Biography

A native of Shehong County in modern Sichuan province, Chen Zi'ang was the son of a rich man, and did not travel to the capital to take his exams until he was in his twenties.

He completed the Jinshi level of the Imperial Examination at age twenty-four.

Having arrived in the capital metropolis, Chen suddenly called attention to his poetry, by expensive and elaborate means: startling the spectators in the marketplace, he paid the asking price of a million cash for a Tartar musical instrument. Responding to the onlookers consequent intense curiosity, he claimed to be an expert at playing that particular musical instrument, and invited everyone to see him do a performance the next day. Then, when the curious crowds showed up, he had prepared a lavish feast. However rather than performing any music, he got up, and introducing himself as a writer of essays and a poet, he preceded to smash to bits the musical instrument for which he had paid so much, and handed out copies of his works, including his Thirty-Eight Lyrics.

As an important advisor to the Empress Wu Zetian, Chen was a firm advocate of poetry reflecting real life, and thus with his active interest in politics, much of his work has undertones of social commentary. Some have suggested that it was his work that was the reason he suffered persecution at the hands of Wu Sansi; he died in 702 having been in and out of prison.

Poetry and Works

Chen Zi'ang is well known for his collection of thirty-eight poems "Ganyu", written in a simpler vocabulary than typified the poetry of that time and which were heavily influenced by Daoism. He has one poem in the Three Hundred Tang Poems, translated by Witter Bynner as "On a Gate-tower at Yuzhou"

生平

父陳元敬早年以明經擢第，後隱居射洪東山。陳子昂出生於富有的家庭，早年喜愛跑馬打獵，不好學，慷慨遊俠，「年十八未知書」。後來在學校看到學子刻苦勤學，遂至金華山鄉校，發憤讀書。學業有成後前往長安，但得不到名家的賞識。一日遇到一個賣胡琴者，有胡琴索價百萬，陳子昂買了這把胡琴，邀眾人至家中賞玩，竟當眾摔琴。陳對大家說他只是一介書生，不懂琴藝，但會寫文章，請大家欣賞他的文章。於是名震京師。

唐高宗開耀元年（682年），東入咸京，遊於太學，次年應試不第，西經長安返鄉。唐睿宗文明元年（684年），陳子昂24歲進士及第。此年高宗駕崩於洛陽，他上書闕下將高宗靈駕西歸乾陵。武則天很欣賞他的文才，拜為麟臺(祕書省)正字，之後歷官至右拾遺。通天元年（696年），武攸宜北伐契丹，陳子昂為記室，主撰軍中一切文件。後辭官回家。縣令段簡以其家富豪，誣陷入獄，憂憤而死。也有人說是陳子昂得罪了武三思，因而被武三思命段簡將其殺害。

陳子昂批評六朝南朝齊至南朝梁期間，詩體「採麗競繁，而興寄都絕」，其代表作為《感遇》詩38首，旨在抨擊時弊，抒寫情懷，還有《登幽州臺歌》等。他的詩歌創作在唐代頗有影響。他主張漢魏風骨，提倡風雅比興，對唐詩的健康發展是有利的。其詩風高昂清峻，雄渾蒼涼，語言深沈質樸。其友人盧藏用說他「橫制頹波。天下翕然質文一變」。文學理論主張:一為提倡漢魏風骨和風雅寄興。二為反對齊梁詩風。此外陳子昂一說也是古琴曲《平沙落雁》的作者。

陳子昂有子陳光，官至朝議大夫。孫陳易輔及陳簡輔，易輔官至監察御史。

作品列表

• 大周受命頌，本作品收錄於：《全唐文/卷0209》。

• 奏白鼠表，本作品收錄於：《全唐文/卷0209》。

著作

• 明弘治年間楊澄校刻楊春本《陳伯玉文集》10卷

• 今人徐鵬校點《陳子昂集》

注釋