沈德潛 (碻士 歸愚)

SHÊN Tê-ch'ien 沈德潛 (T. 確士, H. 歸愚), Dec. 24, 1673–1769, Oct. 6, official, poet and literary critic, was a native of Ch'ang-chou, Kiangsu. He was brought up in a poor but cultivated home. His grandfather and father were tutors, and he also began to teach when he was eleven (sui). His poetic genius was recognized early, for at the age of six (sui) he so impressed his grandfather with his knowledge of rhymes that the latter predicted he would become a great poet. But Shên Tê-ch'ien's way to political preferment was more difficult, for he did not become a chü-jên until he was sixty-six (sui), after seventeen attempts. Taking his chin-shih degree in 1739, he gained the favor of Emperor Kao-tsung and enjoyed the latter's literary friendship, being twice honored with imperial prefaces to his works (see below).

In 1742 Shên Tê-ch'ien was appointed a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and was assigned to edit the old and the new histories of the T'ang dynasty, and to participate in the compilation of the "Mirror of History" for the Ming period, which was printed in 1746 in a work of 20 chüan, entitled 資治通鑑鋼目三編 Tzŭ-chih tung-chien kang-mu san-pien. In 1743 Shên became senior secretary of the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction, expositor in the Hanlin Academy, and diarist of the Emperor's movements. He was examiner of the provincial examination in Hupeh (1744), chief supervisor of imperial instruction, assistant director of the metropolitan military examination (1745), and sub-chancellor of the Grand Secretariat (1746). In 1747 he was made tutor to the imperial princes, and junior vice-president of the Board of Ceremonies, and in 1748 assistant director of the metropolitan examination. Retiring from official life in 1749, he became two years later (1751) principal of the Tzŭ-yang (紫陽) Academy at Soochow.

During the remainder of his long life he made two journeys to the capital (1751, 1761), attending on both occasions the birthday celebrations of the Empress Dowager; and four times he had the pleasure of greeting the Emperor on the latter's journey to South China (1751, 1757, 1762, 1765). On one of these occasions he was made honorary president of the Board of Ceremonies (1757), on another, Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent (1765). In 1769, at the age ninety-seven (sui), he died and was canonized as Wên-k'o 文愨. His name was entered in the Temple of Eminent Statesmen and remained there until 1778 when he was posthumously denounced for having written a biographical sketch of Hsü Shu-k'uei [q.v.] whose collection of verse, entitled I-chu lou shih (see under Hsü Shu-k'uei), was banned for containing alleged seditious utterances. The decree denouncing Shên's works was issued on December 3, 1778. Upon reading certain of Shên's verses that seemed to him seditious the Emperor ordered the withdrawal of all his posthumous honors.

The literary remains of Shên-Tê-ch'ien are of two kinds: his own compositions, and anthologies which he compiled and edited. His creative writings, brought together under the title, 歸愚詩文鈔 Kuei-yü shih-wên ch'ao, comprise his poems in 30 chüan—the first 20 chüan, honored with a preface by Emperor Kao-tsung, being printed in 1752, the remainder in 1766; prose compositions in 27 chüan, of which the first 20 chüan were printed in 1759, the rest in 1767; a collection of verse in 4 chüan, entitled 矢音 Shih-yin (1753), written to match poems composed by the Emperor; notes on literary criticism, entitled 詩說晬語 Shih-shuo sui-yü (1731), in 2 chüan; a collection of tzŭ or poems in irregular meter (1767); essays designed to elucidate maps in the general gazetteer of Chekiang province, Chekiang t'ung-chih, which was ordered to be revised in 1731 and was published in 1736; and an autobiographical nien-p'u whose preface is dated 1764. His editorial activity resulted in the following anthologies of verse and prose of different periods: 古詩源 Ku-shih yüan, in 14 chüan (1725), being selected poems from dynasties prior to the T'ang; 唐詩別裁集 T'ang-shih pieh-ts'ai chi, 20 chüan, a T'ang anthology compiled in collaboration with Ch'ên Shu-tzŭ 陳樹滋, printed in 1717 but revised and enlarged in 1763; Ming (明) shih pieh-ts'ai chi, in 12 chüan (1739), a Ming anthology compiled with the help of Chou Chun 周準 (T. 欽萊, H. 迂村, d. 1756); Kuo-ch'ao (國朝) shih pieh-ts'ai chi, 36 chüan, poems of the early Ch'ing period, first edition 1759, revised edition in 32 chüan with a preface by the Emperor dated 1761; 唐宋八家文選 T'ang-Sung pa-chia wên-hsüan (1752), in 30 chüan, being selected essays from eight great masters of the T'ang and Sung periods; 吳中七子詩選 Wu-chung ch'i-tzŭ shih-hsüan (1753) in 14 chüan, selected poems by seven of his students, among them Wang Ming-shêng, Wang Ch'ang, and Ch'ien Ta-hsin [qq.v.]; and 杜詩偶評 Tu-shih ou-p'ing (1753), selected poems by Tu Fu (see under Ch'ou Chao-ao) with critical annotations.

In the field of literary criticism Shên Tê-ch'ien promoted a revival of classicism, both in content and in form. He inclined to the view of Han Yü (see under Mao Chin) that the function of literature is to advance morality. He asserted that poetry should perpetuate the morality of ancient periods, and maintain the form and style set by the Han, Wei, and Tang dynasties. He stressed the purpose, the form, and the so-called "spiritual atmosphere" (shên yün) which Wang Shih-chên [q.v.] regarded as so important. But above all he stressed poetic form (格調說), as opposed to Yüan Mei [q.v.] who emphasized genius and individuality (性靈說).

[1/311/3a; 3/84/21a; 7/18/23b; 20/2/00; 23/30/1a; 吳縣志 Wu-hsien chih (1933) 13/8b; Chekiang t'ung-chih (1736) 職名/4a; Goodrich, L. C., The Literary Inquisition of Ch'ien-lung, pp. 170–172; Aoki Seli 青木正兒,支那文學思想(下), 岩波講座東洋思潮 Iwanami kōza Tōyō shichō; Suzuki Torao 鈴木虎雄, Shina Shironshi (1925) pp. 208–210.]

Li Man-kuei

《清史稿》卷305

沈德潛，字碻士，江南長洲人。乾隆元年，舉博學鴻詞，試未入選。四年，成進士，改庶吉士，年六十七矣。七年，散館，日晡，高宗蒞視，問孰為德潛者，稱以「江南老名士」，授編修。出御製詩令賡和，稱旨。八年，即擢中允，五遷內閣學士。乞假還葬，命不必開缺。德潛入辭，乞封父母，上命予三代封典，賦詩餞之。十二年，命在上書房行走，遷禮部侍郎。是歲，上諭諸臣曰：「沈德潛誠實謹厚，且憐其晚遇，是以稠疊加恩，以勵老成積學之士，初不因進詩而優擢也。」十三年，德潛以齒衰病噎乞休，命以原銜食俸，仍在上書房行走。十四年，復乞歸，命原品休致，仍令校御製詩集畢乃行。諭曰：「朕於德潛，以詩始，以詩終。」且令有所著作，許寄京呈覽。賜以人葠，賦詩寵其行。德潛歸，進所著歸愚集，上親為製序，稱其詩伯仲高、王，高、王者謂高啟、王士禎也。十六年，上南巡，命在籍食俸。是冬，德潛詣京師祝皇太后六十萬壽。十七年正月，上召賜曲宴，賦雪獅與聯句。又以德潛年八十，賜額曰「鶴性松身」，並賚藏佛、冠服。德潛歸，復進西湖志纂，上題三絕句代序。二十二年，復南巡，加禮部尚書銜。二十六年，復詣京師祝皇太后七十萬壽，進歷代聖母圖冊。入朝賜杖，上命集文武大臣七十以上者為九老，凡三班，德潛為致仕九老首。命游香山，圖形內府。德潛進所編國朝詩別裁集請序，上覽其書以錢謙益為冠，因諭：「謙益諸人為明朝達官，而復事本朝，草昧締構，一時權宜。要其人不得為忠孝，其詩自在，聽之可也。選以冠本朝諸人則不可。錢名世者，皇考所謂『名教罪人』，更不宜入選。慎郡王，朕之叔父也，朕尚不忍名之。德潛豈宜直書其名？至世次前後倒置，益不可枚舉。」命內廷翰林重為校定。二十七年，南巡，德潛及錢陳羣迎駕常州，上賜詩，並稱為「大老」。三十年，復南巡，仍迎駕常州，加太子太傅，賜其孫維熙舉人。三十四年，卒，年九十七。贈太子太師，祀賢良祠，諡文慤。御製詩為輓。是時上命燬錢謙益詩集，下兩江總督高晉令察德潛家如有謙益詩文集，遵旨繳出。會德潛卒，高晉奏德潛家並未藏謙益詩文集，事乃已。四十三年，東臺縣民訐舉人徐述夔一柱樓集有悖逆語，上覽集前有德潛所為傳，稱其品行文章皆可為法，上不懌。下大學士九卿議，奪德潛贈官，罷祠削諡，仆其墓碑。四十四年，御製懷舊詩，仍列德潛五詞臣末。德潛少受詩法於吳江葉燮，自盛唐上追漢、魏，論次唐以後列朝詩為別裁集，以規矩示人。承學者效之，自成宗派。