Zhang Juzheng

Zhang Juzheng or Chang Chü-cheng (simplified Chinese: 张居正; traditional Chinese: 張居正; pinyin: Zhāng Jūzhèng) (1525 - 1582) was a powerful Grand Secretary in the Ming Dynasty under the Longqing and Wanli emperors. Zhang was born in Jiangling, Hubei province, China and died in Beijing.

His benevolent rule and strong foreign and economic policies are considered to have brought the Ming Dynasty to its peak. He is credited with centralizing government, limiting special privileges, and reclaiming tax-exempt land. Zhang also played a very important role as mentor and regent during the early years of the reign of Emperor Wanli. He strongly influenced the young emperor and guided Wanli through his teenage years. However after Zhang died in 1582, many of his reforms and policies were ignored which slowly led to the disintegration of the dynasty in the years ahead. After his death, his family was purged and his wealth and estate confiscated on the Emperor's order. Zhang would only be reinstated more than half a century later, just before the downfall of the Ming dynasty.

Zhang's commentary on the "Four Books"

In 1573, Zhang presented the young Wanli Emperor with a commentary on the Four Books of the Confucian canon, entitled "Colloquial Commentary on the Four Books" ("四书直解", Si Shu Zhijie). It was published some time between 1573 and 1584. The book was not destroyed during the posthumous disgrace of Zhang, and enjoyed a measure or renown among the Chinese literati almost a century later, during the early decades of the Qing Dynasty, when several editions of it appeared between 1651 and 1683.

In the 17th century, Zhang's commentary became popular with Jesuit missionaries in China, perhaps because, being originally written for the child emperor, it was using a simpler language than the commentary by the Neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi, favored by the late-Ming establishment. Although in the assessment of modern scholars (e.g. D.E. Mungello), Zhang's commentary was, in its content and meaning, not that different from Zhu's, the Jesuits rejected the Neo-Confucianism but found Zhang's book more consonant with their view of Confucius' teaching. As a result, there are numerous references to Zhang's work in Confucius Sinarum philosophus, the pioneering Latin translation and commentary of the Confucian classics, which had been gradually created by a large group of Jesuits over several decades and published in Paris in 1687.

In literature

Zhang Juzheng (Wade-Giles: Chang Chü-cheng) is an important character in Ray Huang's 1587: A Year of No Significance, a well-known documentary book on the period. A popular book by mainland Chinese Internet writer "Dang Nian Ming Yue", called "The Ming Dynasty's Events", also featured Zhang Juzheng as a main character.

Translation

The phrase "Zhang Juzheng" occurs as such in the following languages: English, German, Swedish, Turkish.

Translation(s) in other languages: Korean: 장거정, Japanese: 張居正, Vietnamese: Trương Cư Chính, Classical Chinese: 張居正, Wu: 张居正, Chinese: 張居正.