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Persons in Chinese History - Fu Xian 傅咸

Periods of Chinese History
Fu Xian 傅咸 (239-294), courtesy name Fu Changyu 傅長虞, was a writer of the Western Jin period 西晉 (265-316). He came from Niyang 泥陽 (modern Yaoxian 耀縣, Shaanxi) and was a son of the philosopher and writer Fu Xuan 傅玄. Fu Xian held the office of frontrider of the Heir Apparent (taizi xianma 太子洗馬, sic!), was later promoted to assistant director in the Department of State affairs (shangshu zuocheng 尚書左丞) and Palace Aide to the Censor-in-chief (yushi zhongcheng 御史中丞), and inherited his father's title of Marquis of Qingquan 清泉.
In his writings Fu Xian openly criticized the evils of his times, attracting a lot of enemies. Yet unlike his father, who had been a Confucian, Fu Xian was more inclined to Daoism and its preference of non-activity, softness and compliance. Such an attitude might eventually, he said, overcome the hard, male and inflexible.
Fu Xian's collected writings with a length of 30 juan "scrolls" are lost, but fragments are preserved in the Ming period 明 (1368-1644) collection Fu Zhongcheng ji 傅中丞集.


Source: Li Binghai 李炳海 (1996), "Fu Xian 傅咸", in Feng Kezheng 馮克正, Fu Qingsheng 傅慶升 (ed.), Zhuzi baijia da cidian 諸子百家大辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), p. 80.

February 28, 2013 © Ulrich Theobald · Mail
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