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Yan Zhitui (, 531–591) courtesy name Jie () was a Chinese calligrapher,
painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
,
musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...
,
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, ...
,
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
and
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...
who served four different Chinese states during the late
Northern and Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered a ...
: the Liang Dynasty in southern China, the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou Dynasties of
northern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined and only serve to depict where there appears to be regional differences between the climate ...
, and their successor state that reunified China, the
Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...
. Yan Zhitui was a supporter of
Buddhism in China Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...
despite criticism by many of his
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
-taught peers.


Family background

Yan Zhitui's ancestors were originally from Linyi in modern-day
Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...
Province. His family belonged to the aristocratic Yan clan of Langya ( 琅琊顏氏). After the fall of the Jin Dynasty's capital city of
Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...
during the Uprising of the Five Barbarians, the Yan family migrated south below the
Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...
River in the year 317. At the Eastern Jin's new capital of
Jiankang Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Chen dynasty (557–589 CE). Its wal ...
(modern-day
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...
) the Yan family became prominent amongst the elite families. The Yan family provided many officials that served the governments of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the succeeding Southern Dynasties in southern China. There was one dissident of the Yan family, though; upon the transition of the
Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succe ...
to Liang regimes in the year 502, Yan Zhitui's grandfather, Yan Jianyuan refused to serve the Liang court out of continuing loyalty to the
Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succe ...
. When Emperor Wu of Liang assumed the throne and control over southern China, Yan Jianyuan starved himself to death in an act of
piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...
towards the dynasty he once served.Ebrey, 82. Despite this act of devotion from his grandfather, Zhitui's father, Yan Xie decided to serve Emperor Wu and the new Liang Dynasty. Yan Zhiyi and Yan Zhisan were his older brothers.


Descendant

He had three sons,
Yan Silu Yan Silu (), courtesy name Kong Gui (), was a Chinese minister of the Sui dynasty and the Tang dynasty. He was a native of Linyi, Langya Commandery. Background Yan Silu is the son of Yan Zhitui. He is a native of Linyi, Langya Commandery (琅� ...
, Yan Minchu and
Yan Youqin Yan Youqin (顏游秦), courtesy name Youdao (有道), native of Linyi, Lang Xie Commandery, was a politician who lived during the Sui dynasty and the Tang dynasty. He was the governor of Lianzhou. Background Yan Youqin was the third son of Ya ...
.


Life

Yan Zhitui's father, Yan Xie died when he was only nine years old. Without a father figure to guide or support him, Zhitui was raised largely by the efforts of his elder brother. In his teenage years, Zhitui served as a lowly court attendant in the southern capital at Jiankang. Yet when he was eighteen years old the infamous military general Hou Jing came to power in southern China in a rebellion against the Liang Dynasty. Zhitui and a royal prince narrowly escaped execution once they were made prisoners of Hou Jing. In the year 552 Yan Zhitui fled to Jiangling in what is today modern
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...
, accompanying the Liang prince who he served prior to Hou Jing's revolt. This Liang prince established a rival court, yet it was destroyed when Western Wei invaded from the north and captured Jiangling in the year 554. At age twenty-four, Yan Zhitui now had become an enslaved
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of ...
, carted off with 100,000 others to the Western Wei capital of Chang'an. In 556 his family managed to escape Chang'an, and prepared to move east in hopes of returning to the Liang Dynasty over southern China. However, the Chen Dynasty had since overthrown the Liang Dynasty in the south with the ascension of Emperor Wu of Chen. Much like his grandfather who had refused to serve Liang once it usurped control from the Southern Qi state, Yan Zhitui decided not to serve the new Chen regime. Instead, Yan Zhitui was accepted in several court positions serving the Northern Qi Dynasty in northeastern China. Yet fate would have it that Yan would be forced to move again, this time after the Northern Zhou defeated the Northern Qi in the year 577, supplanting it as the ruling dynasty over northern China. At age forty-six, Yan Zhitui moved back to Chang'an where he had once spent time in captivity. For the next several years he was not appointed to any governmental posts, and suffered for a brief time in a state of poverty. When the
Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...
headed by
Emperor Wen of Sui The Emperor Wen of Sui (; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (), alias Narayana () deriving from Buddhist terms, was the founder and the first emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty. The ''Book of ...
usurped control in the north from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yan Zhitui was once again given recognition and appointed to several scholarly and ministerial posts.


Written works

In his old age Yan also found time to work on a
dictionary A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologie ...
and related literary projects. In his 26 chapter book ''Yanshi jiaxun'' (《顏氏家訓》 "The Family Instructions of Master Yan") Yan Zhitui left an entire written compendium of his own philosophy and life-advice to his sons, advising them on which paths to take and which paths to avoid in order to gain success in life. In addition, he also made observations about the differences between
Northern and Southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions is not precisely defined and only serve to depict where there appears to be regional differences between the climates ...
of his time, especially in regards to
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
, customs, and
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
. He wrote that he formed many bad habits in life that took years to overcome because his elder brother had not been strict enough with him in the absence of their father. He stressed the need to acquire a good education, since well-educated ministers were chosen for posts, while others who had prestigious family lines for centuries wound up working on farms or tending to horses in the stable if they were not properly educated. Although he stressed the need for mastering calligraphy, painting, and playing the musical instrument of the lute (
guqin The ''guqin'' (; ) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and Scholar-bureaucrats, literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinemen ...
), he warned against them from practicing too much and gaining too much skill. This was because those of higher rank, in a degrading and humiliating fashion, could easily call upon them to constantly entertain and produce fanciful calligraphy, poetry, or a musical song on the spot. Yan Zhitui was an
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
when it came to the prized calligraphy in his family's collection, with written pieces in his possession that were originally penned by the masters of early calligraphy, Wang Xizhi and his son Wang Xianzhi. In his writing, Yan Zhitui also supported
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. Yan defended it against many of his fellow peers who were staunch critics of the religion, despite Yan's own strong emphasis on
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
learning and education. Yan also required of his sons that his funeral should be accompanied by Buddhist services, and persuaded his sons not to offer meat in traditional ancestral offerings. Although he called upon his sons to observe and respect the teachings of Buddhism, he did not want them to lead a remote and isolated monastic life, as he still had expectations that his sons should marry and have families of their own. He did, however, encourage them to: Although
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...
had been known as a wrapping and padding material in China since the 2nd century BC,Needham, 122. an early reference to the use of paper for toilet purposes was made by Yan.Needham, ''Science and Civilization'', 123. In 589 AD Yan Zhitui wrote:


References


Citations


Sources

* *


Further reading

* Tian, Xiaofei (2021)
Family Instructions for the Yan Clan and Other Works by Yan Zhitui (531–590s)
. ''De Gruyter Mouton''.


External links



* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Zhitui 531 births 591 deaths 6th-century Chinese calligraphers 6th-century Chinese painters 6th-century Chinese philosophers 6th-century Chinese writers Buddhist artists Scholars of Buddhism Chinese non-fiction writers Liang dynasty Buddhists Liang dynasty musicians Liang dynasty painters Liang dynasty writers Musicians from Hubei Northern Qi Buddhists Northern Qi musicians Northern Qi painters Northern Qi writers Northern Wei Buddhists Northern Wei musicians Northern Wei painters Northern Wei writers Northern Zhou Buddhists Northern Zhou musicians Northern Zhou painters Northern Zhou writers Painters from Hubei People from Jingzhou Philosophers of art Philosophers of education Philosophers of literature Political philosophers Social philosophers Sui dynasty musicians Sui dynasty painters Sui dynasty politicians Sui dynasty writers Writers from Hubei