Shen Deqian

A Chinese poet from the mid-Qing dynasty. His pen name was Geshi and his pen name was Guigu. He was born in Changzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. In 1739 (the 4th year of Qianlong), at the age of 67, he passed the Jinshi examination for the first time, and thereafter rose steadily through the ranks as an aide to the emperor, eventually reaching the rank of Minister of Rites, and he lived to the ripe old age of 97. He loved Tang poetry from an early age, and especially respected the prosperous Tang, but he also maintained a gentle and fair attitude towards the poetry of all eras. He was well known as a poetic critic and author, and advocated the theory of grace, opposing Yuan Mei's theory of nature and spirit. Torao Suzuki has given this the name of the gentle grace school. Ideologically, he was a strict believer in Confucian ethics, and rejected the elegant style of Wang Jiji at the end of the Ming dynasty. He was also harsh on the poetry of the Song and Yuan dynasties, criticizing that "Song poetry is close to rotten, while Yuan poetry is close to delicate." It is believed that these literary and ideological positions were effective in winning the trust of Emperor Qianlong. In addition to "Ancient Poetry Source," "An Anthology of Tang, Ming, and Guochao Poetry," and "Complete Collection of Shen Guigu Poetry and Prose," he also published the 30-volume "Reader of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties," a carefully selected collection of masterpieces from the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, which became popular in Japan as well.

[Ichiro Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)代中期の詩人。字(あざな)は確士、号は帰愚(きぐ)。江蘇(こうそ)省蘇州長洲の出身。1739年（乾隆4）67歳で初めて進士に合格し、以後は帝の側近として順調に出世し、官は礼部侍郎に至り、97歳の天寿を全うした。幼少のころから唐詩を好み、とくに盛唐を尊重したが、歴代の詩に対しても温和公平の態度で臨んだ。詩の批評家・作者として著名であり、格調説を唱えて、性霊(せいれい)説の袁枚(えんばい)に対抗した。鈴木虎雄(とらお)はこれに温和的格調派の名称を与えている。思想的には厳格に儒教倫理を信奉し、明(みん)末の王次回のような艶体(えんたい)は退けている。また宋元(そうげん)の詩には厳しく、「宋詩は腐(ふ)に近く、元詩は繊(せん)に近し」と批判する。これらの文学的、思想的立場は、乾隆(けんりゅう)帝の信任を得るのに力があったと思われる。『古詩源』『唐・明・国朝詩別裁集』『沈帰愚詩文全集』のほか、『唐宋八家文読本』30巻があり、唐宋八大家の名文を精選したもので、日本でも流行した。

［佐藤一郎］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例