Su Zhe

Life

In the second year of the Jiayou era (1057), he passed the jinshi examination; in the sixth year, he took a further special examination, called the caishi jianmao ming yu tiyong examination in one account and the xianliang fangzheng examination in another, and, seeking to attend his father, did not immediately enter office. His first appointment was as a military 推官 at Shangzhou, but he did not take it up; in the second year of the Zhiping era (1065), he became a 留守推官 at Daming Prefecture.

In the second year of Xining (1069), he was summoned as an examining editor in the Office for Regulations of the Three Financial Agencies (制置三司條例司檢詳文字). His discussions often put him at odds with Wang Anshi, and he argued forcefully that the Green Sprouts Law could not work; he was later sent out as judicial commissioner of Henan. He subsequently served as professor at Chenzhou, secretary at Qizhou, and signing judge at Yingtian Prefecture.

In the second year of Yuanfeng (1079), his brother Su Shi was convicted in the Wutai Poetry Case, and Su Zhe was punished by association, being demoted to supervising the salt-and-wine tax office at Junzhou; while there, he exchanged poems with Mao Weizhan. In the seventh year of Yuanfeng he was transferred to Jixi County; the following year, after Shenzong died, he was recalled to court and promoted Right Remonstrator.

In the first year of Yuanyou (1086), he entered court as Right Remonstrator, then became Qiju Lang and Zhongshu Sheren; he went on to serve as Vice Minister of Revenue, Hanlin Academician, Minister of Personnel, Censor-in-Chief, and Vice Right Councillor, and in the seventh year was promoted to Menxia Shilang with the rank of Dazhong Dafu. While serving as a remonstrator and Censor-in-Chief, he impeached Cai Que, Han Zhen, Zhang Dun, and others.

After Zhezong took personal control in the eighth year of Yuanyou and brought the New Party back into office, Su Zhe was stripped of office in the first year of Shaosheng (1094) as a Yuanyou partisan. He was made prefect of Ruzhou and Yuanzhou, reduced to Chaoyi Dafu (also written Chaoqing Dafu), assigned to office at Nanjing, and ordered to reside in Junzhou; in the fourth year he was made deputy prefect of Huazhou and placed in exile at Leizhou, and in the first year of Yuanfu (1098) was moved to Xunzhou.

When Huizong succeeded, he returned north under amnesty, was moved northward through Yongzhou and Yuezhou, restored to Dazhong Dafu, and appointed to supervise Fengxiang Shangqing Taiping Palace; he settled in Yingchang. The party ban was reopened during Chongning, and his temple appointment was withdrawn. Accounts differ on his late residence: one gives Xuzhou and another Yingchang. In the second year of Daguan (1108), he was restored to Chaoyi Dafu and advanced to Zhong Dafu; in the second year of Zhenghe (1112), he retired as Dazhong Dafu.

He died in October of that year at the age of seventy-four. His posthumous title was Wending; the timing is given either as immediately after his death or as during the Chunxi reign of Emperor Xiaozong.

Writing and works

Su Zhe, his father Su Xun, and his brother Su Shi became known for their literary learning. His prose was described as expansive and tranquil; he is counted among the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song, and, with his father and brother, as one of the Three Sus. Some of his ci poetry appears in 欒城遺言.

The collections 《欒城集》, in fifty juan, 《欒城後集》, in twenty-four juan, 《欒城第三集》, in ten juan, and 《欒城應詔集》, in twelve juan, are associated with his corpus. Other works include 《詩集傳》, also called 《詩傳》; 《春秋集解》, also found under the titles 《春秋傳》 and 《春秋集傳》; 《古史》; 《龍川略志》; 《龍川別志》; 《老子解》; 《論語拾遺》; 《遊仙夢記》; and 《孟子解》.