Tang Yin Research

Tang Yin, one representative of Wuzhong literature school in mid-Ming dynasty, has been concerned in the academic circle in recent years. And his literature value and significance in history get relatively more positive comments. Yet some studies concerned Tang Yin only touched by few people in the circle of academic, e.g. in the study of Tang Yin's life history, it is lacking of a deep analysis concerning his second political activity that he went to apply for the employment of the Ning king, Zhu Chenhao. And it is not completed as to the description of Tang Yin's history of touring and making friends. It needs to make clear that the source of his poetry editions. Some letter collections with a signature of Tang Yin need to be tested and discriminated whether genuine or not, and in particular the letter collections of Liu Ru hermit. Also it is worthy to make a thorough study to the source of his poetry.Under this circumstance the author focus Tang Yin as a researching object and target, to make tentative study based on the above mentioned fields by the ways of understanding human beings and reflecting on society. It covers the four following aspects.Firstly we profile the issues concerning Tang Yin's life history which lacking an in-depth study before. It is a special topic study around the historical facts of Tang Yin's ideal and a tour to Yuzhang. The ideal of Tang Yin characterized with an air of martial art. That swordman, hero and general had ever been his life goals, and limited by some objective conditions, he failed to realize. Yet he kept chasing the spirit of swordman through all his life. The tour to Yuzhang brought him greatly physical and mental harms. Furthermore, this Yuzhang tour turned out to.be a stain in Tang Yin's life after the rebellion of Zhu Chenhao. He was approached by people in that time. As a result, Tang Yin was forced to give up the ideal.Second is an analysis of Tang Yin's companionship. It involves the situation of Tang Yin's companionship circle, mainly including regional features, identifications and relationships. The ways of communication between Tang Yin and his friends were various, mainly including poetry-singing, scholar-gathering, sightseeing, picture-calligraphy-appreciating and poetry-making etc. The activities of companionship influenced Tang Yin's life apparently. Many behaviors of Tang Yin were considered to be closely related to his companionship activities such as bringing up the followers, retiring from public in Wuzhong, book-collecting, and tea-addiction etc. These activities of companionship also greatly affected him in his literature creation. It is obvious that Tang Yin's early creation was affected by his friends who initiated the movement of classical language. In mid-old age that his learning from Bai Juyi, a noted poet in Tang Dynasty is also considered to benefit from the influences of Shen Zhou, Wu Kuan, Wang Ao and other school friends. A survey to the interpersonal communication of Tang Yin would help us understand more details about his life, such that Tang Yin could keep his reputation not only out of the appreciation from Cheng Minzheng to him, but also out of their complicated interpersonal relationship. Before that Liang Chu recommended Tang Yin to Cheng Minzheng, Cheng Minzheng had known of Tang Yin from many of Tang's schoolmates like Shen Zhou, Yang Xunji, Wen Lin and so on. Thus it was a necessity for Tang Yin to interview Cheng Minzheng before the metropolitan examination. Tang Yin and Xu Jing became co-workers not only for that Xu Jing provided finance aids for him, but also that they were close and congenial friends, and Xu Jing might be one generation younger than Tang Yin to co-work with. Meanwhile Tang Yin and Xu Jing's uncle were good friends too.Third is on the editions of Tang Yin's poetry collections concentrating their relations between editions in Ming periods and the merits and demerits of each edition. Also some letter collections with signature of Tang Yin and the letter collection of Liuru hermit in particular are discriminated.Fourth is a study of Tang Yin's poetry. It is hold that Tang Yin's attitudes towards his poetry creation were serious and earnest instead of being very casual. Shi Jing (the Chinese classical poetry) obviously affected in Tang Yin's works. The themes of Tang Yin's poetry were characterized by ego-eulogizing, life-praising, and the frustrated sentiment for his talent as well as his secluding feeling.