Respectfully, the annotations on ancient and modern notes

Author: Li Zhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1995-02-01
Features: Li Zhi (1192-1279) was an ancient Chinese mathematician, styled Renqing, and styled Jingzhai. He was from Luan County, Zhending Prefecture (now Luan County, Hebei Province). Li Zhi was born in Daxing (now Daxing County, Beijing), and his father, Li Tong, was the prefect of Daxing Prefecture. Li Zhi was intelligent from a young age and loved reading. He studied in Yuanshi County (now Yuanshi County, Hebei Province) and was interested in both mathematics and literature. The Collected Biographies of Famous Officials of the Yuan Dynasty said: "He (referring to Li Zhi) read books from a young age, never letting go of a book, and was bright and insightful, showing the demeanor of an adult." In 1230, Li Zhi passed the Ci Fu examination in Luoyang and became an official in Junzhou (now Yucheng County, Henan). He was honest and upright in office.
Jingzhai, the author Li Zhi, styled Renqing, styled Jingzhai, was from Luan County, Zhending (now Luan County, Hebei). In the seventh year of the Zhengda era of the Jin Dynasty (1230), he passed the Ci Fu examination and was appointed as the chief clerk of Gaoling. He was recommended to be the magistrate of Junzhou. Due to war, he wandered between Xinxian and Guozhou and once lived in Taiyuan and other places. Despite his hardships, he never stopped studying and reciting, achieving profound understanding. In the second year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Emperor (1265), he was summoned and appointed as a Hanlin scholar. In the sixteenth year of the Zhiyuan era (1279), he died at home at the age of eighty-eight. In addition to Jingzhai Jinguji, he also wrote Jingzhai Collection of Essays (40 volumes), Wishu Congxue (12 volumes), Fangshuo (40 volumes), Ceyuan Haijing (12 volumes), and Yigudanyuan (30 volumes).
Regarding his name, many historical books have written it as "Li Zhi," such as Collected Biographies of Famous Officials of the Yuan Dynasty, Biography of Li Zhi in the Yuan Shi, Yonglanshu, General Catalog of the Siku Quanshu, and Catalog of Books in Baishuilou. Ke Shaomin in New Yuan Shi stated that Li Zhi's original name was Zhi, but he later changed it to the name used today. Taking both views into account, it is not worth debating. Shi Guoqi (styled Beiyanyan, from the Qianlong and Daoguang eras) pointed out in Ligengtang Congshuo that, "Renqing was born in the Gengzi year of the Dading era, and in the Gengzhi year of the Zhengda era, he passed the Ci Fu examination at the age of fifty-one. He was appointed as the chief clerk of Gaoling and recommended to be the magistrate of Junzhou. After the fall of the Jin Dynasty, he crossed the border to teach scholars and secretly studied mathematics. He alone could uphold himself with moral integrity and literary talent without weakening even in old age. As seen in his letters to Hanlin scholars, his true intentions were clear: he was a strong advocate of the Ci Fu examination in the Jin Dynasty and a pioneer in reforming the calendar in the Yuan Dynasty. He lived alongside Wang Huna and Li Zhuojing as contemporaries of the generation, and after his death, he was enshrined alongside Yang Wenyuan and Zhao Jianqin as the Four Sages. Alas! His scholarship and conduct were so outstanding, yet why did later generations fail to recognize it and mistakenly change his name, calling him Zhi as Zhi, thus confusing him with the female Taoist priest Li Jilan, who was shallow in both appearance and substance! How tragic! His words are all preserved, and his name is correct. If they can be published and shared with the world, it would be a great blessing to future scholars."