A Second View on Zhang Jiuling's Dismissal from the Post of Prime Minister and a Turn of Wang Wei's Thought

The relationship between Zhang Jiuling and Wang Wei is a heated topic of research on the literature of the Tang Dynasty.Many people think that Wang Weis thought can be divided into two parts.The former period is characterized by Wang Weis active participation in political social activities;while the latter is characterized by his passive withdrawal from the society.And Wangs change of thought is caused by the event of Zhang Jiulings dismissal from office.In this article the author thinks Zhangs appointing Wang as an official is not because of their similar political views but of the fact that they are temperamentally compatible and they have similar artistic pursuit.Therefore,Zhangs resignation does not change Wangs political life and his poetry creation in both of the two periods.The auther holds that there is no evident change in Wangs thought.What he has been pursuing is a living state(level)which combines Buddhism with Confucianism.He keeps the same thought in the two periods.Wang could be either an official or a hermit,which is the political practice of his Buddhist philosophy——equating matter with nihility.Hence,his thought in the former period is not completely active,while his thought in the latter period is not really passive,either.