Chapter 32 Chapter Thirty-Two: The Unknown Zhang Heng

As we all know, Zhang Heng is an outstanding scientist.He is proficient in astronomy and calendar calculations, and has twice served as Taishi Ling in charge of astronomy; he created the world's earliest hydraulically driven armillary sphere and a seismograph capable of detecting earthquakes; he also wrote "Illustrated Notes on the Armillary Sphere" and "Lingxian" and other scientific works have made indelible contributions to the development of astronomy, mechanical technology and seismology in our country.In order to commemorate Zhang Heng's outstanding achievements, the United Nations Astronomical Organization named the 1802 asteroid in the solar system "Zhang Heng Star" in 1977.People also named a crater on the back of the moon as "Zhangheng Crater".

But Zhang Heng is not just a scientist. Zhang Heng is also a great writer. His "Two Beijing Fu" (composed of "Xijing Fu" and "Tokyo Fu") and Ban Gu's "Liangdu Fu" can be called the "Double Walls" of Eastern Han literature. Elegant, allegorical and profound, with a high level of thought, and recorded many folk customs at that time, providing rich materials for the study of the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty. His long lyrical poem "Poem of Four Sorrows" is full of emotion and touching. Mr. Zheng Zhenduo, a literary historian, praised it as "a rare masterpiece". If you are not convinced, please enjoy the following beautiful lines:

My thoughts are in Mount Tai, It is difficult for Liang's father to follow. Looking sideways to the east, Ti Zhanhan. The beauty gave me the golden wrong knife, How to repay Ying Qiongyao. Don't lean on Xiaoyao when the road is far away, Why worry and worry. My thoughts are in Guilin, The water in Hunan is deep if you want to follow. Looking south sideways tears stained lapel. The beauty gave me Qin Langgan, How to repay the double jade plate. Don't lean on melancholy when the road is far away, Why worry and worry. Zhang Heng's masterpiece is also a short and exquisite "Return to the Field", which was greatly influenced by the later Tao Yuanming's "Return to the Come" and "Return to the Field".

Zhang Heng is also the earliest literati painter in my country.In his paintings, there are not only astronomical equipment paintings, but also many figure paintings.The armillary sphere he drew not only has important scientific value, but also has a beautiful and vivid shape, which is a masterpiece of ancient art.He also has a lot of research on painting theory. He said: "Painters hate to draw dogs and horses and are fond of ghosts and ghosts. Sincerity is hard to form with facts, and hypocrisy is endless." He pointed out that painting focuses on the essence of realism. He also studied the knowledge of text exegesis, and wrote the book "Zhou Guan exegesis".Cui Yuan commented at that time: Most scholars have no objection to it.

He was a Taishi Ling, so he also did a lot of research on historiography.He once criticized "Historical Records" and "Hanshu", and wrote to the court, requesting revision.He has also done research on the historical archives of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and once submitted a request to specialize in the work of sorting out the archives and patching up the historical books of the Han Dynasty.It's a pity that none of these letters was approved by the emperor (it was a serious illegal act to write history books at that time). Although Zhang Heng has only been known to the world since he was young, he has never had a heart of pride. His personality is calm and calm, he is not easy to socialize with lay people, and he does not pursue fame and fortune.General Deng Zhi was a hot and powerful figure at that time. He was called many times, but he refused to go.Later, although he became an official under the call of the imperial court, he was not promoted for a long time because of this personality, but he didn't care about it, but devoted himself to studying science and technology.Some people advised him not to delve into those difficult and useless technologies, but to "humble yourself and speak well" for good fortune. He wrote the article "Ying Xian" as a response.In the article, he wrote: "A gentleman is not disrespectful of his position, but disrespectful of virtue; he is not ashamed of his lack of friendship, but ashamed of his lack of knowledge." These two powerful words show that he does not seek power, power and wealth And the noble sentiment of pursuing moral knowledge.

Although Zhang Heng is indifferent to fame and wealth, he is not blindly high-minded and does not care about world affairs. He has his own political ambition deep in his heart, that is: assisting the country and the people, making virtue and making contributions.The specific goals and methods of "Zuoguo Limin" are to reform the current disadvantages, strengthen the ritual system, eliminate traitors, and consolidate the central government. Zhang Heng lived in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty when politics was becoming increasingly corrupt, eunuchs gradually became stronger in the struggle with foreign relatives, and local tyrants took advantage of the decline of the central government to separate one side in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty.For these dark phenomena in society, Zhang Heng expressed his country's difficulties, pleaded for the people, and fought hard.He once wrote a letter to Emperor Shun, satirizing the eunuchs in modern times as disasters, asking the emperor to "just keep the old and keep the old, don't let the punishment and morality be beyond the emperor's control", and asked the emperor to "be kind to the top and bottom, and do things according to the ritual system"; He also put forward suggestions for reform; when he was the prime minister of Hejian country, he also actively fought against the powerful.But at that time, the emperor was incompetent, the government was corrupt, and the forces of darkness were powerful. The Eastern Han regime was becoming increasingly ill. Although people with lofty ideals like Zhang Heng had the heart to kill thieves and serve the country, they had no chance to turn things around.

Since he could not help the world at the same time, Zhang Heng had no choice but to choose to be alone. He gradually had the idea of ​​passive avoiding the world, but his heart was still full of contradictions and pains. His poems and prose in his later years reflected a lot of this emotion.It is not without reason that later generations have compared his "Poem of Four Sorrows" with the great poet Qu Yuan's "Li Sao". In 139 AD, Zhang Heng died of illness and was buried in his hometown Nanyang. More than 1,800 years later, Guo Moruo, who was as knowledgeable and accomplished as Zhang Heng, wrote such a shocking inscription on Zhang Heng's tombstone: "A person with such comprehensive development is also rare in the history of the world. Thousands of sacrifices to thousands of years, it is amazing. admire."