Yan Zhitui - Written Works

Written Works

In his old age Yan also found time to work on a dictionary and related literary projects. In his 26 chapter book Yanshi jiaxun 顏氏家訓 ("The Family Instructions of Master Yan") Yan Zhitui left an entire written compendium of his own philosophy and life-advice to his sons, advising them on which paths to take and which paths to avoid in order to gain success in life. In addition, he also made observations about the differences between Northern and Southern China of his time, especially in regards to language, customs, and culture. He wrote that he formed many bad habits in life that took years to overcome because his elder brother had not been strict enough with him in the absence of their father. He stressed the need to acquire a good education, since well-educated ministers were chosen for posts, while others who had prestigious family lines for centuries wound up working on farms or tending to horses in the stable if they were not properly educated. Although he stressed the need for mastering calligraphy, painting, and playing the musical instrument of the lute(guqin), he warned against them from practicing too much and gaining too much skill. This was because those of higher rank, in a degrading and humiliating fashion, could easily call upon them to constantly entertain and produce fanciful calligraphy, poetry, or a musical song on the spot. Yan Zhitui was an antiquarian when it came to the prized calligraphy in his family's collection, with written pieces in his possession that were originally penned by the masters of early calligraphy, Wang Xizhi and his son Wang Xianzhi.

In his writing, Yan Zhitui also supported Buddhism. Yan defended it against many of his fellow peers who were staunch critics of the religion, despite Yan's own strong emphasis on Confucian learning and education. Yan also required of his sons that his funeral should be accompanied by Buddhist services, and persuaded his sons not to offer meat in traditional ancestral offerings. Although he called upon his sons to observe and respect the teachings of Buddhism, he did not want them to lead a remote and isolated monastic life, as he still had expectations that his sons should marry and have families of their own. He did, however, encourage them to:

...attend to the chanting and reading of the sacred books and thereby provide for passage to your future state of existence. Incarnation as a human is difficult to attain. Do not pass through yours in vain!

Although paper had been known as a wrapping and padding material in China since the 2nd century BC, the first reference to the use of toilet paper in human history was made by Yan Zhitui. In 589 AD Yan Zhitui wrote:

"Paper on which there are quotations or commentaries from Five Classics or the names of sages, I dare not use for toilet purposes".