“吴中四才子”定名考论

On the Naming of the Four Wits in the Wuzhong Region

明万历中期陆应阳第一次明确记录了"吴中四才子"这一名号,此后经由明末钱谦益的引用而广为人知,最终在清初官修国史中完成定型过程。"吴中四才子"名号背后所体现的是明代以来地域文化的自觉意识与吴中文化的本土特征。

The so - called Four Wits in the Wuzhong Area are Zhu Yunming, Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin, Xu Zhenqing. They formed an important intellectual group in the Mid Ming dynasty. However, the name of the group did not appear in their lifetime. The four people were first chosen to form a stable group by Wang Shizhen during the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty. The Four Wits in the Wuzhong Area, was first recorded by Lu Yingyang during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, and it was finally set in the early Qing dynasty by the National History written by the government. The name of The Four Wits in the Wuzhong Area embodies the consciousness of regional culture in the Ming dynasty and the local characteristics of Wuzhong regional culture.