Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker
Wei Jie
Western Jin philosopher of Profound Learning and grandson of Wei Guan, famed for his beauty, who fled south in the Yongjia turmoil and died at 27.
A thatched pavilion open on three sides stands among tall bamboo; one person sits with their back turned at the veranda rail beside a zither and a stack of bamboo slips, while a stone path runs to a calm pond reflecting clouds and distant hills.
Also known as Zi Shubao · Wei the Librarian of the Heir
Wei Jie, courtesy name Shubao, of Anyi in Hedong, was a grandson of the Grand Commandant Wei Guan. Admired from boyhood for his looks and his skill in Profound Learning debate, he served as Librarian to the Heir Apparent. During the Yongjia upheaval he took his mother south via Jiangxia and Yuzhang to Jianye. A New Account of the Tales of the World records his anguish as he prepared to cross the Yangtze. Crowds thronged to see him in Jianye, and the frail young man died in 312 at 27, giving rise to the saying that he was "gazed to death".
Life and times
Dates 286–312 CE