Biography

A native of Dantu, Jiangsu, Zhang took the imperial examination and earned a jinshi degree in 1661. He appointed as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and was promoted to the rank of compiler three years later. He served in that role for the next twelve years before being made a tutor in the Imperial Academy. He was appointed director-general of the Historiographical Board in 1679 and tasked with helping compile the History of Ming with Ye Fang'ai and Xu Yuanwen.

He was promoted to expositor in the Hanlin Academy soon after and made a sub-chancellor in the Grand Secretariat in 1681. In 1684, he became vice-president of the Ministry of Rites and also served concurrently as chancellor of the Hanlin Academy. In the same year, his father died and he took retirement to mourn. In 1687, Zhang returned to government service to become Minister of Justice. He assumed the role of Minister of Rites two years later in 1689. During this time, he was posted to Gaoyao, Jiangsu, with Xiong Cili to inspect the river conservancy work there by Jin Fu. In 1690, Zhang became Grand Secretary of Wenhua Hall as well as Minister of Revenue. In 1696, Zhang travelled to Mongolia, joining the Kangxi Emperor in his expedition against Galdan. In 1697, alongside fellow grand secretaries Li Tianfu and Xiong Cili, he was made a director-general in charge of compiling the Pingding shuomo fang lüe (平定朔漠方略), an official account detailing the Qing military campaigns against the Dzungars. Zhang retired the following year to mourn his late mother, but returned to official life in 1700. He joined the emperor on his fourth tour of the south in 1703 and also travelled to Rehe with him in 1708, leaving behind a highly detailed account of the Kangxi Emperor's mountain estate there. Zhang's later career was spent directing the compilation of the Peiwen Yunfu and the Kangxi Dictionary. He died in 1711 whilst accompanying the emperor on a trip to Jehol. Zhang was honoured with posthumous name Wenzhen (文貞‎) and his name was included in the Temple of Eminent Statesmen during the reign of Yongzheng.

生平

明思宗崇禎十五年(1642年），六月二十二日生於江南丹徒(今江蘇鎮江)。張九徵次子，長兄為張玉裁。自幼刻苦讀書，清順治十八年（1661年）進士，歷任翰林院編修、國子監司業、侍講學士，官至文華殿大學士兼戶部尚書。

康熙三十五年（1696年），隨皇帝征噶爾丹叛亂。歷官五十年，為太平宰相二十年，朝廷依以為重。康熙十八年（1679年）主持修《明史》，先後出任《平定朔漠方略》、《佩文韻府》（1704年—1711年）、《康熙字典》的總裁官。

康熙四十九年（1710年），告病辭官，仍慰留在朝。康熙五十年（1711年），以七十歲高齡隨康熙至熱河，五月十八日病死塞外，諡文貞。著有《文貞集》。

有子張逸少，康熙三十三年（1694年）甲戌科進士。

著述

著有《張文貞集》。並主持修《明史》，及編《平定朔漠方略》、《佩文韻府》（1704年—1711年）、《康熙字典》。

注釋

參考書目

• 《丹徒古詩詞選注》

• 《張氏宗譜》