Biography

His surname was originally Gao (高), but he changed his name to his uncle's. Wei was born in Qiongzhou and spent most of his early life and career in Sichuan, holding the post of prefect over several towns. At the intercession of his friend Zhen Dexiu, he was summoned to court and promoted to Minister of Rites; he subsequently held a number of other court posts. Despite being held in high esteem as a philosopher by many of his contemporaries, Wei was criticised for his inability to make profound changes to the government system in which he operated. He was satirised by a contemporary acting troupe as an ineffectual drunkard (the actors were flogged after Wei made a complaint against this slander).

Wei established a school in his home province, where he taught a philosophy based on the Cheng-Zhu school, but influenced by the works of Zhang Shi. Wei was somewhat less rigid in his adherence to the Cheng-Zhu school's precepts than other teachers, and as a result attracted students from other schools of Neo-Confucian thought. He emphasised the connection between nature and morality, and believed that knowledge and capability were innate; despite having a strong moral position and clear stance on personal practice, he was not a great innovator and is generally considered to have promoted the existing teachings of the school rather than creating new concepts within it.

After his death, the legend sprang up that Wei's ghost traveled the mountains in the company of the spirit of Zhu Xi.

生平

祖父魏革，娶妻高氏，有七子二女。父魏孝壽過繼高家，改名高孝璹，有六子。「英悟絕出，日誦千餘言」，人稱神童，十五歲寫《韓愈論》。

慶元五年（1199年），進士及第。授簽書劍南西川節度判官。

開禧元年（1205年），除秘書省正字，後遷校書郎。以親老乞補外任，出知嘉定府（四川省樂山縣）。

嘉定三年（1210年），因父亡，辭職回家守孝，築室白鶴山（梧州邛崍市區西郊）下，創建蒲江鶴山書院授徒講學，士爭從之，世稱「鶴山先生」。守孝期滿後，先後至漢州、眉州、滬州任職，有治績。力主抗金，獻邊防十策。受朱端誣告，連降三官。複為禮部尚書。官至端明殿學士。

寶慶元年（1225年），因不滿史彌遠矯詔，廢趙竑、立趙昀為帝，被貶居靖州六年，並創建靖州鶴山書院，宋理宗曾賜御書「鶴山書院」以嘉獎他的講學活動。

晚年以端明殿學士、僉書樞密院事督視京湖江淮軍馬，曾指揮宋軍克複襄陽。

嘉熙元年(1237年)，卒於紹興府安撫使官所。賜太師，諡文靖。葬於楓橋鎮高景山金盆塢，詔賜第宅于蘇州南宮坊（現書院巷）。

學術

《宋元學案.鶴山學案》記載鶴山生平及學術思想。鶴山與朱熹及其弟子輔廣、李燔有往來，又與陸九淵之子陸持之友好，並吸取心學的精華。魏了翁對《周易》極有研究，重視王弼、邵雍等人的見解，認為：「大抵性善之義具于《易》。」他認為：「辭、變、象、占，《易》之綱領，而繇、彖、象、爻之辭；畫、爻、位、虛之別；互、反、飛、伏之說；乘、承、比、應之例，有不知則義理闕焉。」。黃百家稱：「鶴山識力橫絕，真所謂卓犖觀群書者。」了翁對河圖、洛書、「先後天易說」亦深信不疑，直言「戴九履一之圖其象圓，五行生成之圖其象方，是九圓而十方也，安知邵子不以九為圖，十為書乎」。

著作

著有《鶴山先生大全文集》一百九卷、《九經要義》二百六十三卷、《周易集義》、《易舉隅》、《周禮井田圖說》、《古今考》、《經史雜抄》、《師友雅言》。詞有《鶴山長短句》。

傳記

《宋史•卷四百三十七•列傳第一百九十六》

清黃宗羲《宋元學案卷八十•鶴山學案》

清繆荃孫《魏文靖公年譜》。

研究

《魏了翁文學研究》，張文利著，中華書局出版，2008年11月。

注釋