Chronicle of Han Yu

Author: (Song) Lü Dafang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
Han Yu (768–824) was a Tang Dynasty litterateur and philosopher. His courtesy name was Tuizhi. He was from Heyang, Henan (now Meng County, Henan). His clan originated from Changli, and he was hence known as Han Changli. In his later years, he served as Vice Minister of Personnel, also known as Han Lishi. He was posthumously honored as "Wen" (Literary) and referred to as Han Wengong. At the age of three, he lost his father and was raised by his older brother and sister. In 792, during the Zhenyuan period of Emperor Dezong, he passed the imperial examination and served as a regional administrator, later holding positions such as Censor and Magistrate of Yangshan. When Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne, he became a professor at the Imperial University. He later held various official posts, including Vice Director of the Palace. In 817, during the Yuanhe period, he contributed to the suppression of Wu Yuanji's rebellion in Huaixi under Pei Du, earning promotion to Vice Minister of Justice. In 819, when Emperor Xianzong welcomed the remains of Buddha into the imperial palace, Han Yu submitted a memorial urging opposition, for which he was demoted to Governor of Chaozhou. He was later transferred to Yuanzhou. Soon after returning to the capital, he held prominent positions such as Director of the Imperial University and Vice Minister of Personnel. He died in Chang'an. Politically, Han Yu advocated for strengthening unity and opposed the separatism of regional warlords. Ideologically, he upheld Confucianism and excluded Buddhism, claiming to be the inheritor of Confucian and Mencian traditions. He opposed the formalistic parallel prose style of the past six dynasties and vigorously promoted classical prose, leading the Mid-Tang Classical Prose Movement alongside Liu Zongyuan. Han Yu was a renowned prose writer of the Tang Dynasty. Su Shi praised him as "reviving the decline of prose for eight generations" (in Biography of Han Wengong at Chaozhou). His essays covered a broad range of topics and styles, such as On the Way, Memorial on the Buddha Relics, On Teachers, and On Advancing Learning, which were original in conception, clear in argument, bold and straightforward, and highly persuasive. His epitaphs and biographies creatively adapted the narrative techniques of the Zuo Zhuan and Records of the Grand Historian to create vivid characters, enriching the traditionally dry and lifeless genre of epitaphs. Some of his works, such as Biography of Liu Zongyuan, have become outstanding examples of biographical literature. His prefaces to farewell essays, such as Preface to Meng Dongye and Preface to Dong Shounan, employed diverse techniques, elevating the genre to a literary and practical form. His letters, such as Reply to Cui Li, were tailored to the recipient, expressing genuine sentiments. His prose was grand, unrestrained, and imaginative, described by Su Xun as "like the vast Yangtze River and Yellow River, flowing with immense power" (Letter to Ou Yangxiu). He was profound in thought, skillful in composition, concise in language, and innovative. His poetry also broke new ground, daring to innovate and excelling in long classical poems that adopted the structure and tone of prose and fu. His style was majestic, full of talent, and imaginative, forming a unique and grand style. He pioneered a significant school of poetry after Li Bai and Du Fu, correcting the () poetic style of the Dali period. Representative works include Mountain Rock and To Zhang Gongcao on the Mid-Autumn Night. His seven-character poem Left to Lan Pass to Show Nephew Xiang and his seven-line poem Early Spring Greeting Zhang Shiba, are also widely celebrated. However, his excessive pursuit of novelty sometimes led to obscurity, and his emphasis on "prose as poetry" occasionally turned poems into rhyming prose. His collected works were compiled by his disciple Li Han as Collected Works of Master Changli, and the more complete Collected Works of Master Changli with Annotations and Explanations by Five Hundred Scholars, edited by Song Wei Zhongju, includes 40 volumes of the main collection and 10 volumes of supplementary works. For poetry annotations, Biographical Annotation of Han Changli's Poems by Fang Shiju and Chronological Collection and Explanation of Han Changli's Poems by Qian Zhonglian are highly regarded. His life is recorded in the biographies of the New and Old Tang Histories. This book includes three parts: the first is a chronology, the second is biographical materials, and the third is records and prefaces by predecessors on Han Yu's chronology.