Gu Xiancheng (1550–1612) was a Ming official and thinker. His courtesy name was Shushi, and his sobriquet was Jingyang; he came from Jingli in Wuxi, Changzhou Prefecture (now Zhangjing Town, Xishan District, Wuxi), and was known as Jingyang xiansheng. His posthumous title is given as Duanwen, with Duanfu also attested.
Life
His great-grandfather was Gu Wei and his grandfather Gu Kui; his father appears under three forms, Gu Xue and two forms of Gu Zhe.
His elder brothers were Gu Xingcheng and Gu Zicheng, and his younger brothers were Gu Yuncheng and Gu Xuancheng; his wife was Zhu and his sons were Gu Yumu and Gu Yufen. Examination entries identify him as a shengyuan, a xianggong juren, and a jinshi; in the eighth year of the Wanli reign (1580), he passed the jinshi examination, ranking second in the second class.
After obtaining the jinshi degree, he was appointed a zhushi in the Ministry of Revenue. In the fifteenth year of Wanli, a memorial that offended the governing ministers led to his demotion as judge of Guiyang. His official career also included a zhushi in the Ministry of Personnel’s Yan feng Office, yuanwailang, judicial offices in Chuzhou and Quanzhou prefectures, a zhushi in the Kaogong Office, a langzhong in the Wenxuan Office, a Shaoqing of Guanglu Temple in Nanjing, and a Vice Minister of Personnel. In the twenty-second year of Wanli, he offended imperial will over the recommendation of grand councillors and was struck from the registers and returned home.
Donglin Activities and Thought
After returning home, he joined his younger brother Gu Yuncheng in advocating the restoration of Donglin Academy, where he lectured with Gao Panlong and other like-minded scholars and accepted students. In his lectures, Gu Xiancheng refuted Wang Shouren’s formulation that “the substance of the mind is neither good nor bad,” while satirizing court politics and commenting on public figures; many court officials admired his example and responded from afar, and the name Donglin consequently became prominent. His friends included Xue Fujiao, Gao Panlong, Wu Liang, Sun Piyang, Guo Zhengyu, and others.
Posthumous Recognition
In the early Chongzhen reign, he was posthumously awarded the rank of Right Vice Minister of Personnel and given the posthumous name Duanwen; Duanfu is also attested, and he was known as Jingyang xiansheng.
Works
His works include Sishu jiangyi (one juan), Xiaoxin zhai zhaji (eighteen juan; also written Xiaoxin zhai zhaji), Donglin huiyue (one juan), Zhengxing bian (eight juan, with two juan of Zhengxin huowen originally missing), and Daxue tongkao. Other titles associated with him include Donglin shangyu (two juan), Yushan shangyu (three juan), Jingzhengtang shangyu (one juan), Zhijutang shangyu (one juan), Renwen shangyu (one juan), Nanyue shangyu (one juan), Dangxia yi (one juan), Huanjing lu (one juan), Zifan lu (one juan), Jinggao canggao, Gu Duanwen yishu, and Gu Duanwen gongji in twenty-two juan.
References
- CBDB Gu Xiancheng (34742)
- 搜韵 顧憲成 (51314)
- Wikidata Gu Xiancheng (Q6121590)