1
张升字彦真，陈留尉氏人，富平侯放之孙也。 升少好学，多关览，而任情不羁。 其意相合者，则倾身交结，不问穷贱； 如乖真志好者，虽王公大人，终不屈从。 常叹曰：“死生有命，富贵在天。 其有知我，虽胡越可亲； 苟不相识，从物何益？”
Zhang Sheng, styled Yanzhen, came from Weishi in Chenliu and was the grandson of Fang, Marquis of Fuping. As a boy he devoured books and wandered wherever impulse led him. Kindred spirits won his whole heart—rank never entered the reckoning. Where conscience pointed elsewhere he would not yield even to royalty. He liked to say life and death are fated and fortune hangs on Heaven. Find a kindred soul and barbarians beyond the frontier feel like kin. Without recognition stuff piles up for nothing.
2
仕郡为纲纪，以能出守外黄令。 吏有受赇者，即论杀之。 或讥：“升守领一时，何足趋明威戮乎？ ”对曰：“昔仲尼暂相，诛齐之侏儒，手足异门而出，故能威震强国，反其侵地。 君子仕不为己，职思其忧，岂以久近而异其度哉？ ”遇党锢去官，后竟见诛，年四十九。
From commandery registrar his talent earned him the magistracy of Waihuang. Bribe-taking clerks went straight from trial to execution. Critics sneered that a brief tenure hardly justified bloody severity. He quoted Confucius's stint in Lu: one decisive stroke against ridicule cowed a great power and won back stolen ground. The nobleman serves the burden of office, not its perks—duration cannot change the moral yardstick. The faction purge stripped him of rank; he was killed later at forty-nine.
3
著贼、诔、颂、碑、书，凡六十篇。
Sixty works survive: fu, laments, songs, inscriptions, and letters.
4
赵壹字元叔，汉阳西县人也。 体貌魁梧，身长九尺，美须豪眉，望之甚伟。 而恃才倨傲，为乡党所摈，乃作《解摈》。 后屡抵罪，几至死，友人救，得免。 壹乃贻书谢恩曰：
Zhao Yi, called Yuanshu, hailed from Xixian in Hanyang commandery. He stood nine chi, broad-shouldered, with a splendid beard and stern brows—every inch the hero. Talent made him proud; neighbors shunned him, so he penned 《Dispelling Ostracism》. Further brushes with the courts nearly cost his life until friends paid him free. He wrote his rescuers a letter of gratitude:
5
昔原大夫赎桑下绝气，传称其仁； 秦越人还虢太子结脉，世著其神。 设曩之二人不遭仁遇神，则结绝之气竭矣。 然而□脯出乎车軨，针石运乎手爪。 今所赖者，非直车軨之糒脯，手爪之针石也。 乃收之于斗极，还之于司命，使干皮复含血，枯骨复被肉，允所谓遭仁遇神，真所宜传而著之。 余畏禁，不敢班班显言，窃为《穷鸟赋》一篇。 其辞曰：
Minister Yuan bought freedom for the starving man under the mulberry—histories praise his kindness. The physician Bian Que revived Guo's heir—the world marveled at his touch. Without such mercy and healing the last breath would have fled. Yet salvation rode on dried meat from the axle-pin box and needles wielded by human hands. My debt today is no mere snack from a cart or prick of a needle. You pulled me from the Pole Star's vault and handed me back to the Lord of Fate until parchment skin bled again and bare bones wore flesh—such rescue deserves songs. Forbidden to speak plainly, I hid my thanks inside 《Fu on the Destitute Bird》. It begins:
6
有一穷鸟，戢翼原野。 毕网加上，机□在下，前见苍隼，后见驱者，缴弹张右，羿子彀左，飞丸激矢，交集于我。 思飞不得，欲鸣不可，举头畏触，摇足恐堕。 内独怖急，乍冰乍火。 幸赖大贤，我矜我怜，昔济我南，今振我西。 鸟也虽顽，犹识密思。 内以书心，外用告天。 天乎祚贤，归贤永年，且公且侯，子了孙孙。
A weary bird folded its wings on the open moor. Finish-nets capped the sky while spring-snares waited below—hawks ahead, beaters behind, crossbows left and right until stones and bolts riddled the air. Flight was sealed and song forbidden—every motion risked snare or plunge. Inside it shivered and burned by turns. Great men pitied the creature—first shelter to the south, now rescue in the west. Dull as birds are, it knows hidden grace. It sets thanks within lines and calls Heaven to witness without. May Heaven bless the wise with long life, noble titles, and endless heirs.
7
又作《刺世疾邪赋》，以舒其怨愤。 曰：
He wrote 《Fu Assailing the Age's Evil》 to purge his rage. He said:
8
伊五帝之不同礼，三王亦又不同乐，数极自然变化，非是故相反驳。 德政不能救世混乱，赏罚岂足惩时清浊？ 春秋时祸败之始，战国愈复增其荼毒。 秦、汉无以相逾越，乃更加其怨酷。 宁计生民之命，唯利己而自足。
Five Emperors, three kings—each age reshapes ritual and music when patterns run their course. Good rule alone cannot halt decay; do carrots and sticks sort clean from corrupt? The Spring and Autumn annals opened ruin; the Warring States poured on venom. Qin and Han traded blows yet only stacked cruelty higher. They weighed common lives at nothing and chased selfish gain.
9
于兹迄今，情伪万方。 佞谄日炽，刚克消亡。 舐痔结驷，正色徒行。 妪□禹名势，抚拍豪强。 偃蹇反俗，立致咎殃。 捷慑逐物，日富月昌。 浑然同惑，孰温孰凉？ 邪夫显进，直士幽藏。
Since then sham and sincerity tangle without number. Sycophants flare while backbone withers. Toadies ride matched teams while honest men walk. Shabby flatterers hymn power and massage the strong. Stand aloof from fashion and ruin arrives overnight. Those who chase profit with nimble compliance wax wealthy monthly. The crowd shares one stupor—who still tells heat from chill? Villains vault into view while the upright vanish into shadow.
10
原斯瘼之攸兴，实执政之匪贤。 女谒掩其视听兮，近习秉其威权。 所好则钻皮出其毛羽，所恶则洗垢求其瘢痕。 虽欲谒诚而尽忠，路绝嶮而靡缘。 九重既不可启，又群吠之狺狺。 安危于于旦夕，肆嗜欲于目前。 奚异涉海之失舵，积薪而待燃？ 荣纳由于闪揄，孰知辩其蚩妍？ 故法禁屈挠干势族，恩泽不逮于单门。 宁饥寒于尧、舜之荒岁兮，不饱暖于当今之丰年。 乘理虽死而非亡，违义虽生而匪存。
This sickness stems from unworthy men on the throne. Female petitions blind him; attendants clutch terrible leverage. Favorites win praise peeled to the skin; foes win blame scrubbed to the bone. Loyal words cannot climb the cliff—there is no path. Palace gates stay barred while kennel voices snarl. They gamble the realm between meals and feed lust while it lasts. That is sailing rudderless or stacking kindling for the spark. Promotion rides on smirking praise—who judges beauty from hideous? Statutes kneel to great houses; mercy skips poor doors. Better starve under sage-kings than gorge in this fat age. Stand on right—death cannot erase you; betray right—life is a walking corpse.
11
有秦客者，乃为诗曰：“河清不可俟，人命不可延。 顺风激靡草，富贵者称贤。 文籍虽满腹，不如一囊钱。 伊优北堂上，抗脏倚门边。
A western traveler sang that the Yellow River will not clear early and life cannot lengthen. Wind bows the bending weed—the wealthy pass for wise. A packed library weighs less than one money sack. Buffoons rule the high hall while the blunt-spoken hug the lintel.
12
鲁生闻此辞，系而作歌曰：势家多所宜，咳唾自成珠。 被褐怀金玉，兰蕙化为刍。 贤者虽独悟，所困在群愚。 且各守尔分，勿复空驰驱。 哀哉复哀哉，此是命矣夫！
Master Lu took up the tune: grandees make every whim sacred—even spit becomes pearls. Rough gowns conceal genius while orchids rot as hay. The wise see clearly yet suffocate among fools. Stay where Heaven placed you—quit vain striving. Bitter, bitter—this is destiny.
13
光和元年，举郡上计，到京师。 是时，司徒袁逢受计，计吏数百人，皆拜伏庭中，莫敢仰视。 壹独长揖而已。 逢望而异之，令左右往让之，曰：“下郡计吏而揖三公，何也？ ”对曰：“昔郦食其长揖汉王，今揖三公，何遽怪哉？ ”逢则敛衽下堂，执其手，延置上坐，因问西方事，大悦，顾谓坐中曰：“此人汉阳赵元叔也。 朝臣莫有过之者，吾请为诸君分坐。 ”坐者皆属观。 既出，往造河南尹羊陟，不得见。 壹以公卿中非陟无足以托名者，乃日往到门，陟自强许通，尚卧未起。 壹径入上堂，遂前临之，曰：“窃伏西州，承高风旧矣。 乃今方遇而忽然，奈何命也！ ”因举声哭，门下惊，皆奔入满侧。 陟知其非常人，乃起，延与语，大奇之。 谓曰：“子出矣。 ”陟明旦大从车骑，奉谒造壹。 时，诸计吏多盛饬车马帷幕，而壹独柴车草屏，露宿其傍，延陟前坐于车下，左右莫不叹愕。 陟遂与言谈，至熏夕，极欢而去，执其手曰：“良璞不剖，必有泣血以相明者矣！ ”陟乃与袁逢共称荐之。 名动京师，士大夫想望其风采。
Guanghe 1 brought him to Luoyang as chief clerk for the accounts mission. Minister Yuan Feng tallied registers while hundreds of clerks kowtowed and stared at the stones. Zhao Yi alone offered a long bow without kneeling. Yuan Feng stared, sent aides to scold him for bowing to three ministers instead of groveling. He answered that Li Yiji once bowed Emperor Gaozu upright—why fuss over three dukes? Yuan Feng straightened his robes, came down, clasped Zhao Yi's hand, seated him as chief guest, and questioned the northwest until delight overcame him. Turning to the crowd he announced Zhao Yi of Hanyang outshone every minister and offered his own cushion. Everyone twisted to stare. He called on Governor Yang Zhi of Henan and was turned away. Believing only Yang Zhi worthy of patronage he returned daily until Yang agreed yet stayed in bed. Zhao Yi marched to the bedside praising Yang's fame from afar. Meeting you now feels like facing mortality—such is fate. He wailed aloud until servants poured in. Yang Zhi realized genius, rose, and talked until admiration overcame him. He told him to withdraw. At dawn Yang arrived with a grand cavalcade to call on Zhao Yi. Peer clerks paraded silk drapes while Zhao slept under a reed screen beside a lumber wagon and seated Yang under the axle—stunning onlookers. They talked till evening smoke curled; Yang gripped his hand likening him to uncut jade worth bleeding for. Yang Zhi and Yuan Feng recommended him together. Luoyang buzzed with his name; scholars dreamed of meeting him.
14
及西还，道经弘农，过侯太守皇甫规，门者不即通，壹遂遁去。 门吏惧，以白之，规闻壹名大惊，乃追书谢曰：“蹉跌不面，企德怀风，虚心委质，为日久矣。 侧闻仁者愍其区区，冀承清诲，以释遥悚。 今旦，外白有一尉两计吏，不道屈尊门下，更启乃知已去。 如印绶可投，夜岂待旦。 惟君明睿，平其夙心。 宁当慢慠，加于所天。 事在悖惑，不足具责。 倘可原察，追修前好，则何福如之！ 谨遣主簿奉书。 下笔气结，汗流竟趾。 ”壹报曰：“君学成师范，缙绅归慕，仰高希骥，历年滋多。 旋辕兼道，渴于言侍，沐浴晨兴，昧旦守门，实望仁君，昭其悬迟。 以贵下贱，握发垂接。 高可敷玩坟典，起发圣意； 下则抗论当世，消弭时灾。 岂悟君子，自生怠倦，失恂恂善诱之德，同亡国骄惰之志！ 盖见机而作，不俟终日，是以夙退自引，畏使君劳。 昔人或历说而不遇，或思士而无从，皆归之于天，不尤于物。 今壹自谴而已，岂敢有猜！ 仁君忽一匹夫，于德何损？ 而远辱手笔，追路相寻，诚足愧也。 壹之区区，曷云量己？ 其嗟可去，谢也可食，诚则顽薄，实识其趣。 但关节□动，膝炙坏溃，请俟他日，乃奉其情。 辄诵来贶，永以自慰。 ”遂去不顾。
Heading home through Hongnong he called on Huangfu Gui; slow admission made him slip away. Huangfu Gui panicked and mailed an apology for missing the visit. He begged instruction to calm old fears. Morning clerks spoke of the visitors too late—by reopening the gate Zhao had gone. Had he known he would have renounced office overnight. Only your clarity can steady what we felt before. Would I dare insult my sovereign patron? Confusion explains it—no need for harsh blame. If you forgive and renew friendship—what fortune tops that? I send my chief clerk with this letter of apology. My hand shakes as I write—sweat runs to my feet. Zhao Yi answered that Huangfu Gui's scholarship drew every belted official and he had admired him for years. You hurried back along both roads, longing for conversation, rose bathed before light, and waited at his gate hoping kindness would end the strain. You stooped from high rank to meet a nobody—the courtesy of a ruler who interrupts his shampoo. At best you could unpack canonical texts and stir sagely purpose. At least you could argue policy and lift today's disasters. Instead you slid into sloth like a doomed dynasty—where was the gentle persuasion? So I left before the day was out rather than burden you further. Old tales blame Heaven when persuasion fails—not the world itself. I fault only myself—no shadow of doubt toward you. Ignoring one nobody cannot stain your virtue. Yet your letter chasing me down the road humbles me past bearing. How should a nobody like me weigh his own worth? Leave the sigh behind or accept the meal—I am coarse yet I understand your meaning. My joints ache—text damaged—and old burns fester; ask another meeting to speak plainly. I read your words again for solace. He walked away and never looked back.
15
州郡争致礼命，十辟公府，并不就，终于家。 初袁逢使善相者相壹，云“仕不过郡吏”，竟如其言。
Every province courted him; ten grand offices summoned him—he refused all and died at home. Yuan Feng once had his face read: ‘No higher than commandery clerk’—it came true.
16
著赋、颂、箴、诔、书、论及杂文十六篇。
Sixteen pieces survive: fu, songs, warnings, laments, essays, and scraps.
17
刘梁字曼山，一名岑，东平宁阳人也。 梁宗室子孙，而少孤贫，卖书于市以自资。
Liu Liang, styled Manshan—also known as Cen—hailed from Ningyang in Dongping. Of royal blood but fatherless and poor, he peddled books for rice.
18
常疾世多利交，以邪曲相党，乃著《破群论》。 时之览者以为：“仲尼作《春秋》，乱臣知惧。 今此论之作，俗士岂不愧心！ ”其文不存。
He despised mercenary cliques and wrote 《Breaking Cliques》. They compared him to Confucius: the Spring and Autumn froze traitors in fear. They asked how corrupt scholars could read it without shame. That work is lost.
19
又著《辩和同之论》。 其辞曰：
He also wrote 《Discourse on Harmonizing Same and Different》. It opens:
20
夫事有违而得道，有顺而失义，有爱而为害，有恶而为美。 其故何乎？ 盖明智之所得，暗伪之所失也。 是以君子之于事也，无适无莫，必考之以义焉。
Some roads look wrong yet lead right; some smooth paths betray justice; affection harms; hatred heals. Why? Insight wins what folly forfeits. The nobleman weighs each case by righteousness, not reflex.
21
得由和兴，失由同起，故以可济否谓之和，好恶不殊谓之同。 《春秋传》曰：“和如羹焉，酸苦以剂其味，君子食之以平其心。 同如水焉，若以水济水，谁能食之？ 琴瑟之专一，谁能听之？ ”是以君子之行，周而不比，和而不同； 以救过为正，以匡恶为忠。 经曰：“将顺其美，匡救其恶，则上下和睦能相亲也。”
Harmony mixes unlike tones to save disorder; uniformity means everyone liking the same. The Zuo tradition compares harmony to seasoned stew—bitter and sour balance the palate. Uniformity is water added to water—no one can swallow it. If every string plays one note, no ear stays tuned. So the gentleman encompasses many voices without cliques—harmony without conformity. Naming fault is honesty; naming evil is loyalty. The canon tells rulers to praise the good and mend the bad so court and country bond.
22
昔楚恭王有疾，召其大夫曰：“不谷不德，少主社稷。 失先君之绪，覆楚国之师，不谷之罪也。 若以宗庙之灵，得保首领以殁，请为灵若厉。 ”大夫许诸。 及其卒也，子囊曰：“不然。 夫事君者，从其善，不从其过。 赫赫楚国，而君临之，抚正南海，训及诸夏，其宠大矣。 有是宠也，而知其过，可不谓恭乎！ ”大夫众之。 此讳而得道者也。 及灵王骄淫，暴虐无度，芋尹申亥从王之欲，以殡于乾溪，殉之二女。 此顺而失义者也。 鄢陵之役，晋楚对战，阳穀献酒，子反以毙。 此爱而害之者也。 臧武仲曰：“孟孙之恶我，药石也； 季孙之爱我，美疢也。 疢毒滋厚，石犹生我。 ”此恶而为美者也。 孔子曰：“智之难也！ 有臧武仲之智，而不容于鲁国，抑有由也。 作不顺而施不恕也。 ”盖善其知义，讥其违道也。
King Gong of Chu took sick and told his ministers he lacked virtue yet held the shrines young. He blamed himself for breaking ancestral continuity and smashing Chu armies. If the spirits let him die whole he asked to be titled Ling or Li. They agreed. At his death Minister Zinang disagreed. Serve the ruler's virtue, not his vices. Chu blazes bright under him—he faces the southern seas and teaches the Central States—honor immense. Knowing one's fault despite such glory—is that not true reverence? The ministers acclaimed him. White washing brought him the Way. King Ling drowned in lust; Shen Hai indulged him to burial at Ganxi with concubines sacrificed. Compliance without righteousness. At Yanling Jin met Chu; Yang Gu brought wine and Zifan drank himself to ruin. Love that destroys. Zang Wu Zhong said: "Mengsun's spite is the bitter cure I need;" and Jisun's fondness is a glossy ulcer. Even as the growth festers, the harsh stone keeps me alive. That is how a curse can wear beauty's mask. Confucius cried: "True wisdom is rare!" Zang Wu Zhong's brilliance could not win Lu—and not without reason. He acted against principle and showed no humane breadth. The text honors his insight yet condemns his moral lapse.
23
夫知而违之，伪也； 不知而失之，暗也。 暗为伪焉，其患一也。 患之所在，非徒在智之不及，又在及而违这者矣。 故曰“智及之，仁不能守之，虽得之，必失之”也。 《夏书》曰：“念兹在兹，庶事恕施。 ”忠智之谓矣。
Knowing better and doing worse is falseness. Ignorance that misses the mark is blindness. Blindness and deceit injure alike. Calamity comes from stupidity and from intellect betrayed. So the Analects: wisdom without humanity cannot hold what it seizes. The canon bids us remember and meet every duty with charity. That is faithful insight.
24
故君子之行，动则思义，不为利回，不为义疚，进退周旋，唯道是务。 苟失其道，则兄弟不阿； 苟得其义，虽仇雠不废。 故解狐蒙祁奚之荐，二叔被周公之害，勃鞮以逆文为成，傅瑕以顺厉为败，管苏以憎忤取进，申侯以爱从见退：考之以义也。 故曰：“不在逆顺，以义为断； 不在憎爱，以道为贵。 ”《礼记》曰：“爱而知其恶，憎而知其善。 ”考义之谓也。
So the nobleman acts from principle—never bought by gain or cowed from right. Lose the Way and kin will not bend the rule for you. Stand on duty and even enemies keep their place. History shows Qi Xi lifting allies, royal uncles ruined by power—success or fall rides on duty, not affection. The maxim says the verdict is righteousness—not whether you resist or yield. Not love or hate but holding fast to the Way. The Rites demand we see flaw in the beloved and merit in the hated. That is judging by moral weight.
25
桓帝时，举孝廉，除北新城长。 告县人曰：“昔文翁在蜀，道著巴汉； 庚桑琐隶，风移碨磥。 吾虽小宰，犹有社稷，苟赴期会，理文墨，岂本志乎！ ”乃更大作讲舍，延聚生徙数百人，朝夕自往劝诫，身执经卷，试策殿最，儒化大行。 此邑至后犹称其教焉。
Emperor Huan raised him filial-incorrupt and made him magistrate of northern Xincheng. He told his people how Wen Weng once lit Ba and Han from Shu. Geng Sang was a minor clerk—yet he moved stone-bound customs. I may be a petty official but I hold the soil—if I only chase ledgers is that my calling? So he built lecture halls, drew hundreds of pupils, taught dawn to dusk, graded exams—Confucian reform swept the district. Later folk still sang his teaching.
26
特召入拜尚书郎。 累迁，后为野王令，未行。 光和中，病卒。
The throne summoned him to Gentleman of the Masters of Writing. Promotions made him Yewang magistrate—he never took up the post. He died of illness during mid-Guanghe.
27
孙桢，亦以文才知名。
Grandson Sun Zhen likewise earned a name for letters.
28
边让字文礼，除留浚仪人也。 少辩博，能属文。 作《章华赋》，虽多淫丽之辞，而终之以正，亦如相如之讽也。 其辞曰：
Bian Rang, styled Wenli, was a man of Junyi in Chenliu. From youth he was quick of tongue and could write linked prose. His 《Zhanghua Fu》 luxuriates in sensual lines yet closes in upright counsel like Xiangru's veiled rebuke. Its text runs:
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楚灵王既游云梦之泽，息于荆台之上。 前方淮之水，左洞庭之波，右顾彭蠡之□，南眺巫山之阿。 延目广望，聘观终日。 顾谓左史倚相曰：“盛哉斯乐，可以遗老而忘死也！ ”于是遂作章华之台，筑乾谿之室，穷木土之技，单珍府之实。 举国营之，数年乃成。 设长夜之淫宴，作北里之新声。 于是伍举知夫陈、蔡之将生谋也。 乃作斯赋以讽之：
King Ling of Chu had roamed Yunmeng's marsh and rested on Jing Terrace. Before him ran the Huai—Dongting surged on the left—he turned toward Pengli's expanse—one character missing on the page—south rose Witch Mountain's shoulder. He let his eyes wander and spent the full day in the view. He turned to archivist Yi Xiang and said: "Such joy could make a man forget age and death!" Then he raised Zhanghua Tower and Ganxi halls—spent every builder's art and drained the treasury. The whole kingdom toiled for years before it stood complete. He held all-night revels and struck Beili's lewd new tunes. Then Wu Ju knew Chen and Cai were about to hatch a plot. So he wrote this rhapsody to rebuke him.
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胄高阳之苗胤兮，承圣祖之洪泽。 建列籓于南楚兮，等威灵于二伯。 超有商之大彭兮，越隆周之两虢。 达皇佐之高勋兮，驰仁声之显赫。 惠风春施，神武电断，华夏肃清，五服攸乱。 旦垂精于万机兮，夕回辇于门馆。 设长夜之欢饮兮，展中情之□婉。 竭四海之妙珍兮，尽生人之秘玩。
He bore Gaoyang's bloodline and his sacred forebear's blessing. He planted kings across southern Chu and rivaled the Two Regents in dread majesty. He outdid Great Peng of Shang and the paired Guo lords of high Zhou. He scaled royal counselors' feats and rode a kindness that thundered across the realm. Gentle rule fell like spring wind; godlike arms split like lightning—the heartland cleared and every tribute belt fell into place. He bent over statecraft at sunrise and rolled home to the pleasure halls at nightfall. He staged all-night banquets and laid bare inner longing—one character missing in the text. He exhausted the empire's treasures and every secret delight of the living.
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尔乃携窈窕，从好仇，径肉林，登糟丘，兰肴山竦，椒酒渊流。 激玄醴于清池兮，靡微风而行舟。 登瑶台以回望兮，冀弥日而消忧。 于是招宓妃，命湘娥，齐倡列，郑女罗。 扬《激楚》之清宫兮，展新声而长歌。 繁手超于北里，妙舞丽于《阳阿》。 金石类聚，丝竹群分。 神轻袿，曳华文，罗衣飘颻，组绮缤纷。 纵轻躯以迅赴，若孤鹄之失群； 振华袂以逶迤，若游龙之登云。 于是欢嬿既洽，长夜向半，琴瑟易调，繁手改弹。 清声发而响激，微音逝而流散。 振弱支而纡绕兮，若绿繁之垂干； 忽飘飖以轻逝兮，似鸾飞于天汉。 舞无常态，鼓无定节，寻声响应，修短靡跌。 长袖奋而生风，清气激而绕结。 尔乃妍媚递进，巧弄相加，俯仰异容，忽兮神化。 体迅轻鸿，荣曜春华，进如浮云，退如激波。 虽复柳惠，能不咨嗟！ 于是天河既回，淫乐未终，清籥发徵，《激楚》扬风。 于是音气发于丝竹兮，飞响轶于云中。 比目应节而双跃兮，孤雌感声而鸣雄。 美繁手之轻妙兮，嘉新声之弥隆。 于是众变已尽，群乐既考。 归乎生风之广夏兮，修黄轩之要道。 携西子之弱腕兮，援毛嫔之素肘。 形便娟以婵媛兮，若流风之靡草。 美仪操之姣丽兮，忽遗生而忘老。
Then came slender girls and worthy companions, paths through flesh and lees, orchid viands mountain-high and peppered wine deep as a gorge. They beat sweet wine in glass pools and drifted boats on the lightest wind. From the jade terrace they gazed wide, wishing daylight could wash sorrow away. They called Fu Fei and the Xiang maidens, ranked Qi choruses and Zheng dancers in silken files. They lifted the clear notes of "Ji Chu" and spun fresh melodies in drawn-out song. Fingerwork surpassed Beili's tricks; the dance matched "Yang E" in grace. Metal and stone chimed in chorus; strings and winds traded phrases. Sheer jackets shimmered, brocade streamed, gauze lifted, ribbons flared. Light forms streaked like a swan split from the wedge. Sleeves opened in long curves like dragons mounting mist. Delight had peaked toward midnight; they retuned zithers and changed to new finger-songs. Bright notes cracked like ice; soft phrases melted away. Slender arms coiled like vine heavy on a branch. Then they lifted free as luan flying the Milky Way. No fixed step or drum-stroke; every ear matched the rhythm, long or short, never wrong-footed. Long sleeves whipped a gale; pure tone twisted and held. Grace stacked trick on trick; each gesture turned a new mask—then sudden as gods changing form. Forms raced like light geese, shone like spring flowers—advanced like cloud, drew back like surf. Even Liu Xiaohui could not choke down a sigh! The sky turned on; revel continued—the reed piped zhi and "Ji Chu" rode the wind. Sound welled from silk and bamboo and flew past the clouds. Flatfish jumped in time; the lone hen called back to the cock. They marveled at nimble hands and the rising new refrains. Every variation was spent; the suite had played through. They withdrew to the breezy hall and took up the Yellow Emperor's high road. He clasped West Beauty's wrists and Mao Concubine's moon-white elbows. Grace brushed him like wind combing grass. Such beauty made him forget life itself and forget growing old.
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尔乃清夜晨，妙技单，收尊俎，彻鼓盘。 惘焉若酲，抚剑而叹。 虑理国之须才，悟稼穑之艰难。 美吕尚之佐周，善管仲之辅桓。 将超世而作理，焉沈湎于此欢！ 于是罢女乐，堕瑶台。 思夏禹之卑官，慕有虞之土阶。 举英奇于仄陋，拔髦秀于蓬莱。 君明哲以知人，官随任而处能。 百揆时叙，庶绩咸熙。 诸侯慕义，不召同期。 继高阳之绝轨，崇成、庄之洪基。 虽齐醒之一匡，岂足方于大持？ 尔乃育之以仁，临之以明。 致虔报于鬼神，尽肃恭乎上京。 驰淳化于黎元，永历世而太平。
As dawn neared they struck the show, cleared goblets and platters, pulled away the drums. He woke foggy as after wine, gripped his blade, and sighed. He thought what governing requires of men and how farming breaks the body. He praised Lü Wang for Zhou and Guan Zhong for Duke Huan. He meant to lift the realm with good rule—how wallow in delight! So he sent the dancers away and cast down the jade terrace. He remembered Yu's low halls and Shun's packed-earth stairs. He drew genius from the gutter and culled worth from Penglai's isles. The lord read men truly and set each post where talent fit. All government aligned; every deed succeeded. Lords rallied to duty without waiting to be called. He restored Gaoyang's path and raised the base Cheng and Zhuang had laid. Even Duke Huan of Qi's once straightening the realm cannot measure against this great sway? Then he reared the people in kindness and ruled them with clear sight. He paid Heaven and earth and brimmed the capital with awe. His gentle lesson ran through the people; calm stretched endless reigns.
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大将军何进闻让才名，欲辟命之。 恐不至，诡以军事征召。 既到，署令史，进以礼见之。 让善占射，能辞对。 时，宾客满堂，莫不羡其风。 府掾孔融、王朗并修刺候焉。
Grand General He Jin heard of Bian Rang and meant to appoint him. Fearing refusal, He Jin lured him with a martial draft. When he came He Jin named him clerk and greeted him with full courtesy. Rang shone at guessing games and quick answers. Guests packed the room and envied his bearing. Staff aides Kong Rong and Wang Lang sent visiting cards and paid their respects.
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议郎蔡邕深敬之，以为让宜处高任，乃荐于何进曰：
Gentleman Cai Yong esteemed him, held that Rang deserved rank, and wrote He Jin:
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伏惟幕府初开，博选清英，华发旧德，并为元鬼。 虽振鹭之集西雍，济济之在周庭，无以或加。 窃见令史陈留边让，天授逸才，聪明贤智。 髫□夙孤，不尽家训。 及就学庐，便受大典。 初涉诸经，见本知义。 授者不能对其问，章句不能逮其意。 心通性达，口辩辞长。 非礼不动，非法不言。 若处狐疑之论，定嫌审之分，经典交至，捡括参合，众夫寂焉，莫之能夺也。 使让生在唐、虞，则元、凯之次，运值仲尼，则颜、冉之亚，岂徒俗之凡偶近器而已者哉！ 阶级名位，亦宜超然。 若复随辈而进，非所以章瑰伟之高价，昭知人之绝明也。 传曰：“函牛之鼎以亨鸡，多汁则淡而不可食，少计则熬而不可熟。 ”此言大器之于小用，固有所不宜也。 邕窃□邑，怪此宝鼎未受牺牛大羹之和，久在煎熬脔割之间。 愿明将军回谋垂虑，裁加少纳，贡之机密，展之力用。 若以年齿为嫌，则颜回不得贯德行之首，子奇终无理阿之功。 苟堪其事，古今一也。
Your new command gathers brilliant men; hoary worthies serve as your council of sages. Like herons flocking to the western pond or the throng in Zhou's hall—none finer. Your clerk Bian Rang of Chenliu bears Heaven's genius—lucid, good, wise. Orphaned young—lacuna in text—and never finished a father's lessons. Once in school he mastered the great classics. At first touch of each classic he saw root meaning. Tutors could not meet his questions; chapter glosses could not catch his sense. Mind and nature were clear; speech rolled without end. He moved only with ritual; he spoke only within law. In hard cases, weighing points, when texts clashed he harmonized them until the hall went silent—no one could refute him. Born under Yao and Shun he would rank with the Eight Yuan and Eight Kai; met Confucius he would walk with Yan and Ran—not some ordinary talent! His station ought to rise above the common. Marching him with the pack wastes his worth and dims your name for judgment of men. The saying runs: "A cauldron meant for ox-meat to boil a fowl—too much broth and it is thin and foul; too little and it chars raw." That is great gear forced to small jobs—some fits will always fail. I, Yong—lacuna in my humble office—marvel this sacred vessel never received sacrificial stew yet lingers scorched among petty cuts. May you reconsider, weigh briefly, admit him to secrets, and use his strength. If age bars him, Yan Hui would not head the worthy; young Zi Qi would never govern E. If he can do the work, old rule and new are the same.
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让后以高才擢进，屡迁，出为九江太守，不以为能也。
Rang rose on talent through many posts and became Jiujiang governor—yet still doubted his worth.
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初平中，王室大乱，让去官还家。 恃才气，不屈曹操，多轻侮之言。 建安中，其乡人有构让于操，操告郡就杀之。 文多遗失。
When Chuping broke the court he resigned and went home. He leaned on his wit, refused Cao Cao, and often mocked him. In Jian'an a townsman slandered him; Cao ordered the commandery to execute him there. Most of his writings are gone.
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郦炎字文胜，范阳人，郦食其之后也。 炎有文才，解音律，言论给捷，多服其能理。 灵帝时，州郡辟命，皆不就，有志气。 作诗二篇曰：
Li Yan, styled Wensheng, from Fanyang, line of Li Yiji. Yan wrote well, knew music, spoke with wit, and men praised his sense. Lingdi's era brought offers from every office—all refused—he had spine. He wrote two poems:
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大道夷且长，窘路狭且促。 修冀无卑栖，远趾不步局。 舒吾陵霄羽，奋此千里足。 超迈绝尘驱，倏忽谁能逐。 贤愚岂常类，禀性在清浊。 富贵有人籍，贫贱无天录。 通塞苟由已，志士不相卜。 陈平敖里社，韩信钓河曲。 终居天下宰，食此万钟禄。 德音流千载，功名重山岳。
The broad road runs smooth and far; the trapdoor track is narrow and short. Great wings do not perch low; wide steps do not pace a pen. I spread wings to vault heaven; I spur these thousand-mile legs. I leave the dust behind in an instant; no pursuer could close the gap. Sage and fool are not fixed—nature splits pure from turbid. Fortune sits on human rolls; the poor hold no writ from Heaven. Success lies with the self—the steadfast do not augur each other. Chen Ping strutted at the village altar; Han Xin fished the river curve. They rose to rule the realm on ten-thousand-bushel pay. Their names echo forever; their deeds outweigh mountains.
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灵芝生河洲，动摇因洪波。 兰荣一何晚，严霜瘁其柯。 哀哉二芳草，不植太山阿。 文质道所贵，遭时用有嘉。 绛、灌临衡宰，谓谊崇浮华。 贤才抑不用，远投荆南沙。 抱玉乘龙骥，不逢乐与和。 安得孔仲尼，为世陈四科。
Spirit fungus on the midstream bar shivers in the surge. The orchid blooms late—bitter frost gnaws the stalk. Alas—two sweet orchids never took root on Tai's shoulder. Plain truth is what the Way prizes; when the times embrace it, glory follows. When Zhou and Guan held power they mocked Jia Yi as vain glitter. The worthy were blocked and banished to the southern waste. He bore his gem astride a swift mount yet heard no tune that fit. Where is a Confucius to set the four classes for this age?
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炎后风病慌忽。 性至孝，遭母忧，病甚发动。 妻始产而惊死，妻家讼之，收系狱。 炎病不能理对，嘉平六年，遂死狱中，时年二十八。 尚书卢植为之诔赞，以昭其懿德。
Li Yan later suffered wind sickness and fits of confusion. Utterly filial, when his mother died grief ripped his illness open. His wife died in birthing shock; her kin sued and he was thrown in chains. Too sick to speak in court, he perished in jail in Jiaping 6 at twenty-eight. Minister Lu Zhi wrote his elegy to publish his fine conduct.
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侯瑾字子瑜，敦煌人也。 少孤贫，依宗人居。 性笃学，恒佣作为资，暮还辄燃柴以读书。 常以礼自牧，独处一房，如对严宾焉。 州郡累召，公车有道征，并称疾不到。 作《矫世论》以讥切当时，而徙入山中，覃思著述。 以莫知于世，故作《应宾难》以自寄。 又案《汉记》撰中兴以后行事，为《皇德传》三十篇，行于世。 余所作杂文数十篇，多亡失。 河西人敬其才而不敢名之，皆称为侯君云。
Hou Jin, styled Ziyu, came from Dunhuang. Fatherless and poor as a boy, he lodged with relatives. He studied with fierce zeal, hired himself out by day, and by night burned kindling to read. He kept ritual discipline alone in his room as though honored guests sat with him. Repeated summons came from province and court; each time he claimed illness and stayed away. He wrote "Rectifying the Age" to needle his times, then withdrew to the hills to think and compose. Unknown to the age, he penned "Reply to the Guest" to speak for himself. From the Han Records he stitched thirty chapters on the restored reign as "August Virtue," which circulated. Dozens of my essays survive only in scraps. Beyond the River they honored his gift and only said "Lord Hou."
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高彪字义方，吴郡无锡人也。 家本单寒，至彪为诸生，游太学。 有雅才而讷于言。 尝从马融欲访大义，融疾，不获见，乃复剌遗融书曰：“承服风问，从来有年，故不待介者而谒大君子之门，冀一见龙光，以叙腹心之愿。 不图遭疾，幽闭莫启。 昔周公旦父文兄武，九命作伯，以尹华夏，犹挥沐吐餐，垂接白屋，故周道以隆，天下归德。 公今养疴傲士，故其宜也。 ”融省书惭，追谢还之，彪逝而不顾。
Gao Biao, styled Yifang, hailed from Wuxi in Wu. His clan was poor; once a student he studied at the Academy. Gifted but tongue-tied. He sought Ma Rong's teaching; Ma lay sick and refused him, so he slipped a letter under the door: he had admired Ma for years and came without go-between to see even a gleam of his light. He never meant to find sickness—doors stayed shut. The Duke of Zhou ruled between father Wen and brother Wu with nine honors—yet washed his hair mid-bath and spat out food to meet poor scholars—so Zhou flourished and the world turned kind. Today you nurse sickness and scorn visitors—that fits you. Ma Rong read it and flushed; he raced to apologize, but Biao had already walked away.
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后郡举孝廉，试经第一。 除郎中，校书东观。 数奏赋、颂、奇文，因事讽谏，灵帝异之。
The commandery nominated him filial-incorrupt; he topped the classics test. They named him gentleman-attendant and set him collating at Eastern Pavilion. He sent up rhapsodies and memorials that rebuked by indirection; the emperor took notice.
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时，京兆第五永为督军御史，使督幽州。 百官大会，祖饯于长乐观。 议郎葵邑等皆赋诗，彪乃独作箴曰：“文武将坠，乃俾俊臣。 整我皇纲，董此不虔。 古之君子，即戎忘身。 明其果毅，尚其桓桓。 吕尚七十，气冠三军，诗人作歌，如鹰如鹯。 天有太一，五将三门； 地有九变，丘陵山川； 人有计策，六奇五间。 总兹三事，谋则咨询。 无曰己能，务在求贤，淮阴之勇，广野是尊。 周公大圣，石碏纯臣，以威克爱，以义灭亲。 勿谓时险，不正其身。 勿谓无人，莫识己真。 忘富遗贵，福禄乃存。 枉道依合，复无所观。 先公高节，越可永遵。 佩藏斯戒，以厉终身。 ”邕等甚美其文，以为莫尚也。
Diwu Yong of the capital served as army censor over Youzhou. The whole bureaucracy gathered to send him off at Changle Lodge. Cai Yong and the rest wrote poems; Biao alone offered a warning: when arms and letters waver, send worthy men. Straighten the imperial cords and watch the faithless. Ancient nobles forgot themselves once they bore arms. Make firm resolve clear and praise their grim march. Lü Wang at seventy still daunted three armies; poets likened him to hawk and harrier. Heaven holds the Pole Star—five hosts and three gates. Earth shifts nine ways—hill and stream. Men wield plots—six wonders and five infiltrators. Weigh all three when you plan. Never boast sole wisdom—seek sages—remember Huaiyin's courage at Wild Goose Marsh. The Duke was sage; Shi Que pure—duty crushed fondness and justice executed kin. Never blame dark times for crooked conduct. Never cry "no witnesses"—your heart knows truth. Forget titles and riches—then blessing lasts. Twist principle to please—and merit is hollow. Your father's stern virtue is the pattern forever. Keep this lesson pinned—to steel a lifetime. Cai Yong and company praised the piece above all others.
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后迁外黄令，帝敕同僚临送，祖于上东门，诏东观画彪像以劝学者。 彪到官，有德政，上书荐县人申徒蟠等。 病卒于官，文章多亡。
Promoted to Waihuang, he drew an imperial send-off at Upper East Gate and a portrait at Eastern Pavilion to inspire students. In office he ruled well and recommended Shen Tu Pan of his district. He died in harness; most of his works vanished.
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子岱，亦知名。
His son Dai won renown too.
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张超字子并，河间鄚人也，留侯良之后也。 有文才。 灵帝时，从车骑将军朱雋征黄巾，为别部司马。 著赋、颂、碑文、荐、檄、笺、书、谒文、嘲，凡十九篇。 超又善于草书，妙绝时人，世共传之。
Zhang Chao, styled Zibing, from Mo in Hejian, line of Marquis Zhang Liang. He wrote with skill. Under Lingdi he rode with Zhu Jun against the turbans as an independent major. Nineteen pieces survive: rhapsodies, eulogies, steles, recommendations, calls, notes, letters, cards, and lampoons. His grass script was unmatched and copied everywhere.
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祢衡字正平，平原般人也。 少有才辩，而尚气刚傲，好矫时慢物。 兴平中，避难荆州。 建安初，来游许下。 始达颍川，乃阴怀一剌，既而无所之适，至于刺字漫灭。 是时，许都新建，贤士大夫，四方来集。 或问衡曰：“盍从陈长文、司马伯达乎？ ”对曰：“吾焉能从屠沽兒耶！ ”又问：“荀文若、赵稚长云何？ ”衡曰：“文若可借面吊丧，稚长可使监厨请客。 ”唯善鲁国孔融及弘农杨脩。 常称曰：“大兒孔文举，小兒杨德祖。 余子碌碌，莫足数也。 ”融亦深爱其才。
Mi Heng, styled Zhengping, came from Ban in Pingyuan. Young, sharp-tongued and proud, he delighted in defying fashion and sneering at the great. In Xingping he fled turmoil to Jingzhou. Early Jian'an brought him to the court at Xu. In Yingchuan he hid a name card until no door took him and the ink rubbed bare. Xu was new then; talent flooded in from every quarter. They asked, "Why not follow Chen Ji or Sima Lang?" He shot back, "Why would I trail tavern louts and butchers' sons!" They pressed, "What of Xun Yu and Zhao Zhi then?" He sneered that Xun Yu had only a face fit for funerals and Zhao Zhi for catering. He granted only Kong Rong and Yang Xiu. He called Kong Rong the elder twin star and Yang Xiu the younger. The rest were straw—not worth naming. Kong Rong adored his gift.
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衡始弱冠，而融年四十，遂与为交友。 上疏荐之曰：
Heng was barely twenty when forty-year-old Rong befriended him. Rong presented a memorial:
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臣闻洪水横流，帝思俾乂，旁求四方，以招贤俊。 昔孝武继统，将弘祖业，畴咨熙载，群士响臻。 陛下睿圣，纂承基绪，遭遇厄运，劳谦日昃。 惟岳降神，异人并出。 窃见处士平原祢衡，年二十四，字正平，淑质贞亮，英才卓砾。 初涉艺文，升堂睹奥。 目所一见，辄诵于口； 耳所瞥闻，不忘于心。 性与道合，思若有神。 弘羊潜计，安世默识，以衡准之，诚不足怪。 忠果正直，志怀霜雪。 见善若惊，疾恶若仇。 任座抗行，史鱼厉节，殆无以过也。 鸷鸟累伯，不如一鹗。 使衡立朝，必有可观。 飞辩骋辞，溢气坌涌，解疑释结，临敌有余。 昔贾谊求试属国，诡系单于； 终军欲以长缨，牵致劲越。 弱冠慷慨，前世美之。 近日路粹、严象，亦用异才，擢拜台郎，衡宜与为比。 如得龙跃天衢，振翼云汉，扬声紫微，垂光虹蜺，足以昭近署之多士，增四门之穆穆。 钧天广乐，必有奇丽之观； 帝室皇居，必蓄非常之宝。 若衡等辈，不可多得。 《激楚》、《杨阿》，至妙之容，台牧者之所贪； 飞兔、騕褭，绝足奔放，良、乐之所急。 臣等区区，敢不以闻。
When the flood spread, the sage king searched the realm for worthies. Martial Emperor widened the old work and drew scholars like iron to lodestone. You are keen of mind yet inherit crisis and toil past sundown. The sacred peak sends spirits—talents rise together. He named Mi Heng, twenty-four, pure spirit and blazing wit. Touching the classics he reached their inner rooms. One glance etched itself on his tongue. One whisper lodged in memory. His nature meets the Way—thought moves like spirit. Against Sang Hongyang's sums or Zhang Anshi's memory he is no marvel less. Loyal and blunt—his will is frost. Good startles him; evil he hunts like prey. He rivals Ren Zuo's blunt truth and the historian's steel. A coop of hawks is less than one osprey. Set him in court and the realm would see. His words scatter fog and cut knots—enough for any foe. Jia Yi asked to bind the Chanyu from the frontier. Zhong Jun vowed to lasso far Yue with a cord. Youth that bold—history praised. Lu Cui and Yan Xiang rose on genius; Heng belongs with them. Give him heaven's road and he would thunder through the stars—proof for every court and gate. Heaven's symphony holds stranger sights. The throne hoards gems beyond the common. Talent like Mi Heng rarely appears twice in an age. The airs "Ji Chu" and "Yang E" hold the finest charm—exactly what idle hosts hoard. Steeds like Flying Hare and Yaoniao—fleet beyond measure—the mounts Bo Le prized. Your servants humbly dare not leave this unsaid.
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融既爱衡才，数称述于曹操。 操欲见之，而衡素相轻疾，自称狂病，不肯往，而数有恣言。 操怀忿，而以其才名，不欲杀之。 闻衡善击鼓，乃召为鼓史，因大会宾客，阅试音节。 诸史过者，皆令脱其故衣，更着岑牟、单绞之服。 次至衡，衡方为《渔阳》参挝，蹀□而前，容态有异，声节悲壮，听者莫不慷慨。 衡进至操前而止，吏呵之曰：“鼓史何不改装，而轻敢进乎？ ”衡曰：“诺。 ”于是先解衵衣，次释余服，裸身而立，徐取岑牟、单绞而着之，毕，复参挝而去，颜色不怍。 操笑曰：“本欲辱衡，衡反辱孤。”
Because Kong Rong prized Mi Heng he spoke of him again and again to Cao Cao. Cao wanted an audience; Mi Heng loathed him, feigned madness, stayed away, and kept firing insults. Cao burned with anger yet spared him for the sake of his reputation. Learning Mi Heng's skill on the drum, Cao named him drum clerk and threw a banquet to hear him. Every drummer had to shed his clothes for the uniform cap and jacket. At Mi Heng's turn he hammered the "Yuyang" triple beat—paced forward—lacuna in text—bearing odd and tone mournful so every listener shook. Mi Heng walked up to Cao Cao and halted; a clerk barked, "Why keep your old clothes—how dare you step up like that?" Mi Heng answered, "Very well." Then he stripped his undershirt, shed the rest, stood bare, slowly pulled on cap and jacket, finished the triple roll, and walked off without a blush. Cao laughed. "I meant to humiliate him—he humiliated me."
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孔融退而数之曰：“正平大雅，固当尔邪？ ”因宣操区区之意。 衡许往。 融复见操，说衡狂疾，今求得自谢。 操喜，敕门者有客便通，待之极晏。 衡乃着布单衣、疏巾，手持三尺棁杖，坐大营门，以杖捶地大骂。 吏曰：“外有狂生，坐于营门，言语悖逆，请收案罪。 ”操怒，谓融曰：“祢衡竖子，孤杀之犹雀鼠耳。 顾此人素有虚名，远近将谓孤不能容之，今送与刘表，视当何如。 ”于是遣人骑送之。 临发，众人为之祖道，先供设于城南，乃更相戒曰：“祢衡勃虐无礼，今因其后到，咸当以不起折之也。 ”及衡至，众人莫肯兴，衡坐而大号。 众问其故，衡曰：“坐者为冢，卧者为尸。 尸冢之间，能不悲乎！”
Kong Rong pulled him aside: "You call yourself refined—is this what you call fitting?" Then he relayed Cao Cao's conciliatory message. Mi Heng agreed to call. Kong Rong told Cao the madness had passed and Mi Heng wished to apologize in person. Cao was delighted and told the gate to admit anyone at once; he waited deep into the evening. Mi Heng came in plain cloth and loose scarf, gripped a three-foot rod, sat at the camp gate, drummed the ground with it, and roared abuse. An aide reported, "A madman sits at the gate hurling treason—arrest him." Cao snapped at Kong Rong, "That wretch Mi Heng—I could crush him like a bug." Yet he has a hollow reputation; if I kill him every mouth will say I cannot abide counsel—pack him off to Liu Biao and watch what happens. So Cao had horsemen escort him away. They staged a send-off south of the city and agreed that because Mi Heng was crude and late they would all stay seated to humble him. When he came nobody stood; Mi Heng sat down and howled. They asked why; he said, "Seated men are burial mounds; prone men are corpses." Between tomb and corpse—who would not weep!
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刘表及荆州士大夫，先服其才名，甚宾礼之，文章言议，非衡不定。 表尝与诸文人共草章奏，并极其才思。 时衡出，还见之，开省未周，因毁以抵地。 表怃然为骇。 衡乃从求笔札，须臾立成，辞义可观。 表大悦，益重之。
Liu Biao and the Jingzhou elite already respected his name; they honored him as a guest and let him settle every draft and debate. Liu Biao once joined scholars drafting memorials and poured out every clever phrase. Mi Heng walked in, skimmed their pile before they finished reading, and tore it to the floor. Liu Biao sat thunderstruck. Mi Heng demanded ink and slips and in moments produced a polished draft. Liu Biao rejoiced and prized him even more.
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后复侮慢于表，表耻，不能容，以江夏太守黄祖性急，故送衡与之，祖亦善待焉。 衡为作书记，轻重疏密，各得体宜。 祖持其手曰：“处士，此正得祖意，如祖腹中之所欲言也。”
Later Mi Heng insulted Liu Biao again; shamed and unable to endure him, Liu sent him to the short-tempered Jiangxia governor Huang Zu, who still treated him kindly. Mi Heng penned Huang Zu's correspondence—every tone and spacing hit the mark. Huang Zu clasped his hand: "Sir, this is exactly what I meant—words drawn straight from my gut."
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祖长子射，为章陵太守，尤善于衡。 尝与衡俱游，共读蔡邕所作碑文，射爱其辞，还恨不缮写。 衡曰：“吾虽一览，犹能识之，唯其中石缺二字，为不明耳。 ”因书出之，躬驰使写碑，还校，如衡所书，莫不叹伏。 射时大会宾客，人有献鹦鹉者，射举卮于衡曰：“愿先生赋之，以娱嘉宾。 ”衡揽笔而作，文无加点，辞采甚丽。
Huang Zu's eldest son She governed Zhangling and favored Mi Heng above others. They once toured together and read Cai Yong's inscription; She loved the text but regretted having no copy. Mi Heng said, "One reading fixes it in memory—only two characters are missing on the stone." He wrote them out, sent a rider to engrave the stele, compared the copy, and every line matched—everyone marveled. At a banquet someone brought a parrot; She lifted his cup to Mi Heng: "Please compose a fu for our guests." Mi Heng took the brush and finished without revision—language radiant.
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后黄祖在蒙冲船上，大会宾客，而衡言不逊顺，祖惭，乃呵之。 衡更熟视曰：“死公！ 云等道？ ”祖大怒，令五百将出，欲加箠。 衡方大骂，祖恚，遂令杀之。 祖主簿素疾衡，即时杀焉。 射徒跣来救，不及。 祖亦悔之，乃厚加棺敛。 衡时年二十六，其文章多亡云。
Later, aboard a war-boat, Huang Zu feasted guests; Mi Heng spoke harshly, shaming Zu until he snapped. Mi Heng glared: "Corpse of an old official!" What kind of talk is that? Huang Zu roared for guards to drag him out for a beating. Mi Heng kept shouting until Zu, furious, ordered him executed. Huang Zu's registrar, who long despised Mi Heng, killed him on the spot. She ran barefoot to intervene—too late. Huang Zu repented and buried him with honor. Mi Heng was twenty-six; most of his writings vanished.
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赞曰：情志既动，篇辞为贵。 抽心呈貌，非雕非蔚。 殊状共体，同声异气。 言观丽则，永监淫费。
The summation runs: once feeling moves, the text becomes the prize. It lays heart bare without carving ornament or piling gloss. Many shapes share one body; one tune may carry different breath. Judge beauty by the norm—let excess be your lifelong mirror.