Pan Lianggui

Life and career

In 1115, the fifth year of the Zhenghe era, he graduated from the Upper Hall and entered office as a Doctor at the Biyong; he later served as Palace Library Secretary and Director of the Office of State Ceremonial, and held the Huainan Eastern Circuit intendantship in 1123–1125. 蔡京 sought his friendship, but was refused. In the first year of Jingkang (1126), summoned for an audience, he argued that 何㮚 (also written 何𣓨) and 唐恪 were unfit for office and was demoted to supervise the Rukou riverbank station in Xinzhou. He served as a Director in the Ministry of Works from 1127 to 1129.

After Emperor Gaozong’s accession in 1127, he was summoned as Left Remonstrance Adviser, with Right Remonstrance Adviser as an alternative form. He called for the execution of those who had followed rebel orders and advocated building up the army for recovery; after offending the chief ministers and incurring the hostility of 汪 and 黃, he was demoted three days after submitting his memorial and left office to serve at a Daoist temple.

In 1132 he was appointed Left Assistant in the Department of State Affairs; one sequence says that a disagreement with a chief minister led to his appointment as prefect of Yan and, soon afterward, to a return to temple service. The sequence is also given as service first as judicial commissioner of the Hunan Circuit, then as Director of Merit Evaluations and in the Left Department, followed by an appointment as prefect of Yan under the title Direct Reader of the Longtu Pavilion, transfer to Palace Library Vice Supervisor, promotion to Palace Attendant, and appointment as Drafter in the Secretariat. The prefecture in this appointment is also given as Mu Prefecture.

In 1135 he became Acting Drafter in the Secretariat; after rebuking a court speaker and offending the throne, he requested removal and was appointed, as a Reader of the Jiying Palace, to supervise the Jiangzhou Taiping Abbey.

In 1138 he again entered temple service; in 1139 he became prefect of Ming Prefecture and, after a year, was appointed Palace Attendant of the Huiyou Pavilion and supervisor of the Mingdao Palace in Bozhou. The offices of Circuit Pacification Commissioner for the Eastern Zhejiang Circuit, Reader of the Jiying Palace, and prefect of Ming Prefecture are dated to 1139–1140. His career included repeated periods of temple service; in later life he returned home and did not take office for ten years. In 1150, he was demoted by three grades for corresponding with 李光 and died at the age of fifty-seven.

Family and associations

His father was 潘祖仁 (1046–1136), and his father-in-law was 傅墨卿. He had an elder brother, 潘良佐, and three younger brothers, 潘良瑗, 潘良翰, and 潘良能; his nephew was 潘畤 (1126–1189), and his great-grandson was 潘世演.

He was a friend of 陳楫, a disciple of 權邦彥, and was recommended by 沈與求. When the Vice Minister of Revenue 向子諲 came to see him, Pan rebuked him loudly and sent him away for his offensive speech.

Works and literary activity

He wrote the fifteen-volume 《默成居士集》, now lost; in the early Kangxi era, a descendant compiled the eight-volume 《默成文集》. His poems were edited using a facsimile Wen yuan ge edition of 《四庫全書》 as the base text, collated against poems quoted in 《敬鄉錄》, and combined with newly collected poems outside the collection into a single volume.

朱熹 wrote the preface to 《默成文集》 and held Pan Lianggui in high esteem; Pan Lianggui also wrote a preface for a book by his nephew 潘畤.