, was a native of Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, in the jurisdiction of Zhaoye, during the
. He was a writer and playwright.
Biography
He was born in the first year of the Zhengde era (1506). He and his brother He Liangfu were both known for their exceptional talents. In 1532, during the eleventh year of the Jiajing era, he was recommended as a tribute student to the Imperial Academy due to his diligent studies, but he failed multiple examinations and suffered from mental illness around the age of forty, often becoming agitated and verbally abusive when things did not go his way. In 1552, during the thirty-first year of the Jiajing era, following the precedent set by Cai Yu, he was appointed as a clerk in the Nanjing Hanlin Academy but soon resigned and returned to his hometown. At that time, Japanese pirates were raiding the region, so he moved to Suzhou, where he befriended Zhang Zhixiang, Wen Zhengming, and others. He and his brother He Liangfu were known as the "Two Lu." Later, he lived in seclusion and devoted himself to writing. He died in the first year of the Wanli era (1573). His works include He's Forest of Words (thirty volumes), Sayings from the Four Friends Hall (thirty-eight volumes), The Collection of He the Hanlin Scholar (twenty-eight volumes), and Record of Calligraphy and Painting Treasures (one volume).
The literary leader and close friend Wang Shizhen compiled a twenty-volume work called The Supplement to the New Sayings of the World, which included selections from both The New Sayings of the World and He's Forest of Words. This compilation was widely popular, leading to a wave of imitations in the "Shishuo" style. The editors of the Siku Quanshu noted that there were numerous editions of The Supplement to the New Saynings of the World, stating that the woodblocks had been replaced dozens of times, which is a factual observation. In Korea and Japan, The Supplement to the NewSayings of the World was even more popular than in China, with many new editions being published, which can also be seen as another form of influence from He's Forest ofWords.
Notes
References
• 何良俊 (Chinese)
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He Liangjun (1506–1573), courtesy name Yuanlang, style name Zhehu, was a native of Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture, in the jurisdiction of Zhaoye, during the Ming dynasty. He was a writer and playwright.