| 摘要: | The title of "seven sages" was invented by Xie An or his family, recorded by Yuan Hong, and published in Sun Sheng's Wei's Records of the Spring and Autumn and Autumn of Jinyang. The worthies of the Wei-Jin Period treasured the noble value of friendship; for instance, as recorded in New Account of Tales of the World (Shishou Xinyu), Ji Kan testified to Lu An's innocence, which caused the murder of them both. Due to the similarities in their personalities, talents, styles and their distresses brought by the times, a sense of camaraderie was developed among the seven sages. Though there are no surviving monographs on friendships by them, here the writer intends to clarify their friendship based on historical documents. Furthermore, this article is also meant to highlight the seven sages' implicit views on friendships, as their friendship and spiritual compatibility regardless of age, gains and looses are the results of their metaphysical thought. We try to attribute their brotherly love to their like-mindedness in metaphysics and feelings. Here they are analyzed in four groups: first, Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian and Liu Ling; second, Ji Kan and Ruan Ji; third, Ji Kan, Ruan Ji and Shan Tao; and forth, Ji Kan and Xiang Xiu. Finally, we will conclude with the seven sages' general views on friendship. |
