Lin Zhiqi

Life

When Lü Benzhong entered Fujian, Lin had just reached adulthood and studied under him. His reputation grew, and scholars looked to him; Lü Zuqian later studied under him.

He passed the jinshi examination in the twenty-first year of the Shaoxing era (1151), and was appointed registrar of Putian and then commandant of Changting. In Shaoxing 26 he became a Corrector in the Palace Library, and in Shaoxing 29 a Collator in the same institution, serving there for three years. Because of illness he requested an external appointment; he then served as Zongzheng cheng (also given as Dazongzheng cheng) and, from 1161 to 1163, supervised the Fujian Maritime Trade Office. He also served on a commander's staff and later lived at home on a cilu stipend; he held the title Shang Qingche duwei as well.

In the third year of the Chunxi era (1176), he died at the age of sixty-five and received the posthumous name Wenzhao.

Thought and writings

When the court sought to require scholars to incorporate Wang Anshi's commentaries on the Three Classics, Lin denounced them as heterodox and argued that Wang's Three Classics provided a basis for the New Policies. He was an opponent of Wang Anshi's reforms.

His works included Shangshu jijie (《尚書集解》), Zhouli (《周禮》), Lunyu (《論語》), Mengzi (《孟子》), Yangzi jiangyi (《揚子講義》), Tongjian lunduan (《通鑑論斷》), Dui zhai lu (《兌齋錄》), and Zhuozhai wenji (《拙齋文集》); he also compiled Guanlan wenji (《觀瀾文集》). He also wrote Shangshu quanjie (《尚書全解》), Tongjian jiyi (《通鑑集議》), and Shiping (《史評》).

The Zhuozhai wenji is given as twenty or twenty-two juan. Lin's poetry was edited as a one-juan supplement on the basis of the Wenyuange edition of the Siku quanshu Zhuozhai wenji, combined with poems collected from other works.