1
後漢書卷五十三周黃徐姜申屠列傳第四十三
The Book of Later Han, scroll 53: biographies of Zhou, Huang, Xu, Jiang, and Shentu, the forty-third set.
2
易曰：「君子之道，或出或處，或默或語。 」[一]孔子稱「蘧伯玉邦有道則仕，邦無道則可卷而懷也」。 [二]然用捨之端，君子之所以存其誠也。 [三]故其行也，則濡足蒙垢，出身以□時； [四]及其止也，則窮棲茹菽，臧寶以迷國。 [五]注[一]上系之詞也。 言賢哲所行，其趣異也。
The Book of Changes says: "The path of the gentleman may lead him out into office or back into seclusion; he may hold his tongue or speak aloud." " Confucius once said of Qu Boyu: "When the state is well ordered he takes office; when it is not, he can roll up his learning and tuck it away in his heart."" [Two] Still, the whole question of whether one is employed or set aside is precisely where the gentleman proves his inner truth. [Three] So when he steps forward, he is willing to muddy his feet and bear disgrace, leaving private life to devote himself to the needs of the times. [Four] When he holds back, he may live in the humblest poverty on coarse fare, concealing his gifts and leaving the realm none the wiser. [Five] Note one: This is a connective phrase linking to what precedes. It is saying that wise men may walk different paths according to their temperaments.
3
注[二]論論蘧伯玉名瑗，□大夫也。 卷而懷謂不預時政，不忤於人者也。
Note two: The Analects treats Qu Boyu, styled Huan, who served as a minister of Wei. To "roll it up and put it away" is to stay clear of current politics and give no one cause for resentment.
4
注[三]誠，實也。 孔子曰：「用之則行，捨之則臧。 」易曰：「閒邪存其誠。」
Note three: Here "sincerity" means genuineness, solid reality. Confucius said: "When the ruler calls on him, he goes into action; when he is passed over, he withdraws and keeps his virtue hidden." " The Book of Changes says: "Shut the door on wrong and hold fast to what is true in you.""
5
注[四]新序曰：「申徒狄非時，將自投河，崔嘉聞而止之曰：『吾聞聖人從事於天地之閒，人之父母也。 今為濡足之故，不救溺人乎？ 』」注[五]爾雅曰：「啜，茹也。 」孫卿子曰：「君子啜菽飲水，非愚也，是節然也。」
Note four: Liu Xiang's New Arrangements records: "Shentu Di despaired of the age and meant to drown himself in the river. Cui Jia heard of it and checked him, saying, 'I have heard that the sage moves between heaven and earth as a parent to humankind.'" Would you really let a few wet feet keep you from pulling someone who is drowning?" '"" Note five: The Erya glosses chuo as "to chew, to eat." " Xunzi said: "The gentleman may live on beans and water alone; that is not folly but the shape his moderation takes.""
6
論語曰，陽貨謂孔子曰：「懷其寶而迷其邦，可謂仁乎？」
The Analects relates how Yang Huo challenged Confucius: "To hug your talents to yourself while your country goes astray—can you call that humanity?"
7
太原閔仲叔者，[一]世稱節士，雖周黨之潔清，自以弗及也。 黨見其含菽飲水，遺以生蒜，受而不食。 [二]建武中，應司徒侯霸之辟，既至，霸不及政事，徒勞苦而已。 [三]仲叔恨曰：「始蒙嘉命，且喜且懼； 今見明公，喜懼皆去。 以仲叔為不足問邪，不當辟也。 辟而不問，是失人也。 」遂辭出，投劾而去。 [四]復以博士征，不至。 客居安邑。 老病家貧，不能得肉，日買質肝一片，屠者或不肯與，安邑令聞，□吏常給焉。 仲叔怪而問之，知，乃歎曰：「閔仲叔豈以口腹累安邑邪？ 」遂去，客沛。 以壽終。 注[一]謝沉書曰：「閔貢字仲叔。」
Min Zhongshu of Taiyuan was renowned in his day as a man of unbending principle; even Zhou Dang, famous for spotless conduct, admitted he could not match him. Zhou Dang saw him subsisting on beans and water alone and sent him fresh garlic as a gift; Min accepted it but never touched the food. [Two] Under Emperor Guangwu he accepted a call from Minister over the Masses Hou Ba, but once he arrived Hou never spoke of state business and only put him through empty formalities. [Three] Min said bitterly: "When I first received your gracious appointment I was both honored and anxious." Now that I have met Your Lordship, neither feeling remains. If you thought me unworthy of consultation, you should never have called me forth. To invite a man and then ignore him is to betray the very purpose of recruitment. " With that he took his leave, filed a resignation of his appointment, and walked away. [Four] The court summoned him again as a court academician; he refused to appear. He lived on in Anyi as a resident guest. Age and illness found him in desperate poverty: he could afford no meat and bought a single slice of liver each day on credit, which butchers sometimes refused. When the magistrate of Anyi learned of it, he ordered an underling to provide it regularly. Min wondered at this, asked how it had come about, and when he learned the truth he sighed: "Surely Min Zhongshu must not let his stomach become a burden on Anyi?" " He left at once and moved on to lodge in Pei. He died a natural death in old age. Note one: Xie Chen's history gives his name as Min Gong, styled Zhongshu.
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注[二]黨與仲叔同郡，亦貞介士也。 見逸人傳。 皇甫謐高士傳曰：「黨見仲叔食無菜，遺之生蒜。 仲叔曰：『我欲省煩耳，今更作煩邪？ 』受而不食。」
Note two: Zhou Dang came from the same commandery as Min and was likewise celebrated for moral rigor. His story appears in the Traditions of Recluses. Huangfu Mi's Lives of Exalted Recluses records: "Seeing that Min's meals included no greens, Zhou sent him fresh garlic." Min replied, 'I was trying to keep life simple; are you now heaping fresh bother on me?' ' He took the gift but would not eat it."
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注[三]勞其勤苦也。 勞音力到反。
Note three: That is, Hou put him through pointless exertion. The character 勞 is here read in the departing tone (lào).
10
注[四]案罪曰劾，自投其劾狀而去也。 投猶下也。 今有投辭、投牒之言也。
Note four: He means a written accusation or resignation; he filed his own statement and left. Here "cast" means "to submit" or "to drop off." The same usage survives in phrases like "lodging a petition" or "filing a document."
11
仲叔同郡荀恁，字君大，[一]少亦修清節。 資財千萬，父越卒，悉散與九族。
Xun Ren of the same commandery as Min, styled Junda, was from his youth a student of austere integrity. His family wealth ran into the millions, yet when his father Yue died he distributed the whole inheritance among his entire kindred.
12
隱居山澤，以求厥志。 王莽末，匈奴寇其本縣廣武，[二]聞恁名節，相約不入荀氏閭。 光武征，以病不至。 永平初，東平王蒼為驃騎將軍，開東合延賢俊，辟而應焉。 及後朝會，顯宗戲之曰：「先帝征君不至，驃騎辟君而來，何也？」
He withdrew to the hills and wetlands to live out his chosen purpose. [Two] Near the end of Wang Mang's reign the Xiongnu raided Guangwu, his home county, but having heard of Xun Ren's reputation they pledged among themselves not to enter any lane where the Xuns lived. Emperor Guangwu summoned him; he pleaded illness and stayed away. Early in the Yongping era the Prince of Dongping, Liu Cang, served as general-in-chief of agile cavalry; he opened his eastern hall to men of talent and summoned Xun, who this time accepted. Later, at a court audience, Emperor Ming teased him: "My late father called you and you stayed home; the general-in-chief calls and you appear—what is the difference?"
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對曰：「先帝秉德以惠下，故臣可得不來。 驃騎執法以檢下，[三]故臣不敢不至。 」後月餘，罷歸，卒於家。 注[一]恁音而甚反。
He answered: "The late emperor ruled by moral power and let his subjects choose their own path, so I was free to stay away." [Three] The general-in-chief enforces regulations and keeps his staff in line, so I dared not refuse." " A little over a month later he was released from office and went home, where he died. Note one: The name 恁 is read like rěn (er-shen fan).
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注[二]廣武，縣，屬太原郡，故城在今代州鴈門縣也。
Note two: Guangwu was a county in Taiyuan commandery; its old seat lies in present-day Yanmen County, Shanxi.
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注[三]檢猶察也。
Note three: In this gloss the verb means to scrutinize or keep watch.
16
桓帝時，安陽人魏桓，字仲英，亦數被征。 其鄉人勸之行。 桓曰：「夫干祿求進，所以行其志也。 今後宮千數，其可損乎？ 廄馬萬匹，其可減乎？ 左右悉權豪，其可去乎？ 」皆對曰：「不可。 」桓乃慨然歎曰：「使桓生行死歸，於諸子何有哉！ 」[一]遂隱身不出。 注[一]若忤時強諫，死而後歸，於諸勸行者復何益也。
Under Emperor Huan, Wei Huan of Anyang, styled Zhongying, was repeatedly summoned to office. Neighbors and friends urged him to answer the call. Wei replied: "One takes office and seeks promotion precisely in order to put one's principles into practice." The inner palace already holds thousands of women—could I really reduce their number?" The imperial stables hold ten thousand horses—could I slash that herd?" Every man at the ruler's elbow is a powerful favorite—could I sweep them all away?" " They all said no, it could not be done. " Wei cried out in despair: "If my going to court means I march in alive and am carried out dead, what good does that do any of you?!" " [One] He withdrew from the world and never took office. Note one: If he had defied the age with blunt remonstrance and come home only as a corpse, his death would have done his well-wishers no good at all.
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若二三子，可謂識去就之□，候時而處。 [一]夫然，豈其枯槁苟而已哉？ 蓋詭時審己，以成其道焉。 [二]余故列其風流，區而載之。 [三]注[一]□，節也。 候時以居，不失去就也。
Men such as these understood when to serve and when to withdraw; they watched the times and chose their ground. [One] Surely they were not mere stick-in-the-mud recluses hiding from the world? They bent with the age, took their own measure, and so brought their moral path to fulfillment. [Two] I therefore set out their several temperaments and record each in its own place. [Three] Note one: The missing graph denotes moral integrity or measure. They timed their withdrawal or advance and never mistook which course to take.
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注[二]詭，違也。 * (亦) **[多]*若違時，志存量己也。
Note two: Here it means to go against the grain or depart from the norm. The edition marks a break or textual note with an asterisk. A marginal gloss "(also)" survives in the apparatus. The damaged line appears to continue the gloss: when a man sets himself against the fashion of the day, he keeps his purpose clear and takes his own measure.
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注[三]言其清潔之風，各有條流，故區別而紀之。
Note three: Each man's spotless ethos follows its own channel, which is why the historian sorts them under separate headings.
20
周燮字彥祖，汝南安城人，* (法) **[決]*曹掾燕之後也。 [一]燮生而欽頤折頞，丑狀駭人。 [二]其母欲□之，其父不聽，曰：「吾聞賢聖多有異貌。 [三]興我宗者，乃此兒也。」
Zhou Xie, styled Yanzu, came from Ancheng in Runan commandery (the line breaks off in the received text). A corrupted gloss "(法)" stands where the text should read 決 (judicial). He was descended from Yan, who had served as an attendant clerk in the Judicial Bureau—a line damaged in the manuscript. [One] From birth his face was shockingly odd, with a receding chin and a crooked nose. [Two] His mother wanted to abandon the child, but his father forbade her, saying, "The wise often wear strange faces." [Three] This boy will be the one to bring honor to our house.""
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於是養之。 注[一]燕具獨行篇周嘉傳。
So they kept the child and reared him. Note one: The ancestry of the clerk Yan is detailed in the biography of Zhou Jia under "Solitary Conduct."
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注[二]頤，頷也。 欽頤，曲頷也。 說文曰：「頞，鼻莖也。 」折亦曲也。 欽音丘凡反。 欽或作「顩」，音同。
Note two: In this gloss it means the lower jaw or chin. "Drawn-in chin" describes a receding or sharply angled jaw. The Shuowen dictionary defines the nose-bridge graph as the bridge of the nose. " Here the verb for 'bend' likewise means bent or crooked. The graph 欽 is read qīn (qiu-fan fan). Some manuscripts write 顩 for 欽; the pronunciation is the same.
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注[三]伏羲牛首，女媧蛇軀，戲繇鳥喙，孔子牛唇，是聖賢異貌也。 又蔡澤亦顩頤蹙頞。
Note three: Fuxi was pictured with an ox's head, Nüwa with a serpent's body, Gao Yao with a beak like a bird's, Confucius with lips like a cow's—tradition often gives sages singular faces. Cai Ze too was famous for a sunken chin and a deeply furrowed nose.
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始在髫鬌，而知廉讓； [一]十歲就學，能通詩、論； 及長，專精禮、易。 不讀非聖之書，不修賀問之好。 有先人草廬結於罔畔，[二]下有陂田，常肆勤以自給。 [三]非身所耕漁，則不食也。 鄉黨宗族希得見者。 [四]注[一]髫，發也。 禮記曰：「子生三月之末，擇日翦發為* (髫) **[鬌]*，男角女羈，否則男左女右。 」鬌音徒果反。
Even in childhood, with his hair still in boyish knots, he showed a sense of modesty and deference. [One] At ten he began formal schooling and soon mastered the Classic of Odes and the Analects. As an adult he devoted himself to the Ritual canon and the Book of Changes. He refused to open any work not authored by sages and took no pleasure in social calls and polite notes. [Two] His family still owned a rough hut on a ridge above the marsh, with terraced fields below, and he worked those plots tirelessly to support himself. [Three] He would eat nothing that he had not grown or caught with his own hands. Neighbors and kinsmen rarely caught a glimpse of him. [Four] Note one: The gloss explains the childhood forelock as simply "hair" in the ritual sense. The Book of Rites says that when an infant completes its third month, the family picks a day to trim the hair into the prescribed style (the line breaks in the received text). A marginal gloss identifies the graph as the one for the ritual forelock. The damaged continuation prescribes the tuo style: for boys the "horn" knots, for girls the "bridle" knots, or else the boy's knot on the left and the girl's on the right. " The character for the back tuft is read in the entering tone, tuo-guo fan.
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注[二]山脊曰岡。
Note two: A mountain crest is what the text calls a gang, a ridge.
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注[三]肆，陳也。
Note three: Here "spread" means to set forth or display, as in arranging work.
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注[四]謝承書曰「燮居家清處，非法不言，兄弟、父子、室家相待如賓，鄉曲不善者皆從其教」也。
Note four: Xie Cheng records that Zhou Xie kept a scrupulous household, broke no rule in speech, treated kin like honored guests, and even neighbors of poor character submitted to his example.
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舉孝廉、賢良方正，特徵，皆以疾辭，延光二年，安帝以玄纁羔幣聘燮，[一]及南陽馮良，二郡各遣丞掾致禮。 宗族更勸之曰：「夫修德立行，所以為國。 自先世以來，勳寵相承，君獨何為守東岡之陂乎？ 」燮曰：「吾既不能隱處巢穴，追綺季之跡，[二]而猶顯然不遠父母之國，斯固以滑泥揚波，同其流矣。 [三]夫修道者，度其時而動。 動而不時，焉得亨乎！ 」[四]因自載到穎川陽城，遣*[門]*生送敬，遂辭疾而歸。 [五]良亦載病到近縣，送禮而還。 [六]詔書告二郡，歲以羊酒養病。 注[一]禮，卿執羔。 董仲舒春秋繁露曰：「凡贊卿用羔，羔有角而不用，類仁者；
Though repeatedly recommended as filial and incorrupt, as worthy and upright, and by special summons, he pleaded illness each time. In 123 CE Emperor An sent the full ceremonial bundle of black and crimson silks, a lamb, and currency to hire both Zhou Xie and Feng Liang of Nanyang, and the two commanderies each dispatched officials to present the court's respect. His kinsmen kept urging him: "You build character and establish a name precisely so you may serve the realm." For generations our house has won honor after honor from the throne—why must you alone cling to that eastern hillside plot?" " Zhou replied: "I cannot burrow into a hermit's den like the Four Hoary Heads of Shang Mountain, [two] yet I still refuse to leave my native soil; that already means wallowing in the same mud and riding the same tide as the world." [Three] A man who cultivates the Way weighs the season before he stirs. Act out of season and how can anything go smoothly for you?!" [Four] He then rode in his own carriage to Yangcheng in Yingchuan commandery, had a disciple deliver his formal thanks, pleaded illness, and went home. [Five] Feng Liang likewise travelled to a neighboring county, feigned illness, returned the imperial gifts, and withdrew. [Six] An edict instructed both commanderies to send them lamb and wine every year while they convalesced. Note one: Rites prescribe that a minister present a lamb as his credential gift. Dong Zhongshu's Luxuriant Dew explains: "The minister's offering is always a lamb: it has horns but does not gore, like the humane man who restrains force."
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執之不鳴，殺之不縪，類死義者； 羔飲其母必跪，類知禮者：故以為贄。」
Seized, it does not bleat; led to slaughter it needs no rope—like one who meets death for a righteous cause." It kneels to nurse its mother, like one who understands ritual—hence it serves as the proper gift.""
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注[二]綺季、東園公、夏黃公、□裡先生，謂之四皓，隱於商山。 見前書也。
Note two: Qi Ji, Lord Dongyuan, Lord Xiahua Huang, and Master Luli—the "Four Hoary Heads"—withdrew to Mount Shang (the fourth name is damaged in some editions). Their story appears in the earlier Han history.
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注[三]滑，混也。 楚詞：「何不滑其泥而揚其波。 」滑音古沒反。
Note three: "Slide" here means to wallow or blend with, to mix in. The Songs of Chu asks: "Why not smear yourself with that mud and ride its rising waves?". " The verb "slide" is read gu-mo fan, in the entering tone.
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注[四]亨，通也。 書曰：「慮善以動，動惟厥時。」
Note four: "Heng" in the sense of success means unobstructed passage. The Book of Documents says: "Plan for the good before you act, and let every action suit its season.""
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注[五]送敬猶致謝也。
Note five: "Sending respects" means formally expressing gratitude.
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注[六]送禮謂送其所致之禮也。
Note six: "Returning the gifts" means sending back exactly what the envoys had delivered.
35
良字君郎。 出於孤微，少作縣吏。 年三十，為尉從佐。 [一]奉檄迎督郵，即路慨然，恥在□役，[二]因壞車殺馬，毀裂衣冠，乃遁至犍為，從杜撫學。 妻子求索，蹤多斷絕。 後乃見草中有敗車死馬，衣裳腐朽，謂為虎狼盜賊所害，發喪制服。 積十許年，乃還鄉裡。 志行高整，非禮不動，遇妻子如君臣，鄉黨以為儀表。 燮、良年皆七十餘終。 注[一]從佐謂隨從而已，不主案牘也。
Feng Liang's courtesy name was Junlang. He rose from obscure and humble beginnings and began as a petty county clerk. At thirty he became an attendant aide to the district captain. [One] Ordered to carry a summons and meet the touring inspector, he set out, then burned with shame at running errands for petty officials; [two] he wrecked his cart, slew his horse, shredded his cap and robes, fled to Qianwei commandery, and became a pupil of Du Fu. His wife and children searched for him but repeatedly lost his trail. Later they found a smashed cart, a dead horse, and rotted clothing in the grass and assumed robbers or beasts had killed him; the family mourned him as dead. Only after more than a decade did he come back to his home district. His aims and deportment were austere and exacting: he never stirred except by ritual, treated wife and children with the gravity due ruler and subject, and the whole community looked to him as a standard. Zhou Xie and Feng Liang both lived past seventy before they died. Note one: "Attendant aide" means he merely followed the captain about and did not handle paperwork.
36
注[二]廝，賤也。
Note two: The word glossed means menial or lowly service.
37
黃憲字叔度，汝南慎陽人也。 [一]世貧賤，父為牛醫。 注[一]在慎水之南，因以名縣。 南陽有順陽國，而流俗書此或作「順陽」者，誤。
Huang Xian, styled Shudu, was a native of Shenyang in Runan commandery. [One] His family had long been poor and low in rank; his father treated cattle for a living. Note one: The county took its name from its position south of the Shen River. Nanyang did contain a princedom called Shunyang, and careless copyists sometimes substitute that name here by mistake.
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穎川荀淑至慎陽，遇憲於逆旅，[一]時年十四，淑竦然異之，揖與語，移日不能去。 謂憲曰：「子，吾之師表也。 」既而前至袁* (閎) **[閬]*[二]所，未及勞問，逆曰：「子國有顏子，寧識之乎？ 」[三]* (閎) **[閬]*曰：「見吾叔度邪？」
When Xun Shu of Yingchuan passed through Shenyang he met Huang Xian, then only fourteen, at an inn; [one] Xun was so struck that he bowed, talked with him the whole day through, and could not tear himself away. He told Huang, "You are the man I take as my teacher and pattern." " Presently he travelled on to call on Yuan (the name breaks in the manuscript). The marginal gloss identifies the host as Yuan Hong. [Two] At Yuan Lang's house, before the usual pleasantries, his host blurted out, "Your commandery has its own Yan Hui—surely you know the man?" " End of quoted speech; commentary tag three (text damaged). Another gloss confirms the name Hong. Yuan Hong continued, "Then you have met Huang Shudu?""
39
是時，同郡戴良才高倨□，而見憲未嘗不正容，及歸，惘然若有失也。 其母問曰：「汝復從牛醫兒來邪？ 」對曰：「良不見叔度，不自以為不及； 既鶯其人，則瞻之在前，忽焉在後，[四]固難得而測矣。 」同郡陳蕃、周舉常相謂曰：「時月之閒不見黃生，則鄙吝之萌復存乎心。 」[五]及蕃為三公，臨朝歎曰：「叔度若在，吾不敢先佩印綬矣。 」太守王龔在郡，禮進賢達，多所降致，卒不能屈憲。 郭林宗少游汝南，先過袁* (閎) **[閬]*，不宿而退； 進往從憲，累日方還。
Dai Liang of the same commandery was brilliant but arrogant, yet in Huang Xian's presence he always composed his face; returning home he would look dazed, as though something had been taken from him. His mother asked, "Have you been visiting the cattle doctor's boy again?" " He answered, "Before I met Shudu I never realized how far short I fell." Once you stand before him he seems now ahead of you, now behind—[four] he slips from every attempt to take his measure (the verb is corrupt in the received text)." " Chen Fan and Zhou Ju used to tell each other, "If we go a month without seeing Master Huang, coarse and grasping thoughts creep back into the mind." [Five] When Chen Fan rose to one of the three highest offices he said at court, "If Shudu were still alive, I would never dare tie on these ribbons of rank before he did." " Prefect Wang Gong courted worthy men far and wide, yet he could never persuade Huang Xian to serve." In his youth Guo Tai toured Runan and first called on Yuan (name damaged). The gloss identifies him as Yuan Hong. At Yuan Lang's gate he would not stay the night and left at once; yet when he went on to Huang Xian he lingered many days before he would go home.
40
或以問林宗。 [六]林宗曰：「奉高之器，譬諸* (泛) **[氿]*濫，雖清而易挹。 [七]叔度汪汪若千頃陂，澄之不清，淆之不濁，不可量也。 」[八]注[一]逆旅，客舍。
Someone asked Guo Tai to explain the contrast. [Six] Guo Tai replied, "Yuan Fenggao's talent is like (the simile breaks in the text). A gloss suggests the word "fan" (overflowing stream). The gui spring's overflow is bright enough, yet shallow enough to dip with a cup. [Seven] Shudu is like a thousand acres of still water: you cannot make it clearer by settling it, nor muddier by stirring—no one can sound his depth." " [Eight] Note one: "Travelling inn" means a public hostel.
41
注[二]一作「閬」。
Note two: One manuscript reads the name as Lang instead.
42
注[三]顏子，顏回也。
Note three: "Yan Zi" means Yan Hui, Confucius's foremost disciple.
43
注[四]論語顏回慕孔子之言也。
Note four: The image echoes Yan Hui's praise of Confucius in the Analects.
44
注[五]吝，貪也。
Note five: "Stinginess" here means a grasping, petty mind.
45
注[六]郭泰別傳曰：「時林宗過薛恭祖，恭祖問曰：『聞足不見袁奉高，車不停軌，鑾不輟軶，從叔度乃彌信宿也？ 』」注[七]奉高，閎字也。 爾雅曰：「側出* (泛) **[氿]*泉，正出濫泉。 」* (泛) **[氿]*音軌。 濫音檻。
Note six: Guo Tai's unofficial biography records Xue Gongzu asking him why he would not spend a single night with Yuan Fenggao yet stayed two nights with Huang Shudu? '"" Note seven: Fenggao was Yuan Hong's style." The Erya defines a spring that issues from the side as— the gloss gives the reading "fan." The gui spring issues from the side, while a vertical jet is called an overflowing spring." " (The quotation breaks off in the edition.) The gloss "fan" is repeated. The graph gui is read like the word for "track" (gui). The second syllable lan is read like the word for "threshold."
46
注[八]淆，混也。
Note eight: "Stir" here means to muddy or blend.
47
憲初舉孝廉，又辟公府，友人勸其仕，憲亦不拒之，暫到京師而還，竟無所就。
Huang Xian was recommended as filial and incorrupt and summoned to the high minister's office; friends pressed him to accept, and he did not flatly refuse—he went once to the capital, then came home and never took a post.
48
年四十八終，天下號曰「征君」。
He died at forty-eight, and all who heard of him called him "the gentleman who was summoned but never served.""
49
論曰：黃憲言論風旨，無所傳聞，然士君子見之者，靡不服深遠，去玼吝。 [一]將以道周性全，無德而稱乎？ [二]余曾祖穆侯[三]以為憲隤然其處順，[四]淵乎其似道，[五]淺深莫臻其分，清濁未議其方。 [六]若及門於孔氏，其殆庶乎！
The historian's judgment: Not a line of Huang Xian's conversation survives, yet every educated man who met him bowed to a depth he could not fathom and shed petty meanness from his heart. [One] Was it because the Way had filled out his nature until he possessed a virtue too large to name?" [Two] My great-great-grandfather Marquis Mu [three] believed Huang Xian rested in perfect compliance with circumstance, [four] seemed bottomless as the Way itself, [five] so that neither shallow nor deep minds could reach his measure, nor could any clear distinction of pure and tainted define him. [Six] Had he walked through Confucius's gate, he might well have been numbered among those who "almost had it!""
50
[七]故嘗著論雲。 注[一]玼音此。 說文曰：「鮮色也。 」據此文當為「疵」，作「玼」者，古字通也。
[Seven] That is why he once wrote an essay on the subject. Note one: The character read "ci" is glossed with the same sound as "this." The Shuowen defines the graph as "fresh color" or "lustre." " In this passage it should mean "blemish"; the alternate spelling reflects an old graphic interchange."
51
注[二]道周備，性全一。 無德而稱，言其德大無能名焉。
Note two: The Way had rounded him out and his inborn nature stood whole and unified. "Without virtue yet titled" means his moral power was too vast for any name.
52
注[三]晉書曰：「范汪字玄平，安北將軍，謚曰穆侯。 汪生寧，寧生泰，泰生曄。」
Note three: The Jin History records Fan Wang, styled Xuanping, general who pacified the north, enfeoffed posthumously as Marquis Mu. Fan Wang fathered Fan Ning, who fathered Fan Tai, who fathered Fan Ye, the compiler of this history.""
53
注[四]易系詞曰：「坤隤然示人簡矣。 」隤，柔順貌。
Note four: The Appended Remarks to the Book of Changes say of the hexagram Earth that it "lies soft and open, showing men simplicity." " The word rendered "yielding" describes a gentle, supple bearing."
54
注[五]老子曰：「道沖而用之，或不盈，淵乎似萬物之宗。 」言淵深不可知也。
Note five: Laozi says the Way is an empty vessel that never runs dry, deep as the source of all things. " The gloss stresses how unfathomably deep such a person is."
55
注[六]廣雅曰：「方，所也。」
Note six: The Guangya defines fang as "place" or "quarter.""
56
注[七]易系詞曰：「顏氏之子，其殆庶幾乎！ 」殆，近也。
Note seven: The Appended Remarks cite Confucius on Yan Hui: "Perhaps he was almost there!" " Here dai means "close to" or "nearly.""
57
徐囁字孺子，豫章南昌人也。 [一]家貧，常自耕稼，非其力不食。 恭儉義讓，所居服其德。 屢辟公府，不起。 注[一]豫章，郡，今洪州也。 南昌，縣，即今豫章縣也。 謝承書曰「稚少為諸生，學嚴氏春秋、京氏易、歐陽尚書，兼綜風角、星官、筭歷、河圖、七緯、推步、變易，異行矯時俗，閭裡服其德化。 有失物者，縣以相還，道無拾遺。
Xu Zhi, styled Ruzi, came from Nanchang in Yuzhang commandery (the received text writes his personal name with an alternate graph). [One] His family was poor, so he tilled the fields himself and would eat nothing he had not earned by his own labor. Courtesy, frugality, justice, and modesty marked him everywhere he lived, and the people honored his moral power. The high ministers summoned him again and again, yet he never took office. Note one: Yuzhang commandery corresponds roughly to modern Nanchang, Jiangxi. Nanchang was the county seat; in later ages the name Yuzhang was applied to the same place. Xie Cheng records that as a young scholar Xu Zhi mastered the Yan Gongyang tradition, the Jing Fang Book of Changes, and the Ouyang Shangshu, while also studying astrology, calendrics, apocrypha, and prognostication; his conduct rebuked shallow fashion until every lane in his district yielded to his moral influence. Lost property was restored through the magistrate's office, and no one pocketed what others dropped in the street.
58
四察孝廉，五辟宰府，三舉茂才」也。
He was nominated four times as filial and incorrupt, summoned five times to ministerial offices, and thrice recommended as outstanding talent."
59
時陳蕃為太守，以禮請署功曹，囁不免之，既謁而退。 蕃在郡不接賓客，唯囁來特設一榻，去則縣之。 後舉有道，家拜太原太守，[一]皆不就。 注[一]就家而拜之也。
When Chen Fan became prefect he courteously asked Xu Zhi to serve as acting merit assessor; Xu could not refuse outright, but after one formal visit he resigned the post. Chen Fan received no visitors while in office except Xu Zhi, for whom he reserved a couch that he hung from the rafters whenever Xu left. Later he was recommended as a man of the Way and offered appointment as prefect of Taiyuan without coming to the capital; [one] he refused every post. Note one: The court sent the commission to his house rather than summoning him to audience.
60
延熹二年，尚書令陳蕃、僕射胡廣等上疏薦囁等曰：「臣聞善人天地之紀，政之所由也。 [一]詩云：『思皇多士，生此王國。 』[二]天挺俊乂，為陛下出，當輔弼明時，左右大業者也。 [三]伏見處士豫章徐囁、彭城姜肱、汝南袁閎、[四]京兆韋著、[五]穎川李曇，德行純備，著於人聽。 若使擢登三事，協亮天工，必能翼宣盛美，增光日明矣。 」桓帝乃以安車玄纁，備禮征之，並不至。 帝因問蕃曰：「徐囁、袁閎、韋著誰為先後？」
In 159 CE Director Chen Fan and Vice Director Hu Guang jointly memorialized: "We have heard that good men are the binding thread of heaven and earth and the root of sound government." [One] The Classic of Odes says, "Heaven sends down its host of talents to be born in the king's domain." [Two] Heaven raises eminent men on Your Majesty's behalf to steady a brilliant reign and uphold the great work of state." [Three] We note the recluses Xu Zhi of Yuzhang, Jiang Gong of Pengcheng, Yuan Hong of Runan, [four] Wei Zhu of the capital region, [five] and Li Tan of Yingchuan—men of flawless reputation whose names are on every tongue. If they were promoted to the three highest posts to help harmonize the work of heaven, they would spread the dynasty's glory and add luster to the throne." " Emperor Huan therefore dispatched the full ritual of cushioned carriage and silks to summon them all, yet none would come. The emperor then asked Chen Fan which of Xu Zhi, Yuan Hong, and Wei Zhu deserved first rank."
61
蕃對曰：「閎出生公族，聞道漸訓。 著長於三輔禮義之俗，所謂不扶自直，不鏤自雕。 [六]至於囁者，爰自江南卑薄之域，而角立傑出，宜當為先。 」[七]注[一]左傳曰，晉三□害伯宗，譖而殺之，及欒弗忌。 韓獻子曰「□氏其不免乎！ 善人天地之紀也，而驟絕之，不亡何待」也。
Chen Fan answered: "Yuan Hong was born into a great house and absorbed the Way through steady instruction. Wei Zhu grew up amid the ritual ethos of the capital region—like hemp that grows straight without a stake, like jade that needs no chasing. [Six] Xu Zhi, though he rose from the humble southland, stands like a horn above the herd and should take first place." " [Seven] Note one: The Zuo Tradition tells how certain Jin ministers destroyed the loyal Bozong (the text is damaged). Han Jue lamented that the clan would not escape ruin. "Good men are heaven's own cord," he said, "and to cut them off is to invite doom.""
62
注[二]大雅文王之詩也。 思，願也。 皇，天也。 思願天多生賢人於此王國。
Note two: The quotation comes from the "King Wen" ode in the Greater Elegant section. Here si means "to long for" or "to pray." Huang in the ode stands for Heaven. The line prays that Heaven will send many worthy men to serve this royal house.
63
注[三]左右，助也。
Note three: "Left and right" means to support or assist the ruler.
64
注[四]閎見袁安傳。 謝承書曰：「閎少修志節，矯俗高厲。」
Note four: Yuan Hong's life is treated in the biography of Yuan An. Xie Cheng records that Yuan Hong in youth tempered his will, scorned vulgar fashion, and held himself to a severe standard."
65
注[五]著見韋彪傳。 謝承書曰：「為三輔冠族。 著少修節操，持京氏易、韓詩，博通術蓺。」
Note five: Wei Zhu appears in the biography of Wei Biao. Xie Cheng calls the Weis a leading clan of the capital region. Wei Zhu in youth cultivated integrity, mastered the Jing Fang Changes and the Han version of the Odes, and was learned in technical lore."
66
注[六]說苑曰「蓬生枲中，不扶自直」也。
Note six: Liu Xiang's Garden of Persuasions compares such men to dock growing among hemp, straight without a stake."
67
注[七]如角之特立也。
Note seven: The image is of a single horn thrusting up from the herd.
68
囁嘗為太尉黃瓊所辟，不就。 及瓊卒歸葬，囁乃負糧徒步到江夏赴之，設雞酒薄祭，哭畢而去，不告姓名。 [一]時會者四方名士郭林宗等數十人，聞之，疑其囁也，乃選能言語生茅容輕騎追之。 及於塗，容為設飯，共言稼穡之事。 臨訣去，謂容曰：「為我謝郭林宗，大樹將顛，非一繩所維，何為棲棲不遑寧處？」
Xu Zhi was once summoned by Grand Commandant Huang Qiong but declined to serve. When Huang Qiong died and his body was taken home for burial, Xu Zhi shouldered provisions and walked all the way to Jiangxia, laid a simple offering of chicken and wine, wept his fill, and left without giving his name. [One] Several dozen eminent guests including Guo Tai were present; guessing the mourner had been Xu Zhi, they sent the articulate student Mao Rong after him on a fast horse. Mao overtook him on the road, offered a meal, and they talked only of farming. As he took his leave he told Mao, "Give Guo Tai my thanks: when a great tree is about to fall, a single cord cannot hold it—why should he bustle about without a moment's rest?""
69
[二]及林宗有母憂，囁往吊之，置生芻一束於廬前而去。 觿怪，不知其故。 林宗曰：「此必南州高士徐孺子也。 詩不雲乎，『生芻一束，其人如玉。 』[三]吾無德以堪之。 」注[一]謝承書曰：「囁諸公所辟雖不就，有死喪負笈赴吊。 常於家豫炙雞一隻，以一兩撓絮漬酒中，暴干以裡雞，逕到所起頤□外，以水漬撓使有酒氣，斗米飯，白茅為藉，以雞置前，醊酒畢，留謁則去，不見喪主。」
[Two] When Guo Tai was mourning his mother, Xu Zhi came to offer condolences, laid a bundle of fresh hay before the mourning shed as his gift, and vanished. Those present wondered at it and could not guess the meaning (the subject graph may be corrupt in the edition). Guo Tai said, "That can only be Xu Ruzi, the great recluse of the south." Does not the Odes say, "A bundle of fresh grass—the man is like polished jade"?" [Three] I lack the virtue to deserve such a tribute." " Note one: Xie Cheng records that though Xu Zhi refused every summons, he would shoulder his book-basket and travel to any funeral. At home he would roast a chicken in advance, steep a small bundle of floss in wine, dry it, and wrap the bird; he carried it to the mourning site, sprinkled the floss with water so the wine scent lingered, set out plain rice on white rushes with the chicken before it, poured the libation, left his card, and left without meeting the bereaved."
70
注[二]顛，僕也。 維，系也。 喻時將衰季，豈一人可能救邪？
Note two: "Fall" here means to topple, as a tree. Wei means to bind or secure with a rope. The image is of a failing age that no single man can prop up.
71
注[三]小雅白駒詩。 此戒賢者，行所捨，主人之餼雖薄，要就賢主人，其德如玉然也。
Note three: The lines come from "White Colt" in the Lesser Elegant. The ode counsels the worthy guest to seek out a worthy host even when the meal is humble, for such a host's virtue is like jade.
72
靈帝初，欲蒲輪聘囁，會卒，時年七十二。
Early in Emperor Ling's reign the court prepared to summon him with the cushioned wheel carriage reserved for the venerable, but he died first, aged seventy-two.
73
子胤字季登，篤行孝悌，亦隱居不仕。 [一]太守華歆禮請相見，固病不詣。 [二]漢末寇賊從橫，皆敬胤禮行，轉相約□，不犯其閭。 建安中卒。 注[一]謝承書曰「胤少遭父母喪，致哀毀瘁，歐血發病。 服闋，隱居林藪，躬耕稼穡，□則誦經，貧窶困乏，執志彌固，不受惠於人」也。
His son Xu Yin, styled Jideng, was deeply filial and brotherly and likewise lived in seclusion without taking office. [One] Prefect Hua Xin courteously asked to meet him, but he pleaded illness and stayed away. [Two] In the last years of Han, when bandits swarmed the countryside, they respected Xu Yin's virtue and pledged among themselves not to enter his lane. He died during the Jian'an era. Note one: Xie Cheng records that Xu Yin lost both parents while young, mourned until he wasted away and spat blood. After the mourning term he withdrew to the woods, tilled his own fields, recited the classics by night, endured bitter want, clung to his resolve, and accepted charity from no one."
74
注[二]魏志曰，歆字子魚，平原人。 為豫章太守。 為政清淨不煩，吏人鹹感而愛之。
Note two: The Records of Wei give Hua Xin's style as Ziyu and his home as Pingyuan. He served as prefect of Yuzhang. His administration was spare and unruffled, and officials and commoners alike admired and loved him.
75
李曇字雲，少孤，繼母嚴酷，曇事之愈謹，[一]為鄉里所稱法。 養親行道，終身不仕。 注[一]謝承書曰：「曇少喪父，躬事繼母。 *[繼母]*酷烈，曇性純孝，定省恪勤，妻子恭奉，寒苦執勞，不以為怨。 得四時珍玩，先以進母。 與徐孺子等海內列名五處士焉。」
Li Tan, styled Yun, lost his father young and faced a harsh stepmother, yet he served her with growing care until the whole district held him up as a pattern. He supported his parents, lived by the Way, and never entered office. Note one: Xie Cheng records that Li Tan lost his father while young and waited on his stepmother himself. Though his stepmother was cruel, his filial devotion never wavered: he attended her morning and night, kept wife and children in reverent support, and bore poverty and drudgery without a word of complaint. Whenever rare delicacies came his way, he sent them first to his mother. He was reckoned with Xu Zhi among the five famous recluses of the age."
76
姜肱字伯淮，彭城廣戚人也。 [一]家世名族。 [二]肱與二弟仲海、季江，俱以孝行著聞。 其友愛天至，常共臥起。 [三]及各娶妻，兄弟相戀，不能別寑，以系嗣當立，乃遞往就室。 注[一]廣戚故城今徐州沛縣東。
Jiang Gong, styled Bohuai, was a native of Guangqi in Pengcheng commandery. [One] His family had long been eminent. [Two] Jiang Gong and his brothers Zhonghai and Jijiang were all celebrated for filial devotion. Natural affection bound them, and they shared the same bed and daily routine. [Three] Even after each married they could not bear to sleep apart until duty to produce heirs forced them to take turns visiting their wives' rooms. Note one: The old site of Guangqi lies east of present Pei County in Jiangsu.
77
注[二]謝承書曰「祖父豫章太守，父任城相」也。
Note two: Xie Cheng records a grandfather who was prefect of Yuzhang and a father who was chancellor of Rencheng principality."
78
注[三]謝承書曰「肱性篤孝，事繼母恪勤。 母既年少，又嚴厲。 肱感愷風之孝，兄弟同被而寑，不入房室，以慰母心」也。
Note three: Xie Cheng says Jiang Gong was deeply filial and served his stepmother with exacting care. The woman was still young and very strict. Recalling the brothers in the Odes who shared a quilt, they slept together and avoided the inner rooms to reassure their stepmother."
79
肱博通五經，兼明星緯，士之遠來就學者三千餘人。 諸公爭加辟命，皆不就。
Jiang Gong mastered the Five Classics and astrology, and drew more than three thousand students from distant parts. High ministers competed to employ him, but he turned down every offer.
80
二弟名聲相次，亦不應徵聘，時人慕之。
His brothers' reputations ran close behind his own, and they too refused every summons, to the admiration of the age.
81
肱嘗與季江謁郡，夜於道遇盜，欲殺之。 肱兄弟更相爭死，賊遂兩釋焉，[一]但掠奪衣資而已。 既至郡中，見肱無衣服，怪問其故，肱托以它辭，終不言盜。
Once Jiang Gong and his brother Jijiang were travelling to the commandery seat when night fell and bandits ambushed them, meaning to kill them both. [One] Each brother begged to die in the other's place, so moved were the robbers that they let them both go, taking only their clothing and money. When they reached the city half naked, officials pressed for an explanation; Jiang invented another excuse and never mentioned the robbery.
82
盜聞而感悔，後乃就精廬，[二]求見征君。 肱與相見，皆叩頭謝罪，而還所略物。 肱不受，勞以酒食而遣之。 注[一]謝承書曰「肱與季江俱乘車行適野廬，為賊所劫，取其衣物，欲殺其兄弟。 肱謂盜曰：『弟年幼，父母所憐愍，又未娉娶，願自殺身濟弟。 』季江言：
When the robbers heard of his silence they were ashamed, sought him out at his rustic hall, [two] and begged audience with the gentleman who had spurned the court. Jiang received them; they kowtowed in apology and returned what they had stolen. He refused the goods, fed them, and sent them away in peace. Note one: Xie Cheng tells how the brothers were riding to a country retreat when bandits stripped them and prepared to kill them. Jiang Gong told them, "My brother is young, still our parents' darling, and not yet married—take my life and spare his." " Jijiang cried,
83
『兄年德在前，家之珍寶，國之英俊，乞自受戮，以代兄命。 』盜戢刃曰：『二君所謂賢人，吾等不良，妄相侵犯。 』□物而去。 肱車中尚有數千錢，盜不見也，使從者追以與之，亦復不受。 肱以物經歷盜手，因以付亭吏而去」也。
"My brother is older, worthier, the jewel of our house and a pillar of the state—let me die in his stead." " The robbers put up their weapons and said, "You are true gentlemen and we are worthless curs to have molested you." They left the goods behind and withdrew (the verb is damaged in the received text). Several thousand cash remained hidden in the cart, which the robbers had overlooked; Jiang sent servants after them with the money, but they refused it again. Because the goods had passed through robbers' hands, Jiang gave them to the local post clerk for safekeeping and took his leave."
84
注[二]精廬即精舍也。
Note two: "Refined hut" here means a scholar's retreat or private hall.
85
後與徐囁俱征，不至。 桓帝乃下彭城使畫工圖其形狀。 肱臥於幽闇，以被韜面，[一]言患眩疾，不欲出風。 工竟不得見之。 注[一]韜，臧也。
Later he and Xu Zhi were summoned together; neither appeared at court. Emperor Huan ordered the commandery of Pengcheng to dispatch a painter to record his likeness. Jiang Gong hid in a dark room with the quilt drawn over his face, [one] claiming vertigo and an aversion to drafts. The painter never got a look at him. Note one: "Cover" here means to conceal or wrap.
86
中常侍曹節等專執朝事，新誅太傅陳蕃﹑大將軍竇武，欲借寵賢德，以釋觿望，乃白征肱為太守。 肱得詔，乃私告其友曰：「吾以虛獲實，遂藉聲價。 明明在上，猶當固其本志，況今政在閹豎，夫何為哉！ 」乃隱身遯命，遠浮海濱。 再以玄纁聘，不就。 即拜太中大夫，詔書至門，[一]肱使家人對云「久病就醫」。 遂羸服閒行，竄伏青州界中，賣卜給食。 召命得斷，家亦不知其處，歷年乃還。 年七十七，熹平二年終於家。 弟子陳留劉操追慕肱德，共刊石頌之。 注[一]謝承書曰：「靈帝手筆下詔曰：『肱抗陵雲之志，養浩然之氣，以朕德薄，未肯降志。 昔許由不屈，王道為化； 夷﹑齊不撓，周德不虧。 州郡以禮優順，勿失其意。』」
When the eunuchs led by Cao Jie controlled the government, fresh from killing Grand Tutor Chen Fan and General Dou Wu, they sought to court good opinion by appointing worthy men and therefore memorialized an offer to make Jiang Gong a prefect. When the edict reached him, Jiang confided to his friends, "Empty praise has made me seem substantial, and now my name is being traded for political credit. When the sage kings watched from above, a man might still cling to his first resolve; how much more today, when power sits with the palace slaves—what could I possibly do there?" " He vanished from sight, fled the summons, and took refuge far off on the coast. They sent a second invitation with the black-and-crimson silks; he still refused. The court then named him grand palace counselor; [one] when the messenger reached his gate, his household answered that he had long been ill and was away seeking treatment." He slipped away in ragged clothes, hid in Qingzhou, and earned his meals by telling fortunes. The summons lapsed, his family had no idea where he was, and only after years did he come home. He died at home in 173 CE, aged seventy-seven. His pupil Liu Cao of Chenliu, who revered Jiang Gong's virtue, joined others in carving an inscription in his honor. Note one: Xie Cheng records Emperor Ling's autograph edict: "Jiang Gong cherishes a spirit that rises above the clouds and the flood-like breath of moral power; he deems my virtue too slight to bend his will." When Xu You refused the throne, the royal way was perfected through his example; when Boyi and Shuqi would not compromise, the virtue of Zhou remained intact. Commanderies and prefectures shall treat such men with courtesy and respect and not thwart their wishes.'""
87
申屠蟠
Shentu Pan
88
申屠蟠字子龍，陳留外黃人也。 九歲喪父，哀毀過禮。 服除，不進酒肉十餘年。
Shentu Pan, styled Zilong, was a native of Waihuang in Chenliu commandery. He lost his father at nine and mourned so bitterly that he exceeded every prescribed observance. For more than a decade after the mourning ended he touched neither wine nor meat.
89
每忌日，輒三日不食。 [一]注[一]海內先賢傳曰：「蟠在頤側致甘露﹑白雉，以孝稱。」
On each anniversary of his parents' death he fasted for three days. [One] Note one: A collection of worthies records auspicious dew and white pheasants appearing beside him, and celebrates his filial devotion."
90
同郡緱氏女玉為父報讎，[一]殺夫氏之黨，吏執玉以告外黃令梁配，[二]配欲論殺玉。 蟠時年十五，為諸生，進諫曰：「玉之節義，足以感無恥之孫，激忍辱之子。 不遭明時，尚當表旌廬墓，況在清聽，而不加哀矜！ 」配善其言，乃為讞得減死論。 [三]鄉人稱美之。 注[一]緱，姓也。
A woman of the Gou family named Yu avenged her father [one] by killing members of her husband's clan; the authorities arrested her and brought her before Magistrate Liang Pei of Waihuang, [two] who prepared to execute her. Shentu Pan, fifteen and still a schoolboy, went to the magistrate and said, "Yu Zi's steadfast honor could shame the brazen and rouse every coward who bears an insult in silence. Even in a dark age she would deserve a memorial at her gate; how can a just magistrate hear her case and show no mercy?" " Liang Pei accepted his argument and reopened the case so that she escaped execution. [Three] The whole district praised him for it. Note one: Gou is the woman's surname.
91
注[二]續漢書曰「同縣大女緱玉為從父報仇，殺夫之從母兄李士，姑執玉以告吏」也。
Note two: The Continued Han History gives fuller particulars: she avenged a paternal uncle by killing a kinsman on her husband's side, and her mother-in-law turned her in."
92
注[三]讞，請也。
Note three: Here "plea" means a formal petition for reconsideration.
93
家貧，傭為漆工。 郭林宗見而奇之。 同郡蔡邕深重蟠，及被州辟，乃辭讓之曰：
His family was poor, so he hired himself out as a lacquerer. Guo Tai spotted him and knew he was extraordinary. Cai Yong of the same commandery held Shentu Pan in the highest esteem; when the province summoned Cai himself, he wrote back declining in these words:
94
「申屠蟠稟氣玄妙，性敏心通，喪親盡禮，幾於毀滅。 至行美義，人所鮮能。 安貧樂潛，味道守真，不為燥濕輕重，[一]不為窮達易節。 [二]方之於邕，以齒則長，以德則賢。」
" Shentu Pan is endowed with a nature subtle and profound, quick in mind and clear in understanding; he buried his parents with every rite until he nearly destroyed his own health. His conduct and moral choices are what few men can match. He loves poverty and seclusion, savors the Way and keeps faith with himself; he is not shifted by fortune or climate, [one] nor does he bend principle for success or failure. [Two] Set beside Yong himself, he is the elder in years and the greater in virtue.""
95
注[一]律歷志曰：「銅為物至精，不為燥濕寒暑變其節，不為風雨暴露改其形，介然有常，似於士君子之行。」
Note one: The treatise on harmonics compares refined bronze, which neither damp nor heat can warp, to the steadfast conduct of a gentleman."
96
注[二]易曰：「窮則獨善其身，達則兼濟天下。」
Note two: The Book of Changes says that in obscurity a man perfects himself, and in high office he brings benefit to all under heaven."
97
後郡召為主簿，不行。 [一]遂隱居精學，博貫五經，兼明圖緯。 始與濟陰王子居同在太學，子居臨歿，以身托蟠，蟠乃躬推輦車，送喪歸鄉里。 遇司隸從事於河鞏之閒，[二]從事義之，為封傳護送，[三]蟠不肯受，投傳於地而去。 事畢還學。 注[一]謝承書曰「蟠前後征辟，文書悉掛於樹，初不顧眄」也。
The commandery later called him to serve as chief clerk; he did not answer. [One] He withdrew to study deeply, mastered the Five Classics, and became learned in prognosticatory charts and apocrypha. He had studied at the Imperial Academy with Wang Ziju of Jiyin; when Wang was dying he entrusted his funeral to Shentu Pan, who personally pushed the hearse all the way to Wang's home district. [Two] A metropolitan clerk met him between the Yellow River and Gong county, [three] admired his integrity, and offered an official escort with sealed travel papers; Shentu Pan refused, threw the documents to the ground, and walked on. When the burial was done he returned to the academy. Note one: Xie Cheng says that whenever summonses arrived, Shentu Pan hung the documents on a tree and walked away without a backward glance."
98
注[二]百官志曰「司隸從事史十二人，秩百石」也。
Note two: The Han bureaucracy lists twelve metropolitan clerks at the hundred-shi rank."
99
注[三]傳謂符牒。 使人監送之。
Note three: "Pass" here means the sealed travel warrant. The clerk detailed men to escort him under guard.
100
太尉黃瓊辟，不就。 及瓊卒，歸葬江夏，四方名豪會帳下者六七千人，[一]互相談論，莫有及蟠者。 唯南郡一生與相酬對，既別，執蟠手曰：「君非聘則征，如是相見於上京矣。 」蟠勃然作色曰：「始吾以子為可與言也，何意乃相拘教樂貴之徒邪？ 」[二]因振手而去，不復與言。 再舉有道，不就。 [三]注[一]帳下，葬處。
Grand Commandant Huang Qiong summoned him, but he would not go. When Huang Qiong died and his body was taken to Jiangxia for burial, [one] six or seven thousand notables gathered at the mourning site, yet in all their talk none could match Shentu Pan. Only one scholar from Nan commandery could hold his own in debate; as they parted the man seized Shentu Pan's hand and said, "Unless you take a private post you will be summoned to court—we shall meet again in the capital." " Shentu Pan flushed with anger and said, "I thought you worth talking to—why do you lecture me like some climber who lives for rank?" [Two] He shook free and strode off without another word." He was again recommended as a man of the Way and again stayed home. [Three] Note one: "Under the tent" means the site of the funeral gathering.
101
注[二]樂音五孝反。
Note two: The word read "delight in" is read in the wu-xiao fan pronunciation.
102
注[三]謝承書曰「詔書令郡以禮發遣，蟠到河南萬歲亭，折轅而旋」也。
Note three: Xie Cheng adds that when an edict forced the commandery to send him off, Shentu Pan reached the Wansui post station in Henan, snapped his cart axle, and turned back."
103
先是京師游士汝南范滂等非訐朝政，自公卿以下皆折節下之。 [一]太學生爭慕其風，以為文學將興，處士復用。 蟠獨歎曰：「昔戰國之世，處士橫議，[二]列國之王，至為擁篲先驅，[三]卒有坑儒燒書之禍，今之謂矣。 」乃絕多於梁碭之閒，[四]因樹為屋，自同傭人。 [五]居二年，滂等果罹黨錮，或死或刑者數百人，蟠確然免於疑論。 後蟠友人陳郡馮雍坐事系獄，豫州牧黃琬欲殺之。 或勸蟠救雍，蟠不肯行，曰：「黃子琰為吾故邪，未必合罪。 如不用吾言，雖往何益！ 」琬聞之，遂免雍罪。 注[一]訐謂橫議是非也。 訐或作「評」也。
Earlier, wandering scholars at the capital such as Fan Pang of Runan had attacked court policy, and everyone from the highest ministers downward humbled himself before them. [One] The academy students imitated them in crowds, convinced that learning was about to flourish and recluses would return to power. Shentu Pan alone sighed, "In the Warring States era recluses debated politics without restraint, [two] and kings went so far as to sweep the road before them; [three] it ended in the burying of scholars and the burning of the classics. The same story is unfolding now." " He broke with the capital set and lived between Liang and Dang, [four] roofed his hut with branches, and worked alongside hired laborers. [Five] Within two years Fan Pang and his circle were caught in the faction proscription; hundreds were executed or mutilated, while Shentu Pan alone escaped every suspicion. Later his friend Feng Yong of Chen commandery was jailed on a charge, and Governor Huang Wan of Yuzhou meant to put him to death. Friends urged Shentu Pan to intercede, but he refused, saying, "Huang Wan will not kill Feng Yong on my account, nor is Yong necessarily guilty. If he will not heed me, what good would a visit do?" " When Huang Wan heard this, he dropped the charges against Feng Yong." Note one: "Impeach" here means to attack public policy without restraint. Some manuscripts write the graph as the one meaning "appraise" instead.
104
注[二]孟子曰：「聖王不作，諸侯恣行，處士橫議。 」前書曰：「秦既稱帝，患周之敗，以為起於處士橫議，諸侯力爭。 」音義曰：「言由橫議而敗之。」
Note two: Mencius says that when no sage king appears, local lords do as they please and private scholars debate politics recklessly. " The History of the Former Han records that the First Emperor blamed the fall of Zhou on unchecked debate among scholars and rivalry among the feudal lords. " A commentary gloss adds that unruly opinion was held to have ruined the state.""
105
注[三]史記，鄒衍如燕，昭王擁篲先驅，請列弟子之坐而受業。 築碣石宮，身親往師之。
Note three: The Records tell how King Zhao of Yan swept the path before Zou Yan and seated him as a master. He built the Jieshi Palace and went in person to study under him.
106
注[四]梁國有碭縣。
Note four: Dang county lay in the principality of Liang.
107
注[五]謝承書曰「居蓬萊之室，依桑樹以為棟」也。
Note five: Xie Cheng pictures his hut as a rustic cell with mulberry trunks for rafters."
108
大將軍何進連征不詣，進必欲致之，使蟠同郡黃忠書勸曰：「前莫府初開，至如先生，特加殊禮，優而不名，申以手筆，設幾杖之坐。 經過二載，而先生抗志彌高，所尚益固。 竊論先生高節有餘，於時則未也。 今穎川荀爽載病在道，北海鄭玄北面受署。 彼豈樂羈牽哉，知時不可逸豫也。 昔人之隱，遭時則放聲滅多，巢棲茹薇。 [一]其不遇也，則裸身大笑，被發狂歌。 [二]今先生處平壤，[三]遊人閒，吟典籍，襲衣裳，事異昔人，而欲遠蹈其多，不亦難乎！ 孔氏可師，何必首陽。 」[四]蟠不荅。 注[一]放，□也。 謂□聲名也。 巢棲謂巢父也。 說文：「薇，似藿也。」
General-in-chief He Jin summoned him repeatedly without success, then sent Shentu Pan's townsman Huang Zhong with a letter: "When my headquarters first opened, I reserved the highest courtesy for you—honoring you without pressing your name, writing in my own hand, setting out a seat with armrest and staff. Two years have passed, yet your resolve has only grown loftier and your principles harder. I grant that your integrity is more than the age deserves, yet measured against the times it is not enough. Xun Shuang of Yingchuan is already on the road though ill, and Zheng Xuan of Beihai has taken his place before me as a subordinate. They do not love the yoke; they know this is no time for ease. Ancient recluses, when the times turned against them, muffled their voices and hid their traces, built nests in the hills, and lived on wild plants (the received wording is partly corrupt). [One] When they failed of recognition they went naked, laughed aloud, let their hair fly, and sang like madmen. [Two] Yet you live on open ground, [three] move among ordinary men, chant the classics, and dress like a gentleman; your case is not theirs, yet you would walk their path from afar—how hard that would be!" Confucius is a worthy model; you need not starve on Mount Shouyang." [Four] Shentu Pan made no reply." Note one: The glossed verb is damaged in the text. The commentator explains it as hiding one's reputation (the graph is missing). The allusion to nesting refers to the recluse Chaofu. The Shuowen defines the edible fern as a plant like broad beans."
109
注[二]楚詞曰：「桑扈裸行。 」史記曰：「箕子被發陽狂。 」歌謂楚狂接輿歌而過孔子也。
Note two: The Songs of Chu speak of Sanghu walking naked. " The Records say Jizi let down his hair and feigned madness. " The mad song refers to Jieyu of Chu singing past Confucius."
110
注[三]壤，地也。
Note three: "Level soil" means ordinary settled land, not the wilderness.
111
注[四]孔子使子路語隱者云：「不仕無義。 長幼之節，不可廢也； 君臣之義如之何其可廢也？ 欲潔其身而亂大倫。 」首陽，夷﹑齊所隱山也。
Note four: Confucius once sent Zilu to tell a recluse, "To refuse office is to abandon duty." The proper order between old and young cannot be discarded; how then can the bond between ruler and minister be thrown away?" To polish one's private honor while overturning the great human relationships is wrong." " Mount Shouyang is where Boyi and Shuqi chose to starve rather than serve."
112
中平五年，復與爽﹑玄及穎川韓融﹑[一]陳紀等十四人並博士征，不至。 明年，董卓廢立，蟠及爽﹑融﹑紀等復俱公車征，[二]唯蟠不到。 觿人鹹勸之，蟠笑而不應。 居無幾，爽等為卓所脅迫，西都長安，京師擾亂。 及大駕西遷，公卿多遇兵饑，室家流散，融等僅以身脫。 唯蟠處亂末，終全高志。 年七十四，終於家。 注[一]融字符長，詔之子也。 見韶傳。
In 188 CE he was again named with Xun Shuang, Zheng Xuan, Han Rong of Yingchuan, [one] Chen Ji, and nine others—fourteen men in all—as court academicians; none appeared. The next year, after Dong Zhuo set aside one emperor and raised another, Shentu Pan was summoned again by official carriage along with Xun Shuang, Han Rong, and Chen Ji; [two] Pan alone stayed away. Neighbors and friends urged him to go (the first graph is corrupt in the edition); he only smiled and gave no answer. Soon afterward Xun Shuang and the rest were forced west to Chang'an with Dong Zhuo, and the capital fell into chaos. When the court fled west, high officials were cut down by soldiers or died of hunger, families were scattered, and Han Rong and his companions barely escaped with their lives. Shentu Pan alone lived through the tail of the turmoil with his high purpose intact. He died at home at the age of seventy-four. Note one: Han Rong, styled Bozhang, was the son of Han Shao. His father's biography gives further detail.
113
注[二]續漢志曰，征爽為司空，融為尚書，紀為侍中。
Note two: The Continued Han records name Xun Shuang minister of works, Han Rong director of the secretariat, and Chen Ji palace attendant for this summons.
114
贊曰：琛寶可懷，貞期難對。 [一]道苟違運，理用同廢。 與其遐棲，豈若蒙穢？
The historian's summation: Moral treasure is worth cherishing, yet a worthy age that answers to it is rare. [One] When the Way runs counter to the times, both principle and practical use are set at naught. Is distant reclusion really better than sullying one's hands in a corrupt court?!
115
[二]淒淒碩人，陵阿窮退。 [三]韜伏明姿，甘是堙曖。 [四]注[一]琛寶喻道德也。 貞期謂明時也。 對，偶也。
[Two] Desolate stands the great man, withdrawn to the fold of the hills. [Three] They hid luminous talent and accepted the gloom of obscurity. [Four] Note one: "Treasured gems" stands for moral worth. "A chaste season" means an enlightened reign that welcomes worthies. Dui here means a proper pairing or correspondence.
116
注[二]蒙穢謂仕亂朝。
Note two: "Bearing filth" means taking office under a disordered government.
117
注[三]碩人謂賢者。 淒淒，饑病貌也。 言賢者退而窮處。 詩國風曰：「考盤在阿，碩人之薖。 」曲陵曰阿。 陵，升也。 薖，饑也。 薖音苦戈反。
Note three: "Great man" refers to the worthy recluse. Desolate here suggests the lean, hungry look of withdrawal. It describes the worthy man who retires into destitute seclusion. The Airs of the States say, "He has built his hut on the hillside; there the great man dwells at ease." " E names a curving hillside. The word for hill here also carries the sense of rising ground. The rare word glossed here suggests hunger or leanness. The graph is read ku-ge fan.
118
注[四]堙，沉也。 曖猶翳也。
Note four: "Buried" here means sunk or submerged in obscurity. The second word means shadowed or veiled from sight.
119
校勘記
Textual collation notes
120
一七三九頁三行邦無道則可卷而懷也按：「則」字原脫，逕據汲本﹑殿本補。
Collation note (p. 1739, line 3): The particle "then" was missing in the base text and has been supplied from the Ji and Palace editions.
121
一七三九頁九行申徒狄按：汲本﹑殿本「徒」作「屠」。
Collation (p. 1739, line 9): The Ji and Palace editions write the second syllable of the name with the graph for "butcher" instead.
122
一七四０頁七行謝沉書曰按：汲本﹑殿本「沉」作「承」。
Collation (p. 1740, line 7): The Ji and Palace editions give the historian's name as Xie Cheng, not Xie Chen.
123
一七四０頁一二行仲叔同郡荀恁按：集解引錢大昕說，謂案劉平傳，數薦達名士承宮﹑郇恁等，即此荀恁也。 說文無「荀」字，當以「郇」為正。
Collation (p. 1740, line 12): Qian Daxin notes that the Xun Ren mentioned here is the same man recommended in the biography of Liu Ping alongside Cheng Gong. The Shuowen does not list the usual surname graph; the original surname form should be preferred.
124
一七四一頁一二行* (亦) **[多]*若違時據殿本改。
Collation (p. 1741, line 12): textual break marker in the edition. Marginal gloss "also" in the apparatus. The damaged phrase "if opposing the times" has been emended to follow the Palace edition.
125
一七四一頁一四行* (法) **[決]*曹掾燕之後也據汲本﹑殿本改。 按：殿本考證雲「決」字監本作「法」。 王會汾謂周嘉傳言燕於宣帝時為郡決曹掾，則作「法曹」者誤。
Collation (p. 1741, line 14): asterisk in the source line. The manuscript gloss reads "law" where "judicial" was intended. The line naming the judicial clerk descended from Yan has been corrected from the Ji and Palace editions. The Palace edition notes that some copies miswrite "judicial" as "law." Wang Huifen argues from the biography of Zhou Jia that "law bureau" is an error for "judicial bureau."
126
一七四二頁六行常肆勤以自給按：集解引錢大昕說，謂「肆」當為「肄」字之誤。
Collation (p. 1742, line 6): Qian Daxin argues that "spread" is a scribal error for "practice" or "toil."
127
一七四二頁八行擇日翦發為* (髫) **[鬌]*據殿本改，與今本禮記合。
Collation (p. 1742, line 8): line break after "clip the hair into" in the ritual quotation. Marginal reading for the childhood hair graph. The following graph has been emended from the Palace edition to match the received Book of Rites.
128
一七四三頁一行遣*[門]*生送敬據刊誤補。
Collation (p. 1743, line 1): The word "disciple" has been supplied from the errata list ("gate" student).
129
一七四三頁五行□裡先生殿本「□」作「角」。 按：角本有祿音，後人不知，別造「□」字代之。 廣韻一屋亦作「角」，不作「□」。
Collation (p. 1743, line 5): The Palace edition writes Master Luli with the graph for "horn" instead of a damaged character. The note explains that later copyists invented a wrong character for a name properly read with the "horn" graph. The Guang rhyme dictionary lists the form with "horn," not the corrupt graph.
130
一七四三頁一０行良字君郎按：集解引惠棟說，謂袁宏紀「君郎」作「君卿」。
Collation (p. 1743, line 10): Hui Dong notes that Yuan Hong's history gives Feng Liang's style as Junqing instead of Junlang.
131
一七四四頁二行在慎水之南按：校補謂「南」字疑「陽」字之誤。
Collation (p. 1744, line 2): Some editors suspect "south" is a mistake for "yang" in the place name.
132
一七四四頁四行既而前至袁* (閎) **[閬]*所集解引陳景雲說，謂黃憲﹑袁閬俱慎陽人，故荀淑有「子國顏子」之語，慎陽本侯國也。 若汝陽袁閎，與憲同郡異縣，則作「閎」非矣。 又引黃山說，謂此傳「閎」皆當作「閬」，惟後徐囁傳所載，則確為袁閎耳。 今據改。
Collation (p. 1744, line 4): line break in the Yuan surname passage. Marginal reading Hong. Chen Jingyun argues that Huang Xian and Yuan Lang were both from Shenyang, which explains Xun Shu's remark; Shenyang was formerly a marquisate. Yuan Hong of Ruyang was in a different county from Huang Xian, so the graph Hong would be wrong here. Huang Shan holds that Hong in this chapter should read Lang throughout, except in the later biography of Xu Zhi where Yuan Hong is clearly meant. The text has been emended accordingly.
133
一七四四頁七行同郡陳蕃周舉按：集解引惠棟說，謂世說及袁宏紀皆作「周子居」。
Collation (p. 1744, line 7): Hui Dong notes that other sources give the name as Zhou Ziju rather than Zhou Ju.
134
一七四四頁一０行譬諸* (泛) **[氿]*濫據殿本改。 注同。
Collation (p. 1744, line 10): simile breaks in the Guo Tai quotation. Reading fan for the spring name. The graph for the spring name has been emended from the Palace edition. The same emendation applies to the commentary.
135
一七四四頁一一行叔度汪汪若千頃陂按：集解引惠棟說，謂「千頃」續漢書作「萬頃」。
Collation (p. 1744, line 11): Hui Dong notes the Continued Han History reads "ten thousand acres" instead of "thousand."
136
一七四四頁一三行一作閬按：李慈銘謂黃憲傳之「袁閎」，皆為「袁閬」之誤。
Collation (p. 1744, line 13): Li Ciming argues that Yuan Hong in this chapter should be Yuan Lang throughout.
137
章懷所注者乃是誤本，其云「一作閬」者，乃別據一不誤之本。
Li adds that Li Xian's commentary followed a faulty text and that his note "alternate reading Lang" came from a sounder manuscript.
138
一七四五頁三行乃彌信宿也按：校補引柳從辰說，謂袁宏紀作「乃彌日信宿也」，多「日」字文義更較圓足。
Collation (p. 1745, line 3): Liu Congchen notes that Yuan Hong's text inserts "day" and reads more smoothly.
139
一七四五頁四行奉高閎字也按：李慈銘謂袁閬字奉高，見第五十六卷王龔傳，憲傳與龔傳僅隔兩卷，章懷又見他本之作「閬」，乃不能援以改正，反注奉高為閎字，可謂率謬。 足見當時東宮僚屬，各人分注，不相證核也。
Collation (p. 1745, line 4): Li Ciming scolds Li Xian for glossing Fenggao as the courtesy name of Hong when the Wang Gong chapter identifies Yuan Lang as Fenggao only two scrolls away. It shows how the crown prince's editorial staff annotated in silos without cross-checking.
140
一七四六頁九行囁不免之按：殿本考證引何焯說，謂「免」疑作「就」。 集解引惠棟說，謂通鑒作「囁不之免」，胡注「不辭免也」。 袁宏紀作「不之起」。
Collation (p. 1746, line 9): He Zhuo suggests the verb should mean "take up" the post rather than "decline" it. Hui Dong adds that the Comprehensive Mirror phrases it as Xu Zhi "not declining" the appointment, which Hu Sanxing glosses as refusing to beg off. Yuan Hong's chronicle, by contrast, says Xu Zhi "would not rise" to accept the office.
141
一七四八頁一四行躬事繼母*[繼母]*酷烈據汲本﹑殿本補。
Collation (p. 1748, line 14): The repeated phrase "harsh stepmother" has been supplied from the Ji and Palace editions.
142
一七四九頁二行以系嗣當立殿本考證謂「系」當作「繼」。 按：集解引黃山說，謂御覽五一五引續漢書作「繼」。 系﹑系﹑繼三字古以同義通作。
Collation (p. 1749, line 2): The Palace edition argues for the graph meaning "heir" or "continuation." Huang Shan cites the Imperial Readings quotation of the Continued Han, which uses the "heir" graph. The three variant graphs were often used interchangeably in early texts.
143
一七五一頁六行姑執玉以告吏也按：「吏」原斗「史」，逕改正。
Collation (p. 1751, line 6): "Clerk" was misprinted as "scribe" and has been corrected.
144
一七五一頁一二行易曰達則兼濟天下汲本﹑殿本「濟」作「善」。 按：校補謂「窮則獨善其身，達則兼善天下」，語出孟子，注作「易曰」，誤。
Collation (p. 1751, line 12): The Ji and Palace editions read "do good to" instead of "aid" in the quotation. The collation adds that the couplet comes from Mencius, not the Book of Changes, so the commentary tag is wrong.