Ouyang Xiu was actually the first encyclopedia style cultural superstar of the Song Dynasty, behind "The Drunken Weng Pavilion"

Recently, at the "166 Literature Public Welfare Lecture" hosted by the People's Literature Publishing House, Cui Ming, associate professor of the Chinese Department at Tongji University, told us the story of Ouyang Xiu, a politician and writer of the Northern Song Dynasty. The following is the main content of the lecture.

White Marble statue of Ouyang Xiu in Chuzhou Ouyang Xiu Memorial Hall.

"The first encyclopedia style cultural superstar of the Song Dynasty"

Speaking of Ouyang Xiu, everyone should not be unfamiliar, because one of his works, "The Drunken Weng Pavilion," is a must read chapter in middle school Chinese.

Ouyang Xiu, also known as Yongshu, Drunken Weng, and June 1st Jushi, was posthumously named "Wen Zhong", which is the evaluation of his coffin by the court after his death. So, later generations referred to him as "Ouyang Wenzhong Gong".

He is from Luling, Jizhou. As a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, he went through three dynasties: Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Yingzong of the Song Dynasty, and Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty. He held the positions of Deputy Minister of State and Political Counselor for nearly 8 years.

Undoubtedly, his achievements as a literary figure are evident to all. He is one of the "Eight Masters of Tang and Song Prose", as well as a famous poet and poet.

Ouyang Xiu is still a famous thinker. The Song Dynasty was an important period in the development of Chinese Confucianism. Confucianism before the Song Dynasty was known as Han Tang Confucianism, while Confucianism after the Song Dynasty underwent a significant transformation. The trend of questioning classics and antiquity in the academic community before and after the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty laid the foundation for the establishment of a new type of Confucian culture, and Ouyang Xiu was an important representative and pioneer of this trend.

Meanwhile, he is also a historian. Today, Ouyang Xiu alone occupied two of the well-known "Twenty Four Histories". One is the New Book of Tang, edited by him, while the other is the New History of the Five Dynasties, independently written by him.

In addition to these achievements, he also made a great contribution, which is his willingness and ability to identify and attract talents. The rise of a group of talented scholars such as Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong, Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe is closely related to Ouyang Xiu.

Zeng Gong was the first disciple to join Ouyang Xiu's sect, and at that time he was only in his twenties. Ouyang Xiu taught him composition hand in hand, and he was also Ouyang Xiu's most proud disciple.

Later, Zeng Gong sent an article by his good friend Wang Anshi to Ouyang Xiu, who greatly appreciated it. So, Ouyang Xiu repeatedly recommended Wang Anshi to the court. When he first recommended Wang Anshi, he had not even seen Wang Anshi's face.

Su Xun brought his sons Su Shi and Su Zhe to Beijing in the past. Su Xun did not plan to take the imperial examination, so he asked someone to recommend his article to Ouyang Xiu. After reading it, Ouyang Xiu expressed great appreciation. At that time, Ouyang Xiu was already a literary leader with a high social status, so Su Xun suddenly became famous in the capital. The stories of Su Shi and Su Zhe are even more familiar to everyone. Ouyang Xiu was the main examiner for the imperial examination of Su Shi and Su Zhe that year. It was his keen insight and talent that made Su Shi and Su Zhe stand out.

In fact, Ouyang Xiu has promoted numerous talents, covering various fields such as politics and literature. Many outstanding talents have emerged under Ouyang Xiu's guidance.

In short, Ouyang Xiu was the first encyclopedia style cultural superstar of the Song Dynasty, and he made great contributions to the Song Dynasty and the entire Chinese culture.

"Poor family background, changing destiny through hard work"

So, what kind of family background does Ouyang Xiu have?

In fact, his family background is very poor. Ouyang Xiu once wrote an article called "Longgang Qianbiao", which tells the story of his family background. The article states: "In the third year of Xianping, the late Duke Shao Guqiang passed the imperial examination and became a judge of Daozhou, a magistrate of Sizhou and Mianzhou, and a judge of Taizhou at the age of fifty to nine." It is said that his father lost his father at a young age and relied on his hard work to study. He passed the imperial examination in the third year of Xianping, and then held several low official positions. He passed away at the age of 59. In fact, when his father passed the imperial examination, he was already nearly 50 years old and passed away after only a few years as an official.

Ouyang Xiu did not enjoy any protection from his father. In the "Longgang Qianbiao", it is written: "Xiu was unfortunate and gave birth to a four year old orphan. Madam Tai kept her vows to live in poverty, relied on her own clothing and food, and taught her to grow up, so that she could become an adult." Ouyang Xiu was raised independently by his mother. In the Song Dynasty, women could remarry after losing their husbands. Moreover, many women choose to remarry, for example, Fan Zhongyan's mother remarried after her husband's death. And Ouyang Xiu's mother "kept her promise" and was determined to raise her child on her own.

Ouyang Xiu's mother came from a scholarly family, was literate and sensible, and placed great emphasis on educating and nurturing Ouyang Xiu. In the "Biography of Ouyang Xiu" in the "History of Song Dynasty," it is mentioned that "South Korea personally taught him how to read books. He was poor, so he learned how to read books with a silver brush. Gongmin was knowledgeable and could recite what he read." It is said that Ouyang Xiu's family was very poor and could not afford paper and pens. Therefore, Ouyang Xiu's mother taught him how to write with a silver brush. And Ouyang Xiu is very intelligent, as long as he reads it, he can firmly remember it.

In addition, Wu Chong, who had served as a prime minister in the Song Dynasty, also wrote a commemorative article after Ouyang Xiu's death, in which he wrote: "When Gong was young, he borrowed books from Lilu, read or copied them, and before he finished copying them, he just recited them." Due to his poor family background and inability to afford books, Ouyang Xiu often went to his neighbor's house to borrow books when he was young, and after borrowing them, he read and copied them at the same time. Often, before he could finish copying them, he had already memorized this book.

Ouyang Xiu grew into a literary giant through diligent learning.

"Born with a weak physique, often plagued by illness and sorrow throughout one's life"

Perhaps due to congenital deficiencies, Ouyang Xiu was born with multiple diseases and premature aging.

Ouyang Xiu's mother had a child before Ouyang Xiu, but unfortunately passed away prematurely. His parents named him Xiu, with the courtesy name Yongshu. "Xiu" means beautiful and slender, while "Yong" also means long-lasting. They hope that their child can grow up healthy and live a long life. However, this name did not bring him much luck.

When Ouyang Xiu took the imperial examination at the age of 24, the chief examiner at that time was Prime Minister Yan Shu. In Yan Shu's impression, Ouyang Xiu was a thin and weak young man with a narrow vision. Mu Ting, his eyes are not very good, in today's words, he is nearsighted. This young man is both nearsighted and thin, indicating that his physical foundation is not very good.

At the age of 30, Ouyang Xiu was exiled to Yiling. He wrote in his poem, "White hair comes out in the new year, and Zhu Yan sells in foreign markets." At the age of 30, he has already grown white hair. At the age of 40, he was demoted to Chuzhou again. In his "Record of the Drunken Weng Pavilion," he wrote, "Drink less and get drunk frequently, and the age is the highest." Therefore, he called himself the Drunken Weng. He claimed to be an old man at the age of 40, indicating that he felt he was already old.

At the age of 43, he became the governor of Yingzhou, which is now Fuyang, Anhui. He said in a letter to his friend that his hair was white and his eyes were dim.

At the age of 48, when Emperor Renzong returned to Bianjing, he felt very sad because he was already covered in white hair. As Ouyang Xiu himself wrote in his poem, "During the ten years of hardship, my hair turned white before I grew old."

After his fifties, Ouyang Xiu suffered from a variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes, vertigo, eye disease, hand and foot rheumatism. When he was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister, he constantly submitted memorials to the court, requesting resignation, mainly due to illness and poor health. He wrote in a letter to his friend, "A certain bitter wind is extremely dizzy, and if it doesn't stop, it will be considered a major illness. I haven't finished writing yet, and I have been dizzy for several times. I have stopped writing and closed my eyes." As he wrote this letter, he felt dizzy several times.

Ouyang Xiu was born with a weak physique and was plagued by many illnesses and worries throughout his life.

The sickly and premature aging of Ouyang Xiu's body had a significant impact on his spiritual world, and further influenced his life and literature. Due to his life experiences of illness, weakness, and premature aging, Ouyang Xiu's perception of life being small and fleeting, and the rapid passage of time, is more acute, intense, and profound than that of ordinary people. In his works, we can truly experience a sense of sadness in life.

Ouyang Xiu's "Autumn Sound Ode" is one of its representative works. This was written by Ouyang Xiu at the age of 53, during the early autumn season. He wrote, "Alas! Grass and trees are merciless, sometimes drifting. Humans and animals only care about the spirit of things. A hundred worries affect their hearts, and everything labors their form. If they move in the middle, they will shake their essence. Moreover, thinking about their strength is beyond their ability, worrying about their intelligence is beyond their ability. Those who are suitable for their luxurious Dan are withered wood, and those who are black are stars." He listened to the sadness of life from the cool autumn wind, feeling the urgency of changing things and the impermanence of life.

"Ouyang Xiu's Four Secrets for Fighting Against Adversity"

So, how should we face the brief life? Some people choose to be aimless and escape reality, some choose to be pessimistic and depressed, some choose to cultivate their character and clear their mind and desires, and some choose to enjoy themselves in a timely manner and indulge themselves. What is Ouyang Xiu's choice? He wants to transcend sadness, transcend transience.

Ouyang Xiu's classic masterpiece "The Drunken Weng Pavilion" precisely wrote down his secret to fighting against adversity.

The Record of Drunken Weng Pavilion was written by Ouyang Xiu when he was exiled to Chuzhou. Why was he exiled to Chuzhou? The cause was the failure of the Qingli New Policy. Ouyang Xiu was an active participant in the Qingli New Policy, and he was very radical at the time. So, the failure of the Qingli New Policy meant the shattering of Ouyang Xiu's ideal of political reform. Subsequently, these representatives of the reformist movement had to leave the court. Fan Zhongyan voluntarily proposed to leave the court, while Ouyang Xiu was caught by political enemies and created a wrongful case. Although the court ultimately proved his innocence, he was still exiled to Chuzhou, which was a great blow to him.

From his career perspective, this is another major setback. Prior to this, he was exiled to Yiling during the Jingyou period for advocating for Fan Zhongyan. I am now 40 years old and have been exiled to Chuzhou again.

Moreover, during this period, Ouyang Xiu's 8-year-old eldest daughter unfortunately passed away prematurely. This is the third time Ouyang Xiu has suffered the pain of losing his son. Ouyang Xiu particularly liked this daughter, and later he wrote many poems to mourn her.

The Drunken Weng Pavilion is written against such a background. It can be said that Ouyang Xiu was at the lowest point of his life at that time, and "The Story of the Drunken Weng Pavilion" wrote about Ouyang Xiu's indomitable emotional journey.

"If the sun rises and the forest opens, the clouds return and the rock caves become dim, and the darkness changes, it is the day and night in the mountains. The fragrance of the wild is fragrant, the beautiful trees are lush and gloomy, the wind and frost are noble, the water falls and the stones emerge, it is the four seasons in the mountains. The scenery of the four seasons is different, and the music is endless." This is a description of the natural scenery around the Drunken Weng Pavilion, and it is also Ouyang Xiu's first secret to resist adversity: using the music of mountains and waters to relieve spiritual pain.

If you trace back to ancient Chinese landscape literature, you will find that there are many landscape poets, such as Xie Lingyun and Liu Zongyuan, who use the music of mountains and rivers to alleviate spiritual pain. This is a tradition of Chinese literati.

In the "Record of the Drunken Weng Pavilion", it continues to be written, "As for those who lose, they sing along the way, while those who rest on the trees. The former shouts, while the latter responds. They carry them with a hunched back and forth, and the people of Chu travel endlessly.". Ouyang Xiu's writing depicts a peaceful and prosperous era. As the governor of Chuzhou, he did practical things and did not disturb the people, enabling them to live and work in peace and contentment. This is also Ouyang Xiu's second secret to fighting against adversity: creating a harmonious and peaceful social life through good governance.

In the "Record of Drunken Weng Pavilion", it is also written that "fishing by the creek, deep and fat fish; brewing spring for wine, fragrant and clear wine; mountain cuisine and wild vegetables, mixed but aged before, are the feast of the prefect. The joy of the feast is not silk or bamboo, shooting is the winner, playing is the winner, drinking is intertwined, sitting up and making noise is the joy of the guests. Those with white hair and decadent in the middle, the prefect is also drunk.". This is Ouyang Xiu's third secret to fighting against adversity: using food, wine, gatherings, chess, games, and other means to relieve the pain of the soul.

Finally, "Those who are drunk can enjoy it together, those who are awakened can express themselves in writing, and those who are also prefects.". The fourth secret of Ouyang Xiu's struggle against adversity is to use words to record beauty, alleviate pain, and obtain spiritual sublimation and spiritual liberation.

So, it was through discovering and creating beauty that Ouyang Xiu successfully overcame the various pains imposed on him by life, transcending the sadness of life.

Cui Ming, Associate Professor of the Chinese Department at Tongji University

"Life goal: 'To establish virtue, make achievements, and speak up'"

Ouyang Xiu once wrote in his article "Preface to Sending Xu Wudang back to the South": "Among the people, there are sages who are also born and die in the midst of it, while those who are different from those of plants, trees, birds, and beasts, although they die immortal, they exist far and wide. Therefore, those who are sages can be immortal because they cultivate themselves in their bodies, do them in their deeds, and see them in their words." The difference between sages and ordinary people is that the reason why sages die immortal is because sages "cultivate themselves in their bodies, do them in their deeds, and see them in their words", which is the "three immortalities" of "virtue, merit, and speech.". This is also the life goal that Ouyang Xiu pursued throughout his life.

Let's start with Li De.

As a court minister, he advocates for reform, has a firm stance, is straightforward and bold, and has a dignified demeanor. In the "Biography of Ouyang Xiu" in the "History of Song", it is said: "Xiu discusses things straightforwardly, and people regard them as enemies... He has a strong talent and acts bravely in righteousness. Although he is trapped in opportunities and disregards them, he is exiled and exiled. As for his repeated actions, he has a calm and resolute spirit." Despite being demoted several times, he still dares to speak up and is upright.

He has a very thorough understanding of the essence of life, able to be unaffected by the environment, gains and losses, and wealth, demonstrating a high moral realm.

Let's talk about meritorious service.

Ouyang Xiu is diligent in political affairs and conscientious in his duties. The Biography of Ouyang Xiu in the History of Song Dynasty records a story: when Ouyang Xiu was just exiled to Yiling as the county magistrate, he had nothing to do. He looked through the previous case files in the county government office and repeatedly observed them, discovering that there were many unjust, false, and erroneous cases. He exclaimed, "Even in a remote and desolate small town, the world knows for sure!" From then on, he dared not neglect anything and faced every case seriously.

Ouyang Xiu's principle of doing things is to prioritize the people, be lenient and simple in governance, and not disturb or harm the people for the sake of personal achievements. He has served as the governor of several states, and during his tenure, he did not seek fame or governance. On the surface, he did not have any political achievements, but the people lived comfortably and easily. Whether as a local official or a high-ranking official in the court, he has made great contributions and demonstrated strong abilities in serving as an official.

Ouyang Xiu is also honest and disciplined, keeping himself clean. In a letter to his nephew, he wrote, "With all your heart, move forward without avoiding things. As for facing difficulties and dying, it is also your honor. But with all your heart, serve the public, and the gods also bless you, so be careful not to avoid things. Yesterday, in a book, it was said that if you want to buy cinnabar, I will not miss this item. You should be honest in your official position, but why should you buy anything under your official position? I have never bought anything except food and drink in my official position. You should take this as a warning. At that time, a rebellion occurred in the place where his nephew Ouyang Tongli was in office, and although Ouyang Xiu was very concerned about his nephew's safety, he was very concerned." But it is still encouraged that he should take responsibility, even in the face of difficulties and death, it is still honorable.

In addition, his nephew said that the local area is rich in cinnabar, which is a very precious thing and he wants to bring some to Ouyang Xiu. Regarding this, Ouyang Xiu said: I don't lack these things, don't buy them. As an official in the local government, you must be honest and upright. When I was working in a local area, I never bought local specialties except for necessities such as food and drink, which can prevent any harm to integrity from happening. You must also take this as a warning.

Ouyang Xiu encountered several demotions in his life, but he was able to face the huge changes of honor, disgrace, gain and loss, and rise and fall with a calm heart, and did not indulge in sadness and sorrow. In his "First Book with Yin Shilu", he wrote: "He often spoke to An Daoyan: whenever there were famous people in the past, when discussing matters, he would be grateful but not avoid being executed, truly as if he knew righteousness; when it came to the place of demotion, Qi and Qi would feel resentful, and there was unbearable poverty in the form of words. His heart was filled with joy and Qi, which was no different from that of a mediocre person, although Han Wengong couldn't help but feel tired. When using this warning to An Daoyan, be careful not to write about Qi and Qi." At that time, Yin Zhu, Yu Jing, and Ouyang Xiu were all exiled together, and Ouyang Xiu warned them in the letter not to indulge in personal sorrow of gains and losses, regardless of their situation. Whether it's good or bad, don't be influenced by the environment, face life's setbacks calmly. This is his attitude towards adversity.

Finally, there is a statement.

Amidst his busy government affairs, Ouyang Xiu devoted himself to the creation of spiritual and cultural values. He is an outstanding essayist, leaving behind over 500 essays, which is an astonishing quantity. He is a famous poet and lyricist, leaving behind over 850 poems and over 240 words. He is an excellent poetry critic who wrote "June 1st Poetry Discourse" and pioneered the unique poetry theory in ancient China - the genre of poetry discourse. He is an accomplished historian who edited the New Book of Tang and wrote the New History of the Five Dynasties. He is also a Confucian scholar, a pioneer of the "Song School" in the history of Confucianism, and a pioneer of epigraphy and archaeology.

In summary, despite being plagued by illness and declining prematurely, Ouyang Xiu overcame the torment of illness and various hardships of life with his tenacious will, successfully transcending the brevity of life and practicing the "three immortalities" of virtue, merit, and speech, becoming a great figure admired by future generations.