Liu Guan

Life

His father was 柳金, and his mother was 俞氏, a daughter of 俞葵; his grandfather was 柳補之, his maternal grandfather 俞葵, and his younger brother 柳實.

His wife was 盛淑 (1270–1331).

His sons were 柳卣, 柳同, and 柳因; his grandsons were 柳穎, 柳穆, and 柳秬, and his granddaughter was 柳氏.

His maternal kinsman 俞相 lived from 1249 to 1319.

In the fourth year of the Dade era (1300), he entered office through 薦舉 (also described as 察舉) as instructor of the Jiangshan Confucian school; during the Zhida era (1308), he became director of the Changguo prefectural school.

In 1319 he became assistant instructor at the National Academy, and in 1324 a Doctor at the Taichang Institute of Rites.

He later served as superintendent of Confucian education in Jiangxi; at the beginning of the Zhizheng era (1341), he took up the Hanlin title 待制 and concurrently became a compiler in the National Historiography Institute.

His other offices and ranks included 樞密院編修, 儒學副提舉, 博士, 太常司博士, 將仕郎, 將仕佐郎, 文林郎, 徵事郎, and 承務郎.

Learning and Associations

At about twenty, he studied 性理之學 under 金履祥; he later associated with 方鳳, 謝翱, and 吳思齊, and sought advice from 方回, 仇遠, 龔開, 戴表元, 胡之純, and the 長孺 brothers.

At the capital, 吳澄 esteemed him, and 程鉅夫 gave him a pellet of ink, saying, “文章正印，今屬子矣” (“The true seal of literature now belongs to you”).

He was a friend of 牟應龍, 方回, and 杜本.

He remained a tireless student from youth to old age, with interests spanning military and penal affairs, law and calendrical studies, mathematical arts, technical arts, and books outside orthodox traditions; he was known for wide learning and an exceptional memory.

He was also a calligrapher, connoisseur, Neo-Confucian scholar, and statecraft scholar, and he taught disciples.

He styled himself Wushu shanren and named his studio “Jingjian.”

Literary Work

He was ranked with 黃溍, 虞集, and 揭傒斯 and was called one of the “Four Eminent Men of the Confucian Grove” (儒林四傑); among writers from the same region, he and 黃溍 and 吳萊 were of equal renown for a time.

危素 praised his prose as “vigorous, rigorous, and well ordered,” especially strong in argument and free of hackneyed phrases; another judgment called it “deep and resonant, broad and fluent,” saying that many people recited it.

宋濂 and 戴良 likened his poetry and prose to a veteran commander leading a million troops—banners bright, armor gleaming, but without shouted displays of anger—and compiled them in forty juan.

His works included 《柳待制文集》; other titles attributed to him include 《字系》, 《柳待制別集》, 《柳待制集附錄》, 《金石竹帛遺文》, 《打棗譜一卷》, 《王魁傳一卷》, and 《金鳳釵記一卷》.

He died at seventy-three, and his disciples privately posthumously named him Wensu.