Zhu Yunming (; 1461–1527) was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, writer, and

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, known as one of the "Four Talents of Wu" (

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

). Most admired for his accomplishment in calligraphy, he is also a popular cultural figure for his uninhibited lifestyle and iconoclastic thinking. He criticized the orthodox

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Wa ...

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi (; ; October 18, 1130 – April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. Zhu was influential in the development of Neo-Confucianism. He con ...

and admired the philosophy of mind advocated by Wang Yangming. He wrote a large number of essays that criticize traditional values, and was an influence on the iconoclastic philosopher Li Zhi.

Biography

Zhu was born in 1461 in Changzhou County, modern

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

Province. His

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

was Xizhe (), and art name Zhishan (). Born with a supernumerary thumb on one hand, Zhu gave himself the sobriquet "Zhizhi Scholar" (枝指生; ''zhizhi'' refers to preaxial

polydactyly Polydactyly or polydactylism (), also known as hyperdactyly, is an anomaly in humans and animals resulting in supernumerary fingers and/or toes. Polydactyly is the opposite of oligodactyly (fewer fingers or toes). Signs and symptoms In humans ...

in Chinese).According to ''Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368–1644'', Zhu had an extra thumb on his left hand, but in

Qian Qianyi Qian Qianyi (; Suzhou dialect: ; 1582–1664) was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician during the late Ming dynasty.Cihai: Page 1704. Qian was a famous author and poet; and along with Gong Dingzi and Wu Weiye was known as one of the Three M ...

's account, it was on his right hand, see Qian's ''Liechao Shiji Xiaozhuan'' He was said to have been able to write calligraphy with large characters at the tender age of four and compose poetry by the age of eight. He became a certified student at 16, and succeeded in the provincial examination of 1492, but never passed metropolitan examinations. Zhu was appointed as the

county magistrate County magistrate ( or ) sometimes called local magistrate, in imperial China was the official in charge of the ''xian'', or county, the lowest level of central government. The magistrate was the official who had face-to-face relations with the ...

of Xingning, Guangdong, in 1514. He served as the principal editor of the ''Gazetteer of Xingning County (in the reign of Zhengde)'', during his five-year term. In 1521, he was promoted to Controller-General of Yingtian Prefecture (modern

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

). He resigned in less than a year on a plea of illness. He dedicated the rest of his life to writing and died in 1527. Together with

Tang Yin Tang Yin (; 1470–1524), courtesy name Bohu (), was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet of the Ming dynasty period. Even though he was born during the Ming dynasty, many of his paintings, especially those of people, were illustrated with el ...

, Wen Zhengming and Xu Zhenqing, Zhu was one of the "Four Talents of Wu (Suzhou)" (), his calligraphy is the most noted in the quartet. He excelled at small standard script (''xiaokai''), but was of wild-cursive (''kuangcao'') fame. His friends attributed his affinity for this highly expressive calligraphy to his impetuous personality. Zhu was also known as an unorthodox thinker against

. In his later life, he described himself as a "wild man". He finished various collections of miscellaneous notes. Some scholars believe that his work of judgements on historical personalities influenced Li Zhi's ''Cang Shu''.

In popular culture

Zhu's nonconformist thinking and lifestyle have made him a subject of popular legends. Stories about him have been written into a novel, ''The Romance of Zhu Yunming''.

Selected works

* 懷星堂集 'Collection of Huaixing Hall''* 蘇材小纂 'Collected Biographies of Eminent People from Suzhou''* 前闻記 'Memoir of By-gone Events''* 猥谈 'Trivial Talks''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhu, Yunming 1461 births 1527 deaths 15th-century Chinese calligraphers 15th-century Chinese poets 16th-century Chinese calligraphers 16th-century Chinese poets Artists from Suzhou Ming dynasty calligraphers Ming dynasty essayists Ming dynasty poets Ming dynasty politicians Poets from Jiangsu Writers from Suzhou People with polydactyly