蕭子雲 (景喬)

Xiao Ziyun 蕭子雲 (487–549), zi Jingqiao 景喬. Qi and Liang period writer and calligrapher.

Xiao Ziyun's ancestral home was Nan Lanling 南蘭陵 (northwest of modern Changzhou, Jiangsu). He was the ninth 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 495 he received the noble title of Marquis of Xinpu 新浦 county, and despite his youth he composed the petition expressing his gratitude to the court. After the founding of the Liang his rank was reduced to viscount.

Xiao Ziyun was an industrious student. Concerned that there was no complete history of the Jin period, at the age of twenty he began to compile one. Six years later he completed the Jin shu 晉書 in 110 juan which was deposited in the palace library.

In his early life, Xiao Ziyun had no interest in pursuing an official career. He was thirty before he obtained his first official post, assistant in the palace library. Soon thereafter he joined the staff of the crown prince Xiao Tong 蕭統 (501–531) as secretary. During this time he wrote the Donggong xinji 東宮新記 (New record of the Eastern Palace) in twenty juan, which was an account of the activities of Xiao Tong's court. In 518, he was appointed instructor in the court of the Prince of Jin'an 晉安, Xiao Gang 蕭綱 (503–551). In 520, Xiao Ziyun accompanied Xiao Gang to Jingkou 京口 (modern Zhenjiang) when the prince took up his post as regional inspector of Southern Xuzhou.

In 524, the Prince of Xiangdong 湘東 Xiao Yi 蕭繹 (508–555) came to the capital to take charge of military affairs at the Shitou fortress and serve as governor of Danyang 丹陽 (the capital district), and Xiao Ziyun established a close relationship with him as his aide. In 525, Xiao Ziyun joined the staff of Xiao Xu 蕭續 (504–547), Prince of Luling 廬陵, who was the fifth son of Emperor Wu (r. 502–549). He also concurrently served as vice left director of the Department of State Affairs.

In 527, Xiao Ziyun was appointed gentleman of the palace gate, but was soon promoted to the concurrent positions of general of light chariots and left senior administrator in the Ministry of Education. The next year, he moved to the Ministry of Personnel. He next served concurrently as administrator and palace attendant. In 529, he was appointed chamberlain for the palace revenues. In 531, he was sent out as administrator of Linchuan 臨川 (modern Jiangxi) where he earned a reputation for his gentle and orderly governance.

In 536, Xiao Ziyun was recalled to the imperial court and appointed chancellor of the national university. He was also was assigned as rectifier for Southern Xuzhou. He petitioned to the court to rewrite the lyrics for the suburban sacrificial hymns that had earlier been composed by Shen Yue 沈約 (441–513). Emperor Wu approved his request, and Xiao Ziyun wrote lyrics that employed the language of the Shang shu “canons” and “proclamations.” Nineteen of his lyrics are still extant.

In 541, Xiao Ziyun was sent out as governor of Dongyang 東陽 (admininstrative seat Changshan 長山, modern Jinhua 金華, Zhejiang). He returned to the court in 547 where he was appointed palace attendant and chancellor of the national university. He also again served as rectifier for Southern Xuzhou. In 548, when the army of Hou Jing 侯景 (503–552) attacked the capital, Xiao Ziyun fled east to Jinling 晉陵 (modern Changzhou). He died of starvation in the Xianling Monastery at the age of sixty-three.

The monograph on bibliography of the Sui shu lists Xiao Ziyun's collected works in nineteen juan. The two Tang histories record a collection in twenty juan. This was lost in the Song. Yan Kejun preserves five of his prose pieces in Quan shanggu Sandai Qin Han Sanguo Liuchao wen. Three of these pieces are fu including a long fu written for Xiao Tong's lectures on Buddhism in the Xuanpu Park in 518. Lu Qinli collects seventeen poems in Xian Qin Han Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi.

Xiao Ziyun was also a famous calligrapher especially in the cursive and clerical styles. Emperor Wu said that Ziyun's calligraphy rivaled that of the Sanguo Wei period calligrapher Zhong You 鍾繇 (151–230). Xiao Ziyun claimed that he emulated the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303–361) and Zhong You, but wrote a slightly different calligraphic style.

DRK

《梁書 卷35》

子雲字景喬，子恪第九弟也。年十二，齊建武四年，封新浦縣侯，自製拜章，便有文采。天監初，降爵爲子。旣長勤學，以晉代竟無全書，弱冠便留心撰著，至年二十六，書成，表奏之，詔付秘閣。

子雲性沈靜，不樂仕進。年三十，方起家爲秘書郎。遷太子舍人，撰《東宮新記》，奏之，敕賜束帛。累遷北中郎外兵參軍，晉安王文學，司徒主簿，丹陽尹丞。時湘東王爲京尹，深相賞好，如布衣之交。遷北中郎廬陵王諮議參軍，兼尚書左丞。大通元年，除黃門郎，俄遷輕車將軍，兼司徒左長史。二年，入爲吏部。三年，遷長兼侍中。中大通元年，轉太府卿。三年，出爲貞威將軍、臨川內史。在郡以和理稱，民吏悅之。還除散騎常侍，俄復爲侍中。大同二年，遷員外散騎常侍、國子祭酒，領南徐州大中正。頃之，復爲侍中，祭酒、中正如故。

梁初，郊廟未革牲牷，樂辭皆沈約撰，至是承用，子雲始建言宜改。啟曰：「伏惟聖敬率由，尊嚴郊廟，得西鄰之心，知周、孔之跡，載革牢俎，德通神明，黍稷蘋藻，竭誠嚴配，經國制度，方懸日月，垂訓百王，於是乎在。臣比兼職齋官，見伶人所歌，猶用未革牲前曲。圜丘視燎，尚言『式備牲牷』；北郊《諴雅》，亦奏『牲雲孔備』；清廟登歌，而稱『我牲以潔』；三朝食舉，猶詠『朱尾碧鱗』。聲被鼓鐘，未符盛制。臣職司儒訓，意以爲疑，未審應改定樂辭以不？」敕答曰：「此是主者守株，宜急改也。」仍使子雲撰定。敕曰：「郊廟歌辭，應須典誥大語，不得雜用子史文章淺言；而沈約所撰，亦多舛謬。」子雲答敕曰：「殷薦朝饗，樂以雅名，理應正采《五經》，聖人成教。而漢來此制，不全用經典；約之所撰，彌復淺雜。臣前所易約十曲，惟知牲牷旣革，宜改歌辭，而猶承例，不嫌流俗乖體。旣奉令旨，始得發蒙。臣夙本庸滯，昭然忽朗，謹依成旨，悉改約制。惟用《五經》爲本，其次《爾雅》、《周易》、《尚書》、《大戴禮》，卽是經誥之流，愚意亦取兼用。臣又尋唐、虞諸書，殷《頌》周《雅》，稱美是一，而復各述時事。大梁革服，偃武修文，制禮作樂，義高三正；而約撰歌辭，惟浸稱聖德之美，了不序皇朝製作事。《雅》、《頌》前例，於體爲違。伏以聖旨所定《樂論》，鐘律緯緒，文思深微，命世一出，方懸日月，不刊之典，禮樂之教，致治所成。謹一二采綴，各隨事顯義，以明製作之美。覃思累日，今始克就，謹以上呈。」敕並施用。

子雲善草隸書，爲世楷法。自雲善效鐘元常、王逸少而微變字體。答敕云：「臣昔不能拔賞，隨世所貴，規摹子敬，多歷年所。年二十六，著《晉史》，至《二王列傳》，欲作論語草隸法，言不盡意，遂不能成，略指論飛白一勢而已。十許年來，始見敕旨《論書》一卷，商略筆勢，洞澈字體；又以逸少之不及元常，猶子敬之不及逸少。自此研思，方悟隸式，始變子敬，全範元常。逮爾以來，自覺功進。」其書跡雅爲高祖所重，嘗論子雲書曰：「筆力勁駿，心手相應，巧逾杜度，美過崔寔，當與元常並驅爭先。」其見賞如此。

七年，出爲仁威將軍、東陽太守。中大同元年，還拜宗正卿。太清元年，復爲侍中、國子祭酒，領南徐州大中正。二年，侯景寇逼，子雲逃民間。三年三月，宮城失守，東奔晉陵，餒卒於顯靈寺僧房，年六十三。所著《晉書》一百一十卷，《東宮新記》二十卷。