Su Tianjue

Life

His father, Su Zhidao (1261–1320), rose to become a langzhong in the Left and Right Offices of the Lingbei Branch Secretariat; his great-grandfather was Su Cheng (1221–1298). In his youth, Su Tianjue studied under An Xi, entered the National Academy as a student, and successively received instruction from Wu Cheng, Yu Ji, and Qi Lüqian. In the fourth year of the Yanyou era, Ma Zuchang, serving as an investigating censor overseeing the National Academy examinations, placed him first for his rhapsody “Jieshi fu,” whose style was elegant and refined and whose treatment was detailed.

After entering official life, he became judge of Jizhou in the Dadu Circuit, then served as a dianji in the Hanlin Academy and National History Office, as an yingfeng Hanlin wenzi, and as a xiuzhuan; he also held the post of shoujing lang in the Kui Zhang Pavilion. At the beginning of the Yuantong era, he was repeatedly appointed investigating censor and then Hanlin reader-in-waiting. During the Houzhi era, he rose to vice minister of rites, served as Huai Dong Regional Surveillance Commissioner, entered the Military Council as a judge, became minister of personnel, and was promoted to participate in the affairs of the Secretariat. His career also included the titles of censor, pacification commissioner, and Tongfeng Dafu.

In early Zhizheng, he was appointed vice provincial governor of Huguang, transferred to investigating censor of the Shaanxi Branch Censorate, and summoned as an academician-reader of the Jixian Academy concurrently serving as director of the National Academy. As an envoy for pacification in the metropolitan region, he investigated popular grievances and corrupt officials, and the capital’s people likened him to “Bao and Han.” After offending the chief minister of the day, he was dismissed and returned home; he was later recalled as vice provincial governor of Jiangzhe and served as governor of the Dadu Circuit and transport commissioner for the Two Zhe regions. In the twelfth year of Zhizheng, when banditry broke out in Huaiyou and Jiangdong, he was again made a participant in the Jianghuai provincial administration and given command at Rao and Xin; he died in the field at age fifty-nine. Another account describes the episode as his leading troops to suppress the Tianwan Red Turban army.

Learning, associations, and writings

Su Tianjue knew much of the history and institutions of Liao and Jin and pursued broad learning with a grasp of essentials. In later life he made the interpretation of the classics his personal charge, and scholars called him Master Zixi after his residence. His prose excelled at narrative, and his poetry followed ancient models; Zhao Fang of Xin’an praised his style as lucid and pure, disciplined and expansive, while Chen Lü, assistant instructor at the National Academy, called his learning broad and his judgment correct.

He was a friend of Su Youlong and wrote prefaces for works by Xu Heng, Ma Zuchang, Song Jiong, Liu Guan, Song Ben, Wei Chu, Tong Shu, Cao Boqi, and Yu Qin.

He had seven fascicles of poetry and thirty of prose. His works included Guochao Mingchen Shilüe (15 fascicles), Wenlei (70; also titled Yuan Wenlei), Songting Zhangshu (5), and Chunfeng Ting Biji (2); he also wrote Zhixi Wengao and the one-fascicle Zhishi Guijian.

From his days as a student at the National Academy to his service in Hanlin offices, he wrote down all earlier words and deeds and everything of his own time that could be recorded; as the older scholars of the Central Plain had nearly disappeared, he alone shouldered the documentary legacy of an age.