Le Quy Don, world cultural celebrity: Vietnamese prodigy

Le Quy Don (childhood name Le Danh Phuong), courtesy name Doan Hau, alias Que Duong; born in the year of Binh Ngo (1726) in a family of scholars; native village of Dien Ha, town of Son Nam Ha, now Phu Hieu village, Le Quy Don commune, Hung Yen province.

He was the eldest son of Nghia Phai Marquis Le Phu Thu (later changed to Le Trong Thu), who passed the Doctorate exam in the 5th year of Bao Thai (Giap Thin, 1724), and became an official with the position of Minister of Justice; his ancestors were originally from the Ly family in Dong Ngan district, Kinh Bac town. Le Quy Don's mother was Mrs. Truong Thi Ich, the third daughter of Hoang Phai Marquis Truong Minh Luong, who passed the Doctorate exam in the year Canh Thin (1700).

When mentioning Le Quy Don (1726 - 1784), later generations always remember him as an outstanding scholar of feudal Vietnam, a "wisdom bag of life" with extensive knowledge spanning many fields. Before becoming a famous scholar, his youth was adorned with anecdotes affirming his innate talent, especially his extraordinary memory that made his contemporaries and later generations extremely admire.

Le Quy Don, world cultural celebrity: Vietnamese prodigy - Photo 1.

Panoramic view of the Le Quy Don Memorial Site in Le Quy Don Commune, Hung Yen Province. Photo: Hung Yen Province Tourism Promotion Center

As a child, Le Quy Don was famous for being studious, intelligent, and having an excellent memory. He was praised by people as a "child prodigy". At the age of 5, he could read many poems in the Book of Poetry, at the age of 6, he could write poetry, and by the age of 12, he had learned "all the classics, stories, histories, and books of a hundred schools of thought" (Phan Huy Chu, Chronicles of Dynasties ). At the age of 14, when he followed his father to the capital Thang Long to study, Le Quy Don had mastered almost all the classics and histories of Confucianism in the family library.

Smart anecdotes

Legend has it that when he was young, Le Quy Don visited a village chief's house and happened to see and glance at a book recording the names of people who owed taxes. Not long after, the village chief's house caught fire and the books were burned down. The village chief lamented that he did not know where to look to collect the tax debt, fearing that he would be punished by his superiors. Knowing the situation, Le Quy Don recited the entire list from beginning to end to the owner. Thanks to that, the village chief was able to collect the tax debt without any problems.

Another anecdote clearly depicts his intelligence, boldness and extraordinary ability to respond since his childhood. One summer afternoon, a boy named Le was bathing naked in a large pond in front of the village gate when he met a high-ranking mandarin who was on his way to visit his friend's house - who was also Le Quy Don's father - and asked for directions. The boy spread his arms and legs wide open, then playfully said: "If I know what this word is, I will show you the way." The high-ranking mandarin, who was used to people's respect, felt uncomfortable and annoyed. The boy burst out laughing and explained that it was the word "Thai" (太) - a Chinese character that can be visualized like this when he spread his arms and legs out. The boy's mischievous but clever behavior made the mandarin change from angry to happy and surprised.

Le Quy Don, world cultural celebrity: Vietnamese prodigy - Photo 2.

Hung Yen province delegation attends the 43rd UNESCO General Assembly session. Photo: Hung Yen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism

After that, the mandarin came to Mr. Le Phu Thu's house, and while chatting, he told the story of the afternoon. Feeling embarrassed in front of his friend, Le Phu Thu called his son into the house to scold him. However, the guest smiled and praised the boy for being smart. To test his talent, and also to make his son apologize to his elders, Mr. Le Phu Thu set a condition: if his son could write a poem blaming himself for being a "snake head", he would be forgiven, otherwise, he would be beaten. Just a moment later, Le Quy Don improvised the poem "Snake Head Lazy to Study", the special thing is that in each sentence there is the name of a snake species:

Not all trees are like homes,

Lazy snake head no one forgives.

The tiger lamp and fire hurt my mother's heart,

Today scream tomorrow roar father throat sore.

The dry mouth is only used to lying,

The back bears the sound of the whip.

From now on, Chau and Lo will focus on their studies.

Lest the tiger bring the family's reputation.

The poem not only demonstrates the outstanding talent of writing Nom poetry, but also shows a deep understanding of literature, allusions, and names of snakes, and at the same time knows how to apply that knowledge in a subtle way to express self-reproach and promise to his seniors that he will study hard to become a useful person in life. ( continued )

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO, emphasized that UNESCO's passing of the resolution honoring Cultural Celebrity Le Quy Don is a great event and an honor not only for Hung Yen province but also for the whole country of Vietnam.

Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of Hung Yen Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Chien, Head of the provincial delegation, on behalf of the Party Committee, government and people of Hung Yen province - the hometown of cultural celebrity Le Quy Don, sent thanks to UNESCO and member countries for supporting the registration of the 300th anniversary of the celebrity's birth; at the same time, committed to closely coordinate with UNESCO and international partners to organize activities to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the celebrity's birth in 2026.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/le-quy-don-danh-nhan-van-hoa-the-gioi-than-dong-dat-viet-1852511042308547.htm