Lu Yun

Lu Yun 陸雲
Born	Family name: Lu (陸) Given name: Yun (雲) Courtesy name: Shilong (士龍) 262
Died	c.November 303 (aged 41)
Occupation	Essayist, politician, writer
Notable works	Suimu Fu (歲暮賦) Da Xiong Pingyuan Shi (答兄平原詩) Zeng Shi Gu Yanxian (贈詩顧彥先) Yu Xiong Pingyuan Shi (與兄平原書)
Relatives	Lu Xun (grandfather) Lu Kang (father) Lu Jing (brother) Lu Ji (brother)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Lu.

Lu Yun (262 – c.November 303), courtesy name Shilong, was a Chinese essayist, politician, and writer who lived during the late Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. He was the fifth son of Lu Kang, a general of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period, and a grandson of Lu Xun, a prominent general and statesman who served as the third Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu. Together with his brother, Lu Ji, they became famous celebrities under the Jin after the fall of Wu, and they were both known as the "Two Lus" (二陸).[1]

Life

Lu Yun was born into the Lu clan of Wu Commandery as the son of the general, Lu Kang. He was able to write at the age of six and was recommended for the imperial examination when he was sixteen. After Eastern Wu fell to the Western Jin in 280, he and his brother Lu Ji decided to retire to their hometown, where they furthered their studies for ten years.[2] The brothers eventually travelled north to the Jin capital, Luoyang in 289. They were initially ridiculed by the locals due to their Wu accents, but they soon gained fame meeting with and impressing the minister of rites, Zhang Hua. He, his brother and his fellow southerner, Gu Rong were referred to as the "Three Eminence" (三俊) during their time in Luoyang.[3] Lu Yun was then summoned to serve as an official under the provincial inspector, Zhou Jun, who compared him to the ancient disciple of Confucius, Yan Hui.[4]

Later, Lu Yun served as a prefect of the gentlemen of the palace under the prince of Wu, Sima Yan (司馬晏[5]; father of Sima Ye). His biography in the Book of Jin contains two essays written for Sima Yan, highlighting his candid and outspoken character as he admonished the prince for his policies.[6] After this stint, he served in succession as gentleman of writing, imperial clerk, internal companion of the crown prince and palace gentleman writer.

Lu Yun was recommended by the Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying to become Interior Minister of Qinghe, thus his nickname "Lu Qinghe" (陸清河). In January 303, Ying became a part of a conspiracy with the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong to overthrow the Prince of Qi and Emperor Hui of Jin's regent, Sima Jiong. Lu Yun was appointed vanguard general to attack Jiong at Luoyang from Ying's base in Ye, but before he could arrive, the Prince of Changsha, Sima Ai killed Jiong and took over the imperial court. In the following months, as the political situation decline, Lu Yun became increasingly vocal and often went against the emperor's wishes. When the eunuch, Meng Jiu (孟玖) wanted to appoint his own father as Prefect of Handan, many among Sima Ying's staff agreed including his chief advisor, Lu Zhi, but Lu Yun angrily objected and insulted Meng Jiu, causing Meng Jiu to resent him. Afterwards, Lu Yun was supposed to lead a campaign against the rebel Zhang Chang in Jing province, but the order was cancelled as Sima Ying decided to send his army against Sima Ai.[7]

During the siege of Luoyang, Lu Ji suffered a catastrophic defeat to Sima Ai and was executed by Sima Ying after he was slandered by Meng Jiu. Lu Ji's family were implicated and placed under arrest, including Lu Yun. Several ministers such as Lu Zhi and Jiang Tong all pleaded Sima Ying to spare Lu Yun and his family, so the prince hesitated for three days. In the end, however, Meng Jiu hustled Ying away and ordered for Lu Yun and his family to be executed to the third degree.[8] Lu Yun was 42 years old by East Asian age reckoning when he died. He was buried in Qinghe by his students and former officials.[9]

Lu Yun's biography in the Book of Jin states that he wrote 349 articles and 10 pieces of "New Books" that were circulated.[10] The "Records of Classic" in the Book of Sui also states that there were 12 volumes of Lu Yun's collected works, all of which are lost today. Ming dynasty scholar Zhang Pu made a compilation of works by 130 writers from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties which contains two volumes of Lu Yun's works.[11] Southern dynasties writer, Liu Xie, in his work, The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, commented that Lu Yu's writing style was "fresh and clean, and he was good at writing short articles".[12]

References

1. (少與兄機齊名，雖文章不及機，而持論過之，號曰「二陸」。) Jin Shu, vol.54
2. (雲字士龍，六歲能屬文...後舉雲賢良，時年十六。吳平，入洛。) Jin Shu, vol.54
3. (吳平，與陸機兄弟同入洛，時人號為「三俊。」) Jin Shu, vol.68
4. (刺史周浚召為從事，謂人曰：「陸士龍當今之顏子也。」) Jin Shu, vol.54
5. not to be confused with his father, Emperor Wu of Jin
6. Jin Shu, vol.54
7. (穎將討齊王冏，以雲為前鋒都督。會冏誅，轉大將軍右司馬。穎晚節政衰，雲屢以正言忤旨。孟玖欲用其父為邯鄲令，左長史盧志等並阿意從之，而雲固執不許，曰：「此縣皆公府掾資，豈有黃門父居之邪！」玖深忿怨。張昌為亂，穎上雲為使持節、大都督、前鋒將軍以討昌。會伐長沙王，乃止。) Jin Shu, vol.54
8. (記室江統、陳留蔡克、潁川棗嵩等上疏，以爲：「陸機淺謀致敗，殺之可也。至於反逆，則衆共知其不然。宜先檢校機反狀，若有徵驗，誅雲等未晚也。」統等懇請不已，穎遲迴者三日。蔡克入，至穎前，叩頭流血曰：「雲爲孟玖所怨，遠近莫不聞；今果見殺，竊爲明公惜之！」僚屬隨克入者數十人，流涕固請，穎惻然，有宥雲色。孟玖扶穎入，催令殺雲、耽，夷機三族。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.85
9. (時年四十二。有二女，無男。門生故吏迎喪葬清河，修墓立碑，四時祠祭。) Jin Shu, vol.54
10. (所著文章三百四十九篇，又撰《新書》十篇，並行於世。) Jin Shu, vol.54
11. Collection of 130 Writers from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, Lu Qinghe's Collection
12. (士龍明練，以識檢亂，故能布采鮮淨，敏於短篇。) Wen Xin Diao Long, chapter 47

• Liu, Xie (5th century). The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons (Wen Xin Diao Long)
• Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
• Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.
• Zhang, Pu (17th century). Collection of 130 Writers from the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties