Conceptual Evolution Of Scholar-type General In Ancient China

Scholar-type general is a special group of the ancient Chinese generals,as well as an important concept of military art.The term "scholar-type general" appeared no later than the late Tang Dynasty,and related documents increased since then.The term was generally accepted in Northern Song Dynasty,and was widely used and spread in Ming and Qing Dynasties.The phenomenon of "Chu Jiang Ru Xiang" in the early Tang Dynasty was an important background of the appearance of the "scholar-type general".Generals who were early recognized as scholar-type generals,such as Liu Rengui and Pei Xingjian,were all typically good at both civil and military affairs.After the middle Tang Dynasty,the term "scholar-type general" increasingly emphasized on the connotation of"imperial academicians".Due to their poor military performance in late Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties,the evaluation of Scholar-type generals also had changed from praise to criticism.In the Song Dynasty,the meaning of "scholar-type general" underwent evolution several times.In the early Northern Song Dynasty,the meaning of "scholar-type general"was relatively broad,including the Confucian scholars who command soldiers,as well as the generals who are cautious,polite and learned.Emperor Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi advocated and esteemed scholar-type generals for the sake of balancing civil-military relations and consolidating the rule.In the mid-late Northern Song Dynasty,the "scholar-type general" referred mainly to "the literati and officialdom" in charge of the military,as opposed to "military men".The literati and officialdom kept "military men" out of power and made sure their dominant position by explaining the connotation of "scholar-type general".During this period,the social evaluation of scholar-type generals was more and more high,but also accompanied by the embarrassment of falling short of their reputation.With the expansion of military forces in the Southern Song Dynasty,the meaning of "scholar-type general " had been expanded,"love and respect traditional culture" had become an important basis to measure scholar-type generals.In the severe military and political situation,people tried to seek a way out of actual dilemma by summing up and evaluating the history of scholar-type generals.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the meaning of "scholar-type general" had been more broad than that in the Song Dynasty.It took on multiple meanings:generals excellent in both civil and military affairs as official recognized;Whereas the general public cared more about their benevolence,righteousness and scholar-like elegance;however,the military placed more emphasis on their wisdom and resourcefulness.The influence of "scholar-type general" on the society had been more and more profound:on the one hand,its radiation and the application scope expanded obviously;on the other hand,the concept of "scholar-type general" had increasingly penetrated into daily life and had a subtle influence on social culture.In the Ming Dynasty,the evaluation of Scholar-type generals had reached an unprecedented height.In the early Qing Dynasty,the "scholar-type general" was reflected and criticized by some scholars,and it was once again placed in hope in the late Qing Dynasty.With the fast development of the modern military,scholar-type general's military significance gradually disappearing and its cultural significance still exerts some influence.This evolution in ancient China actually reflects the changes in historical context,especially in the civil-military relations in different historical periods.With the popularization of the "scholar-type general" concept,Literati of dif-ferent dynasties attaches great importance to the construction of the general historical pedigree of scholar-type generals.Xi Hu,a scholar and general in the Spring and Autumn Period,was generally regarded as the origin of scholar-type general.On the one hand,literati of different dynasties kept rebuilding and reshaping the ancient scholar-type generals' deeds,on the other hand,they added scholar-type generals in their own dynasties to the historical pedigree of scholar-type generals,so as to continuously improve and expand the "scholar-type general" history.When shaping and writing general image,handsome and beautiful style,elegant hobbies and actual military exploits are the most important elements.In a word,"scholar" is always the background,"general" is always the role,Whether being good at both civil and military affairs or not is always a yardstick to'measure Scholar-type generals.