Twice ToldLiu Yuxi: two memorials of thanks for a Zhong Kui painting
- Language
- Chinese
- Reading
- transcribed from the page image
- Translation
- ours
- Retrieved
- 18 October 2026
Liu Yuxi wrote both memorials for other officials. In the juan’s list of titles they appear as “On behalf of Vice Censor-in-Chief Li, thanks for Zhong Kui and the calendar” and “Again on behalf of Chancellor Du, thanks for Zhong Kui and the calendar”. Each thanks the emperor for a painting of Zhong Kui and a new calendar scroll, sent by a palace envoy at the end of the year. The print has no punctuation; the punctuation below is ours. Small 中謝 in the first memorial is the print’s stage direction (“here the speaker bows in thanks”).
代李中丞謝鍾馗曆日 臣某言：中使某奉宣聖旨，賜神[臣?]畫鍾馗一、新曆日一軸。恩降雲霄，光生里巷。雖當歲暮，如煦陽和。〔中謝〕伏以將慶新年，聿循故事。繢其神象，表去癘之方；頒以曆書，敬授時之始。微臣何幸，天意不遺。無任。
又代杜相公謝鍾馗曆日 臣某言：高品某至，奉宣聖旨，賜臣畫鍾馗一、新曆日一軸。星紀分[方?]回，雖逢歲盡；恩輝忽降，已覺春來。伏以圖寫威神，驅除羣癘；頒行律曆，敬授四時。施張有嚴，既增門戶之貴；動用協吉，常為掌握之珍。瞻仰披尋，皆知聖澤。無任。
Translation
On behalf of Vice Censor-in-Chief Li: thanks for Zhong Kui and the calendar
Your servant says: The palace envoy came and announced the emperor’s order, granting me a painting of Zhong Kui and a new calendar scroll. The favour has come down from the clouds and lit up the streets of my neighbourhood; though the year is ending, it is as warm as spring sunshine. [Here the speaker bows in thanks.] As the new year is about to be celebrated, we follow the old custom: the spirit’s image is painted to show the way to drive off plague, and the calendar is issued to begin the respectful announcing of the seasons. How fortunate your humble servant is that Heaven’s will has not passed him over. I cannot contain [my gratitude; the stock closing formula is abbreviated in the text].
Again, on behalf of Chancellor Du: thanks for Zhong Kui and the calendar
Your servant says: A senior palace attendant came and announced the emperor’s order, granting me a painting of Zhong Kui and a new calendar scroll. The year is turning, and although the year is ending, this favour has fallen suddenly and I already feel that spring has come. The picture shows an awesome spirit to drive out the host of plagues, and the calendar is distributed to announce the four seasons respectfully. Hung up, the picture is stern and adds honour to the household; using the calendar brings what one does into accord with lucky times, and it is always a treasure kept at hand. Gazing up at the painting and opening and consulting the calendar, in both I recognize the emperor’s favour. I cannot contain [my gratitude; the stock closing formula is abbreviated in the text].
Notes
- Neither memorial tells a story, names Xuanzong or mentions Wu Daozi. They show that a picture of Zhong Kui went out with the calendar at year’s end when these memorials were written; the texts do not date themselves, and we do not know who Li or Du were.
- 中使 is a palace envoy and 高品 a rank of palace attendant (eunuch); we translate by function.
- 神 in 賜神畫鍾馗: the page prints 神 where the sense and the parallel texts (Quan Tang wen, Wikisource) read 臣, “me”; likewise 分 for 方 in 星紀方回. We translate the sense and mark the readings.
- 施張有嚴: we take 施張 as “hung up, displayed” and 有嚴 as “has severity”. 動用協吉 refers to the calendar: things done by it fall on lucky days.
- The Quan Tang wen prints both memorials with the closing 無任 completed and 中謝 in each; the Sibu congkan page has 中謝 only in the first.