Lu Ji (261–303),

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 Theo ...

Shiheng, was a Chinese essayist, military general, politician, and writer who lived during the late

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period and Jin dynasty of China. He was the fourth son of Lu Kang, a general of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in hi ...

in the Three Kingdoms period, and a grandson of

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. ...

, a prominent general and statesman who served as the third Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu.

Life

Lu Ji was related to the imperial family of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in hi ...

. He was the fourth son of the general Lu Kang, who was a maternal grandson of

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175–200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when ...

, the elder brother and predecessor of Eastern Wu's founding emperor,

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime ...

. His paternal grandfather,

, was a prominent general and statesman who served as the third Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu. After the Jin dynasty conquered Eastern Wu in 280 and killed two of his brothers, Lu Ji, along with his brother Lu Yun, fled to Hua Ting in exile. While in exile, Lu wrote ''Dialectic of Destruction'' on the fall of the Wu empire. In 290, Lu and his brother moved to the Jin imperial capital,

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyan ...

. He served as a writer under the Jin government and was appointed president of the imperial academy. In 296, he was appointed a military position. Lu's army suffered major casualties in a battle against

Sima Ai Sima Ai or Sima Yi (司馬乂) (277 – 19/20 March 304), courtesy name Shidu (士度), formally Prince Li of Changsha (長沙厲王), was a Jin Dynasty (266–420) imperial prince who briefly served as regent for his brother Emperor Hui. He wa ...

in November 303 as part of the War of the Eight Princes. Shortly thereafter, Lu, his sons, and his two brothers were charged with treason and executed.

Writings

Lu Ji wrote much lyric poetry but is better known for writing '' fu'', a mixture of prose and poetry. He is best remembered for the ''

Wen fu ''Wen fu'' (), translated as "Essay on Literature", "The Poetic Exposition on Literature" or "Rhymeprose on Literature", is an important work in the history of fu poetry itself written in the Fu poetic form by the poet, general, and statesman Lu ...

'' (文賦; ''On Literature''), a piece of literary criticism that discourses on the principles of composition.

Achilles Fang Achilles Chih-t'ung Fang (; August 20, 1910November 22, 1995) was a Chinese scholar, translator, and educator, best known for his contributions to Chinese literature and comparative literature. Fang was born in Japanese-occupied Korea, but atten ...

commented: English translations of the ''Wen fu'' were done by E.R. Hughes and

. Chen Shixiang translated ''Wen fu'' into verse because, although the piece was rightly called the beginning of Chinese literary criticism, Lu Ji wrote it as poetry. Poets who have been influenced by Lu's ''Wen fu'' include

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

Gary Snyder Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist. His early poetry has been associated with the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance and he has been described as the "poet laureate of ...

, Howard Nemirov, Eleanor Wilner, and

Carolyn Kizer Carolyn Ashley Kizer (December 10, 1925 – October 9, 2014) was an American poet of the Pacific Northwest whose works reflect her feminism. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1985. According to an article at the Center for the Study of the Pacific ...

. Lu Ji is also the writer of the oldest extant work of

Chinese calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held in high este ...

, a short letter to his friends that has been named the '' Pingfutie'' (Consoling Letter).

Notes

References

* 2005 Encyclopædia Britannica, copyrighted 1994-2005 * Li, Siyong and Wei, Fengjuan
"Li Ji"
''

Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, begin ...

'' (Chinese Literature Edition), 1st ed. *

External links

Lu Chi's Wen Fu - The Art of Writing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Ji 261 births 303 deaths 4th-century executions Eastern Wu poets Executed Jin dynasty (266–420) people Jin dynasty (266–420) essayists Jin dynasty (266–420) generals Jin dynasty (266–420) poets Jin dynasty (266–420) politicians People executed by the Jin dynasty (266–420) by decapitation Political office-holders in Shandong Rhetoricians

Life

Writings

See also

Notes

References

External links