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Jie Jin

Early Ming scholar-official from Jishui who joined the first Grand Secretariat under Yongle and led the compilation of what became the Yongle Encyclopedia

Also known as Zi Dashen · Hao Chunyu

Jie Jin, courtesy name Dashen, styled Chunyu, came from Jishui in modern Jiangxi and passed the jinshi examination in 1388. The Hongwu Emperor admired his long memorial on government but later sent him home to study; the Jianwen court recalled him. Under Zhu Di he was one of seven men posted to the Wenyuan Hall to take part in state business, and he led the compilation that became the Yongle Encyclopedia. His support for the eldest son Zhu Gaochi as heir earned the enmity of the Prince of Han, and in 1407 he was demoted to Guangxi and then sent to Jiaozhi. Visiting the capital in 1410 while the emperor was on campaign, he saw only the crown prince, was accused of failing in a subject's duty and jailed, and in 1415 Ji Gang of the Embroidered Uniform Guard made him drunk and buried him in snow. His rank was restored in 1465, and his Wenyi Collection entered the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries.

Life and times

  1. 1369 CEBornMing
  2. 1403Compilation of Yongle EncyclopediaTook partage 34Compiling 370 million characters across 22,877 volumes, constructing the largest paper encyclopedia in history.
    1. Xie Jin Compiling Yongle EncyclopediaScholars under Xie Jin compiled over 22,800 volumes into the monumental Yongle Encyclopedia.
  3. 1415 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Sayings4
    1. Perfect in Goodness and Beauty: Jie Jin on Zhong and WangMingIdiom from Jie Jin's Spring Rain Miscellany: calligraphy perfect in every way
    2. Unlocking the World's Secrets to Accomplish Its TasksMingIdiom from the Great Commentary of the Book of Changes: knowing things and getting things done
    3. Reaching the Very Summit: Jie Jin on CalligraphyMingIdiom in Jie Jin's notes on calligraphy: the one or two characters that reach the peak
    4. Suddenly Seeing It Whole: Xie Jin on Mastering CalligraphyMingIdiom from Xie Jin's Notes in Spring Rain: after long practice, it all suddenly connects
  2. Literature · Prose3
    1. Yongle EncyclopediaMingYongle Emperor's encyclopedia of 22,877 juan by Jie Jin and Yao Guangxiao; about 800 survive
    2. Yongle Encyclopedia: Imperial Preface, Memorial of Presentation and General PrinciplesMing
    3. Yongle Encyclopedia: Main text (characters arranged by the rhymes of the Hongwu Zhengyun; 22,877 juan originally, about 800 surviving)Ming
  3. Literature · Criticism1
    1. Miscellaneous Notes in Spring RainMingJie Jin's early Ming notes on poetry and calligraphy, chiefly on holding and moving the brush

Connections

  1. Shared events1
    1. Yao Guangxiao1335 CE–1418 CE
  2. Rulers and officials1
    1. Zhu DiSovereign · 1360 CE–1424 CE