ii) During the Sung dynasty, a Ch’eng-tu Circuit (Ch’eng-tu-lu 成都路) was set up, originally in the territory of Hsi-ch’uan Circuit-region (Hsi-ch’uan-lu 西川路), but during the reign-period 998 - 1003 it was split off as a separate Circuit.
iii) The name of a city, Ch’eng-tu city (Ch’eng-tu shih 成都市). In ancient times it was in the area of the country known as Shu-shan-shih (Shu-shan-shih-kuo 蜀山氏國). During the Warring States period, the Ch’in prime minister and general the Wei man Chang Yi 張儀 (?BC - 310 BC) and Chang Jo 張若 set up a walled city called Ch’eng-tu there. The Ch’in dynasty set up a Ch’eng-tu county (Ch’eng-tu-hsien 成都縣) there, which during the Eastern Han dynasty was occupied by the warlord and ruler Kung-sun Shu 公孫述 (?BC - 36 BC), who set up a governor of Ch’eng-tu (Ch’eng-tu-yin 成都尹). The kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period made Ch’eng-tu its capital, and during the Tsin dynasty the ruler of the Ch’eng Han dynasty (302 - 347), Li Hsiung 李雄 (274 - 334, reigned 304 - 334) occupied it and proclaimed himself King of Ch’eng-tu (Ch’eng-tu-wang 成都王).
When Emperor Dark-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung 玄宗, reigned 712 - 756) of the T’ang dynasty fled to Shu, he made Ch’eng-tu his Southern Capital (Nan-ching 南京), and during the Five Dynasties period the rulers Wang Chien 王建 (847 - 918, founder of Former Shu dynasty, reigned 903-918) and Meng Chih-hsiang 孟知祥 (874 - 934, founder of the Latter Shu dynasty in AD 934) also made their capitals there.
During the Ming dynasty, it and the other city of Hua-yang county were jointly the administrative seat of Ch’eng-tu prefecture, and during the Ch’ing dynasty, of Szechwan province. The Republic abolished the prefecture, retaining the county, later splitting off and setting up a separate Ch’eng-tu city.
iv) Ch’eng-tu city, being the administrative city of Szechwan province, and its vicinity. The Nationalist Government set up this Ch’eng-tu city, in charge of the administration of Szechwan province. Its territory covered the vast fertile and prolifically productive plain between the River Min and River T’o, this being the richest region of Szechwan. The city is divided into Inner City and Outer City. The Inner City, also referred to as the Child/ Son City (Tzu-ch’eng 子城) was where the Banner Forces (ch’i-ping 旗兵) of the Ch’ing dynasty dwelled, so also called the Manchu City (Man-ch’eng 滿城).
The Outer City had high ramparts and thick city-walls, its streets were broad, all manner of commercial goods were gathered there, and it was the focal point for all the finest commodities of the city. In the city as a whole, there were celebrated ancient sites, such as the Tomb-mound of Emperor Chao-lieh (Chao-lieh-ti Ling 照烈帝陵), the Shrine of Marquis Warrior Chu-ke (Chu-ke Wu-hou Tz’u 諸葛武侯祠), the Temple of Tu Fu’s Thatch Hermitage (Tu Fu Ts’ao-t’ang ssu 杜甫草堂寺) and Hsȕeh T’ao’s Well (Hsȕeh T’ao Ching 薛濤井).
v) A Ch’eng-tu commandery (Ch’eng-tu-chȕn成都郡) was set up by the Tsin dynasty, becoming the state of the King of Ch’eng-tu, Ying (Ch’eng-tu-wang Ying 成都王潁). Shortly abolished, the site of its old capital city lies north-west of present-day Chien-li county in Hupeh province.
626T’u-fan 吐蕃. Also found written as T’u-fan 吐番. The name of a state, occupying the region of the present-day Tibet (Hsi-tsang 西藏). A present-day other name of “Tibet”, in Chinese T’u-po-t’e 土伯特, is said to be a phonetic derivation from T’u-fan. The Tibetans say that the area of Lhasa (La-sa 拉薩), formerly ruled by the Dalai Lama (Ta-lai la-ma 達賴喇嘛), was where T’u-fan first established itself during the T’ang dynasty. It derived from the people known as the Western Ch’iang (Hsi Ch’iang 西羌), who, at the beginning of the T’ang dynasty, annexed the various Ch’iang peoples and established a hegemony over the lands to the west of China. The imperial house of T’ang China twice married off a princess to the ruling house of T’u-fan, but the Tibetans still frequently caused frontier troubles with China. From the reign of Emperor Rejoicing-progenitor (Hsi-tsung 僖宗, reigned 874 - 879) onwards, however, their power steadily waned, and they later submitted occasional tribute to both the Liao and the Sung dynasties. During the reign-period 1260 - 1264 of the Yȕan dynasty, the state changed its named to Wu-ssu-tsang 烏斯藏.
In the Twelfth Month of the Ninth Year of the Heaven-treasure reign-period, i.e. some time during the period 3rd January - 31 January AD 751, the T’ang dynasty marched out forces to campaign against the T’u-fan (Tibetans).
627liu-ch’ȕn 六軍, the Six Armies, i.e. the emperor’s army. Anon. (late Chou-early Han), Chou rites (Chou-li 周禮), says: “An army is in general composed of twelve thousand five hundred men, and a ruler of China (wang 王) has six armies, a powerful state in China three armies, the next-size state in China two armies, and the smallest states one army.” It usually meant the emperor’s main military forces, garrisoned near his capital, and often under his personal control, another term for chin-ch’ȕn 禁軍, “forbidden-precincts imperial-palace army”.
628Mo-ch’ou 莫愁, meaning Don’t-sorrow, was the name of two girls:
i) A girl of Lo-yang 洛陽 in the Southern Dynasties Liang dynasty (555 - 587). Emperor Warrior (Wu-ti 武帝, reigned 502 - 549) of that dynasty composed a song with the lines: “The water in the Yellow River flows eastwards, and a Lo-yang girl was called Don’t-sorrow; At fourteen she was married off as a daughter-in-law of the family Lu, And at fifteen she gave birth to a son whose courtesy-name was A-hou.”
ii) There was an ancient song called Don’t-sorrow, girl of Lo-yang (Mo-ch’ou Lo-yang nü 莫愁洛陽女). This Lu Don’t-sorrow (Lu Mo-ch’ou 盧莫愁) was said to have lived beside a lake called Don’t-sorrow Lake (Mo-ch’ou-hu 莫愁湖), deriving its name from her, situated outside River-west Gate (Shui-hsi-men 水西門) of Nanking city in present-day Kiangsu province, and, during the Ming dynasty, surrounded by the Hsü-chung Mountains (Hsü-chung-shan 徐中山).
iii) A girl, who excelled at singing, from Shih-ch’eng 石城 (Stone City), west of present-day Chung-hsiang county in Hupeh province, during the T’ang dynasty. Chang Shou-kui 張守珪, Old T’ang history (Chiu T’ang-shu 舊唐書), “Yin-Yȕeh chih”, says: “Don’t-sorrow music (Mo-ch’ou yȕeh 莫愁樂) derived from Stone City music (Shih-ch’eng yȕeh 石城樂). In Stone City (Shih-ch’eng 石城) there was a girl called Don’t-sorrow, who was skilled at singing folk-songs. And in the refrain[?] of Stone City music there are the words “Don’t-sorrow”. The old song goes: ‘Where’s Don’t-sorrow? Don’t-sorrow’s west of Stone city; Work the two oars of your boat, and hurry Don’t-sorrow here.’”
Another song goes: “I heard my beau was going down to Yang-chou, and saw him on his way to the end of the Ch’u mountains; I stretched out my hands, grasped his waist and looked: The Yangtse waters were cut and no longer flowed eastwards.” Last two lines need further mulling.
Li He composed a Don’t-sorrow melody (Mo-ch’ou ch’ü 莫愁曲).
629line from poem by Ch’iao Chih-chih 喬知之 (AD? - AD 697).
630Fo-t’ang 佛堂, Buddha Hall, a term for a hall or temple where Buddha is worshipped.
631Fo-yeh 佛爺, Grandfather Buddha, an honorific term of address to the Buddha Sakyamuni.
632Sheng-t’ien 生天, a Buddhist term:
i) “to be bon in the realm of Heaven”. Survey of vital matters concerning Buddha (Shih-shih yao-lan 釋氏要覽) cites a Correct-doctrine methods for reading sutras (Cheng-fa nien-ching 正法念經) as saying: “Maintaining abstentions, not killing, not robbing, and not being promiscuous, by those three goodnesses one’s able to be born in Heaven.”
ii) referring to “all living-beings being able to be born in Heaven, being the Heaven Condition of Sentient Existence (T’ien-tao 天道) of the Six Conditions of Sentient Existence (Liu-tao 六道). Anon., Prajna-paramitã sastras (Chih-tu lun 智度論) says: “There are three kinds of heaven: Heaven, Life/ Born Heaven (Sheng-t’ien) and Clean Heaven (Ching-t’ien 淨天). These are what are named Heaven, Heaven King (T’ien-wang 天王) and Son of Heaven (T�
��ien-tzu 天子). Born Heaven is the heavens Sakya (Shih 釋) and Brahma (Fan 梵). Clean Heaven is Buddha (Fo 佛), Pratyeka-buddha (Pi-chih-fo 辟支佛) and Arhan (A-lo-han 阿羅漢).
633A pun with “to bear fruit”.
634Huang-ch’ȕan 黃泉, “Yellow/Ochre/Yellowy Brown Springs” as in underneath the soil/ground (where people are buried), the abode, resting-place of the dead, afterlife, a term used in Tso Ch’iu-ming 左丘明 (6th - 5th century BC?) (dubious attribution), Tso’s commentary (Tso-chuan左傳). Similar terms found are Road to the Springs (ch’ȕan-lu 泉路), used by Chao Ku 趙嘏 (fl. ca. 810 - 856), and Down in the Springs (ch’ȕan-hsia 泉下)”, found in Liu Hsü 劉昫 (887-946) and others, Old T’ang history (Chiu T’ang-shu 舊唐書).
635huang-ch’i 黃旗， Yellow Flag, i.e. the emperor’s flag.
636e-mei 蛾眉, lit. “moth eyebrows”, a term found as early as in Songs classic (Shih-ching 詩經). It’s taken, not unreasonably, that it referred to eyebrows that were as gracefully arched as the antennae of a moth, which was certainly the generally accepted connotation in later times, but Yen Shih-ku 顏師古 (581 - 645) disputes this at length, and prefers to view the e as meaning the same as e 娥, “daintily pretty”, “sprightly and sightly”, “cute”. Often used in poetry, it has the sense of: daintily pretty/ beautiful girl/woman/lady.
637See Lasting-woe song.
638Hsi-ch’uan 西川, the name of a region:
i) the western part of present-day Szechwan province During the reign-period 756 - 758 of the T’ang dynasty, a Military Commissioner of Hsi-ch’uan (Hsi-ch’uan chieh-tu-shih 西川節度使) was set up there.
ii) The name of a Sung dynasty “route”-region (lu 路), set up during the reign-period 995 - 99, covering the territory west of present-day Ta-chu-pa county in Szechwan province, south of Yen-t’ing and Chiang-yu, and east of Han-yȕan. Its administrative seat was Ch’eng-tu 成都, present-day Ch’eng-tu county. During the reign-period 998-1003, it was changed, and divided into the two route-regions of Ch’eng-tu and Tzu-chou 梓州, with the seat of the Ch’eng-tu route-region being Ch’eng-tu, and that of the Tzu-chou route-region being Tzu-chou, i.e. the present-day administrative seat San-t’ai county.
Here means the region of Shu 蜀.
639Feng-ch’ȕeh 鳳闕, Phoenix Imperial-palace Gate-tower, a poetic term for the imperial palace. Pan Ku 班固 (32 - 92), Han history (Han-shu 漢書, “Tung-fang Sho chuan”, says: “His Majesty, the area in the middle of the city being too small, planned to erect Chien-chang palace (Chien-chang 建章), Phoenix Gate-tower on its left and Divine Brightness (Shen-ming 神明) on its right, titling it Thousand Doors and Ten-thousand Portals (Ch’ien-men Wan-hu 千門萬戶).” A note to that says: “Phoenix Gate-tower was the name of a palace-gate watch-tower.”
P’an Yȕeh 潘岳 (247 - 300), Record of Within-the-pass (Kuan-chung chi 關中記), says: “The round palace-gate watch-tower of Chien-chang Palace overlooked the northern road, and had a gold/ bronze cock up on it, which is why it was called Phoenix Gate-tower.”
Later, it was used as a general term for “imperial palace”. Li Pai 李白 (701 - 762) in his poem Affected by the times (Kan-shih 感時) has the line: “In fine hat and wearing my swoid, I payed homage in the imperial court of the Phoenix Gate-tower.” Liu Yü-his 劉禹錫 (772 - 842) has a poem with the line: “|My person bearing frosty awe, I took my leave of the Phoenix Gate-tower.”
640Hung Sheng here gives a note saying that this line derives from a poem by Chang He 章褐 [circa T’ang dynasty].
641Hung Sheng here gives a note saying that this line derives from a poem by Wu Jung 吳融 [AD? - ca. AD 903].
642Hung Sheng here gives a note saying that this line derives from a poem by Kao P’ien 高駢 [AD? - AD 887].
643Hung Sheng here gives a note saying that this line derives from a poem by Ch’ien Ch’i 錢起 [fl. ca. AD 766].
644Lung-shan 隴山, Mount Lung, the name of mountains:
i) north-west of Lung county in Shensi province, i.e. in Shensi and Kansu, en route from Ch’ang-an to Shu. Also called Lung-pan 隴坂, Lung-ti 隴坻 and Lung-shou 隴首. These mountains wind through Lung and Pao-chi counties of Shensi province and Chen-yȕan, Ch’ing-shui, Ch’in-an and Ching-ning counties of Kansu province, changing their name from place to place, and being a precipitous frontier of the north side of Kuan-chung.
ii) mountains north-east of Hsin-yang county in Henan province. During the reign-period 1208 - 1224 of the Southern Sung dynasty, Sung forces were routed by Kin forces on this Mount Lung of Hsin-yang.
645Hung Sheng here gives a note saying that this line derives from a poem by Wu Yȕan-heng 武元衡 [758 - 815].
646Fu-feng 扶風:
i) a term for a gale. Liu An 劉安 (?BC - 122 BC), Sir Huai-south (Huai-nan Tzu 淮南子), “Lan-ming”, says: “A fu-feng was sent down.”
ii) the name of a commandery (chȕn 郡). It was originally the territory controlled by the Guardian of the Right (Yu-fu-feng 右扶風, from 104 BC), its administrative seat being the land to the right of Nei-shih 內史, east of present-day Hsien-yang county in Shensi province. During the Eastern Han dynasty its administrative seat was Huai-li 槐里, south-east of present-day Hsing-p’ing county in Shensi province. Under the kingdom of Wei 魏 of the Three Kingdoms period, it was changed to Fu-feng Commandery (Fu-feng-chȕn 扶風郡), keeping the same seat. Under the Tsin dynasty, the seat was moved to Ch’ih-yang 池陽, north-west of present-day Ching-yang country in Shensi province.
The Sui dynasty changed the Northern Wei dynasty’s Ch’i-chou’s 岐州 name to Fu-feng Commandery, then changed it again to Feng-hsiang Commandery (Feng-hsiang-chȕn 鳳翔郡), the former seat of which was located in present-day Feng-hsiang county in Shensi province.
iii) the name of a present-day county in Shensi province, east of Ch’i-shan county, and situated on the north bank of the River Wei (Wei-shui 湋水). First set up during the T’ang dynasty, during both the Ming and Ch’ing dynasties it came under Feng-hsiang prefecture (Feng-hsiang-fu 鳳翔府).
647Feng-yi-kung 鳳儀宮, Phoenix-grace Palace, given as the name of a T’ang dynasty imperial palace. Feng-yi is the name of a present-day county. in Yunnan province. It’s located on the south-east shore of Lake Erh-hai. The Yȕan dynasty set up a Chao-chou 趙州 there, which was retained by the Ming and Ch’ing dynasties, but changed to a county by the Republic, the name of which was later changed to Feng-yi county.
648Kuo Ts’ung-chin 郭從謹, the name of a fictional old man, a loyal subject.
649mai-fan 麥飯, “Wheat-meal”, name of a boiled dish in which wheat replaces rice, being coarser-grained than “cooked rice-meal” (mi-fan 米飯). Fan Yeh 范曄 (398 - 445), History of the Latter Han dynasty (Hou Han shu 後漢書), “Feng Yi chuan”, says: “Emperor Shining-warrior (Kuang-wu 光武) scorched his robe when facing the cooking-range, and Feng Yi again presented him with Wheat-meal and Dodder-shoulder (t’u-chien 菟肩).”
Su Shih 蘇軾 (1036 - 1101), An account of seeing-off Left Storehouse Liang with my son Yu (He tzu-Yu sung Liang tso-tsang chuan 和子由送梁左藏傳), says: “Suddenly it was announced in West Citadel that my old friend was coming, and I hastily swept my breezy portico and cooked some Wheat-meal.”
650chih-pei 炙背, “to broil/ roast one’s back”, i.e. to sunbathe one’s back. Legend has it that someone felt sunbathing his back made him feel very comfortable, so he went and told the emperor so that the emperor, too, might enjoy the experience.
651hsien-ch’in 獻芹, “to present celery”. Anon. (third century AD?), Sir Lieh (Lieh-tzu 列子), “Yang Chu”, says: “Formerly there was a man who admired soya beans (jung-shu 戎菽), sweet seedless hemp (kan-hsi 甘枲) and stem celery (ching-ch’in 莖芹), and praised them to his local big-wigs. The big-wigs plucked and tasted them, and found them sting-y to their lips and making their stomachs feel queasy, so everybody laughed and grumbled at them, and the man was put to great shame.”
Later on, people used
both “presenting celery” or “celery presenting” (ch’in-hsien 芹獻), or the term “one [stick of] celery” (yi-ch’in 一芹) as humilific synonyms for “giving gifts”, i.e. meaning “my poor gift”, modestly implying that one’s present is inadequate to match one’s intentions/ feeling/ good wishes. Lu Lung-ch’i 陸隴其 (1630-1692), Letter to Cheng T’ang-yi (Yü cheng T’ang-yi ch’ih-tu 與鄭唐邑尺牘), says: “With the insignificance of this one stick of celery, I provisionally express my humble sincerity.” Both these lines refer to words of an essay by Chi K’ang 嵇康 (223 - 262).
652feng-nien 鳳輦, phoenix hand-carriage:
i) a term for “emperor’s carriage”. In T’ang dynasty protocol, there was a Grand Phoenix Hand-carriage (Ta Feng-nien 大鳳輦). Ch’ien Ch’i 錢起 (fl. ca. AD 766), in his poem Harmonising with Supernumerary Li’s poem “Escorting the imperial carriage on the Emperor’s blessing Warm-springs Palace with a visit” (He Li Yȕan-wai hu-chia hsing Wen-ch’ȕan-kung shih 和李員外扈駕幸溫泉宮詩), has the lines: “The Unfinished Palace moon dawns, as the sparse bells pass, The Phoenix Hand-carriage frequently tours, going out from the forbidden precincts.”
Ou-yang Hsüan 歐陽玄 (1273 - 1357) and others, Sung history (Sung-shih 宋史), “Yü-fu chih”, says: “The Phoenix Han-carriage is of crimson body, with two wooden pillars down its top ‘wheel’, carmine tulle for the ‘wheel’s’ covering, a net of ribbons for its portieres, all embroidered with cloud vapours. On its top it has a gold phoenix, and on both its sides it has carven and painted turtle patterns. To the fore of the gold phoenix’s wings, there’s a front-crossbar chest (shih-k’ui 軾匱), an incense-burner, and an incense-treasure bound with ribbons. The lower pattern has two layers of balustrades, beyond which are installed red brocade mattresses, and three long bamboo-poles, silver-adorned ladder woven railings, with eighty men in charge of the hand-carriage.” This is a highly tentative translation of Su.
Appendices and Endnotes Page 37