Lu Ji (c. 261 – November 303),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

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

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period and

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

of China. He was the fourth son of Lu Kang, a general of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

in the Three Kingdoms period, and a grandson of

Lu Xun Lu Xun ( zh, c=魯迅, p=Lǔ Xùn, ; 25 September 188119 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a no ...

, 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

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

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175 – 5 May 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 Xian ...

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

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

. His paternal grandfather,

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

conquered Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or legal prohibitions against conquest ...

Eastern Wu in 280 and killed two of his brothers, Lu Ji and 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 ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

. He served as a writer under the Jin government and was appointed president of the imperial academy. In 296, he was appointed to 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 imperial prince who briefly served as regent for his half-brother Emperor Hui. He was the ...

in November 303 as part of the

War of the Eight Princes The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings, or Rebellion of the Eight Princes ( zh, t=八王之亂, s=八王之乱, p=bā wáng zhī luàn, w=pa wang chih luan) was a series of coups and civil wars among kings/princes (Chinese: '' ...

. 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'' (文賦; ''On Literature''), a piece of literary criticism that discourses on the principles of composition. Achilles Fang commented: English translations of the ''Wen fu'' were done by E.R. Hughes and Achilles Fang. 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 influenced by ''Wen fu'' include

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

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 ...

Howard Nemerov Howard Nemerov (February 29, 1920 – July 5, 1991) was an American poet. Nemerov was the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor of English and Distinguished Poet in Residence at Washington University in St. Louis. He was twice ...

, Eleanor Wilner, Carolyn Kizer, and Olav H. Hauge. 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 arts, visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held ...

, 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, be ...

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

External links

Lu Chi's Wen Fu - The Art of Writing

- Jon Fosse on Olav H. Hauge's poetics - in Norwegian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Ji 261 births 303 deaths 4th-century executions Eastern Wu poets People executed by the Jin dynasty (266–420) Jin dynasty (266–420) essayists Jin dynasty (266–420) generals Jin dynasty (266–420) poets Jin dynasty (266–420) government officials People executed by the Jin dynasty (266–420) by decapitation Political office-holders in Shandong Rhetoricians

Life

Writings

See also

Notes

References

External links