science

Yan Shigu

Yan Shigu is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Yan Shigu rather than just read about it. In short: Yan Shigu (Chinese: 顏師古; Wade–Giles: Yen Shih-ku) (581–645), formal name Yan Zhou (顏籀), but went by the courtesy name of Shigu, was a famous Chinese historian, linguist, politician, and writer of the Tang dynasty. Biography Yan was born in Wannian (萬年, in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi).

Key takeaways

Yan Shigu belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Yan Shigu to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Yan Shigu from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Yan Shigu (Chinese: 顏師古; Wade–Giles: Yen Shih-ku) (581–645), formal name Yan Zhou (顏籀), but went by the courtesy name of Shigu, was a famous Chinese historian, linguist, politician, and writer of the Tang dynasty.

Biography Yan was born in Wannian (萬年, in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi). His ancestors were originally from Langya (modern-day Linyi, Shandong). Yan's grandfather Yan Zhitui was an official under the Northern Qi. After the fall of Northern Qi, Zhitui became an official of the Northern Zhou, and moved his family to Guanzhong. His son Yan Silu, Yan's father, was also an official, and served in the residence of Li Shimin, future Emperor Taizong. Yan was well-read during his youth and was familiar with philology. Recommended by Li Gang (李綱), he was given a post at Anyang county (now Xiangyang, Hubei) during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui. One of his father's old friends, Xue Daoheng (薛道衡), was impressed by Yan's talent, and often asked for his comments on his new works. For some reason, Yan Shigu was later dismissed, and took up residence at Chang'an. During the next ten years, he lived in poverty and taught for a living. He was later granted several important official posts during the Tang dynasty. Yan was promoted when Li Shimin ascended the throne, but resumed his duty after his mother's funeral. After years of struggle, Yan was then demoted, but was subsequently ordered to revise the Five Classics in the imperial library. He wrote commentaries on several Chinese classic texts such as the Shiji and the Book of Han. According to the New Book of Tang, he died on the road during an expedition to Goguryeo in 645.

Ancestors and descendants Yan Zhitui's father was Yan Xie (颜协; 498 - 539). Yan Xie's father was Yan Jianyuan. Yan Yuansun (顏元孫, the author of Ganlu Zishu), Yan Zhenqing and Yan Gaoqing (颜杲卿, official of Tang dynasty and cousin of Yan Zhenqing) were Yan Shigu's descendant.

References

Old Book of Tang, vol. 73 [1] Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine New Book of Tang, vol. 198 [2] Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine

External links Author List for Yan Shigu Archived 2017-11-07 at the Wayback Machine at The Ricca Institute Library Works by Yan Shigu at Project Gutenberg

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Yan Shigu

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Yan Shigu claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Yan Shigu before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Yan Shigu ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Yan Shigu

In research: Yan Shigu appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Yan Shigu in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Yan Shigu is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 581 births, 645 deaths, Chinese Confucianists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Yan Shigu outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Yan Shigu in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Yan Shigu means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Yan Shigu out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Yan Shigu in simple terms?

Why does Yan Shigu matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Yan Shigu?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Yan Shigu.