Zeng Chaojie (曾朝節; 1535–1604, with 1534 given as his birth year in one record) was an official of the Ming dynasty. His courtesy name was Zhiqing (直卿) and his art name Zhizhai (植齋); a native of Linwu County in Huguang, he was registered as a commoner (民籍). He ranked third in the first class of the 1577 jinshi examination, rose to the office of Minister of Rites, and was posthumously granted the title Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent (太子太保) and the posthumous name Wenke (文恪).
Life
His great-grandfather was Zeng Zuo (曾祚), his grandfather Zeng Chong (曾寵) and his father Zeng Rui (曾銳); his mother was née Li. He was the eldest among his brothers and had six younger brothers: Zeng Chaofu (曾朝符), Zeng Chaojian (曾朝簡), Zeng Chaocai (曾朝策), Zeng Chaofan (曾朝範), Zeng Chaozhen (曾朝箴) and Zeng Chaohu (曾朝笏). He married a woman of the Huang family and later took a second wife, a woman of the Liu family.
Zeng was a shengyuan (庠生) and passed the provincial examination of Huguang, his rank there being given as tenth in one record and nineteenth in another. In 1577, the fifth year of the Wanli era, he became a jinshi, ranking third in the first class; he was appointed a compiler (編修) of the Hanlin Academy, served in the history office (史局) and was promoted to reader (侍讀). The people of Linwu called him "Zeng the Tanhua" (曾探花).
In 1592 he was moved to the post of Chancellor of the Imperial College (國子監祭酒), then promoted to vice minister of rites at Nanjing and finally to Minister of Rites; he also served as lecturer to the heir apparent (東宮侍講) and was assistant chief examiner of the metropolitan examination of 1601. He died of illness at his residence in the capital, and was posthumously granted the title Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and the posthumous name Wenke.
Zeng had wide contacts among the men of his day. He wrote to Shen Shixing, Ai Mu, Xu Yongjian and Mei Guozhen, and replied to letters from Xiao Yan, Zou Yuanbiao, Shen Yan, Zhou Rudeng, Yang Qiyuan, Deng Yizan, Liu Yaohui and Li Weibiao; Feng Mengzhen, Tang Wenxian and Fei Shangyi also wrote to him. He presented poems and prose to Wan Xiangchun, Wang Honghui, Lin Shizhang, Feng Zilü and Fei Shangyi, and offered congratulations to Shen Yiguan and Li Changchun. He wrote sacrificial texts for Zhang Juzheng, Shen Maoxue, Wang Ning and Zhu Bingru, epitaphs for Zhu Bingru, Guo Song, Deng Shangyi and Liu Minkuan, spirit-way steles for Shen Jiefu and Chen Shaoru, a tomb tablet for Wu Baipeng and a conduct record for Liu Yaohui; he also wrote a preface for a work by Yu Menglin and a school record for Wang Honghui, engaged Cheng Hongzhong to teach at an academy, and submitted a memorial discussing Wang Shouren. After his death, his epitaph was composed by Gu Qiyuan and his tomb tablet by Zhu Geng.
Works
His writings include the Yice (易測) and the Ziyuan cao (紫園草) in twenty-two juan.
References
- CBDB Zeng Chaojie (131252)
- 搜韵 曾朝節 (51220)
- Wikidata Zeng Chaojie (Q11091558)