Cheng Bi

Life

At the age of ten, he wrote a poem on ice whose wording was startling. In the fourth year of the Shaoxi era under Emperor Guangzong (1193), he earned the jinshi degree and was appointed Registrar of Changhua; in the first year of the Jiatai era under Emperor Ningzong (1201), he became a professor in Jiankang Prefecture, and in the second year of the Jiading era (1209) was made magistrate of Fuyang County.

In the seventh year of Jiading, he was appointed to the Office of Official Proclamations and successively held the posts of Registrar of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, Compiler in the Bureau of Military Affairs, an acting director in the Right Section, and Assistant Director of the Palace Library; in the twelfth year he became Commissioner of Ever-Normal Granaries in Western Zhejiang, returned to the Palace Library the following year, and rose to Vice Minister of Rites, concurrently directing the Academy and helping compile the National History. After requesting an assignment outside the capital, he served as Jiangdong Circuit Transport Commissioner and Commissioner of Ever-Normal Granaries in Western Zhejiang; on returning to court, he became Acting Vice Minister of Personnel, concurrently serving as a compiler of National History, joint compiler of the Veritable Records, acting official in the Secretariat’s Right Section, and Director of the Academy, and after Emperor Lizong’s accession also served as reader-in-attendance.

When Emperor Ningzong died, Chancellor Shi Miyuan summoned him to the palace at night to draft a jiao zhao (矯詔); in a single night he composed twenty-five edicts. He was then appointed Hanlin Academician and Drafter of Proclamations, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xin’an Commandery.

In the first year of the Baoqing era (1225), he was appointed provisional Minister of Rites; the following year he became Acting Minister of Personnel, Hanlin Academician and Drafter of Proclamations, concurrently responsible for the compilation of the jade genealogy. In the first year of Shaoding (1228), he was sent out as prefect of Jianning and soon appointed Fujian Route Commissioner for Suppressing Banditry, with command of the troops. In the third year of Shaoding, he became superintendent of the Longxing Prefecture Yulong Wanshou Palace, and later served as prefect of Ningguo, Ganzhou, and Fuzhou. In the second year of the Chunyou era (1242), he retired as Duanming Palace Academician; he died in the sixth month at the age of seventy-nine.

Cheng Lingxi was a direct ancestor; Wang Huai (1126–1189) was his wife’s grandfather; and his brother was Cheng Ziming. His nephews included Cheng Ruoyan, Cheng Ruochou, Cheng Ruyong, and Cheng Dexiu, who died in 1274.

His son Cheng Hai and his sixth son Cheng Zhu (1214–1279) are both listed among his descendants. His grandsons included Cheng Qiyuan, Cheng Qifu, Cheng Qihou, Cheng Qiren, Cheng Qishu, Cheng Qiqing, and Cheng Qishen.

While Cheng Bi was living at home, Shu Hui studied under him; Shu later abandoned the examination career and devoted himself to charitable relief in his native community.

Writings

His works included the sixty-fascicle Mingshui Collection, which was later lost; in the thirty-fifth year of the Ming Jiajing era, Cheng Yuanbing searched it out and had a twenty-six-fascicle edition engraved. Other titles include the ten-fascicle Inner Prose Drafts and twenty-fascicle Outer Prose Drafts; the titles 《洺水先生文集》, 《眳水小集》, and 《眳水詞》 also appear among the associated works.

Individual titles include 《書本草圖後》, 《書朱文公與沙隨先生書後》, 《休寧縣修學記》, and 《與岳珂書》, alongside postscripts, letters, and commemorative records; 《程公行狀》 is also associated with the 《洺水集》.

One assessment describes him as a man who maintained his principles in office and was pure in moral character.