Lu Dian

Life

Lu Dian was the son of Lu Gui. He studied diligently in poverty, received instruction in the Classics from Wang Anshi, but did not accept the New Policies. In the third year of the Xining era (1070), he placed third in the jinshi examination, ranking first in the Ministry of Rites examination and third in the palace examination; he began his career as judicial assistant in Caizhou. When the Five-Circuit schools were first established, he was selected as a professor at the school of Yanzhou, then summoned as a lecturer at the Imperial University, appointed Collator of the Jixian Institute and Reader in the Chongzheng Palace, and joined the compilation of the daily court diary.

In family relations, his father was Lu Gui; his father-in-law was Zheng Dunchong and his wife Zheng. His sons were Lu Zai (陸宰), 陸寘, and 陸宲, and his son-in-law was Li Zhigang. Other recorded relatives included his nephew Lu Kangmin, maternal nephew Shi Jingxi, grandnephew Lu Huan, grandsons Lu Yuan and Lu Song, great-grandson Lu Rui, and a direct descendant, Lu Zhen; Lu You was his grandson.

Lu Dian was a friend of Shen Ping. He admired Tang Mo’s poetry and received him as an honored guest; while teaching at the Yanzhou prefectural school, he had students including Han Yu, Zheng Yun, and Zheng Xiu, and he recommended Hou Lin.

After the Yuanfeng reform of the official system, he was promoted to Zhongshu Sheren and Jishizhong; under Emperor Zhezong he became Vice Minister of Personnel and then served in the Ministry of Rites, while participating in the compilation of the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong. As a Longtuge daizhi, he governed Yingzhou and then Dengzhou; in Yuanyou 7 (1092), he governed Jiangning Prefecture, and at the beginning of Shaosheng he served successively in Taizhou, Haizhou, and Caizhou. His appointments also included Muzhou and Shengzhou, and he became known for his handling of legal cases after repeated provincial assignments. His career further included Qijulang and Shijiang, as well as the rank titles Zuo Chaofeng Dafu, Chaofeng Lang, and Chaosan Lang.

Upon Emperor Huizong’s accession, Lu Dian was recalled as Vice Minister of Rites and promoted to Minister of Personnel; in the first year of Jianzhong Jingguo (1101), he was appointed Zhongshu Youcheng and then Zuocheng, with the rank Zhong Dafu. He advocated employing Yuanyou personnel and opposed exhaustive prosecution of Yuanyou’s remaining partisans, and was slandered for these views. In the first year of Chongning (1102), because his name appeared on the Yuanyou party register, he was removed to serve as governor of Bozhou; he died a few months later at the age of sixty-one and was posthumously granted the titles Grand Preceptor and Duke of Chu.

Scholarship and works

Lu Dian was versed in the ritualist theories of categories and numbers. His works include Piya (20 juan), Erya xinyi (20 juan), a commentary on Heguanzi, Lixiang, Chunqiu houzhuan, Guozijian chile geshi (19 juan), and Taoshan ji. Piya, Erya xinyi, and the Heguanzi commentary survive, while Taoshan ji, originally in 20 juan, was lost and reconstructed in 16 juan by Qing editors from the Yongle dadian.

The base text for Lu Dian’s poetry is the facsimile Wenyuange edition of the Siku quanshu; it contains three juan of poems, and one additional poem was recovered outside the collection.