Shǐ Chén Hòu Bēi 《史晨後碑》碑陰 •《魯相史晨饗孔子廟碑》

A fine rubbing of the whole stele Shǐ Chén Hòu Bēi 史晨後碑
Details of the rubbing
Details of the rubbing

The stele is located in the Temple of Confucius at Qufu (曲阜孔廟). Shi Chen (史晨), the Administrator of Lu (魯), arrived at Lu in the first year of the Jianning (建寧) of Lindi (靈帝) in the Eastern Han Dynasty (168 AD).  The stele mentioned how Shi Chen made offerings at the Temple of Confucius (孔廟) upon taking up the official position at Lu.  It recorded the names and the titles of the main officials present in the solemn ceremony. Altogether 907 people were in attendance.

Shi Chen also looked after the welfare of the people. He organized the repair of the outer wall on the main road, the renovation and painting of houses, and the repair of the big ditch, etc. He planted wheat on the outskirt of the town to fund the projects instead of imposing a levy on the people. He particularly cared for the people living in Kong Du (孔瀆) and Yan Mu Jing (顏母井) by exempting their taxes, setting up a market place so that the people can get fresh meat and wine without travelling a long distance and repairing the roads and wells .  He planted two rows of Catalpa trees (梓樹) along the main road. Si Chen also established four guards to look after the tomb of Confucius, the houses of Confucius’s mother (顏母) and Confucius’s wife (亓官氏) and the tomb of Lu Gong (魯公, Bo Qin 伯禽).

The full text of the stele is as follows.

《史晨後碑》碑陰 •《魯相史晨饗孔子廟碑》

 相河南史君諱晨字伯時，從越騎校尉拜，建寧元年四月十一日戊子到官，乃以令日拜謁孔子，望見闕觀，式路虔跽，既至升堂，屏氣拜手。祗肅屑僾，髣髴若在。依依舊宅，神之所安。春秋復禮，稽度玄靈；而無公出享獻之薦，欽因春饗，導物嘉會，述修璧雍，社稯品制。即上尚書，參以符驗。乃敢承祀，餘胙賦賜。刊石勒銘，並列本奏。大漢延期，彌歷億萬。時長吏廬江舒李謙敬讓，五官掾魯孔暢，功曹史孔淮，戶曹掾薛東門榮，史文陽馬琮，守廟百石孔讃，副掾孔綱，故尚書孔立元世，河東太守孔彪元上，處士孔褒文禮，皆會廟堂，國縣員冗，吏無大小，空府竭寺，咸俾來觀。並畔官文學先生、執事諸弟子，合九百七人，雅歌吹笙，考之六律，八音克諧，盪邪反正，奉爵稱壽，相樂終日。於穆肅雍，上下蒙福，長享利貞，與天無極。

史君饗後，部吏仇誧，縣吏劉耽等，補完里中道之週左牆垣壞決，作屋塗色，修通大溝，西流里外，南注城池。恐縣吏斂民，侵擾百姓，自以城池道濡麥給令，還所斂民錢材。史君念孔瀆顏母井去市遼遠，百姓酤買，不能得香酒美肉，於昌平亭下立會市，因彼左右，咸所願樂。又敕：瀆井，復民飭治，桐車馬於瀆上，東行道，表南北，各種一行梓。假夫子塚顏母开舍及魯公塚守吏凡四人，月與佐除。

My copy of the full text of the stele is as follows.

The sequence of the brush strokes of some typical characters

 

 

 

Bibliography

俞丰 (2009) 經典碑帖釋文譯注, 上海書畫出版社 , ISBN 978-7-80725-846-9

Ouyang Z S, W C Fong, Y F Wang (2008) Chinese Calligraphy, Yale University, ISBN 978-0-300-12107-0

Wu, Sung-feng (2017) Teacher Exemplar for a Myriad Generations, Confucius in Painting, Calligraphy, and Prints through the ages, 萬世師表- 書畫中的孔子, National Palace Museum, ISBN 9789575627904

 https://kknews.cc/other/4jlk4n3.html  (經典碑帖釋文譯註——東漢《史晨碑》 – 每日頭條)

https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1239332436261591419/answer/3067618540.html (史晨碑白话译文)