Yan Jun ( 200s–240s),

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 ...

Mancai, was an official 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 ...

during the

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 of China.

Life

Yan Jun was from Pengcheng (), which is present-day

Xuzhou Xuzhou ( zh, s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng () in ancient times, is a major city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. The city, with a recorded population of 9,083,790 at the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census (3,135,660 of which lived in ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

. He was known for being very studious since he was young and was well versed in

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

classics. When chaos broke out in central China towards the

end of the Han dynasty The end of the (Eastern) Han dynasty was the period of History of China, Chinese history from 189 to 220 CE, roughly coinciding with the tumultuous reign of the Han dynasty's last ruler, Emperor Xian of Han, Emperor Xian. It was followed by the ...

, he migrated to the Jiangdong region in southern China, where he met and befriended other famous scholars such as

Zhuge Jin Zhuge Jin (174 – July or August 241), courtesy name Ziyu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Zhuge Jin started his career i ...

and

Bu Zhi Bu Zhi (died June or July 247), courtesy name Zishan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the wa ...

. He was known for being sincere, honest and committed to everything he did. Sometime in the third century, Zhang Zhao recommended Yan Jun to serve under the warlord

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 ...

, who controlled the territories in Jiangdong. Sun Quan appointed him as a Cavalry Commandant () and Assistant Officer (). When Sun Quan's general

Lu Su Lu Su (172–217), courtesy name Zijing, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty. In the year 200, when Sun Quan had just taken over the reins of power, his adviser Z ...

died in 217, Sun Quan wanted to let Yan Jun replace Lu and take charge of the military garrison at Lukou (陸口; around present-day

Jiayu County Jiayu County () is a county of southeastern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, located on the southeast (right) bank of the Yangtze River. It is under the administration of Xianning Xianning ( zh, s= , t=/ , p=Xiánníng) is a prefect ...

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

). The other officials congratulated Yan Jun on his new appointment, but Yan Jun firmly declined and said: "I am only a simple scholar and I am unfamiliar with military affairs. If I take up this appointment which I am not suited for, there will be regrets later." He spoke very sincerely – to the point of breaking down in tears. Sun Quan then asked him to try riding on a horse, but he fell off after getting onto horseback, so Sun Quan decided to not let him replace Lu Su. Yan Jun received praise for being candid about his abilities. In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor and established the state of

, he appointed Yan Jun as Minister of the Guards () and sent him as an emissary to Wu's ally state,

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

. In Shu, Yan Jun met and received high praise from

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

, the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of Shu. He was known for being generous as he did not keep the gifts and rewards he received from others and instead distributed them among his relatives and close friends. Sun Quan once asked Yan Jun to recite something he memorised in his childhood. Yan Jun thus recited "The Scope and Meaning of the Treatise", the opening paragraph of the ''

Classic of Filial Piety The ''Classic of Filial Piety'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Xiaojing'', is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety: that is, how to behave towards a senior such as a father, an elder brother, or a ruler. The ...

''. Zhang Zhao, who was also present, remarked: "Yan Jun is a mediocre scholar. I humbly seek permission to recite for Your Majesty." After Sun Quan approved, Zhang Zhao recited "The Service of the Ruler", another paragraph in the ''Classic of Filial Piety''. Sun Quan's other subjects agreed that Zhang Zhao had a good understanding of what he should recite in front of the emperor. Liu Ying (), a scholar from

Guangling Commandery Guangling Commandery was a historical commandery of China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in present-day central Jiangsu province in central coastal China. It was named after Guangling, a historical name of Yangzhou. In early Han dynasty ...

(around present-day

Huai'an ) , leader_title1 = , leader_name1 = , leader_title2 = , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = , leader_name3 = , leader_title4 = , leader_name4 = , established_title = ...

), was an old friend of Yan Jun. Sun Quan heard about Liu Ying's talent and wanted to recruit him but Liu Ying claimed that he was sick and declined the offer. Not long later, Liu Ying's younger brother, Liu Lue (), died in office while serving as the Administrator of Lingling Commandery (零陵郡; around present-day

Yongzhou Yongzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao River, Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and bordering Guang ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

), so Liu Ying travelled to Lingling to attend the funeral. Sun Quan concluded that Liu Ying lied about his illness, so he ordered Liu Ying's arrest. When Yan Jun heard about it, he rushed to Lingling to inform Liu Ying and brought Liu Ying along to meet Sun Quan and apologise. Sun Quan was so furious that he dismissed Yan Jun from office. He spared Liu Ying, however. After some time, Sun Quan recalled Yan Jun back to service and appointed him as the Prefect of the Masters of Writing (). It is not known when Yan Jun died, But the ''Wu Shu'' (吳書; ''Book of Wu'') recorded that he died at the age of 78 (by

East Asian age reckoning Traditional East Asian age reckoning covers a group of related methods for reckoning human ages practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere, where age is the number of calendar years in which a person has been alive; it starts at 1 at birth and i ...

). He was survived by two sons: Yan Kai () and Yan Shuang (). Yan Kai also served in the Wu government, and his highest appointment was Minister Steward (). Yan Jun wrote two books – ''Xiao Jing Zhuan'' () and ''Chao Shui Lun'' (). His discussions with Pei Xuan () and Zhang Cheng on the historical figures

Guan Zhong Guan Zhong (; c. 720–645 BC) was a Chinese philosopher and politician. He served as chancellor and was a reformer of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. His given name was Yiwu (). ''Zhong'' was his courtes ...

and Ji Lu were also spread around.(畯著孝經傳、潮水論，又與裴玄、張承論管仲、季路，皆傳於世。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 53.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Jun Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Eastern Wu government officials Government officials under Sun Quan Writers from Xuzhou Eastern Wu essayists Eastern Wu science writers Politicians from Xuzhou

Life

See also

References