Relics

The conduct of the great teacher on the ancient stone stele of the Nguyen Dynasty

HOANG LAN December 14, 2024 14:45

At Chu Van An temple (Chi Linh, Hai Duong) there is an ancient stone stele from the Nguyen Dynasty recording the life of teacher Chu Van An, who is considered the 'Forever Teacher' of Vietnam.

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Many tourists come to visit and worship Chu Van An temple.

The stele named “Chu Van An’s biography” was erected in the 10th year of Tu Duc’s reign (1857). The stele was carved in the Nguyen Dynasty style, placed in the stele house on a (renovated) stone pedestal with stylized lotus petals, measuring 100 x 52 x 16 cm with about 1,200 words. The stele is flat, with a dome top, smooth forehead and surrounding border.

The stele has two sides engraved with Chinese characters. The front of the stele introduces the career of teacher Chu Van An with the following content: Mr. Chu, given name An. Tran Dynasty was a man of integrity. He devoted his whole life to the great cause of literature. He often went to the pond in front of his house to recite poetry. Many people inherited his achievements such as Le Quat, Pham Su Manh... who once held the position of "Hanh Khien".

The teacher's teachings were dignified. At that time, he was appointed to the position of "Tu nghiep" in the Imperial Academy, teaching the Crown Prince. During the reign of Tran Du Tong, he was trusted. But the king only cared about pleasure and neglected state affairs. He advised the king and submitted a petition to behead seven flatterers, but the king did not listen. He asked to take off his official hat and go traveling. When he arrived in Chi Linh, he saw Kiet Dac village with Phuong Hoang mountain and babbling streams surrounding the foot of the mountain. He built a hermitage there, taking the name Tieu An.

After his death, the royal court worshiped Chu Van An at the Temple of Literature, considering him equal to the ancient sages. His students built houses next to his grave for a whole year, holding ceremonies to show their condolences.

Historian Ngo Si Lien commented: “When serving the king, Van Trinh Cong spoke frankly in front of the king, his actions were always reasonable, he forged talented people into noble and upright mandarins, even the emperor could not force them to be his subjects, his face was solemn but his teacherly conduct was respected, his words were majestic and flatterers were afraid. He was worthy of being the teacher of Confucian scholars in our country.”

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Stele "Chu Van An's biography" at Chu Van An temple

This stele belongs to the “literary” genre, briefly recording all the names, ages, hometowns, and careers of famous people and heroes. This is a special type of text with profound ideological content and social significance.

Chu Van An is an exemplary teacher for all time, a shining example for future generations to follow. During his lifetime, he wrote many books including "Tu Thu Thuyet Uoc", "Tieu An Thi Tap" and "Quoc Ngu Thi Tap" but they were all lost. He also compiled a medical book called "Y Hoc Yeu Giai Tap Chu Di Bien" but until now people have only found 12 poems by Chu Van An recorded in "Toan Viet Thi Luc".

The back of the stele records some famous poems by teacher Chu Van An, such as: "Nguyet tich bo tien du son tung kinh" (meaning: Counting the moon, walking on a small pine-lined path on Tien Du mountain), "Thon Nam son tieu khe" (Temporary rest at the Nam village mountain), "Linh son tap hung" (Emotions about Chi Linh mountain), "De Duong Cong Thuy Hoa dinh" (De Duong Cong's Thuy Hoa dinh), "Giang Dinh tac" (Emotions about writing poetry at Giang Dinh), "Xuan Dan" (Spring morning), "So Ha" (Early summer), "Miet tri" (Turtle pond), "Vong Thai Lang" (Looking at Thai Lang).

These poems of his have a nostalgic flavor but contain many new images, gentle ideas, elegant lyrics, elegant language, "very clear and with a touch of leisure". Most of these poems were composed by Chu Van An when he was in seclusion in Chi Linh.

In addition, the stele also records two poems written by Tran Nguyen Dan for Mr. Chu Tieu An, who was also Mr. Chu Van An's teacher: "Ha Tieu An Chu Tien Sinh bai Quoc Tu Tu Nghiep" (Congratulations to Mr. Chu Tieu An on being appointed as Tu Nghiep at Quoc Tu Giam) and "Tang Chu Tieu An" (Tang Tieu An Chu Van Trinh) when he went into seclusion. This is considered one of the earliest poems written about Chu Van An.

The name of teacher Chu Van An has gone down in the history of the nation as a famous teacher, a typical Confucian scholar. He was honored as "Van the su bieu", meaning the teacher of all generations. He is a shining example for future generations to follow. With its especially important values, in 1998 Chu Van An Temple was ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic.

Although the stele has no artistic value, it contains scientific and historical information. The stele helps us identify the name, title, and career of a great teacher.

HOANG LAN
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The conduct of the great teacher on the ancient stone stele of the Nguyen Dynasty