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Han Yu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named Han Yu, seeHan Yu (disambiguation).
In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisHan.
Han Yu
Born768
Heyang (nowMengzhou,Henan)
Died824 (aged 55–56)
Names
Family name:Hán Hàn
Given name:Yù càng
Courtesy name:Tuìzhī lui chi
Posthumous name
Hàn Văn công
OccupationEssayist, philosopher, poet, politician
Han Yu
Traditional ChineseHàn Dũ
Simplified ChineseHàn Dũ

Han Yu(Chinese:Hàn Dũ;768 – 25 December 824),courtesy nameTuizhi(Chinese:Lui chi), and commonly known by hisposthumous nameHan Wengong( Hàn Văn công ), was an essayist, Confucian scholar, poet, and government official during theTang dynastywho significantly influenced the development ofNeo-Confucianism.[1]Described as "comparable in stature toDante,ShakespeareorGoethe"for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition,[2]Han Yu stood for strong central authority inpoliticsandorthodoxyin cultural matters.

He is often considered to be among China's finest prose writers.[3]Ming dynastyscholar Mao Kun (Mao khôn) ranked him first among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song".[4]

Biography

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Han Yu was born in 768,[5]in Heyang ( Hà Dương, present dayMengzhou) inHenanto a family of noble lineage.[6]His father worked as a minor official but died when Han Yu was two. He was then raised in the family of his older brother, Han Hui (Hàn sẽ).[2]He was a student of philosophical writings and confucian thought. His family moved toChang'anin 774 but was banished toSouthern Chinain 777 because of its association with disgraced minister Yuan Zai. Han Hui died in 781 while serving as a prefect inGuangdongprovince.[6]In 792, after four attempts, Han Yu passed thejinshiimperial examination.In 796, after failing to secure a position in the civil service at the capital, he went into the service of the provincial military governor ofBianzhouuntil 799,[2]and then of the military governor ofXuzhou.[7]He gained his first central government position in 802 on the recommendation of the military governor. However, he was soon exiled for several possible reasons: for failing to support the heir apparent's faction, his criticism of the misbehavior of the emperor's servants, or his request for reduction of taxes during a famine.

From 807 to 819 he held a series of government posts, first inLuoyangand then in Chang'an. During these years, he was a strong advocate of reimposing central control over separatist northeastern provinces. This period of service came to an end when he wrote his famousMemorial on Bone-relics of the Buddha(Gián nghênh Phật cốt biểu) presented toEmperor Xianzong.The memorial is a strongly worded protest againstBuddhistinfluence on the country. The Emperor, offended by Han Yu's criticism, ordered his execution. He was however saved by his friends at the court, and was thusly demoted and exiled toChaozhouinstead.[8]After Han Yu offered a formal apology to the Emperor a few months later, he was transferred to a province nearer to the capital. Emperor Xianzong died within a year, and his successorEmperor Muzongbrought Han Yu back to the capital where he worked in the War Office.[9]He was then appointed to a high-ranking position after he successfully completed a mission to persuade a rebellious military commander to return to the fold.[6]

Han Yu held a number of other distinguished government posts such as the rector of theImperial university.At the age of fifty-six, Han Yu died in Chang'an on December 25, 824 and was buried on April 21, 825 in the ancestral cemetery at Heyang.[7][10]

Thoughts and beliefs

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Although generally not considered a philosopher,[11]Han Yu was an important Confucian intellectual who influenced later generations of Confucian thinkers and Confucian philosophy. He also sponsored many literary figures of the turn of the ninth century. He led a revolt againstpianwen(Văn biền ngẫu), a formal, richly ornamented literary style, advocating a return to a classical, simple, logical, and exact style.[7]He felt that this classical style of writing—calledguwen(Cổ văn), literally, "ancient writing" —would be appropriate for the restoration of Confucianism.[12]

Han Yu promoted Confucianism but was also deeply opposed to Buddhism, a religion that was then popular at the Tang court. In 819, he sent a letter, "Memorial on Bone-relics of the Buddha", to the emperor in which he denounced "the elaborate preparations being made by the state to receive the Buddha's fingerbone, which he called 'a filthy object' and which he said should be 'handed over to the proper officials for destruction by water and fire to eradicate forever its origin'.[8]Han Yu contrasted the Chinese civilization and barbarism where people were "like birds and wild beast or like the barbarians". He considered Buddhism to be ofbarbarian(Di địch) origin, therefore an unsuitable religion for the Chinese people.[13][14]

Again from Han Yu's letter, "Memorial on Bone-relics of the Buddha":

"Your servant begs leave to say that Buddhism is no more than a cult of the barbarian peoples which spread to China. It did not exist here in ancient times. Now I hear that Your Majesty has ordered the community of monks to go to greet the finger bone of the Buddha [a relic from India], and that Your Majesty will ascend a tower to watch the procession as this relic is brought into the palace. [...] The Buddha was a man of the barbarians who did not speak Chinese and who wore clothes of a different fashion. The Buddha’s sayings contain nothing about our ancient kings and the Buddha’s manner of dress did not conform to our laws; he understood neither the duties that bind sovereign and subject, not the affections of father and son. If the Buddha were still alive today and came to our court, Your Majesty might condescend to receive him, but he would then be escorted to the borders of the nation, dismissed, and not allowed to delude the masses. How then, when he has long been dead, could the Buddha’s rotten bones, the foul and unlucky remains of his body, be rightly admitted to the palace? Confucius said: “Respect ghosts and spirits, but keep them at a distance!” Your servant is deeply ashamed and begs that this bone from the Buddha be given to the proper authorities to be cast into fire and water, that this evil be rooted out, and later generations spared this delusion. "

Han Yu was also critical ofTaoism,which he considered to be a harmful accretion to Chinese culture. He nevertheless made the distinction between Taoism, a homegrown religion, and Buddhism, a foreign faith.[13]In "The Origin of Dao" ( nguyên nói,Yuandao), he argued that the monasticism of both Buddhism and Taoism to be economically nonproductive, creating economic and social dislocation. He also criticized both of these beliefs for being unable to deal with social problems.[15]He considered Confucianism to be distinct from these two beliefs in linking the private, moral life of the individual with the public welfare of the state. He emphasizedMencius's method of assuring public morality and social order,[15]and his concept of the expression of Confucian spirituality through political action would later form the intellectual basis for neo-Confucianism.[16]Han introduced the ideas of the succession of the Way ( đạo thống,daotong), as well as the concept of the "teacher" ( sư,shi) who embodies the Way as expressed in "Discourse on Teachers" ( sư nói,Shishuo).[11][17]Although Han Yu attacked Buddhism and Taoism, some of his ideas have Buddhist and/or Taoist roots; for example, the succession of the Way was inspired by the Buddhist idea of transmission of thedharma,while his concept of the "teacher" originated from the Buddhist and Taoist idea of religious mentor.[11]

In his "Discourse on Teachers" ( sư nói,Shishuo), Han Yu discussed the necessity and principles of learning from teachers, and criticized the phenomenon of "shame to learn from the teacher" in the society at that time.[18]He stated that "a disciple need not be necessarily inferior to the teacher, [while] the teacher need not be necessarily more virtuous than the disciple. The only fact is that [one may] acquireDaoearlier or later [than the others], [and there may be] specific field that one specialized in. "[19]

Literary works

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Prose

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Han Yu is often considered the greatest master of classical prose in the Tang. He was listed first among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song" by Ming Dynasty scholar Mao Kun. Together withLiu Zongyuanhe headed theClassical Prose Movementto return to the unornamented prose of the Han Dynasty.[20]He considered the classical "old style prose" ( cổ văn,guwen) to be the kind of writing more suited to argumentation and the expression of ideas.[7]Han Yu'sguwenhowever was not an imitation of ancient prose, but a new style based on the ancient ideals of clarity, concision, and utility.[2]Han Yu wrote in many modes, often with discursiveness and daring experimentation.

Among his most renowned essays are his polemics against Buddhism and Taoism and support for Confucianism, such as "Buddhism Memorial on Bone-relics of the Buddha" and "The Origin of Dao". Other notable works include "Text for the Crocodiles" (Tế cá sấu văn) in which he declares that crocodiles be formally banished from Chaozhou,[21]and "Goodbye to Penury" (Đưa nghèo văn) that describes his failed attempt to rid himself of the ghost of poverty.[22]

Poetry

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Han Yu also wrote poetry. However, while Han Yu's essays are highly regarded, his poetry is not considered exceptional. According toA History of Chinese LiteraturebyHerbert Giles,Han Yu "wrote a large quantity of verse, frequently playful, on an immense variety of subjects, and under his touch the commonplace was often transmuted into wit. Among other pieces there is one on his teeth, which seemed to drop out at regular intervals, so that he could calculate roughly what span of life remained to him. Altogether, his poetry cannot be classed with that of the highest order, unlike his prose writings".[23]

The poem where Han Yu ruminated on getting old by recounting how he lost his own teeth is "Losing Teeth" (Lạc răng).[24]

Significance and assessment

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Han Yu ranks among the most important personalities in the history of traditional Chinese culture. His works not only become classics in Chinese literature, but his writings redefined and changed the course of the tradition itself. He was a stylistic innovator in the many genres he wrote in, and was a major influence on the literary and intellectual life of his time as well as later dynasties.[2]The writings of Han Yu were influential to Song Dynasty writers and poets, in particularOuyang Xiuwho popularized the use ofguwenas advocated by Han Yu, a style that would stay as the model for Chinese prose until the revolution in Chinese literature of modern China.[25]In an inscription for a shrine to Han Yu,Song DynastypoetSu Shipraised Han Yu:[26]

Văn khởi tám đời chi suy, mà nói tế thiên hạ chi chìm; trung phạm nhân chủ cơn giận, mà dũng đoạt tam quân chi soái.
His prose reversed the literary decline of eight dynasties, his teachings aided the misguided throughout the world, his loyalty led him to risk the wrath of his master, his courage surpassed the generals of three armies.

— Su Shi, Inscription on Stele for Han Yu's Temple in Chaozhou

All the major accounts of Han Yu's life agree that he had an open and forthright character, which manifested itself in his unswerving loyalty to his friends. According toLi Ao,Han Yu was a great conversationalist and an inspired teacher: "His teaching and his efforts to mold his students were unrelenting, fearing they would not be perfect. Yet he amused them with jokes and with the chanting of poems, so that they were enraptured with his teaching and forgot about returning home".[27]The sense of humor that is so obvious in his writing was also important in his life. Herbert Giles judged that it was "due to his calm and dignified patriotism that the Chinese still keep his memory green".[23]

Han Yu led a defense of Confucianism at a time when Confucian doctrine was in decline, and attacked both Buddhism and Taoism which were then the dominant belief systems. His writings would have a significant influence on Neo-Confucians of later eras, such as the Song dynasty scholarsCheng YiandZhu Xi.[15]Although usually not considered a philosopher, he introduced a new intellectual direction for Confucianism as well as influential ideas to later Confucians.[11]However, he was criticized by Song Confucians for being much more of a stylist than a moralist.[28]

Most modern scholarship, although content to assign to Han Yu a secure place in the history of Chinese literature, has been embarrassed by the violence of his Confucian passions.[29]

Memorial

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Han Yu's Temple in Chaozhou

In honor of Han's contribution toChaoshanwhen he was exiled to Chaozhou, theHan Riverflowing through Chaozhou is named after him. Han Yu Temple (Hàn Văn công từ) in Chaozhou was established since theSong dynastyat the riverside of Mount Han, which also named after him.[30]Due to his dealings with crocodiles in South China, the extinct gharialHanyusuchuswas named after him in 2022.[31]

Studies

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Erwin von ZachwroteHan Yüs poetische Werke,a German language study.The Poetry of Meng Chiao and Han Yü,a book by Stephen Owen published by theYale University Press,was the first substantial English-language study of Han Yu. It was published 13 years after Zach's book.[32]

Modern references

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In an essay onKafka,the Argentinian writerJorge Luis Borges,in making the argument that "each writer creates his own precursors", placed Han Yu as one of the antecedents of Kafka due to some resemblance between them.[33]

Descendants

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Han Yu's descendants held the title of "Wujing boshi" (Ngũ kinh tiến sĩ;Wǔjīng bóshì).[34][35]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^Hartman, Charles (1998).Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Volume 1.pp. 221–222.ISBN978-81-7833-093-8– via Google Books.
  2. ^abcdeWilliam H. Nienhauser Jr., ed. (1986).The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature.Indiana University Press. pp. 397–399.ISBN0-253-32983-3.
  3. ^Gladys Yang (1984).Poetry and prose of the Tang and Song.p. 63.ISBN978-0-8351-1164-5.
  4. ^Sigfried J. de Laet, ed. (1994).History of Humanity: From the seventh to the sixteenth century.p. 1083.ISBN978-92-3-102813-7.
  5. ^Ueki et al. 1999,p. 115.
  6. ^abcDavid E. Pollard, ed. (28 June 2000).The Chinese Essay.C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. p. 31.ISBN978-1-85065-537-4.
  7. ^abcdby Tony Barnstone, Chou Pin, ed. (2005).The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry: From Ancient to Contemporary, The Full 3000-Year Tradition.Anchor. pp. 157–158.ISBN978-0-385-72198-1.
  8. ^abLiu Wu-Chi (1990).An Introduction to Chinese Literature.Praeger. pp. 126–127.ISBN978-0-313-26703-1.
  9. ^Tansen Sen (2004).Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade: The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600–1400.Manohar Publishers and Distributors. p. 73.ISBN978-81-7304-581-3.
  10. ^Charles Hartman (2014).Han Yu and the T'ang Search for Unity.Princeton University Press. p. 115.ISBN978-0-691-61093-1.
  11. ^abcdAntonio S. Cua, ed. (5 November 2013).Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy.Routledge. pp. 288–291.ISBN978-0-415-93913-3.
  12. ^Stephen Owen (1996).The End of the Chinese 'Middle Ages': Essays in Mid-Tang Literary Culture.Stanford University Press. p. 8.ISBN978-0-8047-2667-2.
  13. ^abMarc S. Abramson (2007).Ethnic Identity in Tang China.University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 65–68.ISBN978-0-8122-4052-8.
  14. ^"Chinese Cultural Studies: Han Yu - Memorial on Buddhism (819 CE)".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-05-14.Retrieved2013-12-12.
  15. ^abcKevin Cawley (December 2016). Michael Dillon (ed.).Encyclopedia of Chinese History.Taylor & Francis Ltd. pp. 273–274.ISBN978-1-317-81716-1.
  16. ^William Theodore De Bary (2008).Sources of East Asian Tradition: Premodern Asia, Volume 1.Columbia University Press. pp. 301–305.ISBN978-0-231-14305-9.| Here "Origin of Dao" is translated as "Essentials of the Moral Way"
  17. ^Qingsong Shen; Kwong-loi Shun, eds. (2008).Confucian Ethics in Retrospect and Prospect.Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change Series III Volume 27.ISBN978-1-56518-245-5.
  18. ^Liu, Qingwen (2013).Prose Appreciation – Eight Masters of the Tang and Song.Translated by Han. Beijing Education Publishing House. p. 19.
  19. ^Lee Ming Zhi, Thomas (2017)."Title: A Translation of the Shi Shuo (Discourse on Teacher) by Hanyu".Academia.Original text: Thánh nhân vô thường sư. Khổng Tử sư đàm tử ( tán ), trường hoằng, sư tương, lão đam ( dān ). Đàm tử đồ đệ, này hiền không kịp Khổng Tử. Khổng Tử rằng: Ba người hành, tắc tất có ta sư. Là cố đệ tử không cần không bằng sư, sư không cần hiền với đệ tử, nghe đạo có trước sau, thuật nghiệp có chuyên tấn công, như thế mà thôi
  20. ^Sigfried J. de Laet, ed. (1994).History of Humanity: From the seventh to the sixteenth century.p. 1082.ISBN978-92-3-102813-7.
  21. ^Stephen Owen (1996).The End of the Chinese 'Middle Ages': Essays in Mid-Tang Literary Culture.Stanford University Press. pp. 57–60.ISBN978-0-8047-2667-2.
  22. ^David E. Pollard, ed. (28 June 2000).The Chinese Essay.C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. pp. 35–37.ISBN978-1-85065-537-4.
  23. ^abGiles (1901),p. 161-162.
  24. ^Wuji Liu; Irving Yucheng Lo, eds. (1990).Sunflower Splendour: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry quỳ diệp tập: Đại hán tiếng ca: Trung Quốc ba ngàn năm thơ tuyển.John Wiley & Sons. p. 172–173.ISBN978-0-253-35580-5.
  25. ^Sigfried J. de Laet, ed. (1994).History of Humanity: From the seventh to the sixteenth century.Routledge. p. 1083.ISBN978-92-3-102813-7.
  26. ^"Triều Châu Hàn Văn công miếu bia".
  27. ^Charles Hartman (2014).Han Yu and the T'ang Search for Unity.Princeton University Press. p. 118.ISBN978-0-691-61093-1.
  28. ^David E. Pollard, ed. (28 June 2000).The Chinese Essay.C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. p. 34.ISBN978-1-85065-537-4.
  29. ^Charles Hartman (2014).Han Yu and the T'ang Search for Unity.Princeton University Press. pp. 3–4.ISBN978-0-691-61093-1.
  30. ^"Chuyên gia coi điểm: Hàn Giang là một cái cái gì giang?"(in Chinese). Xinhua Net. 2016-04-22. Archived fromthe originalon April 9, 2018.Retrieved2018-05-04.
  31. ^Iijima M, Qiao Y, Lin W, Peng Y, Yoneda M, Liu J (2022)."An intermediate crocodylian linking two extant gharials from the Bronze Age of China and its human-induced extinction".Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.289(1970): Article ID 20220085.doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.0085.PMC8905159.PMID35259993.
  32. ^Leung, p. 715.
  33. ^Floyd Merrell Purdue University Press (December 31, 1991).Unthinking Thinking: Jorge Luis Borges, Mathematics, and the New Physics.ISBN978-1-55753-011-0.
  34. ^H.S. Brunnert; V.V. Hagelstrom (15 April 2013).Present Day Political Organization of China.Routledge. pp. 494–.ISBN978-1-135-79795-9.
  35. ^Brunnert IS, Gagelstrom VV, Kolesov NF, Bielchenko AT, Moran EE (1911)."Present day political organization of China".Paragon Books.

Sources

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Works cited
  • Barnstone, Tony; Chou, Ping (eds.) (2005).The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry.,New York: Random House.
  • Birch, Cyril (ed.) (1965).Anthology of Chinese Literature.New York: Grove Press, Inc.
  • Giles, Herbert A. (1901).A History of Chinese Literature.New York and London: Appleton.Available online at:Google Books;A History of Chinese LiteratureInternet Archive;A History of Chinese LiteratureProject Gutenberg.
  • Leung, K. C. "The Poetry of Meng Chiao and Han Yü" (book review).Books Abroad,ISSN 0006-7431, 07/1976, Volume 50, Issue 3, p. 715.
  • Hartman, Charles (1986).Han Yu and the T'ang Search for Unity.New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
  • Owen, Stephen (ed.) (1996).An Anthology of Chinese Literature.New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
  • Ueki, Hisayuki; Uno, Naoto; Matsubara, Akira (1999). "Shijin to Shi no Shōgai (Kan Yu)". In Matsuura, Tomohisa (ed.).Kanshi no JitenHán thơ の sự điển(in Japanese). Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten. pp. 115–116.OCLC41025662.
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