Ruan Ji

Ruǎn Jí (zh-c|c=阮籍;210-263) is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. He is associated with the guqin melody, Jiu Kuang ("Drunken Ecstasy") which was believed to be composed by him.

Historical background

The life and creative work of Ruan Ji is associated with the crucial and dramatic period in China history, which was followed by large changes in different spheres of life. After virtuous rule of Han dynasty, in which the norm of ritual piety, philanthropy principles of legendary rulers of ancient, aspiration to nurture officials – calm, reasonable, serving for consciousness, not of fear, became governmental norm, began so called Period of Disunity.

Ruan Ji witnessed bloody wars, struggles for power in the court of Wei, and the Sima family's rise. Despite the dim times, this was a period of great achievements in spiritual culture. Bright peculiarity of that time was intellectual life: interests of metaphysics for discussion of which were hold open academic forums – “pure talks”, profound interest to the problem of highest purpose, the great popularity of Daoism and spreading of foreign learning – Buddhism, rapid expansion of lyrical poetry; flourishing of all fine arts, from painting to architecture, bringing the spirit of “grace and freedom” (Feng Youlan) to that epoch.

Invention of cheap paper in the second century spread the literacy among large population, what brought to occurrence of large amount of educated people – "shi" (士). Consisting of people with sense of understanding the only true idea of good, truth and justice, virtue. Heroes of the day became irreproachable virtues man, who relinquished from politics, and preferred still life in the countryside or hermit’s life to shine of the court life. They, so called sublime man – "junzi" (君子), brought into being ideas of the protest against iniquitous reign, hidden by exterior unconcern, and greatness in undemanding and pureness. So, in view of this new people the life of officials was “the life of dust and dirt”, and real dirt of peasant labor was a symbol of purity.

Evaluation, inner world, ideas

Ruan Ji was one of that kind of people, who themselves made their life a masterpiece. In the Chen Shous “History of Wei dynasty” the mentioning of Ruan Ji was more than modest: “…highly talented, having an ability to avoid the chains of courts morality and traditions, but unbalanced and undisciplined; was eager to banish his temptations. Ruan Ji honored ancient Daoist sage Zhuangzi." In the “History of Jing dynasty” is written: ”Appearance of Ji was uncommon, stubborn and self-willed tempered, proud and independent. Following only the gusts of soul… Sometimes he would wander away on the hills and forget to return, and at length come back crying bitterly; at other times he would shut himself up with his books and see no one for months. He read a lot especially he liked Laozi and Zhuangzi. He drank a lot, he possessed the skill of whistling and loved to play on Qin(琴). Once inspired by idea, he forgot about everything in the world. Many considered him to be a madman.”

In Chinese traditional thinking exists three opinions on Ruan Ji. First – wholly negative – claiming him to be inspirer of vicious “dissoluteness”. Second - consider him as wielder of “disturbance.” Zhen Yu wrote: “A lot consider Ruan Ji to be dissolutive, unrestrained man, but it is insufficient opinion… Was not talking about imperfection of others, looked only with whites of his eyes. Is this not an address to the world of mankind? In a mourning ate meat and drank wine, groan and spited out with blood – isn’t it a care of man's Dao (way). At that time reigning powers were cruel… but Ruan Ji died with natural death – isn’t it a wisdom of self preservation?” Third opinion – makes Ruan Ji a wise man… the one who penetrated in hidden ”Dao Art”. Cui ShuLiang wrote about him: “Ruan Ji stood up above all the mankind, was being “out of validity and invalidity”, none was able “achieve his greatness, and measure the depth of his thoughts”, he got in “refined begin of all matters”…the poet Wang Ji praised him as first man, after legendary rulers of ancient, who found the way to paradise of universal careless intoxication.

In the reference of Fu Yi, who describes Ruan Ji as a connoisseur of ancient essays, mentioned that “poet with diligence was engaged in sciences” and till the nightfall was reading books. This quiet solitude and obsession in perceiving the knowledge of ancients was his hidden source of inspiration. For Ruan Ji was widely opened way to court honor. But from the beginning he didn’t hide his despise to career of official. One of his biographers told: “Ji in the beginning tried to improve the world, but lived on the Wei and Jing boundary. In China (天下) there were little Junzi, who preserved themselves. Because of that Ji abandoned his affairs, and was intoxicated all the time”.

In one of Ruan Jis poem can be seen how poet throw away the norms of Confucius, although they were followed by such virtuous man like Confucius students Yan Yuan and Min Sun. He obtains wisdom of legendary Daoist Xian Menzi. Talking about the changes in the poet ideals, we can remember a statement “Is there any rituals for man like I am?”

One day at the court was told about the son, who killed his mother, Ruan Ji said: “ Ha! If he gone so far to kill his mother, he could allow himself to kill his father too”. All, who heard this, “lost their gift of talking” and demanded him to explain himself, because “The killing of father is the worst crime in the Empire (天下), how could you say that it is possible?” Ruan Ji replied: “Animals and birds know their mother, but are unaware of the father. Killing father - is becoming like animals and birds, but those who killed their own mother – are even worse than animals.” Chronicler added: “No one could object his words”.
Ruan Ji refused the rules not only in court. There is a story telling that he was playing chess when received news about death of his mother. His chess partner asked him to end the game, but Ruan Ji cold-bloodedly finished the game, then drank two measures of wine and started groan. On the funeral he “wept so violently, that he brought up several pints of blood. He didn’t mourn and, despite observing the decencies, ate meat and drank wine. Yet when people came to support him, he showed them only the whites of his eyes. While Ji Kang (嵇康, 223-262) came, who carried along with him a jar of wine and Qin, was welcomed with the pupils and met him with happiness.

The name of Ruan Ji is related with activity of famous group “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove”. The name of Ruan Ji is always called first among the seven. Among them were Xi Kang his lover, Shan Tao (山濤), Liu Ling (劉伶), Ruan Xian (阮咸), Xiang Xiu (向秀), Wang Rong (王戎). They created an image of “quite uninhibitedly enjoying” wise men, in image of which, realized an old dream of Daoists free concord of free men, who are gifted with hidden wisdom “to be together, not being together” and “act jointly, not acting jointly”. The cup of wine, which became a symbol of accustom to “contemplation a lot of wonders”, about what Daoist were talking about, united them even more than any principles. Ruan Ji talks in his works about “remote” things, but he says about “Bamboo Groove” nothing, although this group became main in his searches of free and frank friendship.

Creations

We can mark out some directions in Ruan Ji’s creation, which reveals different sides of his inner world: philosophical essay “About penetration into the Book of Changes”,”About Music”, where are delivered ideas on the nature of a world order, “About penetration into Laozi”, ”About understanding of Zhuangzi”, “The life of Great Man”. The most fame Ruan Ji achieved by the almanac called “Poems from my heart”, which contains 82 poems. How already said his contemporaries, one of Ruan Ji’s composition “The life of Great Man” is a composition in which he revealed all his innermost thoughts. Main character of the composition is a nameless hermit, whose characteristics are described at the beginning of essay:” Ten thousands li (里) were for him as one step, thousands years,- as one morning. He pursued nothing, stopped on nothing; he was being in search of Great Dao, and nowhere got shelter… Self-lovers(egoists) scold and abuse him, ignoramus reproach him, but no one knew refined wanderings of his Spirit. But old man didn’t betray his pursuit, despite being abused and bewilderment of society…”

Exactly by the means of this wise man, Ruan Ji reveals his own innermost ideas. In his composition, Ruan Ji ridicules Confucians morals and rituals. “Appeared ruler and at once flourished cruelty, came into being vassals and at once appeared faithlessness and betrayal. Established rituals and laws, but people are bound and are not free. Cheating ignorant, duping simple people, hiding knowledge to seem being wise. The powerful ones are ruling and doing outrage, the weak ones are afraid and are serving to others. In appearance are disinterested, but in fact are grasping. Inside are insidious, but outside are amiable and polite. If made a crime – don’t regret, if you got luck – don’t enjoy…”

The weltanschauung of Ruan Ji is mostly refers to Daoist tradition, but it doesn’t mean that he is Daoist. He took from Daoist philosophers of ancient what he thinks is important, in essence, he “is looking truth inside himself”. It is not just knowing the truth, but looking for good and truth inside cruel and imperfect world, and main – it is looking for world and human connection.

Ruan Ji is a many-sided personality, but, exactly poetry brought him glory and fame of the greatest poet of that epoch. Liu Se gave a classical evaluation to the place of poetry at the life of Ruan Ji. Comparing two genius of the III century, Ji Kang and Ruan Ji, he wrote:” Ji Kang expressed in his compositions intellect of outstanding thinker, Ruan Ji put in his poems all his spirit and all his life. Their voices are different, but they sound in full harmony! Their wings are not similar, but they are flying in absolute unity!” Zhong Rong in his work “The Categories of Poems” ascribes poetry of Ruan Ji to the highest rank of poetry:”…his poetry can strengthen one’s temper and spirit, can cast a deep thoughtful mood,… but the meaning of his poetry is hard for understanding.” Micudzi Fukanaga see in Ruan Jis poetry unique try to explain experience, which in Buddhism is called Satori(jap.).

In the poetry of Ruan Ji there are the same mood, what differs his soul and his weltanschauung. We can find in his poetry biting, caustic, angry critics to Confucians dogmatists and rulers, and glorifying the gladness of “carefree wandering”, anger and sorrow, what is a result of a conflict of a Junzi (君子) and “Chaos time”.

Poetry of the “Sage from Bamboo Grove” differs with a peculiar broad view on the world. Ruan Jis poetry is exceptionally lyric poetry, in which he says only about himself. In his poetry are mixing up the most different thoughts, moods and feelings. Ruan Ji often uses contrast to underline the beauty of a moment that is always neighboring with the irresistible “emptiness” of death. For example, he often uses an image of bright flowers that are blooming on old graves.

“Bushes of flowers
Leafy blooming on graves…”
"(translated by Aleksey Pashkovsky)"

In his poems are confronting illusory life and tensity of every day’s matters, glory of a hero and solitude of a hermit, love passion and inevitability of separation…

Poet, don’t even with one word, mentions about people, he lived among, about his life circumstances. Ruan Ji prefers using not concrete characters - a hero, a hermit, a Confucian, a saint man, a sage, using examples from living long time ago ancestors. Even geographical names, he uses not modern, but ancient ones.

All the lyrical poetry of Ruan Ji is penetrated with a thought of sorrow. Poet accepts sorrow as eternal and unavoidable friend, who is near him all along life. He writes:” Only with sorrow thoughts are occurring, without sorrow there is no thoughtful mood…” In the first poem of his almanac “Poems from my heart” Ruan Ji talks about this sad thought.

"“Being sleepless at midnight,
I rise to play lute.
The moon is visible through the curtains
And a gentle breeze sways the cords of my robe.
A lonely wild goose cries in the wilderness
And is echoed by birds in the woods.
As it circles, it gazes
At me, alone, imbued with sadness.”"
" (translated by Michael Bullock)"

Here author recreate peculiar background of authors constant sorrow: nights haze, light of the moon, slight gentle breeze, voices of invisible birds… Such sad mood is appearing in almost all poems in his almanac. Not always he hide his feelings behind nature, sometimes his voice break away to shout, where one can hear confusion and fear: “I loose my way, what will be with me now?”

At the III century in China appeared overall interest to music. Music in China was the matter of national importance. Qin ( 琴) and flute got the same importance as brush for writing or living language. For Ruan Ji music meant an ideal of harmony. Ruan Ji is looking music not in sounds, but in the world, music that is inherent to world. He links music with “natural way” (道). Ruan Ji don’t like when music cast non-constant feelings, even if it is sorrow or joy, especially if man feel pleasure of his emotional experience. Ruan Ji explains his understanding of music with the example of one episode from Confucius life:” Once, Confucius in state of Qi had heard ancient music, and then three months he didn’t know the taste of meat.” “That means - Ruan Ji explained - that perfect music doesn’t arouse desires. Heart is serene, spirit is placid, and then is unknown the taste of meat.” If to look from this point of view, we can understand that music of ancient wise men is just only a harmony.

Ruan Ji tells about himself in following words:

"“In a forest lives one rare bird.
She calls herself fairy bird feng.
At the bright morning she drinks from pure springs.
At the evening she flies away to the pikes of far mountains.
Her hoot reaches remote lands.
By straining neck, she sees all eight deserts.
She rushes together with autumn wind,
Strong wings putting together,
She will blow away to west to Kunlun Mountains,
When she will be back?
But she hates all kind of places and titles,
Her heart is tormented by sorrow and anguish."
"(translated by Aleksey Pashkovsky)"

Poet speaks of his life:” Only one moment – but how much sorrow is hidden!” At this “moment of sorrow” he found immortality. --

References

:"Please see:" References section in the guqin article for a full list of references used in all qin related articles.