Yang Shi

Life

His father was 楊埴 in one form and 楊D in another; his maternal great-grandfather was 朱D, his grandmother was Lady Zhu (mother of 楊埴), and his father-in-law was 余适. His recorded sons included 楊迪 (the eldest), 楊安止, 楊迥 (the second), 楊矞 (the third), 楊適 (the fourth), and 楊造 (the fifth); his sons-in-law included 陳淵, 李郁, and 陸棠.

Having passed the jinshi examination in the ninth year of the Xining era (1076), he declined his appointment. He studied successively under Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi and withdrew from official life for ten years; a later tradition associates this period with the anecdote known as “Cheng Men Li Xue.” After the age of forty he entered office, serving as magistrate of Liuyang, Yuhang, and Xiaoshan before becoming professor at Jingzhou; Zhang Shunmin recommended him for the Jingzhou post. His offices also included judicial officer (司法), defense judicial officer (防禦推官), county magistrate (知縣), assistant county magistrate (縣丞), instructor (教官), professor (教授), assistant prefect (通判), and supervisor of the market-exchange office (監市易務).

During the Xuanhe era under Huizong, he was summoned as Secretary Lang, soon appointed expositor in the Hall of Literary Brilliance, and transferred to the post of 著作郎. His offices also included a Counsellor in the Menxia Secretariat (門下省給事中) and a Zhixueshi of the Huiyou Pavilion (徽猷閣直學士). When the Jurchens attacked Bianjing, he argued for strict defenses. In the first year of Jingkang (1126), he became Right Remonstrance Counsellor and concurrently served as lecturer and director of the Imperial University, strongly opposing peace negotiations and the cession of the three towns. He denounced Cai Jing for corrupting the state and harming the people, and vigorously rejected Wang Anshi’s learning.

After seeking retirement, he is described either as superintendent of Chongfu Palace or as holding the posts of 徽猷閣待制 and superintendent of Songshan Chongfu Palace. After Gaozong came to the throne, he was appointed vice minister of works; the accounts differ between concurrent service as lecturer and as reader. After repeated requests for an external appointment, he served as 龍圖閣直學士 while supervising Dongxiao Palace, also specified as Hangzhou Dongxiao Palace, then retired, spending his later years writing and teaching. He died in the fourth month of the fifth year of Shaoxing (1135), aged eighty-three, and was posthumously named Wenjing.

Scholarship and associations

Yang Shi was a friend of You Zuo and taught disciples including Chen Yuan, Lu Tang, Hu Hong, Zhang Jiucheng, and Yu Shu; Luo Congyan also studied under him. His intellectual position rejected Wang Anshi’s learning, and later scholars treated it as orthodox Cheng-school teaching; Southeastern scholars likewise held that the learning of Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi originated with him. Together with You Zuo, Lü Dalin, and Xie Liangzuo, he was counted among the Four Masters of the Cheng school; he was also grouped with Luo Congyan and Li Tong among the Three Masters of Nanjian.

Works

His works include 《三經義辨》, 《論語解》, 《經說》, 《語錄》, 《二程粹言》, and 《龜山集》; 《二程粹言》 is identified as a compilation. His bibliography also includes the four-volume 《龜山語錄》, 《龜山先生語錄》 in four volumes with a two-volume continuation and one volume of collation notes, and the two-volume 《開成紀事》.