Sun Kuang

Life

His father was 孫陞 (1501–1560), his grandfather 孫燧 (d. 1519), and his great-grandfather 孫新; his mother was 楊氏, his stepmother 韓氏, and his wife 胡氏. His elder brothers were 孫鑨, 孫鈺, 孫鋌, 孫鏊, 孫鏌, 孫鈳, and 孫鎡; his younger brother was 孫鑲.

His household registration was under the Jinyiwei, and he is also described as being in the Jinyiwei official register. In 1570, the fourth year of the Longqing reign, he ranked forty-seventh in the Shuntian prefectural examination and became a juren. In 1574, the second year of the Wanli reign and the Jiaxu examination, he came first in the metropolitan examination and fourth in the second degree among the jinshi, at the age of thirty-two.

After passing the examination, his first appointment was as a 主事, variously assigned to the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of War. He later held the offices of 員外 and 郎中, including 吏部考功司郎中 and 吏部文選清吏司郎中. While serving as 文選郎中, he clarified the personnel-selection system; he rose to 兵部侍郎 and was additionally made 右都御史.

In the twelfth year of the Wanli reign (1584), he was promoted to 太常寺少卿 in the second month; in the eighteenth year (1590), he was recalled to the same office in the ninth month. In the nineteenth year (1591), he became 右通政 in the fourth month and 左僉都御史 in the tenth, assisting with the work of the censorate; in the twentieth year (1592), he became 右副都御史, governor of Shandong, and supervisor of agricultural military affairs.

In the twenty-first year (1593), he was promoted to 刑部左侍郎. In the twenty-second year (1594), he concurrently held 右僉都御史 and replaced 顧養謙 as the general commissioner for Jiliao; this episode is also described as an appointment to manage Korea. In 1599, he received rewards after the eastern expedition succeeded.

In 1604, he was appointed 右都御史 of the Nanjing Censorate; in 1605, he reached the office of Nanjing Minister of War and participated in military affairs; in 1606, after a three-year performance review, he was given the additional title of 太子少保. In 1609, following the report of 留都天鳴, he requested dismissal and was graciously allowed to leave office. During his service, he petitioned that unlawful mining supervisors be punished under the severest statutes; after being impeached, he requested permission to return home.

Writings

The titles associated with his writings vary. They include 《孫月峰全集》, 《今文選》, 《居業編》, and the twelve-volume collection 《姚江孫月峰先生集》. Other works attributed to him include 《荀子二十卷》, 《書晝跋跋三卷續三卷》, 《劉子二卷》, and 《無能子三卷》.

Associations and literary activity

Among his social and literary connections, he was a friend of 史孝復, had a recommendation connection with 蔣宏濟, and was involved in a book preface associated with 于愼行. He wrote tomb inscriptions for 王汝言, 沈子木, 林大春, 張堯年, 陶承學, and 陳雍. He also wrote such inscriptions for 雷士禎, 楊世華, 葉逢春, 鄭汝璧, and 蔣勸能, wrote a biography of 張元抃, and co-compiled a work with him.

He wrote spirit-way inscriptions for 許孚遠, 陸樹聲, and 葛浩, a tomb表 for 楊博, and biographical accounts of his elder brothers 孫鑨 and 孫鈺 and of 陳有年. He received letters from 馮時可, 王世懋, 鄒元標, 屠隆, 邢侗, and 趙南星; with 鄒元標 and 趙南星, the correspondence also includes replies.