Who is Han Yu?

Han Yu (AD 768-824), born in Heyang (now Henan Province), was a writer in the Tang Dynasty. He served in the local government and the imperial court and was demoted many times. The "ancient prose movement" advocated by him created a generation of literary style and had a great influence on later generations. His prose, which is thorough in reasoning, magnificent and concise in language, ranks first among the eight great prose writers in Tang and Song Dynasties. Han Yu's poems are also unique.

childhood

Han Yu's parents both died when he was very young. He was raised by his brother Han Hui, who was an official in Beijing. Han Hui is very kind to his younger brother, teaching him to study hard and be a good person.

When Han Yu was ten years old, Han would be implicated by others and demoted to Shaozhou (now Guangdong Province), where he would take his family. It's thousands of miles from the capital Chang 'an to Shaozhou. Along the way, although Han Hui was in a bad mood, he kept telling his brother about the scenery and celebrity stories along the way. Han Yu has a good memory. He keeps all his brother's words in mind.

Shortly after arriving in Shaozhou, Han Hui fell ill and died because of depression and acclimatization. With the help of friends, sister-in-law Zheng, with Han Yu and her son, escorted Han Hui's coffin and returned to his hometown of Heyang.

After burying Han Hui, Zheng said to Han Yu and his son with concern:

"Life is short, so you should hurry up to study and learn. Although you don't want to be famous for a while, don't waste your life. "

Han Yu is very sensible at this time. He knows that this is what sister-in-law said for his brother. From then on, every morning when the rooster crows, he gets up to do exercises, and then goes back to his study to study.

the Han family has been an official for generations and has a large collection of books. Han Yu started reading The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. When he meets a problem, he asks his sister-in-law for advice. But when Han Yu read the Book of Changes and the Book of Changes, his sister-in-law could not teach him, so Han Yu went to local learned people for advice. In this way, Han Yu also read Lao Zi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi and other pre-Qin prose works.

One spring, sister-in-law called Han Yu to her side and said,

"Brother, when you grow up, go to Luoyang to study. There are many learned people there, which can broaden your horizons. "

The next day, Han Yu took Nunnery on the road to Luoyang.

Reading is like tasting wine

After arriving in Luoyang, Han Yu visited some relatives and friends who knew each other. Seeing that he was polite and learned, everyone invited him to live in his own home. Han Yu declined everyone's kindness, found two huts to live in and began to live a poor reading life.

Han Yu wears cloth and only eats two meals a day. The rest of the time is spent reading and visiting friends. Sometimes, he is fascinated by reading and doesn't go to bed until after midnight.

On one occasion, Han Yu and his friends got together to talk about articles. Han Yu said bluntly,

"Reading is like wine tasting. A good article makes people feel happy to read. That poor article, such as parallel prose, is very rigid and makes people feel breathless after reading it. "

"In your opinion, which famous writers write well?" Friends asked him.

"If you want to talk about the pre-Qin period, of course, it is Meng Ke and Zhuang Zhou. When it comes to the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu ranks first, followed by Jia Yi and Yang Xiong. Their articles are free in form, moving in sentence and profound in meaning. "

Later, Han Yu became a great scholar, and he actively advocated people to learn the prose of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, opposed the parallel prose that bound people, and became the leader of the "Ancient prose movement".

Speak for the people

After living in Luoyang for a period of time, Han Yu went to Chang 'an to ask for a teacher and visit friends. Later, he took the exam, won the Jinshi, and became a supervisor. Although this official is not big, he has the power to impeach government officials.

One year, there was a severe drought in Guanzhong area (now Shaanxi Province), and many victims were forced to leave their hometown and flock to Chang 'an, the capital. They were naked and begging everywhere, and many people starved to death in the streets. In order to understand the disaster situation, Han Yu dressed up as a common people and visited the countryside.

the outskirts of Chang' an are full of miserable scenes: cracks appear in the fields, only dead branches are left in the crops, and even a piece of green can't be seen around. The village is sparsely populated, and nine of the ten families have gone out to escape, and the rest live on grass bark.

Han Yu also learned that in order to pay taxes, some families were forced to tear down houses and cut down trees for sale. Others, unable to feed their children, left them in the ditch.

Han Yu thought, "The disaster is so serious and the people's lives are so miserable, but Shi Li, the local governor of Chang 'an, lied to the emperor and said that although the weather was dry, the millet didn't grow badly. I want to tell the emperor about the disaster. "

So, he immediately wrote a memorial, describing the real situation of drought, hunger and exploitation by cruel officials in Guanzhong area, and asking the emperor to reduce the tax of the people in this area.

Han Yu's behavior annoyed those powerful people. Shi Li, in particular, was trusted by the emperor. He said that Han Yu had exaggerated the disaster, and if he did as Han Yu said and other places demanded tax reduction, the court would not receive any money. When Tang Dezong heard the fire, he immediately issued an edict, dismissed Han Yu's official and told him to go to Yangshan, Lianzhou (now in Guangdong Province) to be a county magistrate.

Advocating ancient prose

After more than a year, the fatuous Tang Dezong died. After the new emperor ascended the throne, Han Yu was recalled to Chang 'an and became Dr. imperial academy (equivalent to the position of a university professor now). Han Yu is knowledgeable and lively in lectures, so he is welcomed and respected by students.

One day, many friends and students gathered in Han Yu's home. Everyone talked about history and commented on articles, which was very lively. A student asked Han Yu:

"Sir, you advocate taking ancient sages as teachers when writing articles, and oppose parallel prose. Isn't there any merit in parallel prose? Begging the teacher to teach. "

Han Yu smiled and said,

"Of course, there are some parallel prose written since the Six Dynasties, such as Wang Bo's Preface to Tengwang Pavilion. However, as a style, it excessively pursues the perfection of form and ignores the vividness of content. Sentences must be four-character, six-character and one sentence, with dual rhymes and allusions, which is too restrictive for thinking. As for ancient prose, the form is not so strict, and you can express your feelings and opinions at will. So I want everyone to learn ancient Chinese. "

"So, what are the specific requirements for a good article?" Another student asked.

"First, we should get rid of cliches, and people should not use old sayings and unfamiliar dead words; Second, the text should be fluent; The third article should have momentum. In short, it is necessary to have something to say, and the text should be able to express the content effectively. "

Han Yu gave many examples to explain, so many students listened with relish and were very inspired.

Han Yu also took the lead in writing many excellent ancient prose, such as Shi Shuo, Jin Xue Jie and so on. Many famous sentences are recited by people, such as "industry is good at diligence and leisure, and what is done is destroyed by thinking" and so on.

With the advocacy of Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan, more and more people write in ancient Chinese, which has changed the literary atmosphere.

Push and knock

One day, Han Yu returned to his office after finishing his business. At that time, there was a rule that when court officials went out, pedestrians had to avoid them. So at the sight of Han Yu's arrival, pedestrians in the street gave way in succession, but there was a scholar-like young man riding on a donkey, shaking his head, his right hand still pushing and knocking in the air, and he didn't try to avoid it at all. The entourage immediately rushed forward, took the man down and sent him to Han Yuma to plead guilty.

"why don't you avoid it?" Han Yu asked angrily.

The young man seemed to have just woken up from his dream, blinked, and quickly saluted Han Yu, saying,

"Born late was writing a poem just now, and it was difficult to choose two words, because he forgot to avoid them because his mind was devoted to them, which offended his adult."

On hearing the poem, Han Yu turned his anger into joy and quickly asked,

"What poem are you writing? Which two words are difficult to decide? "

The young man read the poem with great interest and said,

"It's the word" push "in" birds stay in trees by the pool, and monks push the moon down the door ".I want to use the word" knock "instead, but I feel wrong. After repeated thinking, I can't decide for a while. "

Han Yu nodded, and while reading the poem rhythmically, he made gestures of "pushing the door" and "knocking at the door" with his hands. He pondered for a while and said loudly,

"I think it's better to knock."

"why? Please enlighten me. "

"This poem is about a monk visiting friends on a moonlit night. It was already night when the monks went, and the door was naturally closed. How could they push the door in? Push' is unreasonable. Moreover, the knocking was loud. On a quiet moonlit night, there was a sudden knock on the door, which alarmed the birds living in the tree. It was quiet and moving, and the artistic conception was beautiful. " Han Yu finished his opinion in one breath.

"Adults have high opinions, adults have high opinions." The young man held out his thumb in admiration.

Seeing that the young man in front of him is studious and modest, Han Yu couldn't help questioning him, only to know that his name is Jia Dao and he came to Beijing to take the exam. He cherished the talents in Jia Dao and let him go back to the house together. In this way, Jia Dao became a student and friend of Han Yu and often discussed literary issues together. Later, Jia Dao also became a famous poet.

admonishing the Buddha's bone

There is a Famen Temple near Chang 'an, in which there is a phalanx, which is said to be the remains of the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, and is called Buddha's bone.

In the first month of one year, in order to pray for a long life, Tang Xianzong sent someone to welcome the Buddha bones into the palace and offered them for three days. He also ordered the major temples in Chang 'an to exhibit them in turn. Gal, from the princes and nobles, down to the common people are scrambling to greet the Buddha's bones and donate property to the temple. In order to worship Buddha's bones, many people have lost everything. Han Yu was very angry when he saw this. I immediately wrote a letter to Tang Xianzong: On the Table of Buddhist Bones. He said:

"When there was no Buddhism in ancient times, many emperors lived a long life. Since Buddhism was introduced to China by Emperor Han Ming, all the emperors who believed in Buddhism died early, and the country was in turmoil one after another."

that's too much. Han Yu is full of hope that this paper will make the emperor wake up and stop wasting people and money. Unexpectedly, Tang Xianzong flew into a rage after reading the paper, and said angrily,

"Han Yu is so bold, I want to behead him!"

Pei Du, the prime minister, is a friend of Han Yu. He quickly interceded for him and asked the emperor to reduce the punishment for Han Yu.

"no!" Tang Xianzong said with anger, "He said that all emperors who believed in Buddhism died early. Isn't this cursing me?"

"Your Majesty, Han Yu's rude remarks should be punished. However, he is out of loyalty. If he is executed for this, I am afraid that no one will dare to speak out in the future. "

Many ministers interceded for Han Yu. Tang Xianzong promised not to kill Han Yu, but he still wanted to demote him as the secretariat of Chaozhou (now Guangdong Province) and call him to office within a time limit. Han Yu once again went to the far south.

On the snowy road

On the way to Chaozhou, Han Yu felt heavy. I thought that I was loyal to the emperor, but I was demoted to a distant place. Now I don't know when I will come back.

It's almost time for Languan (now in Shaanxi Province), and the weather suddenly changed. First, snowflakes floated down, and then there was a strong wind. The wind rolled the snowflakes, making people unable to open their eyes.

Han Yu hurried his horse on, but the horse shook its hooves and refused to move forward. Just as he was anxious, someone came riding behind him. When the man came to Han Yu, he dismounted, saluted and shouted, "Uncle, my nephew is late."

It turns out that the bearer is Han Xiang, Han Yu's nephew, who has come to keep Han Yu company. Han Yu was deeply moved when he saw his relatives, so he couldn't help reciting a poem casually:

A letter played in the morning, and

Eight thousand in Chaoyang Road in the evening.

If you want to eliminate the evils for the wise,

you will decline and cherish your old age.

where is the home of the Qinling Mountains?

Snow holds the blue horse back.

It should be intentional to know that you have come far away,

so that my bones can be collected by the river.

The poems written by Han Yu are as famous as his articles. In addition to this poem, he also wrote many poems that are plain and memorable. For example, "The river is a green ribbon, and the mountains are like jade hairpin", "The sky is drizzly and crisp, but the grass color is close at a distance." These poems vividly depict the beauty of mountains and rivers, and have been told by people so far.

Adventure and counterinsurgency

After Tang Xianzong's death, Tang Muzong acceded to the throne, and Han Yu was transferred back to Chang 'an as an official.

One spring, there was a rebellion in Zhenzhou (now Hebei Province): Tian Hongzheng was killed by his subordinates, and Wang Ting was appointed by the rebels. Tang Muzong sent troops to conquer. Who knows that after a battle, loyalist not only didn't lay the town, but general Niu Yuanyi's troops were surrounded by rebels.

Tang Muzong quickly discussed countermeasures with ministers. As the imperial court could not send more troops, it had to agree to let Wang Ting join in as our time, and at the same time decided to send a minister to persuade Wang Ting to join in lifting the siege of loyalists.

"ladies and gentlemen, who is willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility?" Tang Muzong asked.

there was silence in the hall. Everyone knows that dealing with these rebels is no joke.

"Is there no one to share my worries?"

As soon as the voice fell, Han Yu stood up:

"I would like to go to Zhenzhou."

"You have to play it by ear when you go. You don't have to go to the military camp assembled by Wang Ting." Tang Muzong said.

"Since I'm going, how can I just wait and see for my personal gain and loss?" Han Yu replied categorically.

when Han Yu came to the rebel army camp, he saw armed soldiers everywhere, each with his sword drawn and his arrow wound, and he was murderous. Han Yu calmly entered the chancellorsville and sat down. While sipping tea, he stared at Wang Ting majestically and said nothing for a long time. Wang Ting lost his temper and said,

"Han's adult, the chaos in the town and state was caused by the soldiers below, not my intention."

"The imperial court has agreed to let you be our envoy. Why do you still cling to General Niu Yuanyi?" Han Yu said solemnly.

Before the words were finished, a group of rebels surrounded Han Yu and asked angrily,

"We have worked for the imperial court, and we have made contributions. What is wrong with the imperial court? Why do you treat us as traitors? "

"Tian Hongzheng was too mean to his subordinates, so our whole army was dissatisfied." A renegade general argued.

Han Yu said seriously:

"But you have killed him, even his whole family. What is there to say? What I want to say is, whether you surrender or rebel against the imperial court, your future outcome is different! Think about it! "

everyone was really speechless. After a long time, Wang Ting finally asked:

"What shall we do now?"

Han Yu relaxed his tone and said,

"As long as the encirclement of Niu Yuanyi's army is removed, it will be all right."

"ok, ok, I'll do it right away." Wang Ting said.

Han Yu successfully completed his mission.