Wang Can - King

A Chinese Wei literati. His courtesy name was Zhongxuan. He was from Gaoping, Shanyang (Zou County, Shandong Province). He was from a distinguished family, but was caught up in the turmoil of the late Eastern Han Dynasty as a child, and fled to Jingzhou (Hubei Province) in the south, where he spent 16 years in misery. In 208, he took refuge with Cao Cao, and after serving as a military strategist and sake sacrificial officer, he rose to the position of Shichu (attendant) after the founding of the Wei Dynasty, where he worked hard to improve the legal system, and eventually died of illness on his way to battle Wu with Cao Cao. He was praised for his extraordinary talent from an early age, and many of the poems and prose he created in Jingzhou are beautiful and full of sorrow, especially his masterpieces "Ode to the Tower" and "Seven Sorrowful Poems" in the "Wen Xuan". After joining Cao Cao's army, his talent for poetry was highly praised and he was respected by the people. He is counted among the foremost of the "Seven Sons of Jian'an".

[Sato Tamotsu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、魏(ぎ)の文人。字(あざな)は仲宣(ちゅうせん)。山陽高平（山東省鄒(すう)県）の人。名家の出身であるが、幼少年期に後漢末の動乱に巻き込まれ、南方の荊州(けいしゅう)（湖北省）に逃れて、16年間その地で不遇のまま過ごした。208年、曹操(そうそう)のもとに身を寄せたあと、軍謀祭酒などを経て、魏の建国後は侍中(じちゅう)に昇り、法令制度の整備に尽力、最後は曹操に従って呉(ご)との戦いに行く途中、病没した。幼いときから異才を称されていたが、荊州の地でつくられた詩文は悲哀に満ちた美しい作品が多く、とくに『文選(もんぜん)』に収める「登楼(とうろう)の賦(ふ)」「七哀詩(しちあいし)」は、当時の社会情況をも反映する彼の代表作である。曹操の配下に入ってからはその詩文の才能を高く評価され、人々の尊敬を受けた。「建安七子(けんあんしちし)」の筆頭に数えられる。

［佐藤　保］

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