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Fame and Accomplishment Survive Through Writing

Good reputation is spread through writing, as is great accomplishment. Here, both teng (腾) and fei (飞) stand for “soar high” and “spread far.” Sheng (声) alludes to “fame achieved through virtue,” while shi (实) refers to “accomplishment, especially that made by pursuing the correct way.” Liu Xie (465?-520? or 532?) of the Southern Dynasties championed the “three highest attainments in life” as advocated by ancient Chinese sages, namely setting moral examples, performing great deeds, and spreading noble ideas. He regarded spreading noble ideas, or literary writing, not only as a means of promoting virtue, but also a virtue in itself. Thus he elevated the act of writing to the height of virtue, on a par with the two other attainments in life.

CITATION
1
As time passes by, no life or wisdom can be preserved forever. To spread good reputation afar and promote virtue and merit, writing is indispensable.
CITATION
2
By the Song period of the Southern Dynasties, Yan Yanzhi and Xie Lingyun rose to fame in the literary world.
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