Yuan Zhen

TimelineCBDB

1. 809 監察御史 元和
2. 815 司馬 元和
3. 818 州刺史 元和
4. 819 膳部員外郎 元和
5. 820 祠部郎中 元和
6. 821 中書舍人 長慶
7. 821 翰林承旨學士 長慶
8. 822 宰相 長慶
9. 822 州刺史 長慶
10. 823 州刺史 長慶
11. 823 州刺史 長慶
12. 829 尚書左丞相 大和
13. 830 州刺史 大和
14. 830 節度使 大和

Office recordsCBDB

FamilyCBDB

AliasesCBDB

• 元九 行第
• 元才子 未詳
• 威明 字
• 微之 字

StatusCBDB

• 書法家
• 詩人
• 文人
• 工於文
• [宰相]

AssociationsCBDB

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ExaminationsCBDB

WorksCBDB

Citations

1. [1] Dates and identity Yuan Zhen lived from 779 to 831 and is identified as a Tang poet and writer.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The main profile gives Yuan Zhen’s name and the years 779–831, while the status entries identify him as a poet and literary man.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographical entries give 779–831 and describe him as a Tang poet and literary figure.
   • WikidataYuan Zhen (Q468709)The item is labelled Yuan Zhen, describes him as a Chinese poet, and gives the 779 and 831 date values.
2. [2] Names and origin His courtesy names were Weizhi and Weiming; he was known as Yuan Jiu and came from Luoyang in Henan.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The profile lists Weiming and Weizhi as courtesy names, Yuan Jiu as a rank-name, and Luoyang as his ancestral place.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographical entries give Weizhi, Weiming, the ninth rank, and Luoyang in present-day Henan.
   • WikidataYuan Zhen (Q468709)The name entries include Weiming, Weizhi, and their Chinese forms.
3. [3] Lineage and childhood He was associated with the Xianbei Tuoba lineage and a genealogy traces him to the Northern Wei imperial house; he was orphaned of his father at eight and raised through his mother’s maternal kin.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The entries give both the Tuoba-descendant formulation and the genealogy naming Tuoba Shiyijian, as well as the account of his father’s death, family pressure, and move to Fengxiang.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The kinship entries name his father as Yuan Kuan and his mother as Zheng, daughter of Zheng Ji.
4. [4] Examinations and first appointments He passed the Mingjing examination in 793, later passed the Shupan Bacui examination and became a Palace Library collator; the sources differ between the eighteenth and nineteenth years of Zhenyuan for the latter examination.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographical entries give the 793 Mingjing success and the Shupan Bacui examination with the Palace Library appointment, but give different Zhenyuan years for the latter.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The office entry identifies the Palace Library collator appointment.
5. [5] Policy examination In 806 Yuan passed the Talent and Learning examination, ranked first in policy answers, and became Left Reminder.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographical entries give the 806 policy examination, first-ranked answer, and appointment as Left Reminder.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The examination and office entries identify the Talent and Learning examination as first-ranked and list Left Reminder.
6. [6] Censorial career and demotion After offending those in power, Yuan served as a Henan county commandant and then an Investigating Censor; his 809 mission and uncompromising enforcement preceded his demotion to Jiangling.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The entries describe the transition from Henan county commandant to Investigating Censor, the 809 mission and Eastern Capital assignment, and the demotion after conflict with powerful and palace figures.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The office entries list the Henan county post, the 809 Investigating Censor appointment, and the Jiangling staff post.
7. [7] Exile-period offices and political support Yuan served in the Tang-Deng circuit, at Tongzhou, and at Guozhou; after Pei Ji’s death he lost his political support and turned to Cui Tanjun.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographies list the Tang-Deng, Tongzhou, and Guozhou appointments and describe the change following Pei Ji’s death.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The office entries list the Tongzhou military aide and the Guozhou governorship.
8. [8] Return to court He returned in 819 as Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Accoutrements and rose through the ceremonial, drafting, Secretariat, and Hanlin offices in the following year.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographical entries give the 819 return to court and the successive ceremonial, drafting, Secretariat, and Hanlin appointments.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The office data dates the Court of Imperial Accoutrements post to 819 and lists the 820–821 ceremonial, drafting, Secretariat, and Hanlin posts.
9. [9] Chancellorship and disputed dismissal In 822 Yuan became a chief councillor for three months; the accounts differ between Pei Du’s impeachment and Li Fengji’s political attack as the reason for his removal.
   • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographies agree on the 822 chief councillorship and its short duration but give different explanations for the removal.
   • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The office and status entries identify Yuan’s 822 chancellorship.
10. [10] Later offices and posthumous grant Yuan held the governorship of Tongzhou, the eastern Zhejiang surveillance commission, the Left Vice Directorate in 829, and the Wuchang military governorship in 830; he died in office at fifty-three and received the posthumous title Right Pushe.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographies list the Tongzhou, eastern Zhejiang, Left Vice Director, and Wuchang offices, and give the age, death place, and posthumous grant.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The structured data lists the later offices, the 829 and 830 dates, Ezhou as the place of death, and the Right Pushe title.
11. [11] Family His father was Yuan Kuan and his mother Zheng; he had two wives, Wei Cong and Pei Shu, the father-in-law Wei Xiaqing, one named son, four named daughters, and a son-in-law Wei Xuan.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The kinship data names his parents, father-in-law, two wives with their years, son, four daughters, and son-in-law.
12. [12] Friendship and poetic exchange Yuan was close to Bai Juyi, shared the same year of the policy examination, exchanged poems with him, and associated with several leading writers; his exchanges with Dou Gong in Yuezhou were called the Lanting masterpiece.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographies call Yuan and Bai close friends, describe their shared new Yuefu work and extensive exchanges, and mention the Lanting celebration with Dou Gong.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The association entries identify Han Yu, Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, Li Shen, and Dou Gong as friends and document the same-year relationship with Bai Juyi.
13. [13] Yuan-Bai style Yuan’s accessible poetic manner brought him fame alongside Bai Juyi as Yuan and Bai; their style was called the Yuan-Bai style and also the Yuanhe style.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The literary entries describe the plain manner of his poetry, the Yuan-Bai pairing, and the names Yuan-Bai style and Yuanhe style.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The status entries identify him as a poet, literary man, and skilled writer.
    • WikidataYuan Zhen (Q468709)The item describes him as a Chinese poet and a Tang Chinese poet.
14. [14] Yuefu poetry Yuan followed Du Fu’s event-based poetic practice, helped create new Yuefu with Li Shen and Bai Juyi, and later worked with Liu Meng and Li Yu on old-style Yuefu.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The literary entry connects Yuan with Du Fu’s event-based practice, new Yuefu with Li Shen and Bai Juyi, and old-style Yuefu with Liu Meng and Li Yu.
15. [15] Themes and rhyme practice His erotic poems recalled youthful lovers, his mourning poems lamented Wei Cong, and Yuan-Bai exchanges were associated with the rise of unrhymed responding poems.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The literary entry distinguishes the erotic and mourning subjects and says that the practice of responding without the same rhyme became prevalent with Yuan and Bai.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The kinship entry identifies Wei Cong as Yuan’s first wife.
16. [16] Chuanqi works Yingying zhuan is attributed to Yuan, with a biographical account making it a joint work with Li Shen; Huizhen ji was regarded as a source for The Romance of the Western Chamber.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The biographical entries connect Huizhen ji with the later Western Chamber and describe Yingying zhuan and Ge as works written with Li Shen.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The text entry lists Yingying zhuan and assigns Yuan the role of author.
17. [17] Collections and transmission The Yuan shi Changqing ji was his collected poetry and prose; its one-hundred-juan original and the ten-juan Xiao ji were lost, while a sixty-juan Song compilation circulated and the Complete Tang Poems arranged twenty-eight juan of his poetry. Other listed titles include Yuan Zhen ji, Leiji, Yuan-Bai Jiheshi ji, and Yuanhe zhi ce.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The literary entries give the collection title, the one-hundred- and ten-juan lost versions, the sixty-juan Song compilation, and the twenty-eight-juan Complete Tang Poems arrangement.
    • CBDBYuan Zhen (32248)The text entries list the Chinese titles corresponding to the collected works and associated titles named in the article.
18. [18] Contemporary circulation During Muzong’s reign the court requested Yuan’s poems, attendants recited them, he was called Yuan the Talented, and his poetry circulated across the empire and beyond.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The epitaph and biographical entries describe Muzong’s requests, palace recitation, the name Yuan the Talented, and the wide circulation of his poems.
19. [19] Later reception Later critics both praised and faulted Yuan’s poetry, and some connected the Yuan-Bai manner and his mourning and erotic poetry with a distinctive and influential literary development.
    • Souyun元稹 (14615)The critical entries praise Yuan’s beauty and force, call Yuan and Bai major Tang poets, criticize excessive directness and prolixity, note their departure from High Tang conventions, and discuss later literary influence.