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Wang Fan

Summary

Wang Fan (228–266), courtesy name Yongyuan, was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, politician, and writer of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He would work on creating an armillary sphere and some of his works survive to this day, but his disobedience towards Wu's final Emperor Sun Hao would lead to his death. [1]

Wang Fan
王蕃
Regular Attendant (常侍)
In office
264 or after (264 or after) – 266 (266)
MonarchSun Hao
Chief Commandant of Escorting Cavalry (駙馬都尉)
In office
258 or after (258 or after) – ? (?)
MonarchSun Xiu
Central Regular Mounted Attendant
(散騎中常侍)
In office
258 or after (258 or after) – ? (?)
MonarchSun Xiu
Gentleman of Writing (尚書郎)
In office
? (?)–? (?)
MonarchSun Quan / Sun Liang
Personal details
Born228
Lujiang County, Anhui
Died266 (aged 38)
Relations
  • Wang Zhu (brother)
  • Wang Yan (brother)
OccupationAstronomer, mathematician, politician, writer
Courtesy nameYongyuan (永元)

Life edit

Wang Fan was from Lujiang Commandery (廬江郡), which is located southwest of present-day Lujiang County, Anhui.[2] Well studied with particular proficiency in calendric calculations,[3] he started his career in Wu as a Gentleman of Writing (尚書郎) during the reign of the first Wu emperor Sun Quan or second Wu emperor Sun Liang, but resigned from office for reasons unknown.[4]

During the reign of the third Wu emperor Sun Xiu, Wang Fan served as a Central Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎中常侍) alongside He Shao, Xue Ying and Yu Si, and was given an additional appointment as a Chief Commandant of Escorting Cavalry (駙馬都尉).[5] He gained a reputation for his honest nature.[6] When the Wu government sent him as an ambassador to Wu's ally, Shu Han, he was also highly regarded by the Shu government. Upon returning to Wu, he served as a military supervisor at the Wu military garrison in Xiakou (夏口).[7] He became connected to the powerful Lu clan[8] which would have influence in his mathematical career and reactions upon his fall.

Downfall and death edit

During the reign of the fourth and last Wu emperor Sun Hao, Wang Fan became a Regular Attendant (常侍) alongside Wan Yu, Guo Chuo and Lou Xuan.[9][10] Wang Fan fell increasingly out of favour, he was unable to hide discontent with Sun Hao's orders and on some occasions even refused to obey the orders, which led to criticism.[11] Sun Hao's favoured Wan Yu accused the higher-born Wang Fan of belittling him[12] and another favoured officer Chen Sheng (陳聲) also belittled Wang Fan to the Emperor.[13] The Sanguozhi doesn't record what was said against Wang Fan but the Wulu (吳錄) by Zhang Bo, a son of a Wu minister who was living at this time,[14] has an exchange between Wang Fan and Wan Yu. Sometimes Sun Hao liked to get drunk and have senior members teased by those in more junior ranks,[15] Wang Fan said Wan Yu was a low-born with an appearance like a tiger but a sheep's heart who received favour beyond his empty qualities.[16] Wan Yu said Wang Fan was unable to recognize talent or understand Wang Fan's own talents, defaming the judgement of the Emperor and those superior to him.[17] However, the historian Pei Songzhi raises doubts about Zhang Bo's account as Wan Yu would not be raised to the claimed rank Right Imperial Chancellor (右丞相), so making him a target of Wang Fan, until after Wang Fan's death.[18]

In 266,[19][20] he offended Sun Hao and ended up losing his head. There are two accounts of what led to Wang Fan's execution and they differ on how he was executed. The Sanguozhi says when Sun Hao held a banquet for the returning envoy to Jin Ding Zhong (丁忠), Wang Fan got very drunk and fell over. He was carried out, but Sun Hao suspected Wang Fan was being disrespectful rather than drunk. Shortly after Wang Fan was summoned back and moved as normal, retaining his dignity, which Sun Hao took as confirming his suspicions. A furious Sun Hao ordered Wang Fan to be beheaded and his body would not be buried.[21] despite the protests of Generals Teng Mu (滕牧) and Liu Ping (留平).[22] The third century local history Jiangbiao Zhuan (江表傳; "Account of the Lands Beyond the Yangzi") by Yu Pu[23] provides a very different tale.[24] In it Sun Hao was concerned by shaman's warning so wished to move the capital from Jianye to Wuchang but was not certain the court would be willing to follow. At a meeting to curry favour, he asked Wang Fan something, but Wang Fan's refusal to answer angered the Emperor.[25] Wang Fan was taken outside and beheaded then in a rather vindictive display of force, Sun Hao had Wang Fan's body taken up Mount Lai then the head thrown down the mountain for wild animals to feast upon.[26]

Sun Hao also exiled his family to the remote Guang Province in the south.[27] Lu Kai, the Imperial Chancellor of Wu during Sun Hao's reign, lamented Wang Fan's unfortunate end. Remarking of Wang Fan's skill and honest, how Sun Xiu had greatly valued Wang Fan while Sun Hao had despised the frank answers, claiming that all mourned his death.[28] Lu Kai's relative, the commander Lu Kang would list Wang Fan as one of the worthy men unjustly killed in a memorial to Sun Hao.[29]

Wang Fan had two brothers, Wang Zhu (王著) and Wang Yan (王延), who were also well-known learned men in Wu.[30] Both of them were killed during a rebellion started by Guo Ma in 279,[31] which was one of the events leading to the fall of Wu in 280.

Contributions to mathematics and astronomy edit

Wang Fan was proficient in mathematics and astronomy, playing a role in Wu's advancing mathematical science from the time of the Later Han.[32][33] He calculated the distance from the Sun to the Earth, but his geometric model was not correct. In addition, he gave the numerical value of π as 142 / 45 = 3.155…,⁣[34][35] which, while an improvement on the Later Han and on Lu Ji's calculations,[36] was not as accurate as that given by the mathematician Liu Hui, who lived around the same time as him. His calculations of the sun's orbit were worse than other existing calendar models of the time but he was close with geographical latitude.[37]

He worked with Lu Ji in constructing an armillary sphere, representing the earth by placing the sphere within a box.[38][39] His work the Huntian Xiang Shuo (渾天象說; "Discourse on Uranographic Models") has survived in three parts[38] while his work on the calendar has been translated.[40]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Sanguozhi vol.65.
  2. ^ 王蕃字永元，廬江人也 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  3. ^ 博覽多聞，兼通術藝 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  4. ^ 始為尚書郎，去官 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  5. ^ 孫休即位，與賀邵、薛瑩、虞汜俱為散騎中常侍，皆加駙馬都尉 Sanguozhi vol. 65.
  6. ^ 時論清之 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  7. ^ 遣使至蜀，蜀人稱焉，還為夏口監軍 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  8. ^ Goodman, Howard (2005). "Chinese Polymaths, 100–300 ad: The Tung-kuan, Taoist Dissent, and Technical Skills". Asia Major. 18: en. – via Jstor.
  9. ^ 孫皓初，復入為常侍，與萬彧同官 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  10. ^ 孫皓即位，與王蕃、郭逴、萬彧俱為散騎中常侍 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  11. ^ 蕃體氣高亮，不能承顏順指，時或迕意，積以見責。Sanguozhi vol.65.
  12. ^ 彧與皓有舊，俗士挾侵，謂蕃自輕 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  13. ^ 又中書丞陳聲，皓之嬖臣，數譖毀蕃 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  14. ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). pp. 433–434. ISBN 9780731509010.
  15. ^ 皓每於會，因酒酣，輒令侍臣嘲謔公卿，以為笑樂 Wulu in Sanguozhi vol.65.
  16. ^ 萬彧既為左丞相，蕃嘲彧曰：「魚潛於淵，出水煦沫。何則？物有本性，不可橫處非分也。彧出自谿谷，羊質虎皮，虛受光赫之寵，跨越三九之位，犬馬猶能識養，將何以報厚施乎] Wulu in Sanguozhi vol.65.
  17. ^ 彧曰：「唐虞之朝無謬舉之才，造父之門無駑蹇之質，蕃上誣明選，下訕楨幹，何傷於日月，適多見其不知量耳。」
  18. ^ 臣松之按本傳云丁忠使晉還，皓為大會，於會中殺蕃，檢忠從北還在此年之春，彧時尚未為丞相，至秋乃為相耳。吳錄所言為乖互不同 Pei Songzhi's commentary to the Sanguozhi vol.65.
  19. ^ 寶鼎元年正月，遣大鴻臚張儼、五官中郎將丁忠弔祭晉文帝。及還，儼道病死。Sanguozhi vol.48.
  20. ^ Zizhi Tongjian entry for 266
  21. ^ 甘露二年，丁忠使晉還，皓大會群臣，蕃沈醉頓伏，皓疑而不悅，轝蕃出外。頃之請還，酒亦不解。蕃性有威嚴，行止自若，皓大怒，呵左右於殿下斬之 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  22. ^ 衛將軍滕牧、征西將軍留平請，不能得 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  23. ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). p. 434. ISBN 9780731509010.
  24. ^ 此與本傳不同 Pei Songzhi note in Sanguozhi vol.65.
  25. ^ 皓用巫史之言，謂建業宮不利，乃西巡武昌，仍有遷都之意，恐羣臣不從，乃大請會，賜將吏。問蕃「射不主皮，為力不同科，其義云何？」蕃思惟未荅，即於殿上斬蕃 Jiangbiaozhuan in Sanguozhi vol. 65.
  26. ^ 出登來山，使親近將跳蕃首，作虎跳狼爭咋齧之，頭皆碎壞，欲以示威，使衆不敢犯也 Jiangbiaozhuan in Sanguozhi vol.65.
  27. ^ 皓徙蕃家屬廣州 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  28. ^ 丞相陸凱上疏曰：「常侍王蕃黃中通理，知天知物，處朝忠蹇，斯社稷之重鎮，大吳之龍逢也。昔事景皇，納言左右，景皇欽嘉，歎為異倫。而陛下忿其苦辭，惡其直對，梟之殿堂，尸骸暴棄，郡內傷心，有識悲悼。」其痛蕃如此。Sanguozhi vol.65.
  29. ^ 夫俊乂者，國家之良寶，社稷之貴資，庶政所以倫敘，四門所以穆清也。故大司農樓玄、散騎中常侍王蕃、少府李勖，皆當世秀穎，一時顯器，既蒙初寵，從容列位，而並旋受誅殛，或圮族替祀，或投棄荒裔。Sanguozhi vol.58.
  30. ^ 二弟著、延皆作佳器 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  31. ^ 郭馬起事，不為馬用，見害 Sanguozhi vol.65.
  32. ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). pp. 350, 410. ISBN 9780731509010.
  33. ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (2019). "Wu the empire of Sun Quan". In E.Dien, Albert; N.Knapp, Keith (eds.). The Cambridge History of China: Voume 2 The Six Dynasties 220-589. Cambridge University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-107-02077-1.
  34. ^ Schepler (1950), p. 168.
  35. ^ Volkov (1997), p. 312.
  36. ^ Eberhard, Wolfram; Müller (1936). Hope-Johnstone (ed.). "Contributions to the Astronomy of the San-kuo period". Monumenta Serica (in German). 2 (1). Taylor Francis: 163, 164 – via Jstor.
  37. ^ Eberhard, Wolfram; Müller (1936). Hope-Johnstone (ed.). "Contributions to the Astronomy of the San-kuo period". Monumenta Serica (in German). 2 (1). Taylor Francis: 156 – via Jstor.
  38. ^ a b Needham, Joseph; Ling, Wang (1959). Science and Civilisation in China, volume III, Mathematics and the sciences of the heavens and the earth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 386. ISBN 9780521058018.
  39. ^ De Crespigny, Rafe (1997). Generals Of The South: The Foundation And Early History Of The Three Kingdoms State Of Wu (2018 ed.). p. 410. ISBN 9780731509010.
  40. ^ Eberhard, Wolfram; Müller (1936). Hope-Johnstone (ed.). "Contributions to the Astronomy of the San-kuo period". Monumenta Serica (in German). 2 (1). Taylor Francis: 150–156 – via Jstor.

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