Chen Lin (Han dynasty)
Chen Lin, courtesy name Kongzhang , was an official, scholar and poet who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". He later served as Military Advisor to Cao Cao.
Life
Chen Lin was from Sheyang County, Guangling Commandery, which is located east of present-day Baoying County, Jiangsu.He Jin
He started his career during the reign of Emperor Ling as a Registrar under He Jin, the General-in-Chief.In 189, He Jin wanted to summon military forces from outside the imperial capital Luoyang to pressure Empress Dowager He into agreeing to exterminate the eunuch faction. Chen Lin strongly objected to this idea and argued that "to act in this manner is no difference from lighting a furnace to burn a strand of hair". He Jin did not listen to him and ended up being assassinated by the eunuch faction, while the warlord Dong Zhuo took advantage of the power vacuum to enter Luoyang and seize control of the central government.
Yuan Shao
Chen Lin escaped from Luoyang and travelled to Ji Province, where he became a secretary of the warlord Yuan Shao, who became the Governor of Ji Province in 191. Chen helped Yuan write official documents. Around 199 or 200, Yuan asked Chen Lin to write a "declaration of war" against his rival, Cao Cao, who then controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Emperor Xian. The piece of writing, called "Proclamation to Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao", contained a list of Cao Cao's "crimes", insults directed at Cao Cao's ancestors, and calls for the people in Yu Province to rise up against Cao Cao. In 200, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao at the decisive Battle of Guandu.Cao Cao
After Yuan Shao's death in 202, internal conflict broke out between his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang over control of their father's territories in northern China. Cui Yan, whom both Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang wanted on their side, refused to help either of them and was thrown into prison. Chen Lin and Yin Kui saved Cui Yan. In 204, during the Battle of Ye between Cao Cao and Yuan Shang, Cao Cao sent a messenger to meet Chen Lin and ask him to surrender, but Chen Lin refused and was taken prisoner after Ye city fell to Cao Cao.Many people feared for Chen Lin as they thought that Cao Cao would execute him for writing the "Proclamation to Yu Province on Behalf of Yuan Shao". However, Cao Cao not only spared Chen Lin because he appreciated his literary talent, but also recruited him to serve as a Libationer and Military Adviser under the Minister of Works. Chen Lin served under Cao Cao since then and helped him write official documents. He died in a great plague which rampaged through China in 217.
Works
Chen Lin is survived by some of his writings, including literary yuefu written in imitation of current folk ballads, and he is considered one of the major exponents of this typical Jian'an poetry style, along with Cao Cao and others. Cao Cao's son and successor, Cao Pi, ranked Chen Lin as what he termed the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". The other six members of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an" were Wang Can, Ruan Yu, Liu Zhen, Xu Gan, and Kong Rong. In 218, the year following the plague, Cao Pi wrote a letter to a friend lamenting that Chen Lin and three other members of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an" had died in the previous year.Chen Lin's surviving literary works include his literary yuefu poem, translated by Wai-lim Yip as "Water the Horses at a Breach in the Great Wall".
Evaluation
- Cao Cao has suffered from severe migraine for many years and even had a record of rolling on the ground with pain. One day, Cao Cao suffered from headache, and endured the pain to review Chen Lin's throne. Chen's wonderful writing made Cao Cao lose his mind and even forget his headache. After that, Cao Cao joked about this matter and praised Chen Lin's wonderful pen for curing his headache, which was later extended to the idiom "Wen Yue Toufeng".
- Cao Pi, the author of canon theory, commented: "Today's literati, Lu Guo Kong Rong Wen Ju, Guangling Chen Lin Kongzhang, Shanyang Wang Can Zhong Xuan, Beihai Xu Gan Wei Chang, Chen Liu Ruan Yu Yuan Yu, Ru 'nan Ying Yang De Lian, Dongping Liu Zhen's official business: those who have seven sons will learn without leaving behind, and they will quit without false words. They are salty to win a thousand miles from themselves and keep pace with each other. It's also difficult to take this as a suit. 」
- Cao Zhi : "In the past, Zhong Xuan was alone in Hannan, Kong Zhangying flourished in Heshuo, Wei Chang was good at being famous in the green soil, and his official duties shook algae in the sea corner. De Lian made his fortune in Wei Dynasty, and his first step was to go to Beijing. At this time, everyone claimed to hold the pearl of the spirit snake, and every family claimed to treasure the jade of Jingshan Mountain, so our king set up Skynet to cover it up, and made eight efforts to cover it up. However, this number of children can't be recovered, but Feihan will disappear, and it will take thousands of miles in one stroke. With Kong Zhang's talent, he is not idle in Ci Fu, but he claims to be able to share the same wind with Sima Changqing. If he doesn't paint a tiger instead, he will be a dog. The previous book mocked it, and the anti-work theory praised his writing. I don't lose sight of the husband's clock period. Today, I can't sigh, and I am afraid of future generations. "
- At that time, Chen Lin's five-character poems were wonderful, and they were called "Five Lin and Seven Gan". He wrote famous works such as Shui Han Qu.
- Cang Hong: "Come on, Kong Zhang! The first step is conducive to overseas, and Cang Hong gave his life to Jun Qin. My son is entrusted to the leader, and Zang Hongce is named Chang 'an. The son said that he died and died, and the servant laughed at his life and death without knowing how to smell it. Alas! "
- Chen Shou: "Emperor Wen of the past and Chen Wang were respected by their sons, and they were good at literary talents. They responded with one voice, and talents and talents came out together, but six people, such as Qi, saw the best names."
- Wei Zhong: "Kong Zhang is really crude... If it is one thing or the other, the non-disciples will fry their own paste with fat candles, which is not high, and there are reasons for it. However, the gentleman does not blame one person, but the Zhu lacquer, although it is not dry, is shiny and spectacular. "
- Liu Xi: "Xi Wen Zhuang Festival, in the Han season, won two people, Kong Wenju and Zang Ziyuan. Cao Zijian and Chen Kongwen are the heroes of Jian 'an, but they are still incomparable. "
- Yan Zhitui: "When Chen Kongzhang lived in Yuan Cai's book, he called it a jackal. In Wei Dynasty, it was a snake viper. At the time of your life, you can't be self-employed, but it is also a huge problem for literati, and you should take the news calmly. "
- Wen Tingjun: "I once saw the remains in the history of Qing Dynasty, and I drifted through this grave today. Word guest should know me if he has spirit, and bully is the only one who does not have the right to flow to you. Shilin buried the spring grass, and the bronze finches were desolate against the dusk clouds. Don't blame the wind, and want to learn the sword from the army. "
- Wu Rong: "Jizhou flies to be proud of heroes, but treats his words as his palace. I'll get the end of the pen. How can Jiuquan meet yuangong? "
- Wu bang: "among Jian'an philosophers, philology is the deepest. A few or three thousand words, with a very strange rhyme, are especially difficult to know. "
- Ni Zhijian: "Chen Lin, Ruan Yu, the Emperor Wen called them secretaries to express their talents, and Lin was especially cool. In the prose of the seven sons, Kong Rong can be compared with Wang Can, followed by Chen Lin; The rest are hard to beat."
- Lu Bi: "Chen Lin's knowledge of things coincides with Wei Wu's. What heroes see is roughly the same, and it is appropriate for Wei Wu to love his talents."