Title

A Thirteenth-Century View: Virtue, Valor, and Violence in Helin yulu 鶴林玉露

Author

Mark Halperin

Genre

Article

Pages

37-83

DOI

10.6503/THJCS.202103_51(1).0002

Download

PDF

Language

English

Key words

Helin yulu 鶴林玉露, Luo Dajing 羅大經, biji 筆記, Song literati

Abstract

Synthesizing entries from the mid-thirteenth century biji (miscellany 筆記), Helin yulu 鶴林玉露, this article argues that the work, with its bleak view of contemporary times and many tales of violence, can be seen in part as preparing its Southern Song readers for the imminent conflict with the Mongol empire. The text’s vision weaves together political decline and virtuous heroes, as well as a moral heaven and an amoral world. Such complexity and unpredictability leads its compiler, Luo Dajing 羅大經 (c. 1195-after 1252), to define wisdom (zhi 智) as adaptability and supply examples throughout society.