Zhou Yi (1505 or 1506–1569) was a Ming official and thinker. His courtesy name was Shunzhi (順之), and his sobriquets included Nexi (訥溪; also written 訥谿) and Dufeng (都峯; also written 都峰); he was the sixteenth in birth order. Other forms of address include Nexixiansheng (訥溪先生), Zhuangjian (莊簡), and Zhuangjianxiansheng (莊簡先生). His native place is variously given as Taiping in Zhejiang, Ningguo Taiping, or Taiping County of Ningguo Prefecture in Zhili (now Huangshan District, Huangshan, Anhui).
Life
Zhou began as a shengyuan, passed the provincial examination in 1534, and became a jinshi in the Wuxu examination of 1538, ranking thirty-third in the third class. After becoming a jinshi, he was appointed tuiguan of Shunde Prefecture; in 1542 he was promoted to jishizhong in the Li Branch, a post he held through 1543.
His family included Zhou Duanqing, his great-great-grandfather, also described as a fourth-generation ancestor; Zhou Defu, his great-grandfather; Zhou Quan, his grandfather; Zhou Benxiu, his father; and Liu, his mother. His younger brothers were Zhou Bian and Zhou Ke; his first wife was Huang and his second wife was Cheng. He was a friend of Qian Dehong, Tang Shunzhi, and Luo Hongxian, and studied under Wang Ji and Zou Shouyi.
While serving in the Li Branch, he impeached officials without sparing the powerful, including the ministers Li Rugui, Zhang Zan, and Liu Tianhe, Grand Secretary Zhai Luan, and Yan Song. After submitting a memorial in defense of Xu Zan, Minister of Personnel, he was flogged at court and imprisoned. One imprisonment lasted three years and ended after a message from a spirit medium; he was arrested again soon afterward and imprisoned for another three years. After a fire at Dagaoyuan Hall, a rumor held that voices in the flames had named Yang Jue, Liu Kui, and Zhou Yi as loyal ministers; Zhou was released again and stripped of office.
In 1567 he was recalled, first resuming office as jishizhong in the Li Branch and then becoming Taichang si shaoqing in Nanjing. After presenting five proposals for new policies, he used language that offended powerful eunuchs and was transferred to the Denglai military-preparations post in the Shandong Surveillance Commission; the office is also styled the Denglaiqing military-preparations qianshi. In 1568 he was transferred to Nanjing as guozijian siye. He was recalled as Taichang si shaoqing but died in 1569 before taking up the appointment.
Works
Works associated with him include 訥溪集 (27 juan); the one-juan memorial collection 訥谿奏疏, also written 訥溪奏疏; and 訥齋集. Other listed titles are 訥齋尺牘 (four juan), 訥齋文錄 (ten juan), 訥齋詩錄 (nine juan), 訥齋雜錄 (three juan), 訥谿先生文錄 (ten juan), and 訥溪雜錄 (three juan).
Posthumous title
At the beginning of the Tianqi era, he was posthumously awarded the name Gongjie (恭節).
References
- CBDB Zhou Yi (68478)
- 搜韵 周怡 (44108)
- Wikidata Zhou Yi (Q15918699)