Figures of Taoism: Cen Wenben 岑文本

Cen Wenben
(595–645) A scholar of the Tang Dynasty, styled Jingren, he was born in Jiyang, Nanyang (present-day Xinye County, Henan Province).

He held successive positions such as Mishu Lang (Secretary Lang) concurrently serving in the Zhongshu Sheng (Palace Secretariat), Zhongshu Sheren (Palace Secretary), and Zhongshu Shilang (Vice Minister of the Palace Secretariat), being in charge of confidential affairs. He was awarded the title of Yinqing Guanglu Dafu (Silver 青光禄大夫，a high-ranking honorary official) and enfeoffed as the Zi (Viscount) of Jiangling County. Later, he accompanied Emperor Taizong on a punitive expedition against Liaodong and died of a sudden illness in Youzhou.

In his life, he extensively studied classics and history and was gifted in literature. Philosophically, he leaned toward Taoism, regarding "abandoning wisdom and discarding cleverness" and "returning to simplicity and authenticity" as the highest principles and the supreme guiding ideology for royal governance. He stated, "Abandoning wisdom and discarding cleverness is the supreme virtue of a sage; breaking away from embellishment to return to simplicity is the noble plan of ancient kings" (Reply to the Issue of Abolishing Money).

Following the Taoist thought of returning to simplicity and authenticity, he emphasized that "agriculture is the foundation of governance" (Ode to the Royal Plowing Ceremony), advocating for prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. He rejected commerce, trade, and craftsmanship, considering business management, financial activities, and manual skills as the root causes of national poverty, weakness, and social unrest. He argued, "When merchants engage in multiple schemes, poverty arises; when scholars possess numerous skills, scarcity follows. There has never been a case where exalting carving and craftsmanship, or competing in luxury and indulgence, could bring about national stability, family security, the promotion of virtuous customs, or the cultivation of moral education" (ibid.).

He regarded all profit-seeking in the marketplace as a bad thing and asserted that the development of industry and commerce would inevitably hinder or even destroy agricultural production. He said, "Since the enlightened rule began, greatly saving the common people, reviving rituals and music from the brink of extinction, and restoring the pure customs from dissipation, all undertakings have stabilized, and ethical norms have been ordered. Although merchants and artisans are distinct groups, the restrictions on the four classes of people should be maintained; yet, when people strive for trivial profits, the affairs of agriculture may be neglected" (ibid.).

The "restrictions on the four classes of people" mentioned here continue Guan Zhong's theory of dividing the four classes and settling them separately, put forward in the early Spring and Autumn Period. Guan Zhong once proposed: "The sons of scholars shall always be scholars," "the sons of artisans shall always be artisans," "the sons of merchants shall always be merchants," and "the sons of farmers shall always be farmers." The four classes—scholars, artisans, merchants, and farmers—must not live mixed together and must "gather and reside in separate regions" according to their occupations (see Discourses of Qi in Guoyu). Guan Zhong's theory of dividing the four classes was characterized by making their occupations hereditary and their residential areas fixed.

Although Cen Wenben reaffirmed the restrictions on the four classes, he did not advocate for the roughly synchronous development of industry, commerce, and agriculture. Instead, he advocated abandoning industry and commerce to develop agriculture in isolation. He stated, "We should indeed reject luxury and beauty, and promote simplicity. Carved jade and cast gold should be discarded like weeds; those who wield hoes and plows should be honored as virtuous. Then, agriculture will thrive, diligent farmers will be encouraged, laziness will be reformed, and idle people will naturally disappear" (Reply to the Issue of Abolishing Money). This was a continuation and development of the Taoist idea of "abandoning wisdom and discarding cleverness."

His biography can be found in Volume 7 of Old Book of Tang and Volume 1 of New Book of Tang. He participated in the compilation of Book of Zhou. He had a collection of 60 volumes, most of which are lost. Some of his works are compiled in Volume 150 of Complete Prose of Tang.