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皇甫謐
Biography: Huangfu Mi.
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皇甫謐，字士安，幼名靜，安定朝那人，漢太尉嵩之曾孫也。 出叔父，徙居新安。 年二十，不好學，遊蕩無度，或以為癡。 嘗得瓜果，輒進所叔母任氏。 任氏曰：「《孝經》云：『三牲之養，猶為不孝。』 汝今年餘二十，目不存教，心不入道，無以慰我。」 因歎曰：「昔孟母三徙以成仁，曾父烹豕以存教，豈我居不卜鄰，教有所闕，何爾魯鈍之甚也！ 修身篤學，自汝得之，于我何有！」 因對之流涕。 謐乃感激，就鄉人席坦受書，勤力不怠。 居貧，躬自稼穡，帶經而農，遂博綜典籍百家之言。 沈靜寡欲，始有高尚之志，以著述為務，自號玄晏先生。 著《禮樂》、《聖真》之論。 後得風痹疾，猶手不輟卷。
Huangfu Mi, whose courtesy name was Shi'an and childhood name Jing, came from Chaona in Anding; he was the great-grandson of Huangfu Song, who had served the Han as Grand Commandant. He was posthumously transferred to his uncle's line and the family relocated to Xin'an. By twenty he still scorned books, drifted without purpose, and people took him for a simpleton. Whenever he had fruit, he would bring it first to his adoptive aunt, Lady Ren. Lady Ren told him: "The Classic of Filial Piety says that even serving one's parents the finest triple sacrifice can still fall short of true filial piety. You are already past twenty, yet you pay no heed to teaching and your heart is not in the Way; that gives me no comfort." She sighed and went on: "Meng Ke's mother moved house three times to shape his character; Zeng Shen's father kept his word over a pig to teach honesty. Have I failed to pick our neighbors, or failed you as a teacher, that you should be so stubbornly slow? Moral self-cultivation and serious study are yours to earn—what credit would they bring me?" With that she wept in front of him. Moved by her words, he studied under his townsman Xi Tan and applied himself without letting up. Poor as he was, he worked the fields himself, classics tucked in his belt, until he had mastered the standard works and the writings of every school. Reserved and detached from ambition, he turned to scholarship as his life's work and took the sobriquet Master Xuanyan ('Dark Tranquility'). He wrote discourses on ritual and music and on sagehood and truth. Even after he fell ill with arthritic numbness, he never set his books aside.
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或勸謐修名廣交，謐以為「非聖人孰能兼存出處，居田里之中亦可以樂堯、舜之道，何必崇接世利，事官鞅掌，然後為名乎」。 作《玄守論》以答之，曰：
When others pressed him to network and seek fame, he replied that only a sage could harmonize public service and reclusion; even in the countryside one could live Yao and Shun's ideal—there was no need to chase office and profit merely to be somebody. He wrote his essay "On Abiding in Mystery" in reply, which begins:
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遂不仕。 耽玩典籍，忘寢與食，時人謂之「書淫」。 或有箴其過篤，將損耗精神。 謐曰：「朝聞道，夕死可矣，況命之修短分定懸天乎！」
He therefore never entered government service. He lost himself in texts to the point of skipping meals and sleep, and his contemporaries nicknamed him a "book lecher." Friends warned that such obsession would ruin his health. He answered: "If I could hear the truth in the morning, I could die content that evening—and lifespan is heaven's decision anyway."
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叔父有子既冠，謐年四十喪所生後母，遂還本宗。
Once his uncle had an heir of age, and Mi turned forty, he buried the stepmother who had raised him and reverted to his natural father's line.
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城陽太守梁柳，謐從姑子也，當之官，人勸謐餞之。 謐曰：「柳為布衣時過吾，吾送迎不出門，食不過鹽菜，貧者不以酒肉為禮。 今作郡而送之，是貴城陽太守而賤梁柳，豈中古人之道，是非吾心所安也。」
Liang Liu of Chengyang commandery—Mi's cousin once removed—was leaving for his appointment, and neighbors wanted Mi to host a send-off banquet. Mi replied: "When Liang Liu was still a commoner and called on me, I never stepped outside my door for him and we ate nothing finer than pickles—modest households do not toast one another with meat and wine. To fuss over him now that he wears an official's sash would honor the title of governor while slighting the man Liang Liu himself—that is not how the old worthies behaved, and it would not sit right with me."
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時魏郡召上計掾，舉孝廉； 景元初，相國辟，皆不行。 其後鄉親勸令應命，謐為《釋勸論》以通志焉。 其辭曰：其後武帝頻下詔敦逼不已，謐上疏自稱草莽臣曰：「臣以尪弊，迷於道趣，因疾抽簪，散發林阜，人綱不閑，鳥獸為群。 陛下披榛采蘭，並收蒿艾。 是以皋陶振褐，不仁者遠。 臣惟頑蒙，備食晉粟，猶識唐人擊壤之樂，宜赴京城，稱壽闕外。 而小人無良，致災速禍，久嬰篤疾，軀半不仁，右腳偏小，十有九載。 又服寒食藥，違錯節度，辛苦荼毒，於今七年。 隆冬裸袒食冰，當暑煩悶，加以咳逆，或若溫虐，或類傷寒，浮氣流腫，四肢酸重。 於今困劣，救命呼噏，父兄見出，妻息長訣。 仰迫天威，扶輿就道，所苦加焉，不任進路，委身待罪，伏枕歎息。 臣聞《韶》《衛》不並奏，《雅》《鄭》不兼禦，故郤子入周，禍延王叔； 虞丘稱賢，樊姬掩口。 君子小人，禮不同器，況臣糠䵃，糅之彫胡？ 庸夫錦衣，不稱其服也。 竊聞同命之士，咸以畢到，唯臣疾疢，抱釁床蓐，雖貪明時，懼斃命路隅。 設臣不疾，已遭堯、舜之世，執志箕山，猶當容之。 臣聞上有明聖之主，下有輸實之臣； 上有在寬之政，下有委情之人。 唯陛下留神垂恕，更旌瑰俊，索隱于傅岩，收釣於渭濱，無令泥滓久濁清流。」 謐辭切言至，遂見聽許。
Wei commandery appointed him accounts clerk and nominated him for the Filial and Incorrupt examination; Early in Jingyuan the chief minister tried to hire him as well, but he refused every summons. When neighbors pressed him to accept office, he wrote his "Disquisition Explaining Persuasion" to spell out his resolve. The piece opens by noting that Emperor Wu kept issuing stern summonses; Mi answered with a memorial calling himself a mere "weed-country" subject: worn down and unsure of his direction, he had thrown aside office for illness, let his hair stream in the hills, shunned society, and lived like the birds and beasts. Your Majesty clears the thorns for orchids yet gathers humble mugwort as well. Thus like Gao Yao of old in plain robes, you drive the vicious away. I am dull and untrained, yet even while eating Jin grain I remember the innocent delight of the ancient earth-clod song—I ought to rush to the capital and present my blessings below your gate. Yet this worthless body has invited sickness: for nineteen years I have suffered paralysis down one side and wasting of the right foot. Cold-food elixirs, wrongly dosed, have tormented me without cease these seven years. Deep winter finds me naked and chewing ice; midsummer brings feverish oppression, coughing attacks that mimic malaria or typhoid, watery swelling, and leaden limbs. I am reduced to gasping for breath while kin abandon me and my wife and children prepare their final goodbyes. Yielding to imperial pressure I would drag myself onto the road, yet the journey would only worsen my pain; I cannot travel—I throw myself on your mercy and sigh upon my pillow. As Shao and Wei were never played together, nor courtly airs mixed with Zheng tunes, the Xi heir's entry into Zhou spelled doom even for royal uncles. When Yuqiu was hailed as a sage minister, Lady Fan of Chu hid a smile behind her sleeve. Nobles and commoners were never served from the same bowl; how much less fit am I, mere bran, to be tossed with polished grain? Silk on a dullard never sits right. Others summoned with me have reported for duty; I alone lie sick on my couch—however much I cherish your reign, I would only collapse on the road. Even if I were well, in an age as benign as Yao and Shun's a recluse who clung to Mount Ji would still deserve indulgence. Where the throne shines bright, ministers speak plain truth; where policy stays generous, subjects may lay bare their hearts. Please look kindly on my plea, seek worthies at Fu Rock and the Wei waters, and keep silt from fouling the clear stream of office. His memorial was urgent and heartfelt, and the throne granted his excuse.
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歲餘，又舉賢良方正，並不起。 自表就帝借書，帝送一車書與之。 謐雖羸疾，而披閱不怠。 初服寒食散，而性與之忤，每委頓不倫，嘗悲恚，叩刃欲自殺，叔母諫之而止。
A year later he was nominated again as Worthy and Upright but still refused to serve. He petitioned the throne for library loans and received an entire cart of texts. Frail as he was, he never tired of reading. Cold-food elixirs disagreed with his constitution: fits left him half dead with rage; once he seized a blade to end his life until his aunt talked him down.
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濟陰太守蜀人文立，表以命士有贄為煩，請絕其禮幣，詔從之。 謐聞而歎曰：「亡國之大夫不可與圖存，而以革歷代之制，其可乎！ 夫『束帛戔戔』，《易》之明義，玄纁之贄，自古之舊也。 故孔子稱夙夜強學以待問，席上之珍以待聘。 士於是乎三揖乃進，明致之難也； 一讓而退，明去之易也。 若殷湯之于伊尹，文王之于太公，或身即莘野，或就載以歸，唯恐禮之不重，豈吝其煩費哉！ 且一禮不備，貞女恥之，況命士乎！ 孔子曰：『賜也，爾愛其羊，我愛其禮。』 棄之如何？ 政之失賢，於此乎在矣。」
Wen Li, governor of Jiyin, petitioned to scrap presentation gifts for appointed scholars, and the court agreed. Huangfu Mi sighed: "Ministers of a fallen regime are poor counselors—yet does that justify junking age-old courtesy gifts? The Book of Changes celebrates stacked silks; dark-red presents are an immemorial custom. Confucius urged scholars to master learning day and night and keep their talents like treasures spread for a worthy summons. Three deferential bows before stepping forward showed how hard it was to earn an invitation; one courteous refusal and withdrawal showed how easily honor could be declined. King Tang visited Yi Yin in the wilds; King Wen fetched the Grand Duke in his carriage—they strained every ritual courtesy and never grudged the cost. A modest maiden blushes if any courtesy is omitted—how much more a sworn scholar! Confucius told Zigong: you fret over the sheep; I care about the ritual." What happens when we throw such traditions away? This is how states lose their best men."
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咸甯初，又詔曰：「男子皇甫謐沈靜履素，守學好古，與流俗異趣，其以謐為太子中庶子。」 謐固辭篤疾。 帝初雖不奪其志，尋復發詔徵為議郎，又召補著作郎。 司隸校尉劉毅請為功曹，並不應。 著論為葬送之制，名曰《篤終》，曰：而竟不仕。 卒，時年六十八。 子童靈、方回等遵其遺命。
Early in Xianning another edict praised Mi's sobriety and scholarship and named him Palace Attendant to the crown prince. He pleaded grave illness and refused. The emperor first respected his wishes but soon summoned him as Gentleman Consultant and Editorial Director. Liu Yi, the metropolitan inspector, wanted him as clerk of records—again he declined. He wrote his "Steadfast to the End" on funeral practice; throughout, he never accepted office. He died at sixty-eight. His sons Tongling and Fang Hui carried out his last wishes.
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謐所著詩賦誄頌論難甚多，又撰《帝王世紀》、《年曆》、《高士》、《逸士》、《列女》等傳、《玄晏春秋》，並重於世。 門人摯虞、張軌、牛綜、席純，皆為晉名臣。
He left a vast body of verse, fu, laments, hymns, essays, and debates, plus his Annals of Kings, calendars, collections on eminent and reclusive worthy men, exemplary women, and the Xuanyan chronicle—each widely influential. Among his pupils Zhi Yu, Zhang Gui, Niu Zong, and Xi Chun rose to distinction under the Jin.
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子方回
His son Fang Hui.
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=方回少遵父操，兼有文才。 永嘉初，博士征，不起。 避亂荊州，閉戶閒居，未嘗入城府。 蠶而後衣，耕而後食，先人後己，尊賢愛物，南土人士咸崇敬之。 刺史陶侃禮之甚厚。 侃每造之，著素士服，望門輒下而進。 王敦遣從弟暠代侃，遷侃為廣州。 侃將詣敦，方回諫曰：「吾聞敵國滅，功臣亡。 足下新破杜弢，功莫與二，欲無危，其可得乎！」 侃不從而行。 敦果欲殺侃，賴周訪獲免。 暠既至荊州，大失物情，百姓叛暠迎杜弢。 暠大行誅戮以立威，以方回為侃所敬，責其不來詣己，乃收而斬之。 荊土華夷，莫不流涕。
Fang Hui followed his father's austere example from youth and showed literary gifts of his own. When Yongjia opened he was called to the academy doctorate but would not go. He fled the turmoil to Jingzhou, kept to his home, and never set foot in the regional seat. He spun before he dressed, tilled before he ate, put others first, honored talent and cherished life—southerners held him in universal esteem. Governor Tao Kan showed him exceptional respect. Whenever Tao Kan called, he dressed as a simple scholar, dismounted at the gate, and walked in. Wang Dun posted his cousin Wang Hao to supplant Tao Kan and moved Kan south to Guangzhou. As Tao Kan prepared to visit Wang Dun, Fang Hui warned: "They say when the rival realm falls, its champions are next. You have just crushed Du Tao—no one rivals your fame—do you really expect to stay safe?" Tao Kan ignored him and went anyway. Wang Dun nearly had him killed; only Zhou Fang's intervention saved him. Once Wang Hao took Jingzhou he forfeited popular support; people rose against him and sided with Du Tao. Wang Hao tried to terrify the region with executions; resenting Fang Hui's prestige—Tao Kan still revered him—he arrested Hui for refusing a personal audience and put him to death. Chinese and tribal peoples across Jing mourned him.
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摯虞
Biography: Zhi Yu.
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摯虞，字仲洽，京兆長安人也。 父模，魏太僕卿。 虞少事皇甫謐，才學通博，著述不倦。 郡檄主簿。 虞嘗以死生有命，富貴在天。 天之所祐者義也，人之所助者信也。 履信思順，所以延福，違此而行，所以速禍。 然道長世短，禍福舛錯，怵迫之徒，不知所守，蕩而積憤，或迷或放。 故借之以身，假之以事，先陳處世不遇之難，遂棄彝倫，輕舉遠遊，以極常人罔惑之情，而後引之以正，反之以義，推神明之應於視聽之表，崇否泰之運于智力之外，以明天任命之不可違，故作《思遊賦》。 其辭曰：舉賢良，與夏侯湛等十七人策為下第，拜中郎。 武帝詔曰：「省諸賢良答策，雖所言殊塗，皆明于王義，有益政道。 欲詳覽其對，究觀賢士大夫用心。」 因詔諸賢良方正直言，會東堂策問，曰：「頃日食正陽，水旱為災，將何所修，以變大眚？ 及法令有不宜於今，為公私所患苦者，皆何事？ 凡平世在於得才，得才者亦借耳目以聽察。 若有文武器能有益於時務而未見申敘者，各舉其人。 及有負俗謗議，宜先洗濯者，亦各言之。」 虞對曰：「臣聞古之聖明，原始以要終，體本以正末。 故憂法度之不當，而不憂人物之失所； 憂人物之失所，而不憂災害之流行。 誠以法得於此，則物理於彼； 人和於下，則災消於上。 其有日月之眚，水旱之災，則反聽內視，求其所由，遠觀諸物，近驗諸身。 耳目聽察，豈或有蔽其聰明者乎？ 動心出令，豈或有傾其常正者乎？ 大官大職，豈或有授非其人者乎？ 賞罰黜陟，豈或有不得其所者乎？ 河濱山岩，豈或有懷道釣築而未感於夢兆者乎？ 方外遐裔，豈或有命世傑出而未蒙膏澤者乎？ 推此類也，以求其故，詢事考言，以盡其實，則天人之情可得而見，咎征之至可得而救也。 若推之於物則無忤，求之於身則無尤，萬物理順，內外咸宜，祝史正辭，言不負誠，而日月錯行，夭癘不戒，此則陰陽之事，非吉凶所在也。 期運度數，自然之分，固非人事所能供禦，其亦振廩散滯，貶食省用而已矣。 是故誠遇期運，則雖陶唐、殷湯有所不變； 苟非期運，則宋、衛之君，諸侯之相，猶能有感。 唯陛下審其所由，以盡其理，則天下幸甚。 臣生長蓽門，不逮異物，雖有賢才，所未接識，不敢瞽言妄舉，無以疇答聖問。」 擢為太子舍人，除聞喜令。
Zhi Yu, styled Zhongqia, came from Chang'an in the Jingzhao capital district. His father Zhi Mo had been Wei Minister of the Imperial Stud. As a young man he studied under Huangfu Mi, mastered wide learning, and wrote indefatigably. The commandery drafted him chief clerk. Zhi Yu held that life span and fate are fixed, rank and wealth heaven-sent. Heaven blesses those who live rightly; men rally to those who keep faith. Integrity and prudence lengthen fortune; their opposite hastens disaster. Yet the path is long while life is brief; fortune and disaster tangle; anxious souls lose their bearings, drift, and stockpile resentment—some grow deluded, others reckless. So he used his own story and imagined journeys—first sketching the bitterness of unappreciated scholars who abandon duty for restless travel, mapping ordinary confusion, then steering readers back toward righteousness, arguing that divine response lies beyond the senses and fortune beyond clever plans, all to show heaven's decree cannot be resisted; hence his "Rhapsody on Roaming Thought." The source text runs together the fu preface with later events: nominated Worthy and Good, he placed lowest among eighteen candidates including Xiahou Zhan and received an honorary Gentleman title. Emperor Wu observed that although each worthy's policy essay took a different tack, all clarified royal principle and served good government. He wished to study every answer closely and weigh the minds of these scholar-officials. He then convened the worthy candidates at the Eastern Hall and asked why recent eclipses and floods struck the heartland and what reform could avert such sweeping ill. Which laws today harm both state and subject alike? Stable rule rests on finding the right men, and rulers must keep eyes and ears open. Anyone who knows officials whose skills could serve the realm must put their names forward. Anyone unjustly smeared who deserves rehabilitation should also be named. Zhi Yu answered that ancient sage-kings traced effects to causes and governed from principle outward. They worried first about bad law, not misplaced personnel; then about mismatched appointments, not random natural catastrophes. When statutes align below, heaven's pattern rights itself above; harmony in the realm dissolves omens in the sky. When heaven sends eclipse or flood, a ruler searches policy and conscience alike. Has anything dulled your ears or eyes? Have decrees strayed from steady principle? Have high posts gone to unworthy men? Have rewards and punishments missed their mark? Have recluses whose virtue should move heaven gone unnoticed? Have frontier talents lacked your nurturing rain? Ask such questions honestly and heaven's intent becomes legible; omens can then be answered with reform. When government and conscience are sound yet odd skies persist, blame cosmic imbalance—not moral failure. Calendar fate lies beyond men; all we can do is open granaries, tighten belts, and ease suffering. When heaven fixes a season of doom, even Yao and Tang could not shift it; yet outside such doom minor sovereigns could still move heaven by virtue. Probe causes this thoroughly and the empire profits. Raised in obscurity, I know too few men to recommend anyone worthy of your question. He rose to crown prince's gentleman and magistrate of Wenxi.
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時天子留心政道，又吳寇新平，天下乂安，上《太康頌》以美晉德。 其辭曰：
While the emperor focused on good rule and Wu had just surrendered, he offered his Taikang ode praising the Jin. The ode begins:
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:於休上古，人之資始。 四隩咸宅，萬國同軌。 有漢不競，喪亂靡紀。 畿服外叛，侯衛內圮。 天難既降，時惟鞠凶。 龍戰獸爭，分裂遐邦。 備僭岷蜀，度逆海東。 權乃緣間，割據三江。 明明上帝，臨下有赫。 乃宣皇威，致天之辟。 奮武遼隧，罪人斯獲。 撫定朝鮮，奄征韓、貊。 文既應期，席捲梁、益。 元憝委命，九夷重譯。 邛、冉、哀牢，是焉底績。 我皇之登，二國既平。 靡適不懷，以育群生。 吳乃負固，放命南冥。 聲教未暨，弗及王靈。 皇震其威，赫如雷霆。 截彼江、沔，荊、舒以清。 邈矣聖皇，參乾兩離。 陶化以正，取亂以奇。 耀武六旬，輿徒不疲。 飲至數實，幹旄無虧。 洋洋四海，率禮和樂。 穆穆宮廟，歌雍詠鑠。 光天之下，莫匪帝略。 窮發反景，承正受朔。 龍馬騤騤，風于華陽。 弓矢橐服，干戈戢藏。 嚴嚴南金，業業餘皇。 雄劍班朝，造舟為梁。 聖明有造，實代天工。 天地不違，黎元時邕。 三務斯協，用底厥庸。 既遠其跡，將明其蹤。 喬山惟嶽，望帝之封。 猗歟聖帝，胡不封哉！
Glory to deepest antiquity—source of every blessing. All quarters settled; every kingdom rode one axle-track. Later Han faltered; chaos erased every statute. Heartlands rose in revolt; palace guards crumbled within. Heaven's scourge arrived; the age reeked of cruelty. Warlords tore the provinces like beasts at war. Liu Bei seized Shu beyond Min; enemies sailed the eastern sea. Sun Quan exploited the breach and held the Yangzi triple fork. August Heaven glares from above. Our martial emperor wielded awe and heaven's sentence. His hosts thundered along Liaosui and seized the guilty. He settled Korea and marched against Han and Mo. When civil virtue matched the hour, Liang and Yi rolled up like mats. The arch rebel yielded his mandate; nine Yi peoples reached court through relay interpreters. Southwestern Qiong, Ran, and Ailao bowed to his achievement. When our emperor mounted the throne, both rival realms had fallen. None beyond reach refused him; he fed every life. Wu still hugged its rivers and flouted edicts in the southern dark. Civilizing teaching had not touched them; royal majesty stalled. The emperor's wrath crashed like thunder. He severed Jiang and Han until Jing and Shu ran clear. Lofty the sage king—spanning heaven's pivot like paired trigrams. He shaped order through candor and seized chaos by stratagem. Sixty days of campaigning wearied neither wagons nor men. Victory wine flowed; banners flew spotless. Across four seas all tread ritual and song. Temples echo with hymns of praise. Under radiant heaven none escape his design. Even distant tribes facing polar gloom accept his calendar. Dragon-steeds stamp; winds sigh along Huayang. Bows rest in cases; shields and spears gather dust. Southern bells ring from towering fleets. Keen swords line the hall; pontoon bridges span the waves. The sage's creation rivals heaven's workmanship. Heaven and earth assent; commoners thrive in step. The three prime duties align; his merit closes perfect. His footprints fade yet blaze plain on stone. Mount Qiao towers—mark of Emperor Shun's mound. O sage liege—why withhold your mound!
19
以母憂解職。 久之，召補尚書郎。
He left office to mourn his mother. Much later he returned as a secretary at the imperial secretariat.
20
將作大匠陳勰掘地得古尺，尚書奏：「今尺長於古尺，宜以古為正。」 潘嶽以為慣用已久，不宜復改。 虞駁曰：「昔聖人有以見天下之賾而擬其形容，象物制器，以存時用。 故參天兩地，以正算數之紀； 依律計分，以定長短之度。 其作之也有則，故用之也有征。 考步兩儀，則天地無所隱其情； 准正三辰，則懸象無所容其謬； 施之金石，則音韻和諧； 措之規矩，則器用合宜。 一本不差而萬物皆正，及其差也，事皆反是。 今尺長於古尺幾於半寸，樂府用之，律呂不合； 史官用之，曆象失占； 醫署用之，孔穴乖錯。 此三者，度量之所由生，得失之所取征，皆絓閡而不得通，故宜改今而從古也。 唐、虞之制，同律度量衡，仲尼之訓，謹權審度。 今兩尺並用，不可謂之同； 知失而行，不可謂之謹。 不同不謹，是謂謬法，非所以軌物垂則，示人之極。 凡物有多而易改，亦有少而難變，亦有改而致煩，有變而之簡。 度量是人所常用，而長短非人所戀惜，是多而易改者也。 正失於得，反邪于正，一時之變，永世無二，是變而之簡者也。 憲章成式，不失舊物，季末苟合之制，異端雜亂之用，當以時厘改，貞夫一者也。 臣以為宜如所奏。」 又表論封禪，見《禮志》。
When Chen Xie unearthed an old measuring rod, the ministry argued today's chi ran long and urged restoring the antique standard. Pan Yue protested that generations had used the longer chi. Zhi Yu countered that sages modeled tools on nature to serve daily needs. They paired heaven's three lights with earth's two forces to anchor mathematics; they tied length to pitch-pipe fractions. Design followed rule, so use matched proof. Align sun and moon and heaven hides nothing; true the three celestial markers and stars cannot lie; strike bells and stones and pitch locks; lay compass and square and every vessel fits. One true gauge orders all; error inverts everything. Today's chi overshoots the old by half an inch—music falls out of tune; historians lose celestial forecasts; physicians miss every point. Music, calendar, and medicine all ride on measure—each now jams—so we must revert to the ancient chi. Yao and Shun unified pitch, length, volume, and weight; Confucius urged careful scales. Two rulers at once cannot mean unity; knowing error yet marching on is not caution; Neither unified nor careful is false law—no model for the realm. Some reforms stir trouble; others simplify. Everyone uses yardsticks daily yet hardly fetishizes a chi—easy to fix. Righting wrong measures once sets generations straight—that is simple reform. Guard true precedent; sweep away Late Han shortcuts and odd usages until only one measure remains. He urged adopting the ministry's memorial. His essay on the Feng and Shan rites appears in the Treatise on Rites.
21
虞以漢末喪亂，譜傳多亡失，雖其子孫不能言其先祖，撰《族姓昭穆》十卷，上疏進之，以為足以備物致用，廣多聞之益。 以定品違法，為司徒所劾，詔原之。
After Han chaos erased clan registers, he compiled ten fascicles on surname ranks so scholars could recover lineage. The minister of education impeached him for irregular promotions; the emperor pardoned him.
22
時太廟初建，詔普增位一等。 後以主者承詔失旨，改除之。 虞上表曰：「臣聞昔之聖明，不愛千乘之國而惜桐葉之信，所以重至尊之命而達于萬國之誠也。 前《乙巳赦書》，遠稱先帝遺惠餘澤，普增位一等，以酬四海欣戴之心。 驛書班下，被於遠近，莫不鳥騰魚躍，喜蒙德澤。 今一旦更以主者思文不審，收既往之詔，奪已澍之施，臣之愚心竊以為不可。」 詔從之。
When the imperial temple opened, an edict promoted every official one rank. Bureaucrats botched the order and the bonus rank was rescinded. He argued that worthies prized a leaf's promise over a kingdom—edicts must stay trustworthy. The prior Yisi edict credited the late emperor's grace and raised every rank to reward loyal hearts. Courier notices raced everywhere; subjects danced like fish and birds under fresh rain. To revoke a published decree because clerks misread the wording betrays every pledge already granted. The emperor accepted his protest.
23
元康中，遷吳王友。 時荀顗撰《新禮》，使虞討論得失而後施行。 元皇后崩，杜預奏：「諒暗之制，乃自上古，是以高宗無服喪之文，而唯文稱不言。 漢文限三十六日。 魏氏以降，既虞為節。 皇太子與國為體，理宜釋服，卒哭便除。」 虞答預書曰：「唐稱遏密，殷雲諒暗，各舉事以為名，非既葬有殊降。 周室以來，謂之喪服。 喪服者，以服表喪。 今帝者一日萬機，太子監撫之重，以宜奪禮，葬訖除服，變制通理，垂典將來，何必附之于古，使老儒致爭哉！」 皇太孫尚薨，有司奏「御服齊衰期」。 詔令博士議。 虞曰：「太子生，舉以成人之禮，則殤理除矣。 太孫亦體君傳重，由位成而服全，非以年也。」 從之。 虞又議玉輅、兩社事，見《輿服志》。
Under Yuankang he became companion to the Prince of Wu. Xun Yi drafted new ritual statutes and had Zhi Yu vet them before promulgation. After Empress Yuan died, Du Yu cited classical silent mourning and noted Emperor Wu Ding was remembered only for holding silence, not garment schedules. Han Wendi capped mourning at thirty-six days. Since Wei, mourning ended after the Yu sacrifice. The heir apparent embodies the state—he should shed mourning once the weeping rites conclude. Zhi Yu replied that Tang's silenced instruments and Yin's dark chamber were slogans, not extra reductions after burial. Since Zhou people simply called these mourning garments. Mourning dress visibly signals grief. Throne and heir face crushing burdens—trimming ritual after burial suits common sense better than letting pedants brawl over precedent. When the imperial grandson died, officials prescribed the emperor's one-year zicui mourning. The court ordered academic officials to debate it. Zhi Yu argued the imperial grandson had been invested with adult rites—infant-mortuary rules no longer applied. The imperial grandson bore succession duty—his mourning matched rank, not calendar age. The court adopted his reasoning. His memorials on the jade carriage and paired soil altars appear in the Treatise on Carriages and Robes.
24
後曆秘書監、衛尉卿，從惠帝幸長安。 及東軍來迎，百官奔散，遂流離鄠、杜之間，轉入南山中，糧絕饑甚，拾橡實而食之。 後得還洛，曆光祿勳、太常卿。 時懷帝親郊。 自元康以來，不親郊祀，禮儀弛廢。 虞考正舊典，法物粲然。 及洛京荒亂，盜竊縱橫，人饑相食。 虞素清貧，遂以餒卒。
He later directed the imperial library and commanded the guards, accompanying Emperor Hui west to Chang'an. When eastern relief arrived the court scattered; he wandered between Hu and Du and fled into the Zhongnan hills, starving until he gathered acorns to eat. He eventually reached Luoyang as chamberlain for the imperial household and minister of sacrifices. Emperor Huai personally performed the suburban sacrifice. Since Yuankang no emperor had personally worshipped heaven—outer ritual had collapsed. Zhi Yu restored the old liturgy so vessels and banners gleamed in proper array. Luoyang's collapse unleashed thieves and cannibal famine. Always poor and honest, he died of starvation.
25
虞撰《文章志》四卷，注解《三輔決錄》，又撰古文章，類聚區分為三十卷，名曰《流別集》，各為之論，辭理愜當，為世所重。
He left a four-scroll literary gazetteer, glosses on the Sanfu judgments, and thirty fascicles of categorized ancient prose called Collected Genres with critical essays—widely admired.
26
虞善觀玄象，嘗謂友人曰：「今天下方亂，避難之國，其唯涼土乎！」 性愛士人，有表薦者，恆為其辭。 東平太叔廣樞機清辯，廣談，虞不能對； 虞筆，廣不能答； 更相嗤笑，紛然於世雲。
Reading the sky he told friends only Liangzhou would shelter fugitives from coming turmoil. He loved nurturing scholars and habitually ghost-wrote recommendations. Taishu Guang of Dongping sparkled in oral debate—Zhi Yu could not match him live; when Zhi Yu wrote, Guang could not respond; They traded barbs until Luoyang buzzed with gossip.
27
束晳
Biography: Shu Xi.
28
束晳，字廣微，陽平元城人，漢太子太傅疏廣之後也。 王莽末，廣曾孫孟達避難，自東海徙居沙鹿山南，因去疏之足，遂改姓焉。 祖混，隴西太守。 父龕，馮翊太守，並有名譽。 晳博學多聞，與兄璆俱知名。 少游國學，或問博士曹志曰：「當今好學者誰乎？」 志曰：「陽平束廣微好學不倦，人莫及也。」 還鄉里，察孝廉，舉茂才，皆不就。 璆娶石鑒從女，棄之，鑒以為憾，諷州郡公府不得辟，故晳等久不得調。
Shu Xi, styled Guangwei, came from Yuancheng in Yangping and descended from Shu Guang, tutor to the Han heir. When Wang Mang fell, Guang's descendant Mengda fled east to Mount Shalu and shortened the surname Shu by dropping its foot radical. His grandfather Shu Hun governed Longxi. His father Shu Kan governed Fengyi—both father and grandfather were renowned. Shu Xi read widely; he and his brother Qiu shared fame. At the imperial academy someone asked Erudite Cao Zhi who still truly studied. Cao Zhi named Shu Guangwei of Yangping as tireless—peerless among scholars. Home callers nominated him Filial and Flourishing Talent—he declined both. His brother divorced Shi Jian's niece; Shi Jian blocked both brothers from office until grudges faded.
29
太康中，郡界大旱，晳為邑人請雨，三日而雨注，眾謂晳誠感，為作歌曰：「束先生，通神明，請天三日甘雨零。 我黍以育，我稷以生。 何以疇之？ 報束長生。」 晳與衛恆厚善，聞恆遇禍，自本郡赴喪。
During Taikang's drought he prayed for his neighbors and rain burst forth on day three—locals sang that Master Shu moved heaven. Our sorghum grows; our millet thrives. How shall we repay him? We repay Master Changsheng. Close to Wei Heng, he raced from home to mourn Heng's murder.
30
嘗為《勸農》及《餅》諸賦，文頗鄙俗，時人薄之。 而性沈退，不慕榮利，作《玄居釋》以擬《客難》，其辭曰：
His fu on farming and cakes sounded coarse—contemporaries sneered. Yet he spurned rank and fashioned his Explanation of Dwelling in Mystery after the Guest's Difficulty:
31
束晳閒居，門人並侍。 方下帷深譚，隱-{几}-而咍，含毫散藻，考撰同異，在側者進而問之曰：「蓋聞道尚變通，達者無窮。 世亂則救其紛，時泰則扶其隆。 振天維以贊百務，熙帝載而鼓皇風。 生則率土樂其存，死則宇內哀其終。 是以君子屈己伸道，不恥幹時。 上國有不索何獲之言，《周易》著躍以求進之辭。 莘老負金鉉以陳烹割之說，齊客當康衢而詠《白水》之詩。 今先生耽道修藝，嶷然山峙，潛朗通微，洽覽深識，夜兼忘寐之勤，晝騁鑽玄之思，曠年累稔，不墮其志。 鱗翼成而愈伏，術業優而不試。 乃欲闔櫝辭價，泥蟠深處，永戢琳琅之耀，匿首窮魚之渚，當唐年而慕長沮，邦有道而反甯武。 識彼迷此，愚竊不取。
Shu Xi lived in quiet retirement surrounded by disciples. Behind lowered curtains he leaned on the armrest, brush in hand, collating texts until disciples pressed him: they said true doctrine bends with events—masters face no ceiling. Rescue chaos when the age tangles; uphold greatness when peace reigns. Hold up heaven's warp for every task; brighten the monarch's merit and fan imperial virtue abroad. Alive, the realm rejoices with him; dead, every shore mourns. So worthies bend pride to advance the Way and seize office without shame. The heartland says seek or starve; the Zhou yi praises those who leap toward duty. Shun's cook preached over cauldrons; a Qi pilgrim sang White Water in the highway. Yet you bury yourself in learning like a silent peak—years of sleepless reading—never yielding. Fully fledged, you burrow deeper; mastery ripe, you refuse trial. You would bury treasure like fish in drying pools—longing for Chang Ju even under Tang's golden rule. Honoring their folly wins no praise from me.
32
若乃士以援登，進必待求，附勢之黨橫擢，則林藪之彥不抽，丹墀步紈誇之童，東野遺白顛之叟。 盍亦因數都而事博陸，憑鷁首以涉洪流，蹈翠雲以駭逸龍，振光耀以驚沈鰌。 徒屈蟠于陷井，眄天路而不遊，學既積而身困，夫何為乎秘丘。
Scholars rise through patrons—when climbers glut court, hermits starve while silk youths parade and gray scholars rot outside. Better borrow Bo Lu's tide—rise on floods and startle dragons. Why lie in wells studying heaven yet waste away?
33
且歲不我與，時若奔駟，有來無反，難得易失。 先生不知盱豫之讖悔遲，而忘夫朋盍之義務疾，亦豈能登海湄而抑東流之水，臨虞泉而招西歸之日？ 徒以曲畏為梏，儒學自桎，囚大道於環堵，苦形骸於蓬室。 豈若托身權戚，憑勢假力，擇棲芳林，飛不待翼，夕宿七娥之房，朝享五鼎之食，匡三正則太階平，贊五教而玉繩直。 孰若茹藿餐蔬，終身自匿哉！」
Years gallop—gain once, lose forever. Hesitation invites regret; no man dams east tides or recalls western sun. Do not chain the Way to hovel dread. Compare patronage—palace nights, tripod feasts—against fasting alone? Or gnaw greens forever in hiding?"
34
束子曰：「居！ 吾將導爾以君子之道，諭爾以出處之事。 爾其明受餘訊，謹聽餘志。
Shu Xi answered: "Sit. Let me teach the gentleman's path of serving or hiding. Hear me out carefully.
35
昔元一既啟，兩儀肇立，離光夜隱，望舒晝戢，羽族翔林，蟩蛁赴濕，物從性之所安，士樂志之所執，或背豐榮以岩棲，或排蘭闥而求入，在野者龍逸，在朝者鳳集。 雖其軌跡不同，而道無貴賤，必安其業，交不相羨，稷、契奮庸以宣道，巢、由洗耳以避禪，同垂不朽之稱，俱入賢者之流。 參名比譽，誰劣誰優？ 何必貪與二八為群，而恥為七人之疇乎！ 且道睽而通，士不同趣，吾竊綴處者之末行，未敢聞子之高喻，將忽蒲輪而不眄，夫何權戚之雲附哉！
Since chaos split into yin and yang, creatures and sages alike seek fit dwelling—some flee court, some embrace it. Office and reclusion differ outwardly yet share worth—Yi Yin and Duke Ji served; Chao Fu and Xu You fled—and both became paragons. Compare them fairly—who falls short? Why envy the Eight Neighbors yet scorn the Seven Sages? Paths fork—call me late hermit if you will—I ignore wagons of summons and scorn power brokers.
36
昔周、漢中衰，時難自托，福兆既開，患端亦作，朝游巍峨之宮，夕墜崢嶸之壑，晝笑夜歎，晨華暮落，忠不足以衛己，禍不可以預度，是士諱登朝而競赴林薄。 或毀名自汙，或不食其祿，比從政於匣笥之龜，譬官者於郊廟之犢，公孫泣涕而辭相，楊雄抗論於赤族。
Late Zhou and Han taught that royal favor opens peril—morning minister, evening corpse—so wise men fled to forests. Men smeared themselves or refused grain—office seemed boxed turtles or sacrificial calves—ministers wept or debated unto death.
37
今大晉熙隆，六合寧靜。 蜂蠆止毒，熊羆輟猛，五刑勿用，八紘備整，主無驕肆之怒，臣無犛纓之請，上下相安，率禮從道。 朝養觸邪之獸，庭有指佞之草，禍戮可以忠逃，寵祿可以順保。
Today Jin rules calm seas. Weapons sleep; punishments idle—throne and ministers trust each other. Palace beasts sniff evil; magical grass marks flattery—loyalty earns life.
38
且夫進無險懼，而惟寂之務者，率其性也。 兩可俱是，而舍彼趣此者，從其志也。 蓋無為可以解天下之紛，澹泊可以救國家之急，當位者事有所窮，陳策者言有不入，翟璜不能回西鄰之寇，平、勃不能正如意之立，幹木臥而秦師退，四皓起而戚姬泣。 夫如是何舍何執，何去何就？ 謂山岑之林為芳，穀底之莽為臭。 守分任性，唯天所授，鳥不假甲於龜，魚不借足於獸，何必笑孤竹之貧而羨齊景之富！ 恥布衣以肆志，甯文裘而拖繡。 且能約其躬，則儋石之畜以豐； 苟肆其欲，則海陵之積不足； 存道德者，則匹夫之身可榮； 忘大倫者，則萬乘之主猶辱。 將研六籍以訓世，守寂泊以鎮俗，偶鄭老於海隅，匹嚴叟於僻蜀。 且世乙太虛為輿，玄爐為肆，神游莫競之林，心存無營之室，榮利不擾其覺，殷憂不幹其寐，捐誇者之所貪，收躁務之所棄，雉聖籍之荒蕪，總群言之一至。 全素履於丘園，背纓緌而長逸，請子課吾業於千載，無聽吾言於今日也。」
Risk-free promotion suits some temperaments. When both paths serve, choose passion. Withdrawal can steady crises: Zhai Huang failed to stop western raids; Chen Ping and Zhou Bo could not place Liu Ruyi; yet Duanmu Ke merely stayed home and Qin fled; four graybeards emerged and Lady Qi wept fate. So what stays fixed? Mountain air smells sweet; swamps reek. Each creature uses heaven's gift—why mock the poor or envy kings? Rather coarse robe with purpose than silk without. Restrain appetite—a peck fills you; indulge—Hailing stores empty. Virtue glorifies a commoner; sin disgraces emperors. I study the six classics to teach the world; couple Zheng on the coast with Yan in Shu. Ride emptiness as cart; wander mind in silent rooms—spurn fame's trash; harvest truth's scraps. Keep straw shoes in hills—judge me later—not today."
39
張華見而奇之。 石鑒卒，王戎乃辟璆。 華召晳為掾，又為司空、下邳王晃所辟。 華為司空，復以為賊曹屬。
Zhang Hua marveled at the piece. After Shi Jian died Wang Rong finally called Shu Qiu. Zhang Hua took Shu Xi as aide; Prince Huang of Xiapi also summoned him. As minister of works Zhang Hua appointed him bandit-suppression clerk.
40
時欲廣農，晳上議曰：轉佐著作郎，撰《晉書·帝紀》、十《志》，遷轉博士，著作如故。
When the state sought wider farming, his memorial led to posts as assistant editorial director, compiler of the Jin annals and monographs, and finally doctorate while continuing to write.
41
初，，汲郡人不准盜發魏襄王墓，或言安釐王塚，得竹書數十車。 其《紀年》十三篇，記夏以來至周幽王為犬戎所滅，以事接之，三家分，仍述魏事至安釐王之二十年。 蓋魏國之史書，大略與《春秋》皆多相應。 其中經傳大異，則雲夏年多殷； 益幹啟位，啟殺之； 太甲殺伊尹； 文丁殺季曆； 自周受命，至穆王百年，非穆王壽百歲也； 幽王既亡，有共伯和者攝行天子事，非二相共和也。 其《易經》二篇，與《周易》上下經同。 《易繇陰陽卦》二篇，與《周易》略同，《繇辭》則異。 《卦下易經》一篇，似《說卦》而異。 《公孫段》二篇，公孫段與邵陟論《易》。 《國語》三篇，言楚、晉事。 《名》三篇，似《禮記》，又似《爾雅》《論語》。 《師春》一篇，書《左傳》諸卜筮，「師春」似是造書者姓名也。 《瑣語》十一篇，諸國卜夢妖怪相書也。 《梁丘藏》一篇，先敘魏之世數，次言丘藏金玉事。 《繳書》二篇，論弋射法。 《生封》一篇，帝王所封。 《大曆》二篇，鄒子談天類也。 《穆天子傳》五篇，言周穆王遊行四海，見帝台、西王母。 《圖詩》一篇，畫贊之屬也。 又雜書十九篇：《周食田法》，《周書》，《論楚事》，《周穆王美人盛姬死事》。 大凡七十五篇，七篇簡書折壞，不識名題。 塚中又得銅劍一枚，長二尺五寸。 漆書皆科斗字。 初發塚者燒策照取寶物，及官收之，多燼簡斷劄，文既殘缺，不復詮次。 武帝以其書付秘書校綴次第，尋考指歸，而以今文寫之。 晳在著作，得觀竹書，隨疑分釋，皆有義證。 遷尚書郎。
Grave robber Bu Zhan in Ji opened King Xiang of Wei's tomb, reportedly King Axi's, and hauled out bamboo-text carts. The thirteen-scroll Bamboo Annals run from Xia through Western Zhou's fall, then carry Wei down to 299 BCE. The Wei annals align broadly with the Spring and Autumn. It claims Xia recorded more years than Shang; Yi seized Qi's throne and Qi killed him; Tai Jia executed Yi Yin; Wen Ding killed Ji Li; A century from Zhou's Mandate to Mu does not mean King Mu reached one hundred; After King You fell, the Earl of Gong named He ruled as regent—not the joint stewardship of two Zhou ministers that later gloss became "harmony." The two scrolls of Changes match the received Zhou yi hexagrams. The yin-yang line scrolls echo the Zhou yi with variant line statements. A single scroll of sub-hexagram Changes resembles the Shuo Gua with differences. Two scrolls on Gongsun Duan debate the Changes with Shao Zhi. Three scrolls of state conversations cover Chu and Jin. Three scrolls of "Names" read like the Record of Rites, Erya, and Analects. The "Shi Chun" scroll lists Zuo divinations; the title may record an author's name. Eleven scrolls of petty talk collect omens and dreams from many states. The Liangqiu Zang scroll counts Wei generations then catalogs buried treasure. Two scrolls on knot-shooting arts. One scroll of living enfeoffments. Two scrolls of macro-calendars akin to Zou Yan's astronomy. Five scrolls of King Mu's travels among seas and holy peaks. One scroll of picture poems like engraved encomia. Nineteen more fragments cover Zhou land law, Chu debates, and Lady Sheng Ji's death. Seventy-five pieces survived; seven bundles shattered unreadable. One bronze sword measured two and a half feet. Every lacquer text showed tadpole seal forms. Looters burned bundles for treasure; imperial clerks found charred scraps impossible to order. Emperor Wu tasked the secretariat to reorder and transcribe into clerical script. Editing at the palace, Shu Xi glossed every doubtful passage. Promoted to gentleman of the secretariat.
42
武帝嘗問摯虞三日曲水之義，虞對曰：「漢章帝時，平原徐肇以三月初生三女，至三日俱亡，村人以為怪，乃招攜之水濱洗祓，遂因水以泛觴，其義起此。」 帝曰：「必如所談，便非好事。」 晳進曰：「虞小生，不足以知，臣請言之。 昔周公成洛邑，因流水以泛酒，故逸詩云『羽觴隨波』。 又秦昭王以三日置酒河曲，見金人奉水心之劍，曰：『令君制有西夏。』 乃霸諸侯，因此立為曲水。 二漢相緣，皆為盛集。」 帝大悅，賜晳金五十斤。
Emperor Wu asked about the worm-water festival; Zhi Yu traced it to a Han village tragedy washing omens at the river. The emperor called that origin ill-omened. Shu Xi interrupted: Zhi Yu was too junior—the fuller answer follows. Duke Zhou floated cups when founding Luoyang—matching lost poems. King Zhao of Qin held a third-day river banquet and dreamed river gods gifting swords. That feast founded the winding-water ritual. Later Han kept the tradition as grand festivals. Delighted, he gave Shu Xi fifty jin of gold.
43
時有人于嵩高山下得竹簡一枚，上兩行科斗書，傳以相示，莫有知者。 司空張華以問晳，晳曰：「此漢明帝顯節陵中策文也。」 檢驗果然，時人伏其博識。
Hikers at Songshan found tadpole-writing slips nobody could decipher. Zhang Hua consulted Shu Xi who identified Han Mingdi tomb tally script. Checks proved him right—scholars hailed his learning.
44
趙王倫為相國，請為記室。 晳辭疾罷歸，教授門徒。 年四十卒，元城市裏為之廢業，門生故人立碑墓側。
Prince Sima Lun summoned him private secretary. Shu Xi pleaded sickness, retired to teach. His death at forty closed Yuan markets; friends carved his monument.
45
晳才學博通，所著《三魏人士傳》，《七代通記》、《晉書·紀》、《志》，遇亂亡失。 其《五經通論》、《發蒙記》、《補亡詩》、文集數十篇，行於世雲。
War swallowed his Wei roster and Jin drafts. His Five Classics synthesis, primer, supplement poems, and essays survived in tens of scrolls.
46
王接
Biography: Wang Jie.
47
王接，字祖遊，河東猗氏人，漢京兆尹尊十世孫也。 父蔚，世修儒史之學。 魏中領軍曹羲作《至公論》，蔚善之，而著《至機論》，辭義甚美。 官至夏陽侯相。 接幼喪父，哀毀過禮，鄉親皆歎曰：「王氏有子哉！」 渤海劉原為河東太守，好奇，以旌才為務。 同郡馮收試經為郎，七十餘，薦接于原曰：「夫驊騮不總轡，則非造父之肆； 明月不流光，則非隋侯之掌。 伏惟明府苞黃中之德，耀重離之明，求賢與能，小無遺錯，是以鄙老思獻所知。 竊見處士王接，岐嶷俊異，十三而孤，居喪盡禮，學過目而知，義觸類而長，斯玉鉉之妙味，經世之徽猷也。 不患玄黎之不啟，竊樂春英之及時。」 原即禮命，接不受。 原乃呼見曰：「君欲慕肥遁之高邪？」 對曰：「接薄祜，少孤而無兄弟，母老疾篤，故無心為吏。」 及母終，柴毀骨立，居墓次積年，備覽眾書，多出異義。 性簡率，不修俗操，鄉里大族多不能善之，唯裴頠雅知焉。 平陽太守柳澹、散騎侍郎裴遐、尚書僕射鄧攸皆與接友善。 後為郡主簿，迎太守溫宇，宇奇之，轉功曹史。 州辟部平陽從事。 時泰山羊亮為平陽太守，薦之于司隸校尉王堪，出補都官從事。
Wang Jie, styled Zuyou, came from Yishi in Hedong—descended from Han Governor Wang Zun. His father Wang Wei taught classics and history. Cao Xi's essay inspired Wang Wei's counterpiece. He became Xiayang county administrator. Orphans mourning beyond propriety moved the hamlet. Liu Yuan of Bohai loved prodigies. Feng Shou likened Jie to an unbridled thoroughbred; hidden gems need patrons. He urged Liu Yuan to hire Wang Jie. He praised Jie's orphan brilliance. He urged timely promotion. Liu Yuan invited him—Jie refused. Liu asked if he mimicked hermits. Jie cited sick mother. After her death he lived by the mound emaciated, disputing classical readings. Blunt honesty offended magnates; only Pei Yi befriended him. Officials Liu Dan, Pei Xia, and Deng You befriended him. As chief clerk to Governor Wen Yu he earned promotion. Provincial office took him on. Yang Liang forwarded him to Wang Kan.
48
永甯初，舉秀才。 友人滎陽潘滔遺接書曰：「摯虞、卞玄仁並謂足下應和鼎味，可無以應秀才行。」 接報書曰：「今世道交喪，將遂剝亂，而識智之士鉗口韜筆，禍敗日深，如火之燎原，其可救乎？ 非榮斯行，欲極陳所見，冀有覺悟耳。」 是歲，三王義舉，惠帝復阼，以國有大慶，天下秀孝一皆不試，接以為恨。 除中郎，補征虜將軍司馬。
Yongning brought his Flourishing Talent nomination. Pan Tao pressed him to accept office. Jie replied the age was burning—scholars stayed mute. He sought to wake the court. Amnesty skipped examinations—Jie resented missing his chance. He became aide to the northern expedition marshal.
49
蕩陰之役，侍中嵇紹為亂兵所害，接議曰：「夫謀人之軍，軍敗則死之； 謀人之國，國危則亡之，古之道也。 蕩陰之役，百官奔北，唯嵇紹守職以遇不道，可謂臣矣，又可稱痛矣。 今山東方欲大舉，宜明高節，以號令天下。 依《春秋》褒三累之義，加紹致命之賞，則遐邇向風，莫敢不肅矣。」 朝廷從之。
After Ji Shao died at Dangyin, Jie invoked antiquity: whoever directs another's troops shares their fate. Those who steer another man's throne answer with their lives when calamity comes—that maxim closed his plea. He praised Ji Shao's martyr loyalty. He urged honoring martyrs to inspire north China. He cited Spring and Autumn precedent for stacking honors. Court accepted.
50
河間王顒欲遷駕長安，與關東乖異，以接成都王佐，難之，表轉臨汾公相國。 及東海王越率諸候討顒，尚書令王堪統行台，上請接補尚書殿中郎，未至而卒，年三十九。
He resisted Yong's Chang'an move and earned transfer. Wang Kan summoned him but he died at thirty-nine.
51
接學雖博通，特精《禮》《傳》。 常謂《左氏》辭義贍富，自是一家書，不主為經發。 《公羊》附經立傳，經所不書，傳不妄起，于文為儉，通經為長。 任城何休訓釋甚詳，而黜周王魯，大體乖硋，且志通《公羊》而往往還為《公羊》疾病。 接乃更注《公羊春秋》，多有新義。 時秘書丞衛恆考正汲塚書，未訖而遭難。 佐著作郎束皙述而成之，事多證異義。 時東萊太守陳留王庭堅難之，亦有證據。 皙又釋難，而庭堅已亡。 散騎侍郎潘滔謂接曰：「卿才學理議，足解二子之紛，可試論之。」 接遂詳其得失。 摯虞、謝衡皆博物多聞，咸以為允當。 又撰《列女後傳》七十二人，雜論議、詩賦、碑頌、駁難十餘萬言，喪亂盡失。
He specialized in ritual and Zuo. He treated Zuo as independent history. He preferred Gongyang's disciplined ties to the canon. He criticized He Xiu's biases. He wrote new Gongyang commentary. Wei Heng's Ji collation halted by death. Shu Xi finished with disputed readings. Wang Tingjian disputed both. Shu Xi answered after Tingjian died. Pan Tao asked Wang Jie to judge. Wang Jie weighed both sides. Experts approved. His sequel on exemplary women and other essays burned in war.
52
長子愆期，流寓江南，緣父本意，更注《公羊》，又集《列女後傳》云。
His son carried on Gongyang work in exile.
53
【史評】
Section: historians' verdict.
54
史臣曰：皇甫謐素履幽貞，閒居養疾，留情筆削，敦悅丘墳，軒冕未足為榮，貧賤不以為恥，確乎不拔，斯固有晉之高人者歟！ 洎乎《篤終》立論，薄葬昭儉，既戒奢于季氏，亦無取于王孫，可謂達存亡之機矣。 摯虞、束皙等並詳覽載籍，多識舊章，奏議可觀，文詞雅贍，可謂博聞之士也。 或攝官延閣，裁成言事之書； 或蒞政秩宗，參定禋郊之禮。 虞既厄於從理，皙乃年位不充，天之報施，何其爽也！ 王接才調秀出，見賞知音，惜其夭枉，未申驥足，嗟夫！
The editors praise Huangfu Mi as Jin's supreme recluse scholar. They commend his funeral essay balancing thrift. Zhi Yu and Shu Xi mastered classical precedent—eloquent memorialists rightly famed as polymaths. Some staffed the imperial library and drafted state papers. Others directed worship and fixed suburban ritual. Zhi Yu died thwarted; Shu Xi died young—heaven seemed unjust. Wang Jie won admirers yet died before his prime.
55
贊曰：士安好逸，棲心蓬蓽。 屬意文雅，忘懷榮秩。 遺制可稱，養生乖術。 摯虞博聞，廣微絕群。 財成禮度，刊緝遺文。 魏篇式序，漢冊斯分。 祖遊後出，亦播清芬。
Verse praise: Huangfu Mi sought calm in a humble hut. He lavished care on letters and forgot titles. His funeral tract shines though regimen proved fatal. Zhi Yu was encyclopedic; Shu Guangwei stood apart. They framed ritual and collated relic texts. They sequenced Wei slips and sorted Han archives. Wang Zuyou followed—another sweet reputation.