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Four Scholars in Wuzhong

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The "Four Scholars in Wuzhong,"[1] [2] also known as the "Four Literary Masters of the Wuzhong Region",[3] the "Four Talents of Wuzhong,"[4][5] the "Four Talents of Wu",[6] the "Four Talents of Wumen,"[7] the "Four Talents of Jiangnan,[7] the "Four Great Talents of Jiangnan"[8] or the "Four Talents of Suzhou,"[9][10] are four outstanding figures from the Wuzhong region (now Suzhou, Jiangsu) during the Ming Dynasty. They are: Zhu Yunming, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, and Xu Zhenqing [zh].

Zhu Yunming

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Main article: Zhu Yunming
Engraving of Wu Jun Mingxian from Daoguang's Nine-Year Engraving Book
Portrait of Zhu Yunming (祝允明), from the Qing Dynasty edition of Wu Jun Mingxian Picture Biography(吴郡名贤图传赞), compiled by Gu Yuan(顾沅) and illustrated by Kong Jiyao(孔继尧).

Zhu Yunming (1460–1527) was a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, renowned for his mastery in both small standard script (xiaokai) and wild-cursive script (kuangcao). Born in 1461 in Changzhou County, modern Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Zhu came from a prestigious family of scholars and officials spanning seven generations. His courtesy name was Xizhe (希哲), and his art name was Zhishan (枝山).[11]

Born with a supernumerary thumb on one hand, Zhu gave himself the sobriquet "Zhizhi Scholar" (枝指生; zhizhi refers to preaxial polydactyly in Chinese).[12][13] Demonstrating exceptional talent and diligence from a young age, he was said to have written large characters by the age of five and composed poetry by the age of nine.[11]

At 16, Zhu became a certified student, and in 1492, he passed the provincial examination. However, he never succeeded in the metropolitan examinations.[11] At 32, he began his official career, serving as the county magistrate of Xingning, Guangdong, in 1514. During his tenure, he compiled the Gazetteer of Xingning County. In 1521, Zhu was promoted to Controller-General of Yingtian Prefecture (modern Nanjing), but he resigned within a year due to illness. Disillusioned with governmental corruption, he spent the remainder of his life writing and socializing with friends in Suzhou. He passed away in 1527.[11]

Together with Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming and Xu Zhenqing, Zhu was one of the "Four Talents of Wu (Suzhou)" (吴中四才子), his calligraphy is the most noted in the quartet. He excelled at small standard script (xiaokai), but was of wild-cursive (kuangcao) fame.[14] His friends attributed his affinity for this highly expressive calligraphy to his impetuous personality.[14]

Zhu was also known as an unorthodox thinker against Neo-Confucianism. In his later life, he described himself as a "wild man".[15] He finished various collections of miscellaneous notes. Some scholars believe that his work of judgements on historical personalities influenced Li Zhi's Cang Shu.[16]

Tang Yin

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Main article: Tang Yin
The Portrait of Tang Bohu, painted by Zhang Ling during the Ming Dynasty
The Portrait of Tang Bohu(唐伯虎) by Zhang Ling(张灵)during the Ming Dynasty.

Tang Yin (1470–1523),[17] courtesy name Bohu(伯虎[18]) and Ziwei(子畏[19]), with various pseudonyms such as Liuru Jushi, Taohua Anzhu, and Luguo Tang Sheng, was a renowned figure of the Ming Dynasty. He is famously known as the "Most Charming Talent of Jiangnan" and was a distinguished calligrapher, painter, and literary figure from Suzhou. He was considered one of the "Four Great Talents of Jiangnan" (also known as the "Four Talents of Wumen") alongside Wen Zhengming, Zhu Yunming, and Xu Zhenqing, and is regarded as the foremost among them.[20]

Tang emerged from the vital merchant class of Suzhou, at a very low economic level of the son of a restaurant operator. Contrary to some accounts, he seems to have studied assiduously during his youth, paying little attention to material gains. His genius, which would later gain him renown as the supreme talent of the Jiangnan area (Southern China), soon drew him into the wealthy, powerful, and talented social circles of Suzhou. Wen Zhengming became his friend; Wen's father, Wen Lin (1445–99), acted as something of a patron, making the right connections for him.[21]

He was a brilliant student and later became the protégé of Wen Lin. His friends in the Suzhou scholarly circles included Shen Zhou, Wu kuan [zh] (1436–1504) and Zhu Yunming. In 1498 Tang Yin came first in the provincial examinations in Nanjing, the second stage in the Imperial examination ladder. The following year he went to the capital to sit in the national examinations, but he and his friend Xu Jing (?–1507) were accused of bribing the servant of one of the chief examiners to give them the examination questions in advance. All parties were jailed, and Tang Yin returned to Suzhou in disgrace, his high hopes for a distinguished civil service career dashed forever.[22]

Denied further official progress, he pursued a life of pleasure and earned a living by selling his paintings. That mode of living brought him into disrepute with a later generation of artist-critics (for example, Dong Qichang) who felt that financial independence was vital to enable an artist to follow his own style and inspiration. While Tang is associated with paintings of feminine beauty, his paintings (especially landscapes) otherwise exhibit the same variety and expression of his peers and reveal a man of both artistic skill and profound insight.[23]

Wen Zhengming

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Main article: Wen Zhengming
Portrait of Wen Zhengming
Portrait of the Ming Dynasty scholar and artist Wen Zhengming (文徵明).

Wen Zhengming (28 November 1470[24] – 28 March 1559[25]), born Wen Bi, was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet during the Ming dynasty. He was regarded as one of the Four Masters of Ming painting.[26]

Wen Zhengming was born Wen Bi near present-day Suzhou on 28 November 1470. He would later be known by his courtesy name, Zhengming. He had an elder brother, Wen Gui, who was born in 1469. When Zhengming was two years old, his father, Wen Lin, passed the imperial examination with the highest possible rank, jinshi. Wen Lin was assigned a government position as a magistrate in Yongjia County in Zhejiang province, and left for his job, leaving his two sons in the care of his wife, Qi Shenning. In 1476, Qi died of an illness at the age of 32. Wen Lin commissioned the noted scholar Li Dongyang to write an inscription for her tomb.[27]

Wen Zhengming's family was originally from a line of military men who lived in Hengshan County, Hunan province.[27] At the time of his great-great-grandfather Wen Dingcong, the family moved to the city of Changzhou in the Suzhou area.[28] Zhengming was a distant relative of the Song dynasty official Wen Tianxiang, through an ancestor who lived in Hengshan. From this he derived his hao (art name), Hengshan, which he used to sign many of his works.[29] His father Wen Lin and his grandfather Wen Hong (Gongda) were both interested in painting. Wen Lin was also a patron of Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming's contemporary and fellow member of the "Four Masters of the Ming dynasty".[30]

In 1489, Wen Zhengming began studying under Shen Zhou, the eldest of the Four Masters and founder of the Wu school of painting, of which Wen himself later became a leading figure.[31] Zhengming's father Wen Lin died in 1499, while working as prefect of Wenzhou. At Zhengming's request, Shen Zhou provided a written account of Wen Lin's life for the funeral.[32]

Wen Zhengming married the daughter of a high-ranking official and jinshi named Wu Yu around the year 1490. Her uncle was the artist Xia Chang, whose paintings of bamboo may have influenced Wen's own work. Little is known about Wen's wife herself, whose personal name was not recorded. After she died in 1542, Wen painted Wintry Trees after Li Cheng for a guest who arrived with a gift to mourn her death.[33]

Around 1509–1513, Wang Xianchen, a friend of the Wen family, began construction on the Humble Administrator's Garden,[34] generally considered one of China's greatest classical gardens. The garden is the subject of some of Wen Zhengming's poems and paintings,[35] including an album of thirty-one views painted in 1535 and a second of eight views in 1551.

Wen Zhengming passed away in 1559, making him the longest-living member of the "Four Talents of Wumen." His tomb is located in Wuxian County, Lumu, Wenling Village, and has been designated as a key cultural heritage site by Jiangsu Province.

Xu Zhenqing

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Portrait of Xu Zhenqing
Portrait of Xu Zhenqing (徐禎卿), from the Qing Dynasty edition of Wu Jun Mingxian Picture Biography Volume 7,by Gu Yuan(顾沅)

Xu Zhenqing (1479–1511), courtesy names Changgu(昌榖) and Changguo(昌国), was a renowned Ming dynasty literary figure from Meili Town in Changshu, later relocating to Wuxian (modern Suzhou). He was one of the "Four Talents of Jiangnan" (also known as the "Four Talents of Wumen"), alongside Tang Yin, Zhu Yunming, and Wen Zhengming.[36]

Xu Zhenqing was highly intelligent and knowledgeable, despite his family not having any books. Even when he was still a student, he was proficient in poetry and had a good relationship with his fellow townsman, Tang Yin, who introduced him to Shen Zhou and Yang Xunji, leading to his reputation.[36]

In 1505, he passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong of Ming, an eunuch was sent to inquire about the names of Xu Zhenqing and Lu Shen. Lu Shen was selected for an official position, but Xu Zhenqing was not chosen due to his appearance. He was appointed as the vice director of the Left Division of the Dali Court, but after being implicated in a prisoner case, he was demoted to a doctorate at the Imperial Academy.[36]

In March 1511, Xu Zhenqing passed away at the age of 33.[36]

References

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  1. ^ "The History of Ming" Volume 286: Wenyuan Chuan II: Xu Zhenqing (《明史》卷286《文苑傳二．徐禎卿》): 禎卿少與祝允明、唐寅、文徵明齊名，號「吳中四才子」
  2. ^ Ning, Liu (2024), Liu, Yuejin (ed.), "Literature in the Early Tang Dynasty", Concise Reader of Chinese Literature History, Singapore: Springer Nature, pp. 189–202, doi:10.1007/978-981-99-5814-6_15, ISBN 978-981-99-5814-6, retrieved 2024-12-09
  3. ^ Yi, Su-mi (2016). Landscapes: Seeking the Ideal Land. National Museum of Korea. p. 32. ISBN 978-89-8164-154-2.
  4. ^ "(#3125) A HANDSCROLL OF CALLIGRAPHY IN CURSIVE SCRIPT OF 'HETAO SHI' BY ZHU YUNMING (1460-1526) MID MING DYNASTY". Sothebys.com. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  5. ^ Collection of Ancient Chinese Cultural Relics, Volume 8. ATF Press. 2020-02-03. p. 216. ISBN 978-1-925371-57-4.
  6. ^ Dardess, John W. (2012). Ming China, 1368-1644: A Concise History of a Resilient Empire. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-4422-0490-4.
  7. ^ a b laitimes (2021-11-07). ""Share a merit" The four talents of Jiangnan, calligraphy is indeed popular". laitimes. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  8. ^ Huang, Kunfeng (2021-11-15). Illustrated Guide to 50 Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings. Shanghai Press. ISBN 978-1-938368-71-4.
  9. ^ Yuming, Luo (2011-01-01), "Chapter Sixteen Poetry and Prose of the Ming Dynasty", A Concise History of Chinese Literature (2 vols.), Brill, pp. 653–717, ISBN 978-90-04-20367-9, retrieved 2024-12-09
  10. ^ Fogel, Joshua A. (2017-07-18), "Appendix of Translations", Japanese for Sinologists: A Reading Primer with Glossaries and Translations, University of California Press, pp. 379–430, doi:10.1525/9780520960039-012, ISBN 978-0-520-96003-9, retrieved 2024-12-09
  11. ^ a b c d The History of Ming, Volume 286 (明史·卷二百八十六)：祝允明，字希哲，長洲人。祖顯，正統四年進士。內侍傳旨試能文者四人，顯與焉，入掖門，知欲令教小內豎也，不試而出。由給事中歷山西參政。並有聲。允明以弘治五年舉於鄉，久之不第，授廣東興寧知縣。捕戮盜魁三十余，邑以無警。稍遷應天通判，謝病歸。嘉靖五年卒。
    允明生而枝指，故自號枝山，又號枝指生。五歲作徑尺字，九歲能詩，稍長，博覽群集，文章有奇氣，當筵疾書，思若涌泉。尤工書法，名動海內。好酒色六博，善新聲，求文及書者踵至，多賄妓掩得之。惡禮法士，亦不問生產，有所入，輒召客豪飲，費盡乃已，或分與持去，不留一錢。晚益困，每出，追呼索逋者相隨於後，允明益自喜。所著有詩文集六十卷，他雜著百余卷。子祝續，正德中進士，仕至廣西左布政使。
  12. ^ Goodrich, Fang, Luther Carrington, Chaoying (1976). Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368–1644. Columbia University Press. pp. 570–576. ISBN 0-231-03801-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ According to Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368–1644, Zhu had an extra thumb on his left hand, but in Qian Qianyi's account, it was on his right hand, see Qian's Liechao Shiji Xiaozhuan.
  14. ^ a b "PUAM – Asian Art Collection". Princeton University. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  15. ^ Kang-i Sun Chang; Stephen Owen (2010). The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature: From 1375. Cambridge University Press. pp. 36–42. ISBN 978-0-521-85559-4.
  16. ^ Denis Crispin Twitchett; John King Fairbank (1978). The Cambridge History of China, Volume 7, Part 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 730. ISBN 978-0-521-24332-2.
  17. ^ Tang Yin's epitaph (唐子畏墓志并铭) by Zhu Yunming indicted that he was born on the 4th day of the 2nd month of the 6th year of the reign of Emperor Chenghua, and that he was named "Yin" as he was born in a geng'yin year. (子畏母丘氏以成化六年二月初四日生子畏，岁舍庚寅，名之曰寅...) Tang Ziwei Muzhi Bingming
  18. ^ not to be confused with the elder brother of Song-dynasty scholar Tang Geng (唐庚), who changed his given name to "Bohu", but his courtesy name was "Zhangru" (长孺) ([唐]庚兄弟五人，长兄瞻，字望之，后改名伯虎，字长孺。) Song Shi, vol.443
  19. ^ Tang Yin's epitaph, written by Zhu Yunming, addressed him by this courtesy name.
  20. ^ "Tang Yin". China Online Museum. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  21. ^ Friends of Wen Cheng-Ming - A View from the Crawford Collection,China Institute in America
  22. ^ "artnet.com: Resource Library: Tang Yin". GroveArt. August 12, 2007..
  23. ^ "Tang Yin". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  24. ^ Wen Zhengming's epitaph (将仕郎翰林院待诏衡山文征仲先生墓志铭) by Huang Zuo (黄佐) indicate that he was born on the 6th day of the 11th month of the geng'yin year during the reign of the Chenghua Emperor. (...与公同生于成化庚寅十一月，夫人初一日，而公则初六也。)
  25. ^ Wen Zhengming's epitaph by Huang Zuo indicate that he died on the 20th day of the 2nd month of the ji'wei year during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor. (嘉靖己未二月二十日，与严侍御杰书其母墓志，执笔而逝...)
  26. ^ Chang & Owen 2010, p. 39.
  27. ^ a b Clunas 2004, pp. 19–23.
  28. ^ Clunas 2004, p. 204.
  29. ^ Clunas 2004, p. 33.
  30. ^ Watson 2000, p. 198.
  31. ^ Clunas 2013, p. 29.
  32. ^ Clunas 2004, p. 21.
  33. ^ Clunas 2004, pp. 28–31.
  34. ^ Clunas 2013, pp. 23–24.
  35. ^ Cai 2011, p. 124.
  36. ^ a b c d "The History of Ming" Volume 286: Xu Zhenqing (《明史·卷二百八十六》)：徐禎卿，字昌榖，吳縣人。資穎特，家不蓄一書，而無所不通。自為諸生，已工詩歌，與裡人唐寅善，寅言之沈周、楊循吉，由是知名。舉弘治十八年進士。孝宗遣中使問禎卿與華亭陸深名，深遂得館選，而禎卿以貌寢不與。授大理左寺副，坐失囚，貶國子博士。禎卿少與祝允明、唐寅、文徵明齊名，號「吳中四才子」。其為讀，喜白居易、劉禹錫。既登第，與李夢陽、何景明游，悔其少作，改而趨漢、魏、盛唐，然故習猶在，夢陽譏其守而未化。卒，年二十有三。禎卿體癯神清，詩熔煉精警，為吳中詩人之冠，年雖不永，名滿士林。子伯虯，舉人，亦能詩。

Works cited

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