SIMA Xiangru Sīmǎ Xiàngrú 司马相如 179–118 Bce Han Dynasty Fu Poet
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◀ Silver Comprehensive index starts in volume 5, page 2667. SIMA Xiangru Sīmǎ Xiàngrú 司马相如 179–118 bce Han dynasty fu poet Sima Xiangru was the greatest writer of fu 賦 (rhapsody) in Chinese literary history. His fu became a model for emulation but also a tar- get of criticism. His critics included Confu- cians who feared that the “healthy” content in his literature is overshadowed by excessively ornate depiction of scenes and objects. ima Xiangru (byname Zhangqing) was the greatest writer of fu (rhapsody), a poetic genre that thrived during the Han dynasty (206 bce– 220 ce). A native of Shu (modern Sichuan Province), he took a junior post during Emperor Jing’s reign (157– 141 bce). But because the emperor did not like fu, Sima left the post and became a member of the salon of King Xiao of Liang (d. 144 bce). This salon played a pivotal role in the fu genre’s development, sustaining many famous fu writers such as Zou Yang (mid-second century bce) and Zhuo Wenjun, the wife of Sima Xiangru. Their Mei Cheng (d. 140 bce). Under the patronage of King marriage, after her widowhood, was considered Xiao, Sima composed the famous “Fu on Sir Vacuous.” scandalous. Upon the king’s death Sima returned to Shu. Sima was fond of swordsmanship. He was also famous for his romance with Zhuo Wenjun, whom he met on his homeward journey to Shu. When passing by Linqiong, livelihood. Adaptations of this story appeared in many he won the heart of the new widow Zhuo with his liter- works of literature in later ages. ary talents and seductive zither music. But Zhuo’s father Han emperor Wu (reigned 141– 87 bce) was an ad- refused the marriage; the lovers thus eloped to Sima’s mirer and patron of Sima. Enraptured by Sima’s “Fu on Sir hometown, Chengdu. Poverty pressed them to return Vacuous,” the young emperor resolved to track down the to Linqiong, where they ran a wine shop. Zhuo’s father author, who subsequently composed the “Fu on the Impe- finally accepted their marriage and subsidized their rial Park.” This work earned him the post of gentleman. 1983 S © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC 1984 Berkshire Encyclopedia of China 宝 库 山 中 华 全 书 He was later commissioned to a diplomatic posting in Further Reading southwest China but lost favor after being charged with Hervouet, Y. (1964). Un Poète de Cour sous les Han: Sseu- bribery. Soon thereafter Sima died of diabetes. ma Siang-jou [A Poet at the Han Court: Sima Xian- Sima brought the fu genre to a historical zenith. The gru]. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France. word grandiose best defines his style. This style is achieved Kern, M. (2003). The “biography of Sima Xiangru” and by the extensive use of descriptive phrases, hyperbole, and the question of the fu in Sima Qian’s Shiji. Journal of panoramic perspectives. Himself a lexicographer, Sima the American Oriental Society, 123(2), 303– 316. strove to find the most fitting word in the juxtaposition of Knechtges, D. R. (1981). Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju’s “Tall Gate spectra of colors, fauna, flora, buildings, plants, as well as Palace Rhapsody.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, in objective and emotional depictions of various objects. 41(1), 47– 63. Carrying on the dialogue structure characteristic of the Knechtges, D. R. (1987). Rhapsody on the Imperial Park. In D. R. Knechtges, (Trans. & Comm.) Wen xuan genre, Sima’s fu typically begins with a debate between or Selections of refined literature (Vol. 2) (pp. 73– 112). two interlocutors, one of whom finally wins the debate. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Sima also wrote in the Sao style of fu, which more closely Knechtges, D. R. (1987). Rhapsody of Sir Vacuous. In D. adheres in form to the “Lisao” (Encountering Sorrows) R. Knechtges (Trans. & Comm.) Wen xuan or Selec- by Qu Yuan (early third century bce). Some of Sima’s fa- tions of refined literature (Vol. 2) (pp. 52– 72). Princ- mous S a o - style pieces are his fu on the abdicated empress eton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Chen, one on the Great Man, and a lament for the second Knechtges, D. R. (1994). The emperor and literature: Em- Qin emperor (reigned 210– 207 bce). peror Wu of the Han. In F. P. Brandauer & C. Huang Sima’s fu became a model for emulation but also a (Eds.), Imperial rulership and cultural change in tra- target of criticism. His critics included Confucians who ditional China (pp. 433– 452). Seattle: University of feared that the “healthy” content in his literature is over- Washington Press. shadowed by excessively ornate depiction of scenes and Knechtges, D. R. (1996). Rhapsody on the Tall Gate Pal- objects. ace. In D. R. Knechtges (Trans. & Comm.) Wen xuan or Selections of refined literature (Vol. 3) (pp. 159– 165). Timothy Wai Keung CHAN Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Sino-American Commercial Treaty ▶ © 2009 by Berkshire Publishing Group LLC.