There is a famous saying in the Yuanqu circle: "There is Qiao and Zhang in the Music House, and there are Li and Du in the Ju poets." [1] It is said that in the late Yuan Dynasty, two great writers who left their lives in the later generations of Sanqu, "Qiao" is Qiao Ji, and "Zhang" is Zhang Kejiu.
Zhang Kejiu, trumpet Xiaoshan, is a long-lived and prolific prose writer. The Yuan Dynasty lasted for ninety-seven years, and Zhang Kejiu lived nearly eighty years during this period, almost witnessing the entire process of the Yuan Dynasty from prosperity to decline. He devoted his life to the creation of scattered songs, and there are 855 xiaoling songs and 9 sets of works in existence, ranking the highest number of Yuanren, exceeding one-fifth of the total number of Yuansanqu. In addition, he is also an important representative of the transformation of the sanqu style.
Whether it is a loose song or a miscellaneous drama, yuanqu originally became popular with its simple and slangy, natural and humorous nature. In the late Yuan Dynasty, The Yuanqu showed a style evolution from vulgar to elegant, and a group of Qingli writers with considerable literary aesthetic interest was born, and its grandmaster-level figure was Zhang Kejiu. His song has enjoyed a high reputation during his lifetime, and there is no shortage of praisers in later generations. Zhang Kejiu's literary achievements are not only imprinted with the style of the times, but also closely related to his life experiences and mental journeys.
<h1>Half-life meritorious service</h1>
According to historical records, Zhang Kejiu was a Qingyuan person, in today's Ningbo, Zhejiang, where the Jiangnan literati gathered since the Southern Song Dynasty. When the scholar Guan Yunshi wrote the preface to his "Present Lefu", he said: "Xiaoshan read ten thousand volumes of Confucian books, and forty still did not meet. "Outline the encounters of Zhang Kejiu in the first half of his life."
Zhang Kejiu was probably born in Jiangnan to a Confucian family, or even a family of scholars for generations, so he learned Confucianism from an early age. The picture shows "Rock Canyon Qinghui. Mingren Plum Garden Reading》
He was probably born in a Confucian family in Jiangnan, or even a family of scholars for generations, so he learned Confucianism from an early age. Confucian households were the preferential treatment policy of Confucianism in the Yuan Dynasty, and they had the "giving" provided by the imperial court, which was exempt from some taxes. Their obligation is to attend school and to take the examination for the selection of officials by the State.
When he was a teenager, Zhang Kejiu devoted himself to studying the epic of the scriptures. He showed extraordinary talent early on, "brilliant, knowledgeable and widely remembered", "although calligraphy and painting are not limited to cursive methods, the brush gestures are dancing, and they are a family of their own"[2]. The spring breeze is proud and elegant, which is the tone of his life. There are lyrics to prove it:
"Fragrant name, beautiful behavior, flowers and grass, twilight dynasty." ("Putianle Harvesting Heart")
"When the Prancing Horse was a teenager, he skillfully wore poplar leaves, new voices paid willow branches, letter pens and plum poems." ("Wuye'er, Feeling Old")
"You hua yu snow love intestines, drive the wind and drive the moon article." Travel around the spring world and deliver the golden pomp and circumstance. ("Yue Tune Zhai Er Order")
In the song, he is completely a talented, handsome and handsome Jiangnan talent. "The young man is willing to think of fame and fortune", after all, Zhang Kejiu has received an orthodox Confucian education, and seeking the road to advancement is the most important goal in his life. The Yuan Dynasty abolished the imperial examination, the traditional path of the literati to enter the body was blocked, and there were two paths in front of Zhang Kejiu, either condescending to the promotion of officials and other promotions, or seeking the recommendation of famous scholars, who was conceited to learn and chose the latter.
Around the age of twenty, Zhang Kejiu traveled far away from home, casting his way around and making friends with scribes and celebrities. As a member of the Literary Society, he went in and out of the song feast banquet, traveled back and forth between the forest spring landscape, and left a large number of scattered works, and the name of the text spread rapidly. Among the people he befriended, Lu Zhi and Guan Yunshi were the most prominent.
Lu Zhi is a Hanlin bachelor, about thirty years older than Zhang Kejiu, and attaches great importance to his talent, not only many times, but also eight singing and singing songs. Guan Yunshi was a Uyghur nobleman, an official who worshiped Hanlin and was a doctor from Erpinzhong, and after resigning from the official, he met Zhang Kejiu in Jiangnan and also sang peace. Zhang Kejiu also asked him to write a preface to his collection of scattered songs, "Jinle Fu", and Guan Yunshi read his works and marveled at it. He believes that Zhang's scattered songs are "beautiful and mellow, the tone is harmonious and flat, and the sound of ruling the world is also".
Unfortunately, while Zhang Kejiu was well-known in the literary world, he did not knock on the door of his career. The two celebrities were either old and had no real power, or they went into hiding and did not care about the world, and could not provide practical help for Zhang Kejiu's career. Guan Yunshi also said with great regret that Xiaoshan had not been able to enter the official arena until he was forty years old, and encouraged him to look for opportunities in Dadu.
<h1>Famous as the Man of the Sun Mountains</h1>
In fact, Zhang Kejiu did go north to the prosperous capital of talents and let go of his own fame. In the second year of Emperor Qing's reign (1313), Emperor Yuanrenzong re-opened the imperial examination. Zhang Kejiu, who is already middle-aged, like many Confucian students who yearn for his career, is full of enthusiasm and confidence when he was a teenager and goes to Beijing to catch the exam. He also wrote a small song to encourage himself: "Hanlin Wind and Moon are multi-talented, and the jade steps are full of sleeves and spring winds." The golden whip straddled the horse and left the outside, the golden flower pendant hat was crooked, and the angry chest was rolled up in Jianghuai. Yesterday under the ten-year window, today in the three public seats, the readers are really tall. (1st paragraph of "Narcissus Mistitled")
After the restoration of the imperial examination in the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Kejiu, who was already middle-aged, went to Beijing to take the exam with the enthusiasm and confidence of his youth. The picture shows "Ten Thousand Years of Immortality. Father and Son
Before the exam was opened, Zhang Kejiu had already imagined the infinite glory of the title of the gold list. The personable scribes gathered together, and Yuanlang zhi triumphantly carried the whip across the horse and went out to the palace to make an appearance. He had a golden flower on his head, shining brightly, exuding a mighty and magnificent atmosphere, and was the most watched star of the day. Yesterday was still a student who studied hard in the cold window, and now he has become a magnate who ranks among the three dukes, and the readers have become famous in one fell swoop with the examination, and the fate is really legendary!
Just when Zhang Kejiu was looking forward to the future, reality gave him a heavy blow, and he fell off the list. For a time, emotions such as disappointment, frustration, and helplessness surged into his heart, and his songs became miserable. For example, "Qi Tianle Over the Red Shirt and DaoQing" one of them: "Life is hard at the bottom of things, and I was mistaken by Confucian Crown." Reading, drawing, riding a high cart, but also stained. Just a few, firmly in the rivers and lakes, running for the road. Half a paper name, ten years of kung fu. Biography of Liang Fu yin, self-dedication of "Nagato Fu", who three Gu Maolu? ”
His mentality changed from the praise of "the reader is really high" to the lament of "being mistaken by the Confucian crown". When Confucian students read, all they hoped was to obtain meritorious names in exchange for glory and wealth. To this end, Zhang Kejiu ran hard for more than ten years, wandered into the rivers and lakes, and finally only got an empty literary name, and his ideal of entering the army was ultimately not realized.
The last three sentences are used continuously, "Liang Fuyin" regrets that it is not easy for scholars to live in the world, and "Nagato Fu" represents the talent of the world, but Zhang Kejiu is talented and learned, but he cannot meet the sage who is willing to take care of him three times. The good years have gradually faded away, how can we not sigh a long sigh, "Life's things are hard, and they are mistaken by The Confucian Crown"?
Another example is the second part of this song "Selling Flowers and Guests": "Ten years of falling into the riverside guest, several degrees of thunder to recommend the blessing monument, the boy did not encounter angry nerve injury." Remembering Huaiyin's youth, Destroying Chu as a handsome man, and worshiping three times in the Han Altar. "Zhang Kejiu's road to seeking shi has been very bumpy, Huai Cai has not met, wandered into the rivers and lakes, only secretly hurt. From his own experience, he thought that Han Xin, the ancient god general who was lost in his youth but could finally ascend to the altar to worship the general, could not reproduce that unique style, and he did not know when he would be able to start. A thick sense of sadness that travels through time and space flows from the song.
<h1>He spent the rest of his life as an official</h1>
"Outside the dust of the lupine, between the pictures of the canes and quinoas, the wildlings come to the seagulls to scatter. Forty years around the lake to see the mountains on credit, buy mountain money more teach who to do? ("Falling Plum Wind on the Lake")
Zhang Kejiu planted lotus bamboo all over the "Junzi Pavilion" in his residence, symbolizing the gentleman's morality and integrity. The picture shows Qing XieSun painting "Lotus Flower Diagram"
Finally, one day, Zhang Kejiu realized that making friends with celebrities and the road of keju could not help him embark on his career. He had to deal with the problem of livelihood, and therefore this day of inaction could not be continued. So he went back to his starting point and chose another path that he did not want to touch—to become an official.
Most of the officials were enslaved by people, and most of them had only a meager feng lu, and they were often not promoted for many years in the Yuan Dynasty. Successive generations of literati did not despise officials, but in the Yuan Dynasty it became a last resort. From the end of Yanyou, Zhang Kejiu moved his family to Huiji and began his career as a military official. He first worked as a Shaoxing road official, and in the following decades, he successively served as a road official in Quzhou, a road official in Wuzhou, a history in Tonglu Dianshi, a tax supervisor in Huizhou, and a staff member in Kunshan.
Until the advanced age of more than seventy years old, Zhang Kejiu was still in the position of Kunshan's staff. The second half of his life is adrift, strong face, and the bitterness and helplessness behind it can be imagined. Political frustration made Zhang Kejiu bear the sorrow and helplessness shared by the frustrated literati, but fortunately, he was as humble as he was, and finally found the value of life outside the official field.
He continued to devote himself to the creation of scattered songs, and he had inscriptions everywhere he went; he also had many literary exchanges with local governors, and he was treated and valued for his talents. Since the advent of "Jinle Fu", Zhang Kejiu has successively published "Su Di Fishing Singing", "Wu Yan" and other song collections, and his creation has become more and more mature, and his reputation has become more and more widespread.
He also gained the respect of the literati at that time, and there was an Arab who admired Han culture, named Dashi Weiyin, who composed the composition "Yan Yin Chi Feng Ji Xiaoshan Ancestors" to express his admiration for Zhang Kejiu: "Qi Heng Qiu, the heart is fast and fast. The word lin who out of the mr. right, dominates. The poem becomes a god and a ghost, and the pen falls on the dragon and snake, and only then does the mountains and rivers show. The voice spreads to the southern country, and the name is broadcast in the middle state. ”
"Idle is easy to be lazy, retiring officials are afraid of late, and tired of yu knows how to return." In his later years, Zhang Kejiu returned to his residence near the West Lake, "Junzi Pavilion". This was a foothold in his early years, and he also planted lotus bamboo all over the courtyard, symbolizing the virtue and integrity of a gentleman. His friends called him "still the clear stream of my generation", but he was in a poor predicament of "cold and cold mink" and "nothing vulgar in front of him". [3] This is probably a portrayal of Zhang Kejiu's late scene.
Decades of subjugating the career of subordinates, for Zhang Kejiu, is a hardship, but also a grind. Out of the pressure of reality, he has always joined the world, although he is tired and helpless, he has never been far away from the red dust, all the way to the crawl, trying to continue to live with regrets. However, he was influenced by Confucian culture from an early age, and throughout his life he adhered to the Confucian spirit of traditional literati.
<h1>Word Forest Master Zhang Xiaoshan</h1>
Whether it was a celebrity when he was young, or an official who grew old after middle age, Zhang Kejiu could not avoid close contact with officials and literati, and he could not avoid frequent socializing. From building his reputation to making ends meet, he wrote about drinking and cheering at a feast or playground. In this life, he is unambitious and unfree, but his scattered works exude a leisurely and quiet temperament.
In the autumn night, the smoke waves of Jian Lake are vast, the mandarin birds play with each other, and Zhang Kejiu comes by boat with wine and drunkenly dances. The picture shows the Southern Song Dynasty Zhao Boju painting "Lotus Boat Crescent Map"
Of his more than eight hundred scattered songs, there is almost no description of the life of a bureaucrat, nor can I see the funny and glamorous atmosphere of the city, or the spicy words of laughter and anger. Even if he expresses the resentment that Huai Cai does not encounter, he will control it within a certain degree and express his restrained feelings or worries in a way that is implicit but not explicit, resentful and not angry. For example, this song "Narcissus Guixing": "The light article is not as good as Wisteria Lang, and it is difficult for small roots to climb the White Jade Hall." Yuangong is famous but afraid of huang Mao miasma, and he also thinks of his hometown when he is old, and his dreams are sad on the way. Yun Mang Mang Feng Gongling, Lang Tao Tao Yangtze River, water far away from the mountains. ”
In the song, Zhang Kejiu used a bland tone to tell the reason for his misfortune, one is the lack of literary talent, and the other is that he is born slightly cold. He did not continue to be lyrical, but the pen turned to say that he had been running for many years to seek fame and fortune, suffering from the pain of detention and homesickness. At this time, Zhang Kejiu was already an old man, and the misery accumulated over the decades was naturally thick, and he did not speak directly, but he used his eyes to look forward- the clouds and the mountains and the waves of the river, alluding to his stirring and long feelings.
Finally, Zhang Kejiu concludes with "the water is far away and the mountains are long", describing the melancholy of the uncertain return date, and conveying the meaning of "this hatred has no end". His lyrics are not like Guan Hanqing's, which fights against the mortal world with a wandering skeleton; nor is it like Ma Zhiyuan, who avoids the world and looks down on the glory of the world. Under the influence of the Confucian tradition of "poetry teaching", his writing has been tempered more and more rounded and refined through the adversity of ambition and hard reward, showing the style and bones of a generation of literati.
Regarding the style of his scattered music, the Taihe Zhengyin Spectrum has a comment: "Zhang Xiaoshan's words, such as Yao Tiansheng Crane. Its words are clear and beautiful, gorgeous but not colorful, there is no fireworks and gas, it can really be described as an uninhibited material; if it is taihua's fairy wind, the sea moon of Penglai, and the ancestral craftsman of the sincere word forest. When you look at it with the eyes of the Nine Fang Gao. Zhang Kejiu was classified as an important writer of Qingli prose because of many similar high praises.
Zhang Kejiu's Qingli and Fairy Wind can probably be represented by this song: "Jianhu is a song with wide water and clouds, and the mandarin is in autumn." The shadows between the drunken dancing flowers are chaotic, the night is long, and the boat only calls to Xilin. The dream of the Immortal Mountain is short, the long sky is full, and the jade girl drives the green bird. ("Little Peach Kan Lake Night Berth")
This piece cannot read any worldly sentiments of joy and sorrow, but presents a delicate, beautiful and ethereal picture of a fairyland. In the autumn night, the smoke waves of Jian Lake are vast, the mandarin birds play with each other, the author comes by boat with wine, drunkenly dancing among the flowers, chasing Li Bai from afar, "I sing the moon and wander, I dance in a chaotic way". When he was drunk, he seemed to have a clear dream in the Immortal Mountain, and when he woke up, he saw the Haoyue moon in the sky, a thousand miles clear, as if the fairy was driving a blue bird away.
One man and one boat, moored alone by the deserted lake. This is a fragment of Zhang Kejiu's life of running around and depressed, but he writes like a dream, like a detached hermit. Yuanren advocates seclusion, and Zhang Kejiu is precisely the official who is hidden. As a small official, he used his vast mind to resolve the tragedies of the world and build his paradise in the world of scattered music.
exegesis:
[1] From the Preface to Li Kaixian's Qiao Mengfu Xiaoling of the Ming Dynasty.
[2] From the Ming Dynasty Tang Wenfeng's Wugang Collection, the "Book of The Lefu of Baozhang Xiaoshan".
[3] From Zhang Yu's "Magnolia Slow, Guixi Sends Zhang Xiaoshan".