"Defying the Times": Liu Zhiji's Resignation Letter Reconsidered

Abstract:This article considers the resignation letter written by Liu Zhiji 劉知幾 (661–721) to his superior, the Director of the Bureau of Historiography. First composed in 708, the letter underwent a series of "transformations" during Liu Zhiji's lifetime. After playing its original role in an unsuccessful resignation attempt, Liu later recycled it into the final section of his historiographical magnum opus Shitong 史通, choosing the curious title of "Defying the Times" 忤時. Sometime after 713, he reframed the letter by adding an introductory statement and postscript. This article follows the various iterations of this letter in light of the circumstances that may have motivated him, and in doing so, provides a refreshing perspective on epistolary form and the roles it could play in Tang times. This unconventional resignation letter fulfilled various functions at individual stages, including presenting Liu Zhiji as a most concerned and knowledgeable historian, playing a role similar to that of an authorial "self-account" 自序/叙, and subtly recommending the author to the new emperor. This study raises several issues central to epistolary research, such as authorial self-representation, authenticity, and the application of the letter form.