trusted, so it is better to do nothing!" Zilan, the son of King Huai, persuaded King Huai to go to Qin. , said: "How can we destroy the joy of Qin?" King Huai finally went to Qin, and was detained as expected, and finally died in Qin. At that time, Qu Yuan had been expelled from the imperial court and exiled to the northern Han Dynasty.

After King Huai of Chu died, his eldest son King Qingxiang succeeded to the throne, and his disciple Lan was his commander. At that time, the people of Chu blamed Zilan for persuading King Huai to join Qin, so Qu Yuan received widespread sympathy. But instead of thinking about his fault, Zilan instigated Shangguan officials to slander Qu Yuan to King Qingxiang. King Qingxiang was furious and exiled Qu Yuan to the south of the Yangtze River again. At about this time, after the capital of Ying was destroyed in Zhuang, "the people were shocked" and "the people were separated and lost each other", so he had no choice but to go far away from his hometown. I lived in Yuan and Xiang areas for about nine years. He is far away from his homeland and has no position. He can only lament about the affairs of the country and clan. So, he slowly walked along the Yuanjiang River towards Changsha. It was impossible for Qu Yuan to return to the capital of Chu, and it was impossible to travel far away and seek talents. At this time, he was "sent to the bank of Yinze, with a haggard appearance and a withered appearance." Finally, when he had no choice but to do so, he sank into the Miluo River to show his loyalty and patriotism.

In addition to Zuo Tu, Qu Yuan also served as the "Sanlv Doctor". Sanlu is the place where the three surnames Zhao, Qu and Jing of the Chu clan live together. The Sanlu officials should be the official officials of the Jin, Lu and other countries since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Their duties are to manage clan affairs and educate the children of the nobles. Zong Zheng of the Han Dynasty was associated with them. quite. Qu Yuanzhi was the official of Sanlu, shouldering the important task of educating the sons of the clan. This is very clearly expressed in "Li Sao": "I have nine acres of orchids, and hundreds of acres of cypress trees. The borders are left with barren and jieche, mixed with Duheng and Fangzhi, and the branches and leaves of Hebei are majestic and luxuriant. I hope I will cut it off when the time comes." He put a lot of effort into cultivating reserve talents, but the result was that "the orchids have changed and become less fragrant, and the grass roots have turned into grass." The group of people he cultivated with so much effort turned out to be He felt great pain because of the hostile forces opposing him.

Qu Yuan’s thoughts and creations Qu Yuan was knowledgeable. He is very familiar with astronomy, geography, the ritual and music system, the rise and fall of the dynasties before Zhou Dynasty, and some important historical legends; he is also familiar with the history of major countries since the Spring and Autumn Period and some important figures; and he is also familiar with the ancient kings of Chu State. His entrepreneurial history is particularly proficient.

In this vast field, he summarized many principles of managing the world and putting forward profound insights. In Qu Yuan's works, strong thoughts and feelings of concern for the country and the people, and loyalty to the king and governance are everywhere reflected.

The content of his political ideal is "beautiful government", that is, the politics of sage kings and virtuous ministers. He believed that only sage kings and wise ministers could change the political and social reality of Chu State and make Chu State stronger. He enthusiastically praised ancient sage kings such as Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Hou Ji, King Wen, and the three empresses of Qi Huan, Jin Wen, and Chu. He also enthusiastically praised ancient wise ministers such as Yi Yin, Fu Shuo, Lu Wang, and Zhou Gong. , Ning Qi, Jizi, Jiezi, Bigan, Boyi, Shuqi, Wu Zixu and Ziwen of Chu, etc. He also used a comparative method to talk about some non-sacred kings such as Jie, Zhou, Yi, Hanzhuo, Shu, etc. He wanted to illustrate the importance of sage kings and virtuous appearances through comparison, and to illustrate the danger of Chu not having sage kings and virtuous appearances. These are all based on reality. "Yao and Shun were both upright and honest. They followed the way and found their way" ("Li Sao"). Geng Jie means upright and upright, which is Qu Yuan's highest requirement for the monarch. The so-called virtuous ministers take Yi, Fu, Lu, and Ning as role models, rather than nobles as their targets. This is what it means to advocate meritocracy and oppose nepotism. When Qu Yuan talked about virtuous ministers, he often used the words loyalty, loyalty, and loyalty. Qu Yuan himself was dominated by the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and he dared to stick to the truth and not bow to evil forces: "I have a good heart, but I still have no regrets even though I died nine times." ("Li Sao") The "loyalty" of ancient virtuous officials Virtue is fully expressed in him.

Another basic content of Qu Yuan’s “beautiful politics” is people-centered thinking. This is clearly stated in his work. He repeatedly talked about the issue of "people" in his works such as "Li Sao" and "Nine Chapters", "The emperor and heaven are selfless, and they cannot help but look at the virtues of the people. I only have the luxuriance of sages and sages, and they can only use it to go down to earth"; " "Look ahead and look behind, and observe the people's plans" ("Li Sao"); "Want to shake up and run sideways, watch the people, especially to control themselves" ("Nine Chapters: Thoughts"). This is actually the development of the ancient so-called "Heaven sees itself and the people see it, and Heaven hears it and the people listen" (quoted in "Mencius Wan Zhang"). The so-called sage kings and wise ministers, and the so-called beautiful government, all depend on whether they can solve the problems of people's livelihood and bring them happiness.

Qu Yuan’s works, based on the editing by Liu Xiang and Liu Xin and his son and the annotations by Wang Yi, include 25 pieces, namely 1 piece of "Li Sao", 1 piece of "Heavenly Questions", and "Nine Songs" 11 chapters, 9 chapters of "Nine Chapters", and 1 chapter each of "Yuan Yu", "Divination" and "Fisherman". According to Sima Qian's "Historical Records: Biography of Qu Yuan", there is also an article "Calling the Soul". Some scholars believe that "Dazhao" is also Qu Yuan's work; but others suspect that the following chapters of "Yuanyou" and several chapters of "Nine Chapters" were not written by Qu Yuan. Generally speaking, "Li Sao", "Tianwen" and "Nine Songs" can be regarded as representatives of the three types of Qu Yuan's works. The content and style of "Nine Chapters", "Yuanyou", "Divination", "Fisherman", "Summoning Souls" and "Big Move" can be grouped together with "Li Sao". Express the author's inner feelings. "Li Sao" is a magnificent poem made by Qu Yuan based on his own ideals, experiences, pain, passion and even his whole life. It shines with the brilliance of his distinctive personality and is the focus of all Qu Yuan's creations. "Tianwen" is a poem written by Qu Yuan based on myths and legends, focusing on the author's academic attainments and his views on history and nature. "Nine Songs" is a piece of music for worshiping gods from the state of Chu. It was processed and polished by Qu Yuan. It is full of a strong flavor of life in the expression of the characters' emotions and the description of the environment and atmosphere. However, it is expressed on behalf of people or gods, not the author's self-expression. It shows more traces of the Southern Chu literary tradition. The "Li Sao" group and the "Nine Songs" group constitute the basic style of Qu Yuan's works.

Qu Yuan’s works are closely related to mythology. Many illusory contents are developed from myths. Qu Yuan is also a poet who pays attention to reality. His works reflect various contradictions in real society, especially the dark politics of Chu State.

The style of Qu Yuan's works is obviously different from that of "The Book of Songs". This is related to the difference between the folk customs in the Yangtze River Basin and the Yellow River Basin. At that time, the north had already entered a patriarchal society, but the Chu region still had the legacy of a clan society. The people were strong in character, lively in thought, and not bound by etiquette and law. Therefore, the expressions of love between men and women and the patriotism of patriots are so direct, and the materials used are so rich that anything can be written into the pen. They write about the love between humans and gods, about crazy people, about ancient history and legends, and about traveling with gods and ghosts. All gods have ordinary human nature among the people, and gods are just people who are beyond ordinary people. They make the works appear bright in color, full of emotion and unrestrained momentum.

Such works show different characteristics from northern literature.

From an institutional point of view, most of Qu Yuan's previous poems, whether they were "The Book of Songs" or southern folk songs, were short stories, while Qu Yuan developed them into full-length poems. One piece of "Li Sao" has more than 2,400 words. In terms of expression techniques, Qu Yuan cleverly integrated fu, bi and xing into one, and extensively used the "vanilla beauty" bi-xing technique to vividly express abstract moral character, consciousness and complex realistic relationships.

In terms of language form, Qu Yuan’s works break through the pattern of mainly four-character sentences in The Book of Songs, with each sentence ranging from five, six, seven, eight, or nine characters. There are also three-character and cross sentences. It is uneven and flexible; the word "xi" is often used at the end of the sentence, as well as empty words such as "zhi", "yu", "hu", "hu" and "er" to coordinate the syllables, causing ups and downs, sighs and sighs. The charm. In short, his works have great creativity from content to form.

Qu Yuan's works had a greater influence after the Chu people established the Han Dynasty and made it their capital in Guanzhong. With the continuous spread and development of "Chu Ci", northern literature gradually became Chu-oriented. The emerging five- and seven-character poems are all related to Chu Sao. All the poets in the Han Dynasty were influenced by the "Chu Ci". There are "Shao Sao" works after the Han Dynasty in all dynasties. The authors often use Qu Yuan's poems to express their feelings, and even use Qu Yuan's experiences to describe themselves. This is the hallmark of Qu Yuan's literature. develop directly. In addition, poems, songs, lyrics, tunes, dramas, piano poems, operas, scripts, etc. based on Qu Yuan's life and deeds, as well as paintings such as Qu Yuan's portrait, "Nine Songs Picture", "Tianwen Picture", etc., are also difficult to reproduce. Count. Therefore, Lu Xun said that Qu Yuan's works were "remarkable and outstanding" and "their influence on subsequent articles may even be more than 'three hundred'" ("Outline of the History of Chinese Literature").