Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/606

 but owing to the excessive length of his poem (賦 fu), and to his habit of writing many characters in archaic forms, he failed to pass. In 1738 he was appointed magistrate of Ch'in-an, Kansu. As acting magistrate of the two adjoining districts of Hui-hsien (1741) and Liang-tang (1743) he was thus for a time concurrently magistrate of three districts. In 1745 he was transferred to the magistracy of P'ing-fan, also in Kansu. Three years later he was dismissed from office, charged with accepting a wan-min i 萬民衣, or "myriad citizens robe," from the people of the district. This garment, donated by many admirers, was sometimes presented to a popular official to demonstrate the wide esteem in which his administration was held. During his tenure of office in the above-mentioned districts he improved conditions in many ways by facilitating irrigation, building roads, planting trees and conducting fair trials. Above all he stressed education. He founded in Ch'in-an the Academy known as Lung-ch'uan shu-yüan 隴川書院 and himself was the chief lecturer. In 1749 he accepted for a year the headship of the Academy, Kao-lan shu-yüan 皋蘭書院 of Lanchow, Kansu, after which (1750) he returned home. In 1754 he directed the San-li shu-yüan 三立書院 in Taiyuan, and in 1755 the Ho-tung shu-yüan 河東書院 in Pu-chou, both in Shansi. From 1756 to 1757 he was head of the Shao-ling shu-yüan 少陵書院 in his native prefecture, Yen-chou-fu, Shantung. He died in 1758 and was unofficially canonized by his pupils as Wên-ting 文定.

As a by-product of his teaching he annotated such Classics as the Analects, Mencius, the Odes, and the Classic of History, as well as Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien's Historical Record (Shih-chi). Beginning in 1735 he made a study of the dynastic histories and produced in consequence a series of corrections and emendations which he entitled 讀史糾謬 Tu-shih chiu-miu. In collaboration with Ch'u Chün 褚峻, a skilled engraver who sold rubbings for a living, he printed in 1736 a work, entitled 金石經眼錄 Chin-shih ching-yen lu, in 1 chüan, consisting of 47 inscriptions on metal and stone, reproduced in facsimile with annotations. This work was later expanded and published about 1745 under the title Chin-shih t'u (圖). The Imperial Catalogue (see under ) also mentions a work on the Classic of Changes in 4 chüan, entitled 空山易解 K'ung-shan I-chieh, and one on the Spring and Autumn Annals in 12 chüan, entitled K'ung-shan-t'ang Ch'un-ch'iu chuan. Niu Yün-chên's collected literary works, K'ung-shan-t'ang chi (集) in 18 chüan, consisting of 12 chüan of prose and 6 chüan of poetry, were first printed in 1801. He had two sons: Niu Hêng 牛衡, the older, who died young; and Niu Chün 牛鈞 who became a salaried licentiate.

[1/483/11a; 3/231/14a; 4/103/16a; 31/7/4b; Tzŭ-yang-hsien chih (1888) 8/21a; Chiang Chih-chung 蔣致中, Niu K'ung-shan nien-p'u (1933); Ssŭ-k'u, 10/3b, 31/9a, 86/11a, 87/7a.]

2em

 NURHACHU. See under.

NURHACI 努爾哈赤, 1559–1626, Sept 30, founder of the Ch'ing Dynasty, was born in the Aisin Gioro 愛新覺羅 clan which held the hereditary chieftainship of a Jurjen or Ju-chên 女眞, tribe. In some Ming accounts the clan is referred to as T'ung 佟. In the Ming period the Ju-chên people occupied the region north of Korea and east and northeast of Liao-tung 遼東 which was inhabited by Chinese. In ancient Chinese histories they are referred to as Su-shên 肅慎 and as senders of tribute consisting of bows and arrows. In later official histories they are referred to by various names. In the tenth century they were subjugated by the Khitans (Liao Dynasty, 916–1168) and thereafter are sometimes referred to as Ju-chên and still later as Ju-chih 女直. [The character 眞 was tabooed by the Khitans after about 1031 A.D.] Gradually the Ju-chên became strong, and in the twelfth century subjugated the Khitans and founded the Chin dynasty (1115–1234). In the thirteenth century they were conquered by the Mongols. During the Ming period they called themselves Chu-shên 諸申 (another variation of Jurjen). But in the histories they are spoken of as Ju-chên, and as divided into three main tribes: Chien-chou 建州, Hai-hsi 海西, and Yeh-jên 野人. In the sixteenth century the Chien-chou Ju-chên occupied the region east of the Liao-tung frontier and north of the Yalu River; the Hai-hsi inhabited the area north of Shên-yang (Mukden); and the less civilized Yeh-jên lived farther north and east. Only in 1635 did the Ju-chên begin to call themselves Manchus (see under ).

Nurhaci's family came from the Chien-chou Ju-chên, one of his ancestors becoming a tribal chieftain, probably early in the Yüan period 594