Top of page

Book/Printed Material Yi he ming 瘞鶴銘

About this Item

Title

  • Yi he ming

Other Title

  • 瘞鶴銘

Translated Title

  • Inscription of a Eulogy on the Burial of a Crane

Summary

  • Yi he ming (Inscription of a eulogy on the burial of a crane) is a very famous carved rock inscription of great significance in the history of Chinese calligraphy. It is a eulogy mourning the death of a family crane. The inscription is considered the progenitor of large-character calligraphy of the Southern Dynasties (420-589). The original rock carving, situated on the west crag of Jiaoshan Mountain, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, was carved in the 13th year (514) of the Tianjian reign of Liang of the Southern Dynasties. Later it fell into the river and was not rediscovered until the Northern Song (960-1127). The great scholar Ouyang Xiu (1007-72) recorded this work in his Ji gu lu (Collected inscriptions of the past); thus it became well known and was reproduced numerous times in rubbings. In the 52nd year (1713) of Qing emperor Kangxi, Chen Pengnian (1663-1723) of Changsha, prefect of Zhenjiang, enlisted laborers and pulled five pieces of stone out of the river. They were then moved and some were built into the walls of the Dinghui Temple on Jiaoshan Mountain. The year 1713 thus became the demarcation point of dating the rubbings, the earlier ones before the rock fell into the river and the later ones after its recovery. The earlier group is extremely rare because it was difficult to make rubbings of the inscription. The remaining stone pieces are now placed in Baomoxuan (Baomo Pavilion), also called Jiaoshan bei lin (Stele Forest of Jiaoshan), where Yi he ming is the most famous stone inscription. This rubbing dates from the late Ming dynasty. It is considered a rubbing of the earlier group. The two characters sui and wu are in perfect shape, and the last stroke of the character xiang reaches into the stone flower. The inscription on the rubbing reads: "Text written by Huayang Zhenyi, calligraphy by Shanghuang Shanjiao." Scholars of later centuries have disputed the identities of the author and the calligrapher.

Created / Published

  • [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified], [1573 to 1644]

Headings

  • -  China--Jiangsu Province--Zhenjiang
  • -  514
  • -  Chinese calligraphy
  • -  Chinese literature
  • -  Cranes (Birds)
  • -  Eulogies
  • -  Inscriptions, Chinese
  • -  Rubbing -- China

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: Cut and mounted rubbing ; 30 x 14 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of China.
  • -  Content in Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666522

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Yi He Ming. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, to 1644, 1573] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666522/.

APA citation style:

(1573) Yi He Ming. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, to 1644] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666522/.

MLA citation style:

Yi He Ming. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, to 1644, 1573] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666522/>.