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Yang Xiong

Han rhapsodist and philosopher from Chengdu who wrote court rhapsodies for Emperor Cheng, then turned to the Taixuan and Fayan, modelled on the Changes and the Analects

Also known as Zi Ziyun · Yang Zi Yun

Yang Xiong, courtesy name Ziyun, came from Chengdu in Shu. A stammerer devoted to study, he modelled his early rhapsodies on those of his townsman Sima Xiangru. In his forties he went to the capital, was recommended for his writing, and under Emperor Cheng presented rhapsodies on the Ganquan palace, the Hedong sacrifice, the imperial hunt and the Changyang palace, earning a post as gentleman in attendance. Passed over for promotion through three reigns, he turned to philosophy, writing the Classic of Great Mystery (Taixuan jing) after the Book of Changes and the Model Sayings (Fayan) after the Analects; the dialect glossary Fangyan is also attributed to him. Under Wang Mang he became a grandee for his age, and, implicated in a case over forged omens while collating books in the Tianlu Pavilion, he leapt from the building and nearly died. He died in AD 18 at seventy-one. In 1084 the Song placed his tablet in the Confucian temple; the early Ming removed it because he had served Wang Mang.

Life and times

  1. 53 BCEBornHan
  2. 18 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Rhapsodies21
    1. Rhapsody on the Feathered HuntHanYang Xiong's rhapsody on Emperor Cheng's great hunt in the Shanglin Park, praise with a warning
    2. Rhapsody on Expelling PovertyHanYang Xiong's comic rhapsody: he tries to drive Poverty out, and Poverty argues to stay
    3. Rhapsody on the Ganquan PalaceHanYang Xiong's grand rhapsody on Emperor Cheng's Ganquan rites: splendour with a quiet rebuke
    4. Admonitions for the Twelve ProvincesHanYang Xiong's twelve admonitions in governors' voices, each recalling a province's rise and fall
    5. Admonition on WineHanYang Xiong sets a well pitcher beside a wine bag: the upright breaks, the slippery thrives
    6. +16 more
      1. In Praise of Zhao ChongguoHanYang Xiong praises Zhao Chongguo for quelling the western Qiang, a match for Zhou's generals
      2. Rhapsody on HedongHanYang Xiong follows the emperor to the Fenyin rites and urges him to match Yao and Shun
      3. Resolving ObjectionsHanYang Xiong answers the charge that his Taixuan is too deep: high truths cannot please the crowd
      4. A Rejoinder to Encountering SorrowHanYang Xiong turns the lines of Encountering Sorrow round to mourn Qu Yuan and question his death
      5. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: PrefaceHan
      6. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: The Han sets out for the sacrificeHan
      7. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: Spirit guards of the processionHan
      8. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: The imperial carriage rides outHan
      9. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: First sight of GanquanHan
      10. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: The towering hallsHan
      11. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: The front hall and its galleriesHan
      12. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: Fragrant winds and musicHan
      13. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: Fasting and seeking the spiritsHan
      14. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: The burnt offering to the Great UnityHan
      15. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: The returnHan
      16. Rhapsody on the Ganquan Palace: EnvoiHan
  2. Literature · Prose1
    1. Dispelling RidiculeHanMocked for his obscure book and low post, Yang Xiong replies that success depends on the times