Yan Family Precepts. Zhu Family Precepts -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Classics

Author: Cheng Yanqing Translated and Annotated
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-03-01
Features: The Family Precepts of Yan is an ancient book from the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (420–581 AD) that records personal experiences, thoughts, knowledge, and offers admonitions to descendants. Written by Yan Zhipu, it is divided into seven volumes and twenty chapters. Yan Zhipu (531–591 AD), styled Jie, was originally from Langya Linyi (now northern Linyi, Shandong Province in eastern China). His ancestors crossed the Yangtze River during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420 AD) and settled in Jiankang. Later, during the Hou Jing Rebellion, Emperor Xie Yi of the Liang Dynasty declared himself emperor in Jingling, and Yan Zhipu served as a Gentleman of the Palace. In 554 AD, Jingling was captured by Western Wei, and Yan Zhipu was taken captive. He later served in the Northern Qi Dynasty and subsequently in the Northern Zhou and Sui Dynasties. His Family Precepts of Yan was completed after the Sui Dynasty conquered the Chen Dynasty in 589 AD.
The Family Precepts of Zhu is a classic of traditional Chinese culture, advocating feudal ethical concepts such as the "Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues" (San Gang Wu Chang) and the "Three Submissions and Four Virtues" (San Cong Si De). Its primary purpose was to serve feudal rule and was filled with suppression of human nature and desires, severely hindering social development. The oil paintings by Wei Guangqing titled The Family Precepts of Zhu series exhibited in Images of Ideas—2002 Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Oil Paintings organized by Shenzhen Art Museum strongly critique this feudal culture and ideology.
Yan Zhipu (531–c. 591 AD), styled Jie, was originally from Langya Linyi (now northern Linyi, Shandong Province). His ancestors moved south during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and settled in Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province). Initially, he served as a Left Attendant to the Prince of Xiangdong in the Liang Dynasty. During the late Liang Dynasty, he was imprisoned and sent to Jianye during the Hou Jing Rebellion and later served as a Gentleman of the Palace to Emperor Xie Yi. In the third year of the Chengsheng era (554 AD), Jingling was captured by the Northern Zhou, and his entire family was taken captive. Later, he fled north to the Northern Qi with his family. Due to the rise of the Chen Dynasty, which replaced the Liang Dynasty, he remained in the Northern Qi and rose to the position of Yellow Gate Attendant. During the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty, he was summoned by the crown prince as a scholar and served until his retirement.
Throughout his life, Yan Zhipu experienced the reigns of the Liang, Northern Zhou, Northern Qi, and Sui Dynasties, becoming a refugee three times. He wrote, "I have tasted the bitterness of tea and felt the loneliness of a withered forest, the sharpness of a clipped wing, and the violence of fish stripped of water. I lament the vastness of the universe and the shame of having nowhere to fit" (Ode to My Life). This made him advocate a life of few desires, contentment, and humility while also urging scholars and officials to engage in practical governance.
Born into a noble family, Yan Zhipu was deeply influenced by Confucian moral teachings and rituals but was also exposed to Buddhist and Daoist thought. Described as "extensive in his reading, knowledgeable in all fields, and elegant in expression" (Biography of Yan Zhipu in the History of the Northern Qi), he was one of the few high-ranking families who remained committed to traditional Confucian studies during the era of (Xuan Feng). His erudition, integrity, and extensive life experiences provided favorable conditions for him to write The Family Precepts of Yan in his later years.