Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official, Statesman, and Scholar

Wang Jian 王儉

Attested AD 479 - AD 489

Passages: 6
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wang Jian was an official, Statesman, and Scholar.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 479 to AD 489 南齊
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 195, 202, 206

Career and standing

minister occupied with state affairs 鞅掌王務
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 204
post in the Masters of Writing 尚書省
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 206

Places and affiliations

Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 204, 206
At Masters of Writing office 尚書省 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 206

Learning and skills

Skill rapid comprehension of texts 一覽便諳 · Level claimed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 204

Works and attributed material

Jest · Speaker · Direct quotation · With Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 215
Reply · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 195-201

Events and relationships

Gathered He Xian and other scholars for discussion
Scholarly · Host · With He Xian (何憲)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 205
Replied on the school curriculum
Scholarly · Speaker
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 195
Set a bibliographic identification contest with rewards at the Masters of Writing
Scholarly · Host
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 206
Sighed in admiration after Cheng cited omitted items
Scholarly · Participant · With Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 205
Relation Colleague of · Person Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passages 202, 205
Relation Superior of · Person Lu Cheng (陸澄)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 204

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Relation Host of · Person He Xian (何憲)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 205

Assessments and attributes

Assessment considered himself widely learned and better read than Cheng · Mode self-report Source Person Id Wang Jian (王儉)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 202

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 39, passage 195

References in the histories

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 39Volume 39 Biographies 20: Liu Huan, Di Jin, Lu Cheng · 6 passages

儉答曰：「《易》體微遠，實貫羣籍，施、孟異聞，周、韓殊旨，豈可專據小王，便爲該備？ Jian replied: "The Changes is subtle and far-reaching and in fact runs through all the classics. Shi and Meng had different transmissions; Zhou and Han had different aims—how could one rely exclusively on Wang Bi and consider the field complete?

儉自以博聞多識，讀書過澄。 Jian considered himself widely learned and believed he had read more than Cheng.

且年已倍令君，令君少便鞅掌王務，雖復一覽便諳，然見卷軸未必多僕。」 Moreover, I am already twice your age. You have been busy with state affairs since youth; though you may master a text at a single reading, the scrolls you have seen may not exceed mine."

儉集學士何憲等盛自商略，澄待儉語畢，然後談所遺漏數百千條，皆儉所未睹，儉乃歎服。 Jian gathered the scholars He Xian and others for vigorous discussion. Cheng waited until Jian had finished, then cited several hundred or thousand omitted items that Jian had never seen, and Jian sighed in admiration.

儉在尚書省，出巾箱机案雜服飾，令學士隷事，事多者與之，人人各得一兩物，澄後來，更出諸人所不知事復各數條，幷奪物將去。 When Jian was in the Masters of Writing office, he brought out kerchief-boxes, desk items, and miscellaneous garments and ornaments and had the scholars record them; those who identified the most received rewards, and each person got one or two objects. Cheng arrived later, identified several more items in each category that none of the others knew, and also took objects away with him.

澄當世稱爲碩學，讀《易》三年不解文義，欲撰《宋書》竟不成，王儉戲之曰：「陸公，書廚也。」 Cheng was acclaimed in his age as a great scholar, yet after three years of reading the Changes he still did not understand its meaning; he wished to compile a Book of Song but never finished it. Wang Jian joked: "Master Lu is a walking library."