Qu Yuan (340 BC - 278 BC), surnamed Qu, given name Ping, courtesy name Yuan, was born in Danyang (now Zigui, Hubei) of the Chu State in the late Warring States Period of China. He was the son of Qu Xia, the son of Xiong Tong, King Wu of Chu. Descendants. One of China's greatest poets. In his early years, Qu Yuan was trusted by King Huai of Chu and served as his disciple. He often discussed state affairs with King Huai and participated in the formulation of laws. At the same time, he presides over foreign affairs. He advocated that Chu and Qi should unite and fight against Qin together. With Qu Yuan's efforts, Chu's national strength increased. However, due to his own upright character and the slander and exclusion of others, Qu Yuan was gradually alienated by King Huai of Chu. In 305 BC, Qu Yuan objected to King Chu Huai's signing of the Yellow Thorn Alliance with Qin, but Chu still completely fell into the arms of Qin. As a result, Qu Yuan was also expelled from Yingdu by King Huai of Chu and lived in northern Han Dynasty. Qu Yuan was expelled from Yingdu. During his exile, Qu Yuan felt depressed and began to create literature. His works were filled with his attachment to Chu Land and Chu Feng and his enthusiasm for serving the people and the country. His works have gorgeous words, strange imagination, novel metaphors and profound connotations, and have become one of the origins of Chinese literature. In 278 BC, Qin general Bai Qi sent his troops south and captured the capital of Ying. Qu Yuan, out of despair and grief, threw a large stone into the Miluo River and died. Legend has it that local people dropped rice dumplings to feed the fish to prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fish. Later, it gradually formed a ritual. From now on, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month will be the Dragon Boat Festival. People eat rice dumplings and row dragon boats to commemorate this great patriotic poet. In 1953, the 2230th anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, the World Peace Council passed a resolution identifying Qu Yuan as one of the four cultural celebrities in the world commemorated that year.

Family History

Family

Qu Yuan was born in a noble family of Chu State. Qu Yuan’s ancestors were the same as the ancestors of the King of Chu. They were also surnamed Mi at first, and later changed their surname to Xiong; When it was passed to Xiong Yi, he was granted the title of Chu for his merits and lived in Danyang (which is now Zigui County, Hubei Province). This is Qu Yuan's hometown. In the early Spring and Autumn Period, around the 7th century BC, the son of King Wu of Chu Xiong Tong was granted the title of Qu Xia, and his descendants took Qu as their surname. The family members of the King of Chu, similar to the Qu family, also include the Zhao family and the Jing family. Zhao, Qu, and Jing are the three major surnames of the Chu family. Qu Yuan once served as the official of Sanlu, and it is said that he was in charge of the affairs of the three surnames of the royal family.

Since Qu Yuan was the descendant of the King of Chu, which was called a "gong clan" or "gongshi" at that time, his relationship with the Chu State was of course unusual. The descendants of the Qu family, such as Qu Chong, Qu Wan, Qu Dao, Qu Jian, etc., all held important positions in the Chu State. Qu Yuan's father was Boyong. In Qu Yuan's generation, there were not many high-ranking officials in the Qu family, only Qu Yuan and Qu Gai, the general who was later captured by the Qin State. Qu Yuan's "Xi Chan" in "Nine Chapters" of Chu Ci once said:

"Suddenly forgetting the lowliness and poverty of the body."

It is possible that the noble family was already in decline at that time.

Birth

According to the results of many modern studies, Qu Yuan’s birth date probably did not occur between the twenty-seventh year of King Xuan of Chu (342 BC) and the thirtieth year (339 BC). years). According to Jiazi's calculation, that year should be the year of Wuyin. What a coincidence that Qu Yuan was born not only in the year of Yin, but also in the month and day of Yin. According to the old saying in the Chinese calendar, "people are born in Yin", so Xia Zheng uses the month of Jian Yin (i.e. the first month) as the beginning of the year. Since Qu Yuan was born in the Yin year, Yin month and Yin day, it truly conforms to the birth date of a "person". Therefore, Qu Yuan said in his famous work "Li Sao":

"The photo of Ti Zhen is from Meng Zou Xi, but Geng Yin is I will surrender."

This sentence means that in the first month of that year when the Tai Sui star met Yin [4], it was also the day of Gengyin, and I was born from the mother's body. It means that this year is the Yin year; Meng is the beginning, Shuo is the first month, and the lunar calendar uses the month of Jian Yin as the beginning of the year, indicating that the first month of this year is the Yin month; Geng Yin means that this day is the Yin day. Qu Yuan was born on the Yin day of the Yin month of the Yin year, which was a good day (according to calculations by Zou Hanxun and Liu Shipei using the Yin calendar and the Xia calendar, it was determined to be the 21st day of the first month of 343 BC. In the Qing Dynasty, Chen Jue used the weekly calendar to calculate it as 343 BC). the 22nd day of the first month of the year), currently generally set as 340 BC.

Named

Qu Yuan felt that his birthday was a bit unusual, so he said in "Li Sao":

"Huang Lan Kuiyu came to visit you for the first time. Zhaoxi Yu was given a good name, his name was Zhengzexi, and his courtesy name was Lingjun."

These four sentences mean: My father saw that my birth was extraordinary, so he gave me a good name. My name is "Ping" and my given name is "Yuan". When Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty explained Qu Yuan's name in "Zhang Ju":

"Zheng means Ping Ye; it is the Dharma"; There is nothing more important than the sky, which can nourish and balance things, and nothing can be better than the earth."

That's why it is called "Ping Yifa Tian", and the word "originally Yifa Earth". In conjunction with the year, month and day of his birth, literally speaking, "ping" means justice, and "pingzheng" is the symbol of the sky; "yuan" means the wide and flat terrain [7], which is the symbol of the earth. Qu Yuan His birth date and name are in line with the three traditions of heaven, earth and man: "The sky is created by Zi, the earth is created by Chou, and people are born by Yin" [8]. This may seem like a coincidence today, but it was considered a good sign at the time.

Diplomacy during the Qu Yuan period

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, many small countries have gradually been annexed by big powers after long-term wars. By around 403 BC, a situation was formed in which seven great powers (Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Qi, Chu, and Qin) stood side by side and competed for supremacy. From then on until Qin unified the six kingdoms (221 BC), history calls these 180 years the Warring States Period. In this era, there were fierce struggles between countries, successive attacks, and political turmoil. The poet Qu Yuan lived in the late Warring States period when society was undergoing great changes. The strength of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period is not balanced, and as the political and economic reforms of various countries continue to deepen, their strength continues to wax and wane. In the early Warring States period, Zhao, Wei, and Han implemented reforms in their economic and political systems, and they were once powerful. After Li Kui's reforms, Wei State became the most powerful country at that time.

Unfortunately, their reforms were not thorough, and coupled with the unfavorable terrain, they quickly declined again. The State of Yan is located in a remote corner of the north and is working hard to expand its territory in the northeast. After the abdication of King Kuai of Yan, some political reforms were carried out, but they were not fully completed, so "there are seven warring states in the world, but Yan is weak." It's just that they suffered less from the war and were able to stay on one side. The remaining three kingdoms of Qi, Chu and Qin were evenly matched at first.

After Qin Xiaogong implemented Shang Yang's reform, he worked hard to increase production and encourage the people's fighting mood. Ten years later, the country was rich and the people were strong, and they attacked various countries in consecutive years, becoming a serious threat to the other six countries. Because of Qin's strength, any of the other six countries is no longer an opponent. So a group of strategists put forward the idea of ??"joint vertical line", that is, from Yan to Chu, the six northern and southern countries would unite into a vertical line to jointly oppose the Qin State in the west. The representative figure who advocated the joint vertical was called Su Qin. In 334 BC, he persuaded Marquis Wen of Yan to help him lobby the six countries and establish the joint vertical organization. In 318 BC, Su Qin made an appointment with six kingdoms to attack Qin. King Huai of Chu was once the commander, but unfortunately he was defeated. Contrary to this, the Qin State also organized a group of strategists to propose the idea of ??"Liancheng", that is, the Qin State in the West formed an alliance with one of the six eastern countries to form an east-west horizontal line to attack the other. nation. The representative figure of Lian Heng is Zhang Yi. In 328 BC, Zhang Yi became the prime minister of Qin and implemented the policy of lianheng, which was very effective. In the late Warring States period when Qu Yuan lived, the struggle among the seven kingdoms for supremacy was basically a struggle between vertical and horizontal alliances.

Chu's Diplomacy

Among the three countries of Qin, Chu, and Qi, Qin and Chu are the countries most likely to unify the six countries, and Qin has the advantage. Therefore, Chu State can only confront Qin State if it unites with Qi State. Only by destroying the alliance between Qi and Chu can Qin be able to establish alliances with distant and close enemies, defeat them one by one, and realize her great cause of unifying the six kingdoms. This was the diplomatic situation of Chu State in Qu Yuan's time; as far as Chu's internal affairs were concerned, in order to enrich the country and strengthen its army and defeat Qin, it was necessary to strengthen the rule of law, limit the privileges of the nobility, promote talents and develop economic strength. Qu Yuan advocated reform and opposed the corrupt aristocratic rule; he advocated alliance and insisted on the foreign policy of uniting Qi to resist Qin. It was based on the situation of the Warring States Period when the seven heroes were competing for hegemony and was the correct policy in line with the long-term interests of the Chu State.

Qu Yuan first served as Zuo Tu

Qu Yuan was an outstanding talent among the nobles of Chu State.

"But King Huai's youngest son Zilan was afraid of losing the favor of King Qin, so he tried his best to encourage King Huai to go. As a result, as soon as King Huai entered Wuguan, he was detained by the Qin army and taken to Xianyang, threatening him to cede Wu County and Qianzhong County to Chu. King Huai was kidnapped and taken to Xianyang. Chu welcomed the crown prince Heng from Qi and established him as the king of Qingxiang. The prince Zilan was appointed as the commander. However, he refused to cede the land to Qin. Qin sent troops to attack Chu again, defeated the Chu army, beheaded 50,000 people, and took the throne. Sixteen cities. In the third year of King Qingxiang's reign, King Huai died in Qin. The people of Qin sent his body to Chu for burial. The people of Chu pitied him as if they were mourning their own parents and brothers. He believed that the Qin State was unjust.

The second exile

(Jiangnan area)

In 293 BC, King Qingxiang. In the sixth year, the State of Qin sent Bai Qi to Yique to attack South Korea, and achieved a great victory, beheading 240,000 people. The State of Qin then sent a letter to the King of Chu saying: "The State of Chu betrayed the State of Qin, and the State of Qin prepared to lead the princes to attack the State of Chu to a decisive battle." Win or lose. I hope you can rectify your soldiers and fight happily. "King Qingxiang of Chu was very worried and planned to make peace with Qin again. Qu Yuan said this was absolutely intolerable. Like the people of Chu, he blamed Zilan for not persuading King Huai to enter Qin and even causing King Huai to enter Qin. He died in Qin State, and blamed him for encouraging King Qingxiang to surrender to Qin State. He wrote poems and expressed his feelings of caring for Chu State, caring about the king, and not forgetting his desire to rebel." He also pointed out that King Huai finally fell. The fate of dying in another country is because "the so-called loyal people are not loyal, and the so-called wise people are not virtuous." This posed a threat to Zilan, so Zilan ordered Jin Shang to slander King Qingxiang, causing Qu Yuan to be exiled to a remote area in the south for the second time. According to the analysis of "Ai Ying", the route of this exile started from Yingdu (Jianling County, Hubei Province), first went southeast along the river, passed through Xia Shou (southeast of Shashi, Hubei Province), and passed by Longmen (east gate of Yingdu). Dongting Lake entered the Yangtze River, then left Xiapu (Hankou, Hubei), and finally reached Lingyang (said to be the south of Qingyang County in present-day Anhui).

Express your mood with poetry

From the sixth year to the eighteenth year of King Qingxiang, Chu State was basically controlled by Qin State, bowing its head and obeying orders, not daring to move. Qu Yuan was heartbroken about this, but was powerless to do anything about it. Seeing that the country was getting weaker and the people's livelihood was becoming more difficult, he had no choice but to express his worries about the country and the people in poetry.

Throwing himself into the Miluo River

Qin was not satisfied with King Chu's compromise. In the 19th year of King Qingxiang of Chu (280 BC), Qin general Sima Cuo attacked Chu, and Chu ceded Shangyong and northern Han Dynasty. In the second year, Qin Bai attacked Chu and captured Xie, Deng, and Xiling; In the eleventh year (278 BC), Bai Qi further captured Yingdu, and King Qingxiang had no choice but to flee in embarrassment together with the ruling nobles, "protecting themselves in Chencheng (now Huaiyang County, Henan)." "Ai Ying" said:

"Why are the people shocked by the impure destiny of the emperor and heaven? The people are separated and lose each other, and they move eastward in the middle of spring."

That's it. Describe this chaotic situation. Before and after this, Qu Yuan once traveled along Jiangxi, hoping to see the devastated motherland and the King of Chu whom he had assisted throughout his life. As a result, we only saw the Qin Dynasty advancing step by step, and the Chu court's corruption and stupidity. Qu Yuan, who wanted to "run one after another" for the King of Chu and "even though he died nine times, never regretted it", saw his motherland dying step by step, but he could not do anything, so he buried the thought of martyrdom for his country. He crossed Ezhu (Wuchang, Hubei), he came from Dongting, traced the Yuanshui River, passed through Wuling (Wuling County, Changde, Hunan) to Chenyang (Chenxi, Hunan), then turned southeast, and stopped at Shupu. Soon he went down to the Yuanjiang River, went to Dongting, crossed the Xiangshui River, and reached the Miluo River near Changsha. In a mood of extreme depression and complete despair, he committed suicide by drowning himself in the river on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. This year was probably 278 BC, the 21st year of King Qingxiang. Qu Yuan was about 66 years old at that time. After that, the state of Chu declined and was destroyed by Qin in 223 BC.

Later generations wrote about the scene of Qu Yuan before he committed suicide:

After Qu Yuan was released, he swam in the rivers and lakes and sang by the riverside. His appearance was haggard and his description was haggard.

When the fisherman saw it, he asked: "My son is not from the Sanlu official! Why is he like this?"

Qu Yuan said: "The whole world is turbid and I am the only one who is pure, and everyone is drunk on me." To wake up alone is to see and let go."

The Fisherman said: "The sage is not stagnant in things, but can move with the world.

Everyone in the world is muddy, why not clear away the mud and make waves? Everyone is drunk, why not feed the drunkenness and swallow the drunkenness? Why do you think deeply and exalt yourself and let yourself go? ”

Qu Yuan said: “I have heard that those who are newly bathed must flick their crowns, and those who are newly bathed must shake their clothes. Is there anyone who can observe the body and receive the warmth of things?” I would rather go to Xiangliu and be buried in the belly of a river fish. How could An Neng be so bright and white yet be covered in the dust of the world?

The fisherman smiled, drummed and went away, singing: "The water in Canglang is clear, so I can wash my tassel; the water in Canglang is turbid, I can wash my feet." " Then he left and said no more. [12]

Memorial of Qu Yuan

The people of Chu State miss Qu Yuan very much. Folk customs of eating rice dumplings and dragon boat racing are all related to Qu Yuan. It is said that after Qu Yuan died, the food that people offered as sacrifices to Qu Yuan was snatched away by the dragon. However, the dragon was afraid of neem leaves and five-color silk threads, so people wrapped rice into brown rice to worship Qu Yuan; the dragon boat race was said to be for salvage purposes. Qu Yuan's body. Although these legends are not reliable (one is to commemorate the training of the navy by King Gou Jian), they fully reflect people's love for Qu Yuan and illustrate Qu Yuan's status in people's minds.

Another legend is that local people dropped rice dumplings to feed the fish to prevent Qu Yuan's body from being eaten by the fish. Later, it gradually formed a ritual every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month as the Dragon Boat Festival. People eat rice dumplings and row dragon boats to commemorate the great man. A patriotic poet. According to Yiduo's "Dragon Boat Examination", the Dragon Boat Festival existed in the Wuyue area before Qu Yuan threw himself into the river. However, from Qu Yuan's death more than 2,200 years ago to today, the mainstream of Chinese society has always recognized that the Dragon Boat Festival worships Qu Yuan.

I cannot change my mind and follow the vulgar, so I will be miserable and end up poor

Qu Yuan's famous sayings

The road is long and long, and I will search up and down. (Qu Yuan·Li Sao)

I took a long breath to cover my tears, mourning the hardships of the people's lives. (Qu Yuan·Li Sao)

It is also the kindness of my heart, even if I die nine times, I still haven't done it. Regret. (Qu Yuan, Li Sao)

I am alone in the chaos. Everyone is drunk, but I am sober. (Qu Yuan, She Jiang)

I will not hesitate to do so, but I will be in a coma for the rest of my life. (Qu Yuan, She Jiang)

A hundred gold can buy a horse, a thousand gold can buy a beauty, ten thousand gold can buy a high noble, but where can you buy youth

Cang The water in the waves is clear, and you can wash my clothes

The water in Canglang is turbid, and you can wash my feet

I am galloping on a horse, and I am here to lead the way... .....

Main Works

Qu Yuan was a poet. Starting from him, China had writers who were famous for their literature. He founded the "Chu Ci" genre. The literary style (that is, the creation of the "Ci Fu" style) is known as "a poet of a different generation". According to the records of Hanshu Yiwenzhi, there are only 25 works left by him. There is still some doubt as to whether the chapters were written by Qu Yuan, but it is certain that the majority of them were written by Qu Yuan. For example, "Li Sao" is Qu Yuan's most important representative work.

"Li Sao"

"Nine Chapters"

"Nine Songs"

"Tianwen"

"Sorrow"

"Huaisha" 》

World Cultural Celebrities

Qu Yuan was a poet who loved his motherland. He was consistent with the people of Chu in terms of loyalty to the motherland and resisting powerful enemies, although he failed politically. , but the large number of poems he left behind greatly inspired the people of Chu State in their determination to avenge their humiliation and restore their motherland. He played a huge role in overthrowing Qin Dynasty and reviving Chu State. The development of history has not only not diluted the people's memory of Qu Yuan, but also expanded Qu Yuan's influence. After World War II, 75 famous figures from 17 countries jointly launched the "World Congress for the Defense of Peace". In 1953, the World Peace Council, which held the World Peace Conference in Moscow, decided to list Qu Yuan as a world cultural celebrity and called on people all over the world to solemnly commemorate him. Qu Yuan's name will always remain in the hearts of people around the world.

At that time, the People's Republic of China had just been founded. In order to respond to the World Peace Conference and strive for international status, the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Culture decided to form a "Qu Yuan Research Group" composed of Guo Moruo, You Guoen, Zheng Zhenduo, Wen Huaisha and others, and assigned Qu Yuan to His works were compiled into collections and published in vernacular form.