Zhang Jian

Historical Record

Zhang Jian, courtesy name Ziming, was a native of Julu. In his youth he studied at the Imperial Academy, his learning encompassing both the orthodox and esoteric arts, and afterward he returned to his home village. Yuan Shao repeatedly tried to summon him to office, but Zhang Jian never answered the summons, and instead moved to Shangdang. The Governor of Bing Province, Gao Gan, also memorialized to appoint him magistrate of Leping, but Zhang Jian likewise did not take up the post, and turned to retire into seclusion at Changshan, where his disciples numbered several hundred; later he moved again to Ren County. ^c:1749

When Cao Cao was Chancellor, he too summoned Zhang Jian to office, but he did not go. During the Taihe era of Emperor Ming of Wei, the court issued an edict seeking out reclusive scholars in the hope of dispelling calamitous omens. The commandery repeatedly recommended Zhang Jian and sent men to summon him, but he declined to answer on the grounds of old age and infirmity. ^c:1749

Three days after the Administrator of Guangping, Lu Yu, took office, his subordinates suggested that he, like his predecessors, present his calling card to visit Zhang Jian. But Lu Yu said: "Master Zhang is one of those who 'above does not serve the Son of Heaven, and below does not befriend the feudal lords'—how could a calling card add luster to such a man?" So he merely sent his Registrar to deliver a letter together with a gift of mutton and wine. ^c:1749

In the fourth year of Qinglong (236 CE), the court issued an edict stating that in Zhangye Commandery the Xuan River had overflowed and surged, its waves stirred up, and that a precious stone bearing a chart had appeared, shaped like a numinous tortoise, lodged on the west bank of the river, with a boulder standing upright; upon it the veining was distinct, with the images of qilin, phoenix, dragon, and horse brilliantly formed, and the writing announcing the Mandate dazzlingly manifest. The Grand Astrologer Gaotang Long memorialized that this was an auspicious sign such as even the ancient sovereigns and sage emperors had never received, truly the auspicious mandate of Cao Wei and a treasure of the ages for the Eastern Sequence. The matter spread throughout the realm. The magistrate of Ren County, Yu Chuo, took this information to consult Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian told him in secret: "The divine power can foreknow what is to come, yet does not trace back what is already past. The auspicious sign appears first, and only then does rise or fall follow. The Han has long perished, and Wei has already gained the realm—why trace back these portents now? This stone is an anomaly of the present, but an auspicious sign of the future." ^c:1749

In the first year of Zhengshi (240 CE), a hoopoe built its nest in the shaded part of Zhang Jian's gate. Zhang Jian told his disciples: "The hoopoe is a yang bird, yet it nests on the shaded side of the gate—this is an ill omen." He thereupon took up his zither and sang, composing two poems, and ten days later he died, at the age of one hundred and five. That same year, the Administrator of Guangping, Wang Su, took office and issued an order to the various counties: "When I was formerly in the capital, I heard of Zhang Ziming and wished to come to visit him, but unexpectedly he had already died, and I grieve deeply. This master was devoted to learning and lived in seclusion, not contending with the vulgar world, taking his joy in the Way. Of old, the old man of Jiang County languished in the mire, and Zhao Meng raised him up, so that the feudal lords were brought into harmony. I pity him for his diligence in the Way in old age, yet his having received no honor or favor. When this edict arrives, send officials to console his family and exalt his household, taking care to treat them with special distinction, so as to comfort the departed and encourage those who come after." ^c:1749

In the Novel

Romance of the Three Kingdoms makes no mention of Zhang Jian, and so there is no literary portrayal of him. His life and deeds—such as not answering the summons of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, his seclusion in the mountains and forests, and his distinctive interpretation of the "River Chart" stone—are all unrecorded in the novel. ^c:1749 The novel focuses chiefly on the military struggles and political intrigues of the Three Kingdoms period, and ordinarily would not devote ink to a scholar living in seclusion and declining office, such as Zhang Jian. Thus the novel contains no description of his character or dialogue, and no episodes of his interaction with figures such as Lu Yu and Wang Su.

Key Relationships

* Yuan Shao's Faction (defected_from): Yuan Shao repeatedly tried to summon Zhang Jian to office, but he never answered, instead choosing to move to Shangdang, showing his stance of refusing to attach himself to any feudal lord. ^c:1749
* Cao Wei (defected_from): When Cao Cao was Chancellor, he summoned Zhang Jian, but he likewise did not go. During Emperor Ming's reign, the court issued an edict seeking reclusive scholars, and the commandery recommended Zhang Jian, but he declined to answer on the grounds of old age and illness, embodying his principle of "not serving the Son of Heaven." ^c:1749
* Lu Yu (rival_of): After the Administrator of Guangping, Lu Yu, took office, he refused his subordinates' suggestion that he, like his predecessors, present a calling card to Zhang Jian, and openly stated that Zhang Jian was one who "above does not serve the Son of Heaven, and below does not befriend the feudal lords." Yet he still sent his Registrar to deliver a letter with mutton and wine, showing that although Lu Yu understood Zhang Jian's reclusive manner, he also to some degree maintained the official's distance and respect. ^c:1749
* Wang Su: The Administrator of Guangping, Wang Su, grieved deeply at Zhang Jian's death and ordered the various counties to treat his family generously, commending his character of devotion to learning, seclusion, and taking joy in the Way, reflecting the official posthumous recognition and esteem accorded to a recluse. ^c:1749

Iconic Scenes

* Declining the summons, retiring into seclusion in the mountains and forests: Zhang Jian repeatedly refused the summonses of Yuan Shao, Gao Gan, Cao Cao, and others, preferring to move to Shangdang, Changshan, and Ren County, with disciples numbering several hundred, adhering to the principle of "not serving the Son of Heaven, not befriending the feudal lords," and taking his joy in the Way. ^c:1749 This fully displays his manner as a recluse who stood apart from the world.
* Lu Yu's "not paying a visit" and "rendering courtesy": After the Administrator of Guangping, Lu Yu, took office, he refused his subordinates' suggestion that he present a calling card to Zhang Jian, appraising Zhang Jian as one who "above does not serve the Son of Heaven, and below does not befriend the feudal lords." Yet he still sent his Registrar to deliver a letter together with a gift of mutton and wine—a gesture that both respected Zhang Jian's status as a recluse and observed official courtesy, becoming a tale told with admiration. ^c:1749
* Interpreting the "River Chart" stone: In the fourth year of Qinglong, the "River Chart" stone was discovered in Zhangye Commandery and regarded as an auspicious sign for Cao Wei. The magistrate of Ren County, Yu Chuo, consulted Zhang Jian, who pointed out in secret: "The Han has long perished, and Wei has already gained it—why trace back and call up auspicious portents now? This stone is an anomaly of the present, but an auspicious sign of the future." With transcendent wisdom, he revealed the true nature of the omen rather than simply echoing the official political propaganda. ^c:1749
* The hoopoe's nest and foreknowing the time of death: In the first year of Zhengshi, a hoopoe built its nest on the shaded side of Zhang Jian's gate. Zhang Jian held that "the hoopoe is a yang bird, yet it nests on the shaded side of the gate—this is an ill omen," and thereupon took up his zither and sang, composing two poems, dying ten days later at the age of one hundred and five. This scene is steeped in a fatalistic coloring and also displays his open-minded acceptance of the natural course of life and death. ^c:1749