蕭子範 (景則)

Xiao Zifan 蕭子範 (486–549), zi Jingze 景則. Qi and Liang period writer.

Xiao Zifan's ancestral home was Nan Lanling 南蘭陵 (northwest of modern Changzhou, Jiangsu). He was the sixth son of Xiao Ni 蕭嶷 (444–492), Prince Wenxian 文獻 of Yuzhang, who was the second son of Xiao Daocheng 蕭道成 (427–482), the founder of the Southern Qi dynasty. In 492, Xiao Zifan received the noble title of marquis of Qiyang 祁陽 county. He also served as librarian in the editorial service of the crown prince.

When the Liang was founded in 502, Xiao Zifan's noble title was reduced to viscount. In 507, he was again appointed librarian in the editorial service of the crown prince, Xiao Tong 蕭統 (501–531). In 508 or 509, he assumed the post of admininstrator on the staff of Minister of Education Xiao Hong 蕭宏 (473–526), who was a younger brother of Emperor Wu of Liang (r. 502–549). He also served as aide to the governor of Danyang 丹陽, which was the administrative district for the capital of Jiankang. In 518, he was assigned to Xiao Tong's staff as secretary.

Ca. 520 Xiao Zifan left the court to serve as governor of Jian'an 建安 (modern Jian'ou 建甌, Fujian). During this time he wrote the “Jian'an Chengmenxia fu” 建安城門峽賦 (Fu on the Chengmen Narrows of Jian'an). Ca. 523 he returned to the imperial court where he was assigned to the staff of Xiao Wei 蕭偉 (476–533), who also was a younger brother of Emperor Wu. Xiao Wei hosted many gatherings of literati, and he ordered Xiao Zifan to write a record of them. He also commissioned him to compose the Qianzi wen 千字文 (Thousand-character essay), a text that was used to teach the script to children. This circulated at least into the Song together with the more famous Qianzi wen composed upon the command of Emperor Wu by Zhou Xingxi 周興嗣 (d. 521). Upon the death of Xiao Tong in 531, Xiao Zifan requested to compile a collection of the crown prince's writings.

Xiao Wei died in 533, and Xiao Zifan was assigned to the staff of Xiao Zhengde 蕭正德 (d. 549), the third son of Xiao Hong. At this time, Xiao Zifan felt that his official career had not been as successful as that of his younger brothers Xiao Zixian 蕭子顯 (487–535) and Xiao Ziyun 蕭子雲 (487–549), and he become quite despondent. Ca. 535. he was appointed grand master of palace leisure and later was promoted to the relatively prestigious posts of chief minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments and chamberlain for law enforcement. He subsequently was sent out as administrator in Shixing 始興 (administrative seat northwest of modern Shixing, Guangdong). After completing his term in Shixing, Xiao Zifan returned to the imperial court where he was appointed director of the palace library.

When Xiao Gang 蕭綱 (503–551) became emperor in 549, he granted Xiao Zifan the title of grand master of the palace with golden seal and purple ribbon. He also commissioned him to compose a lament for Xiao Gang's deceased wife, Wang Lingbin 王靈賓 (505–549), more commonly referred to as Empress Wang. She died in April/May 549. Xiao Zifan died in the same year of illness at the age of sixty-four. Two of his sons, Xiao Pang 蕭滂 and Xiao Que 蕭確 were both literary men.

The monograph on bibliography of the Sui shu lists Xiao Zifan's collected works in thirty juan. The two Tang histories record a collection in three juan. This was lost in the Song. Yan Kejun has collected ten of his prose writings in Quan shanggu Sandai Qin Han Sanguo Liuchao wen, and Lu Qinli has preserved ten of his poems in Xian Qin Han Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi. Substantial extracts of five of his fu, including a “sevens” composition, have survived.

Bibliography

Studies

• Cao Daoheng and Shen Yucheng, Zhongguo wenxuejia dacidian, 380.
• Cao Daoheng and Shen Yucheng, Zhonggu wenxue shiliao congkao, 570–71.

DRK

《梁書》卷35

子範字景則，子恪第六弟也。齊永明十年，封祁陽縣侯，拜太子洗馬。天監初，降爵爲子，除後軍記室參軍，復爲太子洗馬，俄遷司徒主簿，丁所生母憂去職。子範有孝性，居喪以毀聞。服闋，又爲司徒主簿，累遷丹陽尹丞，太子中舍人。出爲建安太守，還除大司馬南平王戶曹屬，從事中郎。王愛文學士，子範偏被恩遇，嘗曰：「此宗室奇才也。」使制《千字文》，其辭甚美，王命記室蔡薳注釋之。自是府中文筆，皆使草之。王薨，子範遷宣惠諮議參軍，護軍臨賀王正德長史。正德爲丹陽尹，復爲正德信威長史，領尹丞。歷官十餘年，不出籓府，常以自慨，而諸弟並登顯列，意不能平，及是爲到府箋曰：「上籓首佐，於茲再忝，河南雌伏，自此重昇。以老少異時，盛衰殊日，雖佩恩寵，還羞年鬢。」子範少與弟子顯、子雲才名略相比，而風采容止不逮，故宦途有優劣。每讀《漢書》，杜緩兄弟「五人至大官，唯中弟欽官不至而最知名」，常吟諷之，以況己也。

尋復爲宣惠武陵王司馬，不就，仍除中散大夫，遷光祿、廷尉卿。出爲戎昭將軍、始興內史。還除太中大夫，遷秘書監。太宗卽位，召爲光祿大夫，加金章紫綬，以逼賊不拜。其年葬簡皇后，使與張纘俱制哀策文，太宗覽讀之，曰：「今葬禮雖闕，此文猶不減於舊。」尋遇疾卒，時年六十四。賊平後，世祖追贈金紫光祿大夫。諡曰文。前後文集三十卷。

二子滂、確，並少有文章。太宗東宮時，嘗與邵陵王數諸蕭文士，滂、確亦預焉。滂官至尚書殿中郎，中軍宣城王記室，先子範卒。確，太清中歷官宣城王友，司徒右長史。賊平後，赴江陵，因沒關西。