"Willing to send a clear pool for duckweed." And to be happy today, and not known after that. ——He Yan's "Yan Zhi"
"Yanzhi" is the only poem written by He Yan, the grandson of the Eastern Han Dynasty general He Jin. In the second song of Yan Zhi, He Yan lamented that he was like a duckweed, born in the dust world, and had no ability to grasp his own destiny. If this duckweed can get a moment of peace in the small clear pool, even if you know that this is only a moment of comfort, let's have fun in time. After all, who knows the fate of the future?
Figure 1
Unexpectedly, the last two sentences of this poem became a proverb summarizing He Yan's life. All his life he relied on talk, beauty and drugs, but he did not expect the final end, which was to perish in the vortex of politics.
He Yanzi Pingshu was a famous metaphysician in the early Wei and Jin dynasties. It can be said that he is one of the founders of popular metaphysics in Wei and Jin. He was good at talking and studied the I Ching and Lao Tzu very thoroughly.
Such a person was known for his talent show when he was a teenager. It is said in the "Biography of He Yan" that He Yan was raised in the Wei Palace when he was young, and at the age of seven or eight, he was already very wise, and he could understand the profound truth and show extraordinary intellectual talent.
At that time, Emperor Weiwu was reading military books, pretending that some places were not understood, and would tentatively ask He Yan, and He Yan could split the questions he was confused about and answer them all.
Figure 2
The Biography of He Yan also records that Cao Cao, the Emperor of Weiwu, wanted to adopt him as his son, and every time he went out to visit the garden, he let his children line up with him according to the eldest and youngest. However, after He Yan discovered this, he deliberately sat alone or deliberately did not stand with his children.
When someone asked him why, he said that a different surname could not sit next to each other. Thus, Cao Cao's thoughts were resolved.
He Yan's most crucial proposition in metaphysics is that "saints are ruthless." How to deal with emotions has always been a problem that the ancients could not avoid in theory and practice. He Yan believed that saints were not moody or sad, and could be completely unaffected by external objects. However, at that time, some people criticized him for being good at sophistry.
For He Yan's metaphysics, there are many critics. Some people think that his metaphysics is just a matter of making things up and playing with the art of words, but in fact there is no real understanding of it.
Others say that his metaphysics pollutes the spirit, loses its fighting spirit and motivation, and indulges in luxury, pleasure, and meaningless conversation.
Figure 3
However, at that time, He Yan's metaphysical talk did form a trend, and this trend also continued, becoming an important feature of Wei jin.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the acceptance of widows was relatively high. He Yan's mother, Yin Shi, was adopted by Cao Cao as a concubine, so He Yan became Cao Cao's adopted son.
It is said that He Yan was also from a famous and prestigious family, He Yan's grandfather He Jin was a great general in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and in the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao himself served as Sikong.
As we all know, Cao Cao is very fond of talents, and for this adopted son who came to the family, he has no scruples and is clever and clever, and he has been known for his talent show when he was young, and Cao Cao is of course very pampered. How much do you pamper it? Cao Cao's daughter, Princess Jinxiang, later married He Yan.
Because He Yan's personality is more debauched and he usually wears clothes similar to Shizi, Cao Pi is very disgusted with him, never calling him by name or word, and always calling him a contemptuous title of "fake son".
Figure 4
It is said that He Yan "has a beautiful posture and a very white face", which means that he is elegant and personable, and his cheeks are very white like a woman. Cao Pi initially suspected that he had applied powder to his face, so he deliberately gave him hot soup cakes to eat on a hot day. He Yan ate a lot of sweat and wiped the sweat with his sleeve, and his face turned whiter. Cao Pi had to admit it.
At that time, the Wei and Jin people were good at appreciating people's inner and outer beings, and there were quite a few words in the new language of the world that commented on the words and deeds of the characters and the appearance of the characters. And the "Wei Qi" records that He Yan was "sexually complacent and walked in the shadows", that is, even when he walked, he often looked back at his own shadow and admired his manners.
In fact, He Yan really likes to apply powder, not only likes it, but also carries it with him. However, not only He Yan, but also many scholars at that time paid attention to appearance and demeanor, and pursued the beauty of appearance.
He Yan was the ancestor of the Wei jinshi who took the five stone scatter (i.e. cold food scatter). Cold food scatter is also called five stone scatter, and its formula has been available since the Han Dynasty. In the past, people rarely took Wushishan, until He Yan took it, which attracted the surrounding scholars to follow suit.
Behind the crowd, people are actually looking for something. In this repressive age, they are desperately looking for something that satisfies their own spirit.
Figure 5
At this time, He Yan, as the leader of this era, listened to the guidance of the unexpressed desires of the entire era and guided people on a path - five stones. The five food scatters just cater to the "unconscious needs" of the entire era, and play a role in regulating and compensating people's psychology.
The reason why He Yan ate and scattered, he said to himself: "Serving the five stones is not only to cure the disease, but also to feel that the gods are cheerful." "The primary effect of the five stones is to cure diseases, He Yan is weak since childhood, and eating scattered can enhance physical fitness and can also make people uplifted."
In addition to illness, He Yan also had physical weakness and strain caused by excessive alcohol color. The five stones scatter have the effect of aphrodisiac to replenish the deficiency, and He Yan's food scatter also has the purpose of "ji desire".
He Yan was greedy for wine, even if he married Cao Cao's daughter Princess Jinxiang, he was not at ease, and the princess was jealous and complained to Yan Mother, who smiled and said: "Ru de no jealousy Yan evil!" However, although he Yan's original purpose in taking cold food powder was to cure diseases, his body could not be nourished as before due to excessive indulgence. Guan Ren once commented on He Yan: "The soul does not guard the house, the blood is not colorful, the essence is smooth and smokey, and it is like a wood, which is called a ghost." ”
epilogue:
He Yan, who was favored by countless people in the early years, did not hold an official and a half-position when he was young.
After Emperor Wei Ming ascended the throne, he was disgusted by his hypocrisy and tendency to be inflammatory, and he suppressed it and did not hire him, so He Yan later only served as a variety of redundant officials, and was not reused in his life.
Figure 6
The Lao Zhuang doctrine, which he had studied and loved since childhood, was also criticized by everyone at the time under his empty interpretation. Even the beauty he was proud of in his early years was damaged by excessive indulgence!
In the end, He Yan could be said to have nothing, and after the change of GaoPingling, he was killed by Sima Yi and destroyed by the three tribes, which was not tragic.
In fact, He Yan's talent is very high! However, his tragic childhood life has led to some strange changes in his psychology. He lost his father at an early age, his mother became Cao Cao's concubine, and he was fostered in the Wei Palace, relying on beauty and cleverness to win Cao Cao's favor, such an experience led to his deep insecurity!
bibliography:
Wei Qi
"The Biography of He Yan"
"The World Speaks a New Language"