Chen Ziang was born in a bureaucratic family, and his ancestors were generous and chivalrous. Although his father is not an official, he has high prestige in the local area. When people have disputes, they don't go to the government and often listen to him for mediation. Chen Ziang was very clever when he was a child, and he also inherited his parents' Ren Xia spirit. Biography of Talented Talents in the Tang Dynasty records that Chen Ziang was "Wen Ya in appearance, impetuous in temperament, generous to money and loyal to friends", and "at the beginning of the eighteenth year, he was unknown and was a rich man, while Ren Xia was still rich." That is to say, although Chen Ziang looks elegant, he is stubborn, willing to make friends, generous with money, and has the demeanor of an ancient chivalrous man.
When Chen Ziang was eighteen, he couldn't study hard. Later, because fencing hurt people, I suddenly woke up and abandoned the martial arts to join the literature. He made a wish, cut off contact with his former friends, studied classics assiduously, and mastered hundreds of classics in a few years.
In 679, in the first year of Emperor Gaozong's hanging furnace, Chen Ziang went north to Chang 'an to study in imperial academy, took part in the imperial examination in the second year, and returned to his hometown after falling behind. In the first year of Yongchun (682), he went to Beijing again to take the exam, but he still failed. It was not until the first year of civilization (684) that he finally became a scholar. This year, Tang Gaozong died of illness in Luoyang, and Wu Zetian was in charge of state affairs, consulting with ministers to bury the Emperor Ganling. Chen Ziang wrote to exhort, he thought that Luoyang had a good terrain, and it was possible to put the coffin of Emperor Gaozong without moving back to Guanzhong. Wu Zetian read his article, appreciated his talent, and appointed him as "Lin Tai Zhengzi", which was soon promoted to "Right Addendum".
Gleaning is an admonition book, and Chen Ziang is an honest and caring person, so he has written many times without scruple. Of course, his outspoken suggestions have repeatedly led him to be rejected and attacked by those in power.
He advocated promoting culture and stopping war. He believes that war is not good for the country, but only good for those "traitors" and "greedy husbands". At that time, the Wu family dominated the state affairs and used the war for personal gain many times. Chen Ziang's remarks were not only rejected, but were repeatedly reprimanded and downgraded. Even, he was once imprisoned on charges of "anti-Party" and "anti-Wuhou".
Chen Ziang joined the army twice and went to the north. In the first year of Long Live Tian Tong (696), Li Dezhong, Sun Wanrong and others of the Khitans captured Yingzhou. Wu Zetian sent Wu Yousi to fight, and Chen Ziang served as a staff officer in Wu Yousi's shogunate. Wu Youyi is reckless and lacks strategy. The next year, he lost the battle. Seeing that the situation was urgent, Chen Ziang asked to lead 10,000 soldiers as forwards to attack the enemy, but Wu Youyi refused. Later, Chen Ziang advised Wu Youyi, but Wu Youyi didn't listen and reduced him to a sergeant. After successive setbacks, the desire to serve the country cannot be realized. Full of sadness, he boarded Jibei Tower and wrote this famous saying on Youzhou Tower:
No one can see the ancient wisdom of the ancient king, only those wise men who can't see the afterlife can see it.
Only the boundless universe, boundless, can't stop the tears full of sadness.
He was full of ambition to serve his country, but he was repeatedly hit by traitors. At this moment, he can only be generous and sad. Although this poem has only four short sentences, it is very infectious. It can be said that it is to think about the past and think about the present and swallow the mountains and rivers. He felt the ups and downs of life and the value of life in infinite time and space, and the whole poem was full of awe-inspiring spirit that shocked the world.
Chen Ziang was unhappy all his life, and his more than 30 poems "Love" are also famous works in the history of literature. For example, the second song:
Lan Re was born in spring and summer, where is the prosperity!
You are alone in the forest, and Zhu has purple stems.
It's getting late and the autumn wind is coming.
Years old, China is teetering, and Fang Yi is unsuccessful!
This poem describes the fate of Lan Ruo's withering when the autumn wind rises between spring and summer, so as to express his anguish that he is talented but unable to serve his country.
Another example is the 35th song:
I am your son, and I really love talents all my life.
I think it's time to serve my country and draw my sword and fight Artemisia.
Dingling in Xichi was blocked, and Taiwan Province was in the north.
Seeing thousands of miles in mountain climbing, homesickness is long.
Who said he didn't forget the disaster and turned to dust?
This song was written when he was on the frontier for the first time, and it showed his ideals and ambitions, as well as the resentment and sadness that his ambitions were hard to pay.
Chen Ziang's poems were deeply influenced by Jian 'an and Zhengshi poets. He advocated reforming the delicate habits of early Tang poetry and paying attention to the "prosperity" and "nature" of writing poetry. He was an important figure in the poetic innovation in the early Tang Dynasty and played a very important role in the development and transformation of poetic style from the early Tang Dynasty to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Lu Zangyong said in the preface of Chen Ziang's Collected Works: "When the waves are broken, the world will suddenly change." Yuan Haowen said in The Theory of Poetry: "Shen Song traversed the field of calligraphy, and Qi and Liang Dynasties did not waste their first romantic feelings. In terms of merits and demerits, if you are on an equal footing with Wu Ping, you will jointly cast gold castings. "
In the first year of the Gregorian calendar (698), Chen Ziang resigned and returned home because of his father's advanced age. After his father died, he was in mourning at home. Wu Sansi instigated Shehong County to accuse Duan Jian of Luo Zhi and framed him for persecution. Chen Ziang died unjustly in prison at the age of 4 1 year.
The upright and generous poet came to the end of his life. In the Biography of Chen Ziang, Lu Zang used it. In prison, he used yarrow to calculate a divination for himself. After divination, he looked up at the sky and sighed, "If fate doesn't bless me, I will die soon!" "
The evaluation of him in Biography of Talented Talents in the Tang Dynasty is: "Since ancient times, talents have been great or difficult to use. Elephants have teeth, and soldiers burn them. Believe it or not, Ziang is called Yi! " Xin likened it to an elephant, which was killed because its ivory was precious. So what is the tragic fate of Chen Ziang?