STUDENT SELF-DIRECTED PROJECT
Kaohsiung American School
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Lord
Wenchang
Life
There are quite a few accounts of Lord Wenchang; most depict him as a man by the name Zhang Yazi, of a county in Sichuan Province called Zitong. Having died an honorable death against Emperor Fu-Jian, people built a temple to worship Lord Wenchang. Originally, he was the god of lighting, but during the imperial period, he helped many hopeful students earn a place in the government; this eventually made Lord Wenchang become a god of literature.
A particular account cites him as a child of the emperor, after reincarnation, he became Zhang Yazi. He then followed monasticism in his later life; when he died at the age of 73, people built a temple for him in Sichuan, and named him as Lord Zitong (another name for Lord Wenchang; Zitong is a star that protects those of academic pursuits).
There’s also another source that addresses him as the incarnation of the star Zitong. With Emperor Guan, Lu Dong-Bing, Kui Xing, and Zhu Xi, they make up the famous Five Wenchang.
對於文昌君的生平，有許多不同的說法，以下為不同的民傳：
（一）文昌帝君本名叫「張亞子」或「張惠子」，晉朝人。做官時不幸戰死，百姓在死後立了一座廟當作「雷神」供奉文昌帝君。科舉制度的興盛，每逢考季，士子赴京趕考都會到廟裡拜拜祈求金題名，以後逐漸從「雷神」演變成「梓潼神」，主掌科場命運及士子的功名利祿，凡是讀書人不管是舉人、秀才、貢生、童生及私塾的老師在這天都要準備供品至文昌廟裡祭拜，除了祈福最大的目的就是感恩。
（二）相傳帝君原本為皇帝之子，歷經數次轉世投胎後，於西晉末年降生於越雋張家，取名張亞，長大後遷住於四川梓潼縣，影居在七曲山中修道。張亞生平篤信道教，在四川修道期間，對於弘揚道教有深遠的影響，在他七十三歲壽終時，四川教徒在七曲山中為他建立一座清虛觀，立像奉祀，尊稱為「梓潼君」。
（三）又有一說道文昌帝君即為是天上的文曲星的化身。在臺灣也有人把關聖帝君、呂洞賓、魁星、朱衣夫子與文昌帝君合稱為五文昌，把他們當作主管讀書和考試前途的神明。
The Five Wenchang
Besides Lord Wenchang, there are four other gods that make up the famous “Five Wenchang.” The Five Wenchang are known to help those who have intellectual pursuits.
1. Emperor Guan: There is a page dedicated on Emperor Guan that can be found on this website)
2. Kui Xing: Also known as the Great Master Ku or Great Kui the Star Prince, is a character in Chinese mythology, the god of literature.
3. Lu Dong-Bing: Many say that Lu Dong-Bing is the starter of conflict within a marriage, thus not many people worship him as a Wenchang. However, there are many stories about Lu Dong-Bing, and a lot of controversy regarding Lu Dong-Bing.
4. Zhu Xi: There are many different perspective regarding which god is the fifth Wenchang, but most people believe that it is Zhu Xi. There are various beliefs in different sections of Taiwan; in Pingtung, people believe that the fifth Wenchang is Han Yu; in Xinzhu, people believe that the fifth Wenchang is Fan Zhong-Yan.
1. 魁星：奎星，係北斗七星第一星，事實上奎星係廿八宿中西方七宿的第一星。每逢考季台南赤嵌樓的魁星殿，魁星爺手中的那枝硃砂筆常常不翼而飛，不用說硃砂筆一定是有心人請回家供奉去了。
2. 關聖帝君：因為關聖帝君能文能武，文武雙全是目前台灣香火很旺的文昌神。（因有位關聖帝君的背景做詳細介紹，不在此處多作說明）
3. 呂洞賓：係八仙之一亦是五聖恩主，唯民間把祂想成是破壞姻緣的始作俑者，因此很少人拜祂為文昌神，但有許多不同的說法，人云亦云。
4. 朱熹：朱熹整理了相當多「易經」資料，目前台灣風水界所用的易卦大部分出自朱熹之手。至於屏東客家庄一般是供奉「韓愈」為文昌神。新竹關西范家十進士供奉的是范仲俺。