Two, talented woman Xie Daoyun

  Xie Daoyun, a famous talented woman in history, was from Yangxia, Chenliu (now Taikang County, Henan Province). She was the daughter of Xie Yi, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the niece of Xie An, a prominent politician of the Eastern Jin. The most well-known story about Xie Daoyun is "The Ballad of Mulan".

  The 71st article of "A New Account of the Tales of the World" records: "On a snowy day, Xie An gathered with his children to discuss the meaning of an essay. Suddenly, the snow fell heavily, and he said with a smile: 'What does this heavy snowfall resemble?' His nephew, Hu Er, replied: 'It's like sprinkling salt in mid-air.' His niece, Xie Daoyun, said: 'No, it's more like willow catkins blown by the wind.'" Xie An laughed heartily. This was none other than Xie An's elder brother's daughter, the wife of Wang Cong, the Left General.

  The Xie family was a renowned literary and official family. It was common for the elders to gather with their children and grandchildren to discuss the meaning of essays. On this occasion, it just so happened that it was snowing heavily, and Xie An took the opportunity to ask his nephews and nieces: "This snow is falling thick and fast; what can you compare it to?" Xie Lang hastily replied: "I think it's like sprinkling salt in mid-air." Everyone looked at this comparison, which although not particularly elegant, was still passable. After all, Xie Lang was also a young master of the Xie family, and his father's generation was known for their literary talent. He had grown up surrounded by literature and was quite clever.

  The "Continuation of the Jin Yang Autumn" says that he "had a brilliant writing style, second only to Xie Xuan." Xie Xuan was the famous deputy commander-in-chief of the Eastern Jin army during the Battle of Fei River (his uncle Xie An was the commander-in-chief). Saying that Xie Lang's reputation was "second only to Xie Xuan" implies that he was next in line after Xie Xuan.

  As for Xie Lang, his exact age at the time is not clearly recorded in historical accounts, but it is estimated that he was no more than ten years old. Therefore, we cannot be too critical of his comparison. However, Xie Lang's misfortune lay in having an extremely intelligent younger sister who made him pale in comparison. Xie Daoyun compared the snowflakes to willow catkins floating in mid-air, which was truly elegant.

  The Xie family was a prominent literary and official family during the Jin Dynasty. The story of Xie An asking his nephews and nieces to compare the snowfall is often cited as an example of how children from literary families were encouraged to develop their writing skills from a young age.

  From then on, the story of Xie Daoyun's "Ode to Snow" spread far and wide, and the term "yongxue" became a synonym for talented women. The author of "Dream of the Red Chamber", Cao Xueqin, gave his beloved character Lin Daiyu a judgment with the sentence "堪怜咏絮才", which borrowed this allusion to illustrate Lin Daiyu's extraordinary talent.

  Xie Daoyun was born in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which was known for its emphasis on wind and spirit. She came from a prominent family and had exceptional talent, so she acted freely and unrestrainedly, much like a man. The "New Account of Tales of the World" records: "Xie An valued his sister highly, while Zhang Huan often praised his own sister, wanting to rival her. There was a nun named Ji who visited both the Xie and Zhang families. When people asked her about their relative merits, she replied: 'Madam Wang's demeanor is carefree and expansive, with a hint of the atmosphere of the forest; Madame Gu's heart is pure and refined, like a precious jade, naturally a paragon among women.'" The phrase "carefree and expansive" aptly describes Xie Daoyun's personality. "Forest" refers to the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove," who were known for their unconventional behavior. This anecdote uses the method of contrast to highlight Xie Daoyun's uniqueness.

  Xie Daoyun criticized her brother Xie Xuan without mercy. The "Shishuo Xinyu · Xianyuan" 28th article records: "Wang Jiangzhou's wife said to Xie E, 'Why don't you make progress? Is it because you are busy with worldly affairs and your natural talent is limited?' Xie Daoyun said to Xie Xuan, 'What's wrong with you, your learning hasn't improved at all. Are you too focused on mundane things or is your natural talent limited?' This criticism is merciless enough! Think about it, Xie Xuan was a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, who fought in many battles and was renowned for his bravery, but he was criticized by his sister as being mired in worldly affairs, or having limited natural talent. Alas, with such an extraordinary sister, no matter how excellent you are, you would be seen as ordinary by her.

  Daoyun spoke of her husband with even sharper words. The "Shishuo Xinyu" records: "After Wang Cong's wife, Mrs. Xie, went to the Wang family, she greatly despised Cong. After returning to the Xie family, she was extremely dissatisfied. Taifu comforted her, saying: 'Wang Lang is the son of Yi Shao, and his talent is not bad. Why are you so unhappy?' She replied: 'Among my uncles, there are Ah Da and Zhong Lang; among my brothers, there are Feng, Hu He, and Mo. I did not expect that in this world, there would be a Wang Lang!'". After marrying into the Wang family, Daoyun was very disdainful of Cong. When she returned to her natal home, she was mentally uncomfortable. Xie An saw this and quickly comforted his precious niece, saying: "Wang Lang is the son of Yi Shao (referring to Wang Xizhi), and his talent is passable. What are you dissatisfied with?" Daoyun complained: "Among my uncles, there are people like Xie Shang and Xie Wan; among my brothers, there are people like Xie Shao, Xie Lang, Xie Yuan, and Xie Yuan. I did not expect that in this world, there would be a Wang Xizhi!"

  Look, almost devaluing Wang Congzhi to nothing. Speaking of this, we need to introduce Wang Congzhi. Wang Congzhi was the second son of Eastern Jin's famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi, born into a scholarly family, and was also talented in literature and art, skilled in cursive script and clerical script, and was a loyal and honest person. The Wang family had been devoted to the Five Pecks of Rice sect (the earliest branch of Taoism, founded by Zhang Daoling during the Eastern Han dynasty, where followers had to contribute five pecks of rice, hence the name) for generations, and Congzhi was especially devout.

  When the rebel Sun En invaded Kuaiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), Wang Congzhi, as the official in charge of Kuaiji, told the common people and officials: "We don't need to defend ourselves, I have invited the Taoist gods, and they have promised to send ghost soldiers to assist us, Sun's rebel army will be defeated without a fight." Look at how much Wang Congzhi revered the Five Pecks of Rice sect, when faced with a great enemy, he didn't organize the officials and people to resist, but instead relied on the illusory ghost gods, it was truly hopeless.

  As a result, Sun En invaded Kuaiji without any effort, and Wang Congzhi not only failed to obtain the protection of the ghost gods he believed in but also got killed by Sun En, along with his children. It's really pitiful that Wang Congzhi died like this, no wonder Xie Daoyun looked down on him.

  Now let's take a look at Xie Daoyun's evaluation of her husband, it was indeed sharp-tongued. The sons and daughters of the Xie family were all excellent, compared to them, Wang Congzhi was like heaven and earth, incomparable. Poor Wang Congzhi, even though he came from a renowned family, his wife spoke ill of him.

  Fortunately, Daoyun was born in Eastern Jin, if she had lived during the Ming or Qing dynasties, it would have been strange if she hadn't been punished for "great disrespect" towards her husband. However, we need to add that although Xie Daoyun was very dissatisfied with her husband, after marrying into the Wang family, she still strictly followed the traditional virtues of a wife and received praise from the Wang family.

  As the saying goes, "when you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; when you marry a dog, follow the dog", at that time, divorce was not popular, unlike now, where women can divorce their husbands if they are dissatisfied. When her husband guarded Kuaiji, Daoyun naturally followed him, unfortunately meeting a husband who didn't fight back or resist, she could only try to protect herself.

  When Sun En's rebel army invaded Kuaiji, she remained calm and composed, not panicked at all, when she heard that her husband and children had been killed, she organized a team of maidservants to desperately resist the enemy and personally beheaded several enemies. We can imagine the heroic scene of a weak woman leading the charge against the enemy, her bravery is truly admirable.

  However, how could a hastily assembled team resist Sun En's ferocious rebel army? In the end, Daoyun was captured by the enemy. At that time, her young grandson Liu Tao was only a few years old, Sun En didn't even spare a small child and wanted to kill him. Daoyun said with righteous indignation: "This is our Wang family's affair, what does it have to do with your family? If you must kill someone, then kill me first." Sun En, although cruel and lawless, faced with Daoyun's unyielding spirit, finally agreed not to kill Liu Tao and released Xie Daoyun. From then on, Daoyun lived a widow's life in Kuaiji.

  As a woman, Daoyun was able to remain calm and composed after being defeated by the enemy, bravely fighting back, and daring to sacrifice herself to protect others, her demeanor is truly admirable, I think not many men can compare to her.

  When Tao Qian lived in seclusion at Kuaiji, the Governor of Kuaiji, Liu Liu, who had long heard of his reputation, came to visit him and discuss moral principles. Tao Qian did not decline, without makeup or adornment, wearing simple clothes, and met with Liu Liu frankly. The two men talked happily together. Tao Qian's demeanor was lofty and extraordinary, and when discussing family matters, he recalled the time when he resisted the enemy, his husband and son were both harmed, and he could not help but speak eloquently, tears streaming down his face. Later, they also discussed moral principles, and Tao Qian spoke fluently, with high aspirations and composure. Liu Liu was deeply impressed by Tao Qian's demeanor. Tao Qian also said: "My loved ones have all passed away, meeting this scholar and hearing his words is truly heartening." Tao Qian and Liu Liu can be said to be mutually respectful and admiring, and their encounter became a famous story for the time being.

  Xie Daoyun's husband and children all died at the hands of rebels, so in her later years she must have been lonely. According to "Taiping Guangji" citing "Youminglu", after her son's death, Mrs. Xie was heartbroken and cried for six years. One day, her two sons suddenly returned together, both wearing shackles and chains. They advised their mother: "Don't be sad, let go of us. We were taken away by the underworld because we had sins. From now on, just pray for blessings for us." Daoyun stopped grieving from then on and often made offerings to the gods to atone for her two sons' sins. This record is likely a fabrication by the author. It's common for mothers to miss their children after they die, and it's possible that excessive nostalgia can lead to confusion. Therefore, the above account may be Daoyun's hallucination or something she dreamed about and told others when she woke up, which was then recorded as a strange and unusual event by someone else. In any case, an old person sending off a young one is always a great sorrow in life. Xie's experience of losing her child cannot help but make us feel sad for the misfortune of this talented woman.

  The emergence of Xie Daoyun in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was not accidental, but rather due to various internal and external factors. Firstly, the entire Wei and Jin dynasties were a period when the spiritual thoughts of scholars were greatly liberated. The Confucian academic thought of the Han Dynasty received a significant impact during the Wei and Jin dynasties, and a trend of advocating for individual freedom emerged in society. As a result, people's views on women also made great progress compared to the previous Han Dynasty. Women were allowed to have some degree of freedom and personality, and people appreciated this kind of personality. Otherwise, Liu Yiqing, as a member of the royal family, would not have recorded Xie Daoyun's words and deeds in his "A New Account of the Tales of the World". Thanks to "A New Account of the Tales of the World", Xie Daoyun's words and deeds, as well as others' evaluations of her, were able to be passed down. Looking at the records of Xie Daoyun in the "Book of Jin: Loyal Women" will reveal that many materials were taken from "A New Account of the Tales of the World". Of course, as a historical book, the "Book of Jin" directly took many materials from "A New Account of the Tales of the World", which makes its authenticity questionable. Some records may be slightly different from history, but overall they are not far off. Moreover, do those so-called "official histories" record events that are in line with actual history? The topic has gone a bit off track, let's get back to Xie Daoyun. The external environment was as described above, and it was only with such an environment that there could be someone like Xie Daoyun, which is her first stroke of good fortune. Her second stroke of good fortune was being born into a scholarly family. Scholarly families placed great importance on the education of their children in order to maintain their family status, so many talented individuals emerged from the Xie family. Xie Daoyun received a good education from a young age and laid a solid foundation for her future learning. Her third stroke of good fortune was marrying into the Wang family. The Wang family was not inferior to the Xie family, and the union of the two families naturally gave birth to Xie Daoyun's extraordinary and refined personality as a woman. Finally, Xie Daoyun's own diligence and intelligence were also inseparable from her becoming who she was. If she had not been diligent or had limited talent, no matter how good the external environment was, it would have been in vain. In summary, it was these four factors that created the unique Xie Daoyun, and one could say that she was extremely fortunate. Later generations of talented women like Li Qingzhao were also fortunate, but Li Qingzhao lived in an era that lacked the trend of advocating for elegance and refinement that existed during Xie Daoyun's time, so Li Qingzhao's personal charm was inferior to Xie Daoyun's. During the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Confucianism flourished, and women's thoughts and personalities were suppressed. In such a social environment, it was difficult for talented women like Xie Daoyun to emerge. Instead, those courtesans who were not bound by the conventions of their time, such as Li Shishi, Ma Xianglan, and Liu Rushi, left behind their stories and names for later generations.

  Dao Yun was also unfortunate, and the experience of losing her husband and child is unbearable for ordinary people. Her later years must have been bleak, which is similar to Li Qingzhao's encounter with chaos, middle age loss of her husband, and old age living in lonely poverty!

  Daoyun was a talented and versatile writer, having written many high-quality works. His poems, rhapsodies, and elegies were very popular at the time, but now only two ancient poems "Climbing a Mountain" and "Imitating Ji Zhong's Ode to Pine Trees" and "Praise of Analects" are extant, which is regrettable for later generations.