Jia Yi

Jia Yi ( Chinese  賈誼  /  贾谊 , Pinyin Jiǎ Yì , W.-G. Chia I ), also Jia Sheng ( Chinese  賈 生  /  贾 生 , Pinyin Jiǎ shēng , W.-G. Chia sheng ; * around 201 BC . ; † 169 BC ) was a Confucian scholar and poet of the Western Han Dynasty in China . He was one of the Confucianists who contributed to the political and economic success of the Han emperor Wen.

Life

Jia Yi was born in Luoyang . At the age of 18, he was already famous for his high level of knowledge of the classics , and his talent for literature was also considered to be outstanding. The governor Wu Gong therefore invited him to his court. At the age of 20, Jia Yi became professor (博士) at the court of Emperor Wen , where, despite his young age, he made a good impression on the emperor in discussions at court. The other professors - all of a much older age than Jia Yi - viewed him as an upstart and a threat, especially when he was promoted to advisor to the court a year later. However, the emperor refrained from being appointed minister because he had to understand that his authority also depended on veteran officials such as Chancellor Zhou Bo , Commander-in-Chief Guan Ying , Zhang Xiangru or Feng Jiu , some of whom had already served the dynasty founder Han Gaozu . Jia Yi supported Zhou Bo when he was incarcerated for allegedly preparing for a rebellion, but Zhou was not grateful.

In his role as advisor to the court, Jia Yi emphasized that the creation and maintenance of social order is based on human initiative and is not natural. He warned the imperial court that the rites and the use of music for purposes of social order must be reintroduced. He suggested that the nobles leave Chang'an and return to their lands. Since the Han dynasty had already existed for 20 years, he also suggested changing the calendar and the color of clothing to be worn at court. The emperor did not implement some of Jia Yi's suggestions because he did not want to undertake fundamental interventions at the beginning of his reign.

Around 176 BC Jia Yi was appointed private tutor of Wu Chan , the king of Changsha (about today's Hunan ). This practically amounted to a banishment from the imperial court. On the way to Changsha he wrote his well-known rhapsody suit for Qu Yuan, while during his stay in Changsha he wrote the rhapsody about the owl.

Around 172 BC Jia Yi was brought back to Chang'an. After an interview with the emperor, he was appointed private tutor (太傅) to Emperor Wen's favorite son Liu Yi. Liu Yi was very inquisitive but fell from his horse in 169 and died in the process. Jia Yi blamed herself for not doing his duty properly. He died a little later at the age of 33, but alongside Chao Cuo had made a significant contribution to the fact that the reign of Emperor Wen went down in history as glorious and successful.

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Jia Yi's most famous text is called Analysis of the Collapse of Qin (過 秦 論). In this text, which he had written as a warning to the Han emperor, he stated that the Qin Empire had failed to exercise philanthropy and justice, and that Qin had perished as a result. Another well-known work by Jia Yi is called Strategies for Good Governance and Security (论 治安 策). It differs from earlier political works by its good reasoning, but also by the use of strong emotions. The New Book (新書) is also attributed to Jia Yi, which is not undisputed. In his writings, he warned the emperor about kings who were becoming too powerful. This led to the division of the kingdoms of Qi and Zhao . He advocated that all kingdoms given as fiefs to the emperor should have roughly the same strength in order to avoid one kingdom subjugating the other and threatening the imperial family. He also complained that agriculture was neglected in favor of trade and handicrafts and persuaded the emperor to be a good role model himself and to demonstratively go plowing in a field. Jia Yi protested the abolition of private minting. He also protested that the rebel Liu Chang's sons should be raised to the nobility as a child, because he believed that this would prepare the seeds for future rebellions. Jia Yi also criticized the practice of pacifying the Xiongnu with women and gifts. Instead, he suggested baiting them with material things that were incompatible with the nomadic life of the Xiongnu and thereby weakening them.

One of the poetic works of Jia Yi is the lament for Qu Yuan (弔 屈原 賦). She reports on the circumstances of his transfer to Changsha and draws parallels with Qu Yuan , who was also exiled to this region. He depicts a world in chaos, during which the second part of the text portrays himself as Qu Yuan of the Han Dynasty. The rhapsody about the owl (鵩 鳥 賦) was written when Jia Yi had been in Changsha for three years. She reports that an owl flew into his house, which according to the oracle book heralds the death of his master. In the Taoist tradition, the text depicts life and death as part of the same eternal process of change, so that one does not need to cling to life, fame, wealth or power. It expresses the feeling that Jia Yi's life would not be enough to achieve his goals. Other works such as the Rhapsody about the dry clouds (旱 雲 賦) or The Regret of the Oath (惜 誓) are attributed to Jia Yi, but this is controversial.

The former residence of Jia Yi is located in Changsha and is a monument of Hunan Province.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Michael Loewe : A biographical dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin periods: (221 BC - AD 24) . Brill, Leiden 2000, ISBN 90-04-10364-3 , pp. 187-189 .
2. ^ ^{A b} Dieter Kuhn : East Asia until 1800 . S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2014, ISBN 978-3-10-010843-2 , pp. 102 .
3. ^ ^{A b} David R. Knechtges : Ancient and early medieval Chinese literature: a reference guide . tape 1 . Brill, Leiden 2010, ISBN 978-90-04-19127-3 , pp. 417-428 .