Who is Lu Ji 陆机

Lu Ji
(261–303) A litterateur of the Western Jin Dynasty. His courtesy name was Shiheng, and he was from Huating (now Songjiang, Shanghai). He was the grandson of Lu Xun, the Prime Minister of the State of Wu. Endowed with literary talent from a young age, he served as a Tooth Gate General in Wu.

In 280 AD, when Wu perished, he stayed at home and studied diligently for as long as 10 years. At the end of the Taikang period, he went to Luoyang together with his younger brother Lu Yun and held the position of Neishi (Interior Minister) of Pingyuan, hence being known as "Lu Pingyuan" in history. In the early years of the Tai'an period, Sima Ying, the Prince of Chengdu, raised troops to attack Sima Yi, the Prince of Changsha, and appointed Lu Ji as General of the Rear and Grand Commander of Hebei. Later, he was killed after his army was defeated.

His thought was characterized by the integration of Confucianism and Taoism. In his early years, he embraced Confucianism and would not take any action that violated rituals. In his famous treatise On the Discernment of the Fall of Wu, he developed the Confucian spirit of "governing with virtue," arguing that the important reason for the prosperity of the State of Wu in the past was "lying in virtue rather than in danger," while the key cause of its later destruction was "relying solely on natural barriers" and abandoning benevolence and virtue.

Besides adhering to Confucianism, he also believed in Taoism and praised and envied the transcendence of immortals beyond the mortal world. He wrote: "How mysterious and profound are the immortals, transcending the mundane world in preserving life. They take nature as the utmost principle, look up to creation to understand the Dao, have a pure and empty nature that is easily satisfied, and enjoy a longevity that is hard to age." (Ode to Immortals)

He viewed life as a temporary sojourn and thought that all become withered bones after death, with no fundamental distinction between beauty and ugliness or between high and low morality. He asserted: "Beauty and ugliness merge into one; who can tell their differences?" (Ode to the Mound of Feelings). Adhering to Laozi's view of being content and knowing when to stop, he advocated "drawing back transcendent，bowing politely and retiring." (Ode to the Heroic Scholar).

His biography is recorded in Volume 54 of The Book of Jin. His works include Collected Works of Lu Shiheng. The collected editions of Lu Ji's works can be found in Volumes 96 to 99 of Complete Prose of the Jin Dynasty.