The Four Masters of Early Tang

Author: Luo Minzhong, Xiao Xifeng (editors) / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-10-01
Features:
① Nanchang, the former prefecture of Hongdu, the new prefecture of Hongdu.
② Stars are divided among the Wing and Zhen constellations.
③ The land connects with Hengshan and Lushan.
④ Embracing the three rivers and binding the five lakes, controlling Mengjing and leading Oujiang.
⑤ The land is rich in natural treasures, with the dragon's light shining in the region of the Ox and Taurus constellations;
⑥ The land is blessed with outstanding talent, with Xu Ru's mat in Chen Fan's seat.
⑦ The majestic state is like misty rows, with brilliant talents scattered like stars.
⑧ The city walls rest on the intersection of the barbarian and the civilized, with guests and hosts representing the beauty of Southeast.
⑨ The grandeur of the military governor Yan Gong, with his ceremonial flags arriving from afar;
⑩ The virtuous example of Wenwen Xinzhou, with his carriage temporarily stopping.
? Ten days of rest, with outstanding friends gathering like clouds;
? A thousand miles of welcome, with friends filling the hall.
? Teng rising and Feng phoenix flying, the term of the scholar Meng;
? Purple lightning and clear frost, the arsenal of General Wang.
? My father served as a magistrate, passing through this famous region;
? A child knows nothing, personally attending a grand feast.
[Notes]
① Tengwang Pavilion: A famous ancient building, known as one of the "Three Great Towers of Jiangnan" along with Yueyang Tower and Yellow Crane Tower. It is located on the Ganjiang River in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. It was built by Li Yuanbing, the son of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, who served as the military governor of Hongzhou during the Yonghui period. It was named after Teng Wang, the military governor. In the second month of the 28th year of the Shangyuan era (AD 687), Wang Bo traveled south to Jiaozhi (now Vietnam) to visit his father and passed through Hongzhou. He arrived at Tengwang Pavilion, where Military Governor Yan was hosting a banquet for scholars, who gathered to compose poems and essays. Inspired, Wang Bo wrote this famous preface. A preface is a literary form. In Tang and Song dynasties, it referred to farewell messages, differing from the general meaning of a preface. This article is also a parallel prose, with sentences primarily composed of four or six characters, arranged in pairs of antithesis, hence also known as "the four-six style." Parallel: paired, double, meaning that each pair of words or sentences is arranged in opposition.
② Nanchang, the former prefecture of Hongdu, the new prefecture of Hongdu: Nanchang was the seat of the Youzhang Prefecture during the Han Dynasty and was thus called the former prefecture. In the Tang Dynasty, Youzhang Prefecture was renamed Hongdu Prefecture, hence the new prefecture.
③ Stars are divided among the Wing and Zhen constellations: Ancient astronomers divided the country into twenty-eight regions to correspond with the twenty-eight constellations of the sky, known as "the division of stars and land." According to this theory, the area where Nanchang is located belongs to the region of the Wing and Zhen constellations, hence "stars are divided among the Wing and Zhen constellations."
④ The land connects with Hengshan and Lushan: The land connects with Hengshan and Lushan. Hengshan: one of the Five Great Mountains, the Southern Mountain, located in the central part of Hunan Province. Lushan: one of the famous mountains, located in the northern part of Jiangxi Province. In reality, this sentence means that the land of Nanchang connects with the Xiang and Jiang regions.
⑤ Embracing the three rivers and binding the five lakes, controlling Mengjing and leading Oujiang: These two sentences describe the broader geographical scope, with Nanchang surrounded by the states of Jiangnan, the Taihu Lake region, Jingchu, and Dongou. Three rivers: refers to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, named after three tributaries—Wujiang (now Wusong River), Loujiang, and Dongjiang. Five lakes: an alias for Taihu Lake, named after five small lakes—Linghu, Youhu, Mohu, Gonghu, and Xuhu in the eastern part of Taihu Lake. Mengjing: refers to Hubei Province. Hubei was the territory of the ancient state of Chu, which was also called Jing. Man, the barbarian, was one of the seven ethnic groups of Chu. Oujiang: refers to Zhejiang Province. Zhejiang was the land of the ancient state of Dongyue, with Dongyue's capital in Dongou (now Yongjia County in Zhejiang Province), hence the name Ou. Yue, the Yue people, were the indigenous ethnic group of Yue. Collar, belt: here used as verbs, meaning to connect. Control, lead: remote control, remote connection, remote view. Lead also means control.
⑥ This line is quoted from the "Biography of Zhang Hua" in the Book of Jin: Before the fall of Wu, Zhang Hua often saw a purple mist rising from the ground, ascending between the stars of the Ox and Taurus. He consulted Lei Huan, an expert in astronomy from Youzhang. Lei Huan told Zhang Hua that this was the essence of a treasure sword, reaching the sky, and said that the sword qi was in Fengcheng County of Youzhang Prefecture. Zhang Hua sent Lei Huan to become the county magistrate of Fengcheng to search for the sword. Later, Lei Huan indeed dug two swords from beneath the county prison—the Longquan and the Ta'e. He sent one to Zhang Hua and kept the other. Zhang Hua was executed, and the sword disappeared... Lei Huan died, and his son Lei Hua wore the sword. When passing through Yantianjin, the sword leaped out of its sheath and sank into the water, turning into a dragon and flying away. Item: the light of the object (referring to the sword). Tianbao: rising to the sky, presenting the image of a treasure (referring to the purple mist). Longguang: meaning the same as "item," also refers to the light of the sword (dragon) or sword qi. Shooting into the region of the Ox and Taurus constellations: meaning the sword qi reached the heavens and shot directly into the region of the Ox and Taurus constellations. Ru: dwelling.
⑦ This line is quoted from the "Biography of Xu Zhi" in the Book of the Later Han: Xu Zhi, styled Ru, was a famous recluse from Nanchang during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was repeatedly summoned but refused to serve and was very famous at the time. Chen Fan, the prefect of Youzhang, generally did not entertain guests, but he treated Xu Zhi differently, not only entertaining him but also setting up a seat for him, which was usually hung on the rooftop and only lowered when Xu Zhi arrived. Outstanding talent: outstanding talent. Chen Fan once praised Xu Zhi to Emperor Han, saying, "He stands out like a corner." Earthly spirit: the region is blessed.
⑧ These two sentences praise the prosperity of Hongzhou in the first line and the abundance of talent in the second line.: a majestic city;: rows of houses, densely packed like mist, stretching endlessly;: outstanding talent;: like stars racing, continuously emerging, meaning endless.
⑨ This sentence says that Nanchang is at the intersection of the Central Plains and the remote regions.: city walls; refers to Nanchang City. : city platform, walls. : city moat. There is a water mouth pool, and without water, it is called a moat. : rely on, : the four barbarians, referring to remote regions. : the Central Plains, where the Huaxia people lived.
⑩ This sentence says that the guests and hosts at the banquet include the outstanding talents of Southeast.: used as a verb, meaning to include. : used as a noun, meaning outstanding talents.
? Military Governor Yan Gong: His identity is unknown. The old theory believed him to be Yan Boyu, but after Cen Mian's "Questioning the Tang Anthology" refuted this, most people no longer adopt this view.: beautiful reputation. : ceremonial spears with wooden shafts, one of the instruments used in the escort of high officials. Here it refers to the escort. : arriving from afar.
? Wenwen Xinzhou: There was a prefect of Xinzhou named Yuwen. Yuwen: His identity is unknown. Xinzhou: now Xingxiang County in Guangdong Province. : beautiful demeanor. : the canopy of a carriage. Here it refers to the carriage. : temporarily stopping.
? Rest: According to the Zizhi Tongjian, in the fifth year of the Taihe era of Emperor Wuzong of Tang (831), "Xunxu" refers to officials taking a day off every ten days, called Xunxu. , says that Military Governor Yan chose a day of Xunxu to hold a banquet so that everyone would have time to attend.: outstanding friends. : like clouds.
? A thousand miles of welcome: Welcoming guests from afar. : welcome.
? Teng rising and Feng phoenix flying: Describes the literary talent of Scholar Meng. : like a dragon surging, phoenixes dancing, unpredictable. Quoted from The Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital Volume 2: "Dong Zhongshu dreamed of a dragon entering his arms and then wrote The Spring and Autumn Commentary of Chunqiu." "Yang Xiong dreamed of spitting a phoenix onto the Taixuan Jing and then it disappeared." Using "dreaming of a dragon entering his arms" and "dreaming of spitting a phoenix onto the Taixuan Jing" to describe Dong Zhongshu and Yang Xiong's talent. Here it refers to Scholar Meng. : the leader of the poetry and literature world. Scholar Meng: His identity is unknown. In the Tang Dynasty, the two academies of Hongwen and Chongwen had several scholars. Here, the scholar may be a general reference and not necessarily a specific one.
? My father served as a magistrate, passing through this famous region: I went south to visit my father, the magistrate of Jiaozhi, and passed through this famous region. : addressing one's own father to others. : county magistrate, magistrate.
? A child knows nothing, personally attending a grand feast: : Wang Bo's self-reference. Quoted from Zuo Zhuan, 16th year of the Chenggong era: "On the day of Jiawu, the Chu army pressed the Jin army and formed a battle line. The officers were worried. Fan Xun rushed forward and said, 'Plug the wells, level the fires, and camp in the army, while keeping the front loose. Jin and Chu are only given by heaven, what to worry about?' Wenzi seized his spear and chased after him, saying, 'The survival or destruction of a country depends on heaven. A child knows nothing.'" Fan Wenzi and Fan Xian were father and son, and the term "child" fits his identity. Some believe that Wang Bo was still a child of fourteen when he wrote this article, but this may not be entirely the case. : personally. : a grand farewell banquet.