Wang Shixin

Life and career

In the eighth year of the Zhenghe era under Emperor Huizong (1118), he passed the jinshi examination and was first appointed county commandant of Shuyang in Haizhou (also written Muyang). Early in the Shaoxing era, he became magistrate of Changxi, then held the posts of Taifu si cheng, Junior Supervisor of the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures, and drafter in the various offices of the Privy Council.

He later governed Yuan, Qu, and Hong prefectures and served at Jingnan Prefecture; at court he became Vice Minister of Revenue and an official responsible for revising edicts, was summoned to act as Minister of Personnel, and was later sent out as prefect of Shaoxing and Fuzhou, concurrently serving as Pacification Commissioner for eastern Zhejiang and Fujian.

His offices also included Director of the Right Office in the Secretariat, Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Director of the Left Office in the Secretariat, Vice Minister of Works, Attendant Censor, prefect of Huzhou, Reader-in-Waiting, Academician of Xianmo Pavilion, Direct Academician of Xianmo Pavilion, and Expectant at Fuwen Pavilion.

As a local administrator, he was said to have left the people at ease and was classed among good and conscientious officials; he did not support Qin Hui's policies. After Qin Hui's death, he entered court as Reader-in-Waiting and urged the ruler to use history to discern gains and losses and to investigate order and disorder.

In the first year of the Qiandao era (1165), he retired with the rank of Left Proclaimed Service Grand Master. He died at home in the twelfth month of the fifth year (1169), aged seventy-three, and was posthumously named Zhuangmin.

Family and associations

His father was Wang Deng (王登; 1066–1126); his mother was Chen (陳氏), and his wife was Cao (曹氏). A collateral relative, Wang Huai (王淮; 1126–1189), is identified both as a congzi and as a nephew.

His sons were 王渙, 王㳘, 王渷, 王浤, 王注, 王汾, and 王淑. The birth-order designations are inconsistent: 王㳘 and 王渷 are both listed as second son, while 王汾 appears as both fourth and sixth son.

His grandsons included 王楷, 王柄, 王杞, 王柟, 王梓, 王樾, 王樸, and 王僑; 王侊 is listed as a great-grandson, and 王珹 (1247–1324) as a fourth-generation descendant.

Later descendants listed include 王文彪 (1278–1353), a fifth-generation descendant, and 王蕙 (1289–1344), a sixth-generation descendant.

汪應辰 (Wang Yingchen) wrote his tomb inscription; Wang Shixin wrote a tomb inscription for 王汝梅 (Wang Rumei), supplied postscripts to 王柏's calligraphy and paintings, and received letters from 張孝祥 (Zhang Xiaoxiang) and 王十朋 (Wang Shipeng).

Works

《紹興刑名疑難斷例》 is listed as a work authored by Wang Shixin.