Volume 69 Biographies 39: Liu Wei; Diao Xie; Dai Ruosi; Zhou Yi

劉隗〈（孫波）〉刁協〈（子彝彝子逵）〉戴若思〈（弟邈）〉周顗

Liu Kui. (Sun Bo)〉 Diao Xie. (His son Yi; Yi's son Kui)〉 Dai Ruosi (Dai Yuan). (His younger brother Miao)〉 Zhou Yi.

劉隗，字大連，彭城人，楚元王交之後也。父砥，東光令。隗少有文翰，起家秘書郎，稍遷冠軍將軍、彭城內史。避亂渡江，元帝以為從事中郎。隗雅習文史，善求人主意，帝深器遇之。遷丞相司直，委以刑憲。時建康尉收護軍士，而為府將篡取之，隗奏免護軍將軍戴若思官。世子文學王籍之居叔母喪而婚，隗奏之，帝下令曰：「《詩》稱殺禮多婚，以會男女之無夫家，正今日之謂也，可一解禁止。自今以後，宜為其防。」東閣祭酒顏含在叔父喪嫁女，隗又奏之。廬江太守梁龕明日當除婦服，今日請客奏伎，丞相長史周顗等三十餘人同會，隗奏曰：「夫嫡妻長子皆杖居廬，故周景王有三年之喪，既除而宴，《春秋》猶譏，況龕匹夫，暮宴朝祥，慢服之愆，宜肅喪紀之禮。請免龕官，削侯爵。顗等知龕有喪，吉會非禮，宜各奪俸一月，以肅其違。」從之。丞相行參軍宋挺，本揚州刺史劉陶門人，陶亡後，挺娶陶愛妾以為小妻。建興中，挺又割盜官布六百餘匹，正刑棄市，遇赦免。既而奮武將軍阮抗請為長史。隗劾奏曰：「挺蔑其死主而專其室，悖在三之義，傷人倫之序，當投之四裔以禦魑魅。請除挺名，禁錮終身。而奮武將軍、太山太守阮抗請為長史。抗緯文經武，剖符東籓，當庸勳忠良，昵近仁賢，而褒求贓汙，舉頑用嚚。請免抗官，下獄理罪。」奏可，而挺病死。隗又奏：「符旨：挺已喪亡，不復追貶。愚蠢意暗，未達斯義。昔鄭人ＪＸ子家之棺，漢明追討史遷，經傳褒貶，皆追書先世數百年間，非徒區區欲厘當時，亦將作法垂于來世，當朝亡夕沒便無善惡也。請曹如前追除挺名為民，錄妾還本，顯證惡人，班下遠近。」從之。南中郎將王含以族強顯貴，驕傲自恣，一請參佐及守長二十許人，多取非其才。隗劾奏文致甚苦，事雖被寢，王氏深忌疾之。而隗之彈奏不畏強禦，皆此類也。

Liu Kui, whose courtesy name was Dalian, came from Pengcheng and traced his line to Prince Yuan of Chu, Liu Jiao. His father, Liu Di, had served as magistrate of Dongguang. From an early age Liu Kui showed literary talent; his first appointment was secretary gentleman, and he rose step by step to general who champions the army and interior secretary of Pengcheng. He crossed the Yangzi to escape the chaos, and Emperor Yuan of Jin named him attendant gentleman in the princely staff. Liu Kui was thoroughly at home in precedent and history and had a knack for reading the emperor's mind; Yuan valued him highly and showered him with favor. He was promoted to rectifier under the chief minister and given charge of criminal justice. When the Jiankang commandant took custody of troops from the guards army only to have a household general wrest them away, Liu Kui impeached the case and secured the removal of Dai Ruosi from the post of general of the guards army. Wang Jizhi, literary attendant to the heir apparent, married while still in mourning for his aunt by marriage; Liu Kui reported him. The emperor replied with an edict: "The Book of Odes allows easing ritual so that more weddings may occur, joining those without families—that is precisely our situation now; let the prohibition be lifted in this one instance. From this point forward, however, clear rules should keep such abuses in check." Yan Han, libationer of the Eastern Pavilion, gave his daughter in marriage while mourning his uncle; Liu Kui impeached him as well. Liang Kan, governor of Lujiang, was to end mourning for his wife the following day, yet that very day he threw a banquet with musicians; Zhou Yi, senior clerk to the chief minister, and more than thirty others joined him. Liu Kui submitted a memorial: "A man's wife and eldest son observe the full mourning in the hut; even King Jing of Zhou was faulted in the Spring and Autumn Annals for feasting once the three years were over. Liang Kan is only a private gentleman—carousing at night and holding the 'auspice' rite next morning is a brazen breach of mourning; the code for funerals must be upheld. He should be dismissed from office and stripped of his marquisate. Zhou Yi and the rest knew Liang Kan was in mourning; a festive gathering was improper—they should each forfeit one month's salary as a rebuke for breaking ritual. The throne accepted his recommendations. Song Ting, acting adviser on the chief minister's staff, had once been a follower of Liu Tao, the Yangzhou inspector; after Liu Tao's death he took his patron's favorite concubine as a secondary wife. During Jianxing he was also caught stealing over six hundred bolts of official cloth; he was condemned to public execution but was pardoned in a general amnesty. Soon afterward Ruan Kang, general who displays might, asked to appoint him chief clerk. Liu Kui impeached him: "Song Ting scorns his dead patron and seizes his household; that tramples the bonds that define the three key relationships and tears at the fabric of society. He should be banished to the frontier to keep demons at bay. Strike his name from the rolls and bar him from office for life. Yet Ruan Kang, general who displays might and governor of Taishan, was the one who sought Song Ting as his chief clerk. Ruan Kang holds civil and military authority and commands an eastern principality; he should surround himself with loyal, capable men, yet he celebrates the corrupt, elevates the worthless, and appoints the depraved. Strip Ruan Kang of his posts and remand him to prison to answer for these charges. The emperor approved the memorial, but Song Ting died of illness before sentence could be carried out. Liu Kui submitted another memorial: "Your written order said that because Song Ting is already dead, no further penalties would be pursued. I am slow-witted and have failed to grasp the full intent of that ruling. Long ago the people of Zheng broke open Gongsun Zijia's coffin to punish past wrongdoing; Emperor Ming of Han still called Sima Qian to account. The classics and their commentaries judge the dead across centuries—not merely to tidy up the present but to set a precedent for posterity. If someone dies this morning and by evening we may no longer speak of his guilt, moral judgment would mean nothing. I ask that the office still strike Song Ting from the registers and reduce him to commoner status, return his concubine to her family, publish the evidence of his crimes, and circulate the judgment throughout the realm. The court agreed. Wang Han, general of household gentlemen in the south, traded on his powerful lineage; arrogant and willful, he once asked for some twenty staff members and county heads, most of them unqualified for their posts. Liu Kui framed his impeachment in the harshest terms; although the matter was shelved, the Wang family nursed a deep grudge against him. Liu Kui's memorials showed no fear of great houses; time and again he acted in this uncompromising way.

建興中，丞相府斬督運令史淳于伯而血逆流，隗又奏曰：「古之為獄必察五聽，三槐九棘以求民情。雖明庶政，不敢折獄。死者不得復生，刑者不可復續，是以明王哀矜用刑。曹參去齊，以市獄為寄。自頃蒸荒，殺戮無度，罪同斷異，刑罰失宜。謹按行督運令史淳于伯刑血著柱，遂逆上終極柱末二丈三尺，旋復下流四尺五寸。百姓喧華，士女縱觀，咸曰其冤。伯息忠訴辭稱枉，雲伯督運訖去二月，事畢代還，無有稽乏。受賕使役，罪不及死。軍是戍軍，非為征軍，以乏軍興論，於理為枉。四年之中，供給運漕，凡諸徵發租調百役，皆有稽停，而不以軍興論，至於伯也，何獨明之？捶楚之下，無求不得，囚人畏痛，飾辭應之。理曹，國之典刑，而使忠等稱冤明時。謹按從事中郎周筵、法曹參軍劉胤、屬李匡幸荷殊寵，並登列曹，當思敦奉政道，詳法慎殺，使兆庶無枉，人不稱訴。而令伯枉同周青，冤魂哭於幽都，訴靈恨於黃泉，嗟歎甚于杞梁，血妖過於崩城，故有隕霜之人，夜哭之鬼。伯有晝見，彭生為豕，刑殺失中，妖眚並見，以古況今，其揆一也。皆由筵等不勝其任，請皆免官。」於是右將軍王導等上疏引咎，請解職。帝曰：「政刑失中，皆吾暗塞所由。尋示愧懼，思聞忠告，以補其闕。而引過求退，豈所望也！」由是導等一無所問。

During Jianxing the chief minister's headquarters executed Chunyu Bo, a clerk who oversaw convoys, and his blood ran upward along the pillar; Liu Kui submitted another memorial: "The ancients judged cases only after the fivefold hearing and deliberation under the court's great trees—justice rested on what the people actually knew. A ruler may master every branch of government, yet still refuse to settle criminal cases alone. The dead cannot be brought back, nor severed limbs restored; that is why wise sovereigns punish only with grief and the utmost care. When Cao Shen left Qi he famously told his successor to leave the market and the jail alone—governance needed a light touch. Lately, amid turmoil, executions have known no restraint: identical offenses draw different verdicts, and sentencing has lost all proportion. I have reviewed the file: when Chunyu Bo was executed, his blood clung to the execution post, climbed more than twenty feet against gravity, then ran back down nearly five feet—an omen the crowd could not ignore. Commoners raised an uproar; men and women lined the streets to watch, and all agreed he had been wronged. His son Zhong petitioned for redress, insisting that Chunyu Bo had finished the convoy duty and handed off two months earlier—his work was complete, his relief had arrived, and he had caused no delay or shortfall. Even if he took bribes or misused corvée labor, those faults did not merit execution. These were garrison troops, not a field army; to condemn him under the statute for wartime supply failures was legally indefensible. For four years every kind of levy—grain, taxes, labor—has run late without anyone invoking the 'wartime emergency' law; why was Chunyu Bo singled out for that harsh standard? Under the rod a man will confess to anything; prisoners dread the pain and will say whatever fits the torturer's script. The penal bureau embodies the state's justice; it shames us that Zhong and others must cry injustice in broad daylight. Consider Zhou Yan, Liu Yin of the law section, and clerk Li Kuang: favored with high office, they should exemplify sound government—study each case, kill only with care, and keep the people from wrongful conviction or public outcry. Instead they produced another miscarriage like the case of Zhou Qing: an innocent ghost wails in the underworld, a spirit carries grievance beyond the grave—more pitiable than Qi Liang's widow, more ominous than the blood that toppled a city—until frost falls out of season and phantoms keen in the dark. Bo You walked by day, Peng Sheng returned as a swine—when executions misfire, omens multiply. History shows the same pattern we see now. Zhou Yan and his colleagues failed their charge; I ask that every one of them be removed from office. On this General of the Right Wang Dao and others offered to resign, accepting responsibility for the affair. The emperor replied: "When policy and punishment go awry, the fault lies in my own blindness and obstruction. I am ashamed and alarmed, and I want candid advice to remedy what is lacking. But if you all rush to quit, that is hardly what I expect of you!" Wang Dao and his colleagues were left in place without reprimand.

晉國既建，拜御史中丞。周嵩嫁女，門生斷道解廬，斫傷二人，建康左尉赴變，又被斫。隗劾嵩兄顗曰：「顗幸荷殊寵，列位上僚，當崇明憲典，協和上下，刑於左右，以禦於家邦。而乃縱肆小人，群為凶害，公於廣都之中白日刃尉，遠近洶嚇，百姓喧華，虧損風望，漸不可長。既無大臣檢禦之節，不可對揚休命。宜加貶黜，以肅其違。」顗坐免官。

Once the Jin princedom was founded, Liu Kui was named vice censor-in-chief of the censorate. At Zhou Song's daughter's wedding his students tore down a roadside shelter and cut down two bystanders; when the Jiankang left district captain rushed to the scene, they hacked him as well. Liu Kui impeached Zhou Song's elder brother Zhou Yi: "Yi enjoys exceptional favor and sits among the highest ministers; he should exemplify the law, harmonize court and country, and set the tone for kin and household. Instead he let petty followers run wild: in open day, in the capital's busiest streets, they drew steel on an officer of the law. The city shook with fear and public outcry; such damage to dignity cannot be left unchecked. He has shown none of the self-restraint expected of a senior statesman and is unfit to bear the emperor's glorious charge. He should be demoted to mark his offense and restore discipline." Zhou Yi lost his post as a result.

太興初，長兼侍中，賜爵都鄉侯，尋代薛兼為丹陽尹，與尚書令刁協並為元帝所寵，欲排抑豪強。諸刻碎之政，皆云隗、協所建。隗雖在外，萬機秘密皆豫聞之。拜鎮北將軍、都督青徐幽平四州軍事、假節，加散騎常侍，率萬人鎮泗口。

Early in Taixing he served as acting palace attendant and was enfeoffed as village marquis of Du; he soon succeeded Xue Jian as governor of the capital commandery. He and Diao Xie, the director of the secretariat, were Emperor Yuan's favorites, and together they set out to curb the great clans. Every harsh, nitpicking reform was credited—or blamed—on Liu Kui and Diao Xie. Even when Liu Kui held posts outside the palace, he was privy to every confidential decision at court. He was named general who guards the north and military commander over Qing, Xu, You, and Ping, with imperial credentials, and given the additional title of cavalier attendant-in-ordinary; he took ten thousand troops to hold the Sikou crossing.

初，隗以王敦威權太盛，終不可制，勸帝出腹心以鎮方隅，故以譙王承為湘州，續用隗及戴若思為都督。敦甚惡之，與隗書曰：「頃承聖上顧眄足下，今大賊未滅，中原鼎沸，欲與足下周生之徒戮力王室，共靜海內。若其泰也，則帝祚於是乎隆；若其否也，則天下永無望矣。」隗答曰：「魚相忘於江湖，人相忘於道術。竭股肱之力，效之以忠貞，吾之志也。」敦得書甚怒。及敦作亂，以討隗為名，詔征隗還京師，百官迎之於道，隗岸幘大言，意氣自若。及入見，與刁協奏請誅王氏。不從，有懼色，率眾屯金城。及敦克石頭，隗攻之不拔，入宮告辭，帝雪涕與之別。隗至淮陰，為劉遐所襲，攜妻子及親信二百餘人奔于石勒，勒以為從事中郎、太子太傅。卒年六十一。子綏，初舉秀才，除駙馬都尉、奉朝請。隨隗奔勒，卒。孫波嗣。

Liu Kui had long warned that Wang Dun's power was too great to be checked; he urged the emperor to plant loyal commanders in the provinces—hence Prince Cheng of Qiao was sent to Xiangzhou, and Liu Kui himself and Dai Ruosi were later given regional commands. Wang Dun detested the move and wrote to Liu Kui: "The emperor has been showing you uncommon favor. The great rebels are still abroad and the heartland is in turmoil; I had hoped that you, I, and men like Zhou would strain every nerve for the throne and bring peace back to the realm. If we succeed, the dynasty will flourish again; if we fail, the empire may never recover." Liu Kui replied: "Fish lose sight of one another once they reach the great rivers; true allies need no reminders when the Way is clear. To give all I have as a loyal minister is precisely what I intend. Wang Dun flew into a rage when he read the reply. When Wang Dun rebelled under the slogan of punishing Liu Kui, an edict recalled Liu Kui to the capital; the whole bureaucracy turned out to greet him, and he marched in with his cap tilted back, declaiming boldly and showing not a trace of fear. At audience he joined Diao Xie in demanding the execution of the Wang family. The emperor refused; Liu Kui turned pale with fear and withdrew his troops to the Jincheng garrison. After Wang Dun seized Stone Citadel, Liu Kui's counterattack failed; he went to the palace to bid farewell, and the emperor wept as they parted. Near Huaiyin, Liu Xia ambushed him; Liu Kui fled with his family and some two hundred retainers to Shi Le's court, where he was given a staff post and the title of tutor to the crown prince. He died at sixty-one. His son Liu Sui first passed the provincial examination and was named chief commandant for imperial sons-in-law and gentleman attendant at court. He followed his father to Shi Le and died there. His grandson Sun Bo inherited the line.

波字道則。初為石季龍冠軍將軍王洽參軍，及季龍死，洽與波俱降。穆帝以波為襄城太守，累遷桓沖中軍諮議參軍。大司馬桓溫西征袁貞，朝廷空虛，以波為建威將軍、淮南內史，領五千人鎮石頭。壽陽平，除尚書左丞，不拜，轉冠軍將軍、南郡相。時苻堅弟融圍雍州刺史硃序于襄陽，波率眾八千救之，以敵強不敢進，序竟陷沒。波以畏懦免官。後復以波為冠軍將軍，累遷散騎常侍。

Sun Bo, courtesy name Daize. He first served on the staff of Wang Qia, general who champions the army under Shi Hu (Jilong); when Shi Hu died, Wang Qia and Sun Bo surrendered together. Emperor Mu appointed him governor of Xiangcheng; he rose to become deliberation adviser on Huan Chong's central-army staff. While Grand Marshal Huan Wen marched west against Yuan Zhen and the capital was stripped of troops, Sun Bo was named general who establishes might and interior secretary of Huainan, with five thousand men to hold Stone Citadel. After the fall of Shouyang he was offered the post of left aide in the secretariat but declined it, and was reassigned as general who champions the army and administrator of Nan commandery. When Fu Rong, Fu Jian's brother, besieged Zhu Xu, the Yongzhou governor, at Xiangyang, Sun Bo took eight thousand men to relieve him but halted before the enemy's strength; Zhu Xu was eventually captured. Sun Bo lost his post for timidity. He was later restored as general who champions the army and eventually promoted to cavalier attendant-in-ordinary.

苻堅敗，朝廷欲鎮靖北方，出波督淮北諸軍、冀州刺史，以疾未行。上疏曰：

After Fu Jian's defeat the court planned to stabilize the north and named Sun Bo commander of the armies north of the Huai and inspector of Ji, but illness kept him from taking up the post. He presented a memorial:

臣聞天地以弘濟為仁，君道以惠下為德，是以禹湯有身勤之績，唐虞有在予之誥，用能惠被蒼生，勳流後葉。宣帝開拓洪圖，始基成命；爰及文武，歷數在躬，而猶虛心側席，卑己崇物。然後知積累之功重，勤王之業艱，先君之德弘，貽厥之賜厚。惠皇不懷，委政內任，遂使神器幽淪，三光翳曜；園陵懷九泉之感，宮廟集胡馬之跡；所謂肉食失之于朝，黎庶暴骸於外也。賴元皇帝神武應期，祚隆淮海，振乾綱於已墜，紐絕維而更張。陛下承宣帝開始之宏基，受元帝克終之成烈，保大定功，戢兵靜亂。故使負鱗橫海之鯨，僭位滔天之寇，望雲旗而宵潰，睹太陽而霧散，巍巍蕩蕩，人無名焉。而頃年已來，天文違錯，妖怪屢生。會稽先帝本封，而地動經年。昔周之文武有魚烏之瑞，君臣猶懷震悚，況今災變眾集，曾莫之疑。公旦有勿休之誡，賈誼有積薪之喻。臣鑒先征，竊惟今事，是以敢肆狂瞽，直言無諱。

I have read that Heaven and Earth enshrine compassion in sustaining all life, and that a true king wins the realm by blessing his people—hence the tireless example of Yu and Tang and the self-reproaching words of Yao and Shun, until their grace reached every commoner and their fame lasted for ages. Emperor Xuan of Jin laid the vast foundations of the dynasty and set its mandate on solid ground; his successors held the celestial mandate, yet still ruled with empty-minded humility, yielding the seat of honor and elevating wise men above themselves. Only then did people grasp how heavy a legacy must be, how arduous the work of restoring the throne, how great the virtue of the founding rulers, and how generous their bequest to later generations. Emperor Hui neglected this charge, handed power to palace favorites, and the imperial throne sank into shadow while sun, moon, and stars seemed to lose their light; royal tombs echoed with the grief of the underworld, and barbarian horses trampled the ancestral shrines; the courtiers who fed at the public trough brought ruin in the capital while common people lay unburied in the fields. Emperor Yuan answered the hour with martial vigor, rebuilt the dynasty on the Huai and the eastern sea, raised the sagging celestial net, and retied every broken strand of authority. Your Majesty has inherited the grand design begun by Emperor Xuan and the finished work of Emperor Yuan; you have preserved the realm, sealed its victories, sheathed the armies, and stilled rebellion. Whales that once lashed the waves and rebels who boasted they could swallow heaven melted away at sight of your banners and scattered like mist before the sun—so vast was the restoration that words fail. Yet for some years now the sky has shown disorder, and strange portents have appeared again and again. Kuaiji, the late emperor's first enfeoffment, has shaken with earthquakes for a year on end. When King Wen and King Wu of Zhou received modest omens, the whole court still trembled; today calamities crowd upon us, yet no one seems alarmed. The Duke of Zhou warned that governance admits no rest; Jia Yi compared the state to firewood stacked to the rafters—one spark and it burns. I take my cue from past examples and weigh our present plight; though I am blind and rash, I beg leave to speak plainly and withhold nothing.

往者先帝以玄風禦世，責成群後，坐運天綱，隨化委順，故忘日計之功，收歲成之用。今禮樂征伐自天子出，相王賢俊，協和百揆，六合承風，天下響振，而鈞台之詠弗聞，景毫之命未布。將群臣之不稱，陛不用之不盡乎？

The late emperor ruled through quiet, non-interfering ways, charged the great lords with duty, and let the cosmic pattern work itself out; he did not fuss over small daily gains but looked to harvests gathered once a year. Today ritual, music, war, and peace all proceed from the throne; the regent is wise, the ministries work in concert, and the realm answers like an echo—yet we do not hear the hymns of the ancient courts, nor see your transformative commands spread like those of Tang at Jing. Is the fault in your ministers' unworthiness, or in the throne's failure to use their talents to the full?

凡聖王之化，莫不敦崇忠信，存正棄邪。傷化毀俗者，雖親雖貴，必疏而遠之；清公貞修者，雖微雖賤，必親而近之。今則不然。此風既替，利競滋甚，朋黨比周，毀譽交興，鑽求苟進，人希分外。見賢而居其上，受祿每過其量，希旨承意者以為奉公，共相贊白者以為忠節。舉世見之，誰敢正言。陛下不明必行之法以絕穿鑒之源者，恐脫因疲倦以誤視聽。且苻堅滅亡，於今五年，舊京殘毀，山陵無衛，百姓塗炭，未蒙拯接。伏願遠觀漢魏衰滅之由，近覽西朝傾覆之際，超然易慮，為於未有，則靈根永固，社稷無虞。臣豈誣一朝之人皆無忠節，但任非其才，求之不至耳。

Every sage-king has exalted loyalty and good faith, upheld the right, and cast out the corrupt. Those who corrupt morals, however high-born or well connected, must be pushed away; the pure, upright, and self-disciplined, however humble, must be brought close. Today the opposite holds. That ethos has collapsed: greed and rivalry run wild, cliques smear and praise one another, men scheme for promotion, and everyone reaches for more than his due. Mediocrities lord it over their betters and draw salaries beyond their worth; flatterers who echo the court line pass for dutiful officials, and mutual back-scratching is mistaken for loyalty. The whole world sees it, yet who dares speak plainly? If Your Majesty does not spell out binding law to stop arbitrary rulings, I fear weariness may someday cloud your judgment. Fu Jian fell five years ago, yet the old capital lies in ruins, imperial tombs stand undefended, and the people still burn in misery without relief. I beg you to study why Han and Wei fell, to recall how the Western Jin collapsed, to shift course before crisis strikes—then the dynastic root will hold firm and the altars will face no peril. I do not claim that everyone at court lacks loyalty—only that the wrong men are given posts and true worth goes unsummoned.

今政煩役殷，所在凋弊，倉廩空虛，國用傾竭，下民侵削，流亡相屬。略計戶口，但咸安已來，十分去三。百姓懷浮游之歎，《下泉》興周京之思。昔漢宣有云：「與我共治天下者，其惟良二千石乎！」是以臨下有方者就加璽贈，法苛政亂者恤刑不赦，事簡於上，人悅於下。今則不然。告時乞職者以家弊為辭，振窮恤滯者以公爵為施。古者為百姓立君，使之司牧；今者以百姓恤君，使之蠶食，至乃貪污者謂之清勤，慎法者謂之怯劣。何反古道一至於此！

Government is a tangle of orders, labor levies crush the districts, granaries are empty, the treasury is drained, commoners are bled white, and refugees trail one another on the roads. By a rough tally of households, nearly three in ten have vanished since the Xian'an era. The people sigh like rootless exiles; their mood is that of the ode "Below the Spring," longing for a capital made whole again. Emperor Xuan of Han once said, "The men who truly share the empire with me are the worthy governors." So he ennobled magistrates who governed well, showed no mercy to cruel or chaotic rule, kept the court's business simple, and left the people content. None of that holds today. Men who angle for posts plead domestic hardship; those who would aid the needy hand out noble titles instead of real relief. Antiquity set a ruler over the people to shepherd them; now the people are milked to indulge the throne, gnawed away bit by bit; the grasping are praised as diligent, the law-abiding mocked as cowards. How utterly we have inverted the ancient way!

陛下雖躬自節儉，哀矜於上，而群僚肆欲，縱心於下，六司垂翼，三事拱默，故有識者睹人事以歎息，觀妖眚而大懼。昔宋景退熒惑之災，殷宗消鼎雉之異。伏願陛下仰觀大禹過門之志，俯察商辛沈湎之失，遠思《國風》恭公之刺，深惟定薑小臣之喻。暫回聖恩，大詢群後，延納眾賢，訪以得失；令百僚率職，人言損益。察其所由，觀其所以，審識群才，助鼎和味。克念作聖，以答天休。則四海宅心，天下幸甚。

Your Majesty lives frugally and shows compassion above, but officials below indulge every appetite; the ministries fold their wings in silence, the three senior posts sit mute. Thoughtful men groan at these signs and tremble at each new portent. Duke Jing of Song averted Mars's curse by owning his fault; Emperor Gao of Yin quieted the cauldron-and-pheasant omen through self-reform. I beg you to recall Yu, who thrice passed his door without entering; to study the fall of Zhou's last king, lost to drink; to heed the Odes' warning against proud dukes; to weigh the lesson of Lady Ding Jiang's humble adviser. Pause, extend your grace, consult the great lords broadly, summon worthy men, and ask where policy has failed or succeeded; require every official to perform his role and speak plainly about what helps or harms the state. Probe how men behave, judge their motives, know each talent for what it is, and blend them like seasonings in the royal cauldron. Hold fast to right intent and you become sage-king, worthy of Heaven's favor. Then the realm will find its heart in you, and all the world will be the better for it.

臣亡祖先臣隗，昔荷殊寵，匪躬之操，猶存舊史，有志無時，懷恨黃泉。及臣凡劣，復蒙罔極之眷，恩隆累世，實非糜身傾宗所能上報。前作此表，未及得通。暴嬰篤疾，恐命在奄忽，貪及視息，望達愚情。氣力懾然，不能自宣。

My late grandfather Liu Kui once enjoyed rare favor and gave his all for the throne—his story still lives in the histories—yet the hour never matched his will, and he carried grievance to the grave. I am a lesser man, yet I too have received bottomless kindness, generation upon generation—no sacrifice of life or house could repay it. I drafted this memorial once before but it never reached the throne. Sudden grave illness may cut me off at any moment; while I still draw breath I crave only to make my humble plea heard. My strength fails; I can scarcely give it voice.

疏奏而卒。追贈前將軍。子淡嗣。元熙初，為廬江太守。

The memorial was submitted, and he died. He was posthumously honored as general of the van. His son Sun Dan succeeded him. Early in Yuanxi he became governor of Lujiang.

隗伯父訥，字令言，有人倫鑒識。初入洛，見諸名士而歎曰：「王夷甫太鮮明，樂彥輔我所敬，張茂先我所不解，周弘武巧於用短，杜方叔拙于用長。」終於司隸校尉。

Liu Kui's uncle Liu Ne, courtesy name Lingyan, was a shrewd judge of character. On his first visit to Luoyang he sized up the leading lights and remarked: "Wang Yan shines too brightly; I esteem Yue Guang; I cannot fathom Zhang Hua; Zhou Yi turns his faults to advantage; Du Yu squanders his strengths." He died in office as metropolitan commandant.

子疇，字王喬，少有美譽，善談名理。曾避亂塢壁，賈胡百數欲害之，疇無懼色，援笳而吹之，為《出塞》、《入塞》之聲，以動其遊客之思。於是群胡皆垂泣而去之。永嘉中，位至司徒左長史，尋為閻鼎所殺。司空蔡謨每歎曰：「若使劉王喬得南渡，司徒公之美選也。」又王導初拜司徒，謂人曰：「劉王喬若過江，我不獨拜公也。」其為名流之所推服如此。

His son Liu Chou, courtesy name Wangqiao, won early renown and excelled at Pure Conversation. Once, sheltering from war in a walled hamlet, he faced hundreds of Sogdian traders bent on killing him; he showed no fear, lifted a reed whistle, and played the old frontier tunes "Out of the Pass" and "Into the Pass," stirring their homesickness. The merchants wept and went away without harming him. During Yongjia he rose to senior clerk on the minister of education's staff and was soon murdered by Yan Ding. Cai Mo, minister of works, used to sigh, "Had Liu Wangqiao reached the south, he would have been the perfect choice for minister of education." When Wang Dao first took the seal of minister of education, he said, "If Liu Wangqiao had crossed the Yangzi, I would not stand here alone as grandee." Such was the esteem the elite accorded him.

疇兄子劭，有才幹，辟琅邪王丞相掾。咸康世，曆御史中丞、侍中、尚書、豫章太守，秩中二千石。

Liu Shao, nephew of Liu Chou, was capable and was called to serve on the Prince of Langye's chief-minister staff. Under Xiankang he served successively as vice censor-in-chief, palace attendant, ministerial secretary, and governor of Yuzhang at the two-thousand-shi rank.

邵族子黃老，太元中，為尚書郎，有義學，注《慎子》、《老子》，並傳於世。

Shao's kinsman Huanglao served as a secretary at the secretariat during Taiyuan; he was a scholar of moral philosophy and produced commentaries on the Shenzi and Laozi that still circulate.

協性剛悍，與物多忤，每崇上抑下，故為王氏所疾。又使酒放肆，侵毀公卿，見者莫不側目。然悉力盡心，志在匡救，帝甚信任之。以奴為兵，取將吏客使轉運，皆協所建也，眾庶怨望之。及王敦構逆，上疏罪協。帝使協出督六軍。既而王師敗績，協與劉隗俱侍帝於太極東除，帝執協、隗手，流涕嗚咽，勸令避禍。協曰：「臣當守死，不敢有貳。」帝曰：「今事逼矣，安可不行！」乃令給協、隗人馬，使自為計。協年老，不堪騎乘，素無恩紀，募從者，皆委之行。至江乘，為人所殺，送首於敦，敦德刁氏，收葬之。帝痛協不免，密捕送協首者而誅之。

Diao Xie was truculent and abrasive, forever flattering those above and riding roughshod over those below; the Wang clan loathed him for it. Drunk, he insulted the great officers of state so openly that onlookers could only glare sideways. Yet he gave everything to right the realm, and the emperor placed deep trust in him. Conscripting bond servants as soldiers, pressing generals' clerks and their clients into convoy duty—these were Diao Xie's policies, and the people cursed him for them. When Wang Dun rebelled, his first memorial named Diao Xie as the villain. The emperor sent Diao Xie out to command the six hosts. When the imperial army broke, Diao Xie and Liu Kui stood with the emperor on the eastern steps of the Taichi Hall; he took their hands, weeping, and begged them to flee and save themselves. Diao Xie replied, "I should die at my post; I would never turn disloyal." The emperor said, "Matters have gone too far—you must go!" He then gave Diao Xie and Liu Kui mounts and escorts and told them to make their own way to safety. Diao Xie was too old to ride, had never won men's loyalty, and every follower he recruited slipped away and left him. At Jiangcheng assassins cut him down and sent his head to Wang Dun, who—mindful of old ties to the Diao family—had the body gathered and buried. The emperor mourned Diao Xie's fate and secretly seized the man who had delivered his head and put him to death.

敦平後，周顗、戴若思等皆被顯贈，惟協以出奔不在其例。咸康中，協子彝上疏訟之。在位者多以明帝之世褒貶已定，非所得更議，且協不能抗節隕身，乃出奔遇害，不可復其官爵也。丹陽尹殷融議曰：「王敦惡逆，罪不容誅，則協之善亦不容賞。若以忠非良圖，謀事失算，以此為責者，蓋在於譏議之間耳。即凶殘之誅以為國刑，將何以沮勸乎！當敦專逼之時，慶賞威刑專自己出，是以元帝慮深崇本，以協為比，事由國計，蓋不為私。昔孔甯、儀行父從君于昏，楚復其位者，君之黨故也。況協之比君，在於義順。且中興四佐，位為朝首。于時事窮計屈，奉命違寇，非為逃刑。謂宜顯贈，以明忠義。」時庾冰輔政，疑不能決。左光祿大夫蔡謨與冰書曰：

After Wang Dun's defeat, Zhou Yi, Dai Ruosi, and others received posthumous honors; Diao Xie alone was excluded because he had fled. During Xiankang his son Diao Yi petitioned for redress. Most officials argued that Emperor Ming had already settled Diao Xie's verdict and that it should not be reopened; besides, he had not died resisting the rebels but had fled and been killed en route—his titles could not be restored. Yin Rong, governor of Danyang, argued: "Wang Dun's treason was so grave that death alone could not settle the account; in that setting Diao Xie's loyalty cannot be crowned with honors without contradiction. If one faults him for misguided loyalty or poor planning, that is a matter for moral debate, not capital law. To treat his killers' cruelty as lawful execution—what lesson would that teach loyalty or treason? While Wang Dun held the capital hostage, reward and terror alike came from his hand alone; Emperor Yuan therefore looked to the foundations of state and relied on Diao Xie—all for the dynasty, not private interest. Kong Ning and Yi Hangfu debauched their lord, yet Chu restored their offices because they were the king's own faction. Diao Xie's service to the throne was loyal and rightful by any measure. He was one of the four chief ministers who rebuilt the dynasty. When every stratagem had failed, he obeyed the emperor's order to quit the rebel-held capital—not to dodge justice. He deserves a clear posthumous honor so the world may see what loyalty means." Yu Bing, then regent, hesitated and left the matter unsettled. Cai Mo, left household grandee, wrote to Yu Bing:

夫爵人者，宜顯其功；罰人者，宜彰其罪，此古今之所慎也。凡小之人猶尚如此，刁令中興上佐，有死難之名，天下不聞其罪，而見其貶，致令刁氏稱冤，此乃為王敦復仇也。內沮忠臣之節，論者惑之。若實有大罪，宜顯其事，令天下知之，明聖朝不貶死難之臣。《春秋》之義，以功補過。過輕功重者，得以加封；功輕過重者，不免誅絕；功足贖罪者無黜。雖先有邪佞之罪，而臨難之日党於其君者，不絕之也。孔甯、儀行父親與靈公淫亂於朝，君殺國滅，由此二臣，而楚尚納之。傳稱有禮不絕其位者，君之黨也。若刁令有罪，重于孔儀，絕之可也。若無此罪，宜見追論。

When you enfeoff a man, you proclaim his merit; when you punish him, you publish his crime—ages past and present have treated both with care. Even common folk grasp that principle. Diao Xie was a pillar of the restoration and died in the emperor's service; the realm never heard him judged guilty, yet it sees him disgraced while the Diao family cries injustice—that would be doing Wang Dun's vengeful work for him. It would break the spirit of loyal ministers and leave every commentator baffled. If he was truly guilty, publish the facts so the realm may judge, and show that this court does not dishonor men who died for their sovereign. The Annals teach that merit may redeem fault. Light offense and heavy service may earn a new title; slight service and grave fault still merit death and the cutting off of the line; when service outweighs crime, the man need not be cast out. Even men once corrupt who, when disaster struck, stood by their king were not written off forever. Kong Ning and Yi Hangfu debauched Duke Ling of Chen in open court; the duke died and the state fell—yet Chu still took them in. The tradition says some men keep rank despite scandal when they belong to the ruler's own party. If Diao Xie's crimes outweighed those of Kong Ning and Yi Hangfu, disowning him would be fair. If no such guilt exists, he deserves a formal reassessment.

或謂明帝之世已見寢廢，今不宜復改，吾又以為不然。夫大道宰世，殊塗一致。萬機之事，或異或同，同不相善，異不相譏。故堯抑元凱而舜舉之，堯不為失，舜不為非，何必前世所廢便不宜改乎？漢蕭何之後坐法失侯，文帝不封而景帝封之，後復失侯，武昭二帝不封而宣帝封之。近去元年，車駕釋奠，拜孔子之坐，此亦元明二帝所不行也。又刁令但是明帝所不贈耳，非誅之也。王平子、第五猗皆元帝所誅，而今日所贈，豈以改前為嫌乎！凡處事者，當上合古義，下准今例，然後談者不惑，受罪者無怨耳。案周僕射、戴征西本非王敦唱檄所仇也，事定後乃見害耳；周筵、郭璞等並亦非為主禦難也，自平居見殺耳，皆見褒贈，刁令事義豈輕於此乎？自頃員外散騎尚得追贈，況刁令位亞三司。若先自壽終，不失員外散騎之例也。就不蒙贈，不失以本官殯葬也。此為一人之身，壽終則蒙贈，死難則見絕，豈所以明事君之道，厲為臣之節乎！宜顯評其事，以解天下疑惑之論。

Some argue Emperor Ming settled the case and it should not be reopened—I disagree. The great Way rules the world; many roads lead to the same end. Affairs of state may match or clash across reigns; agreement need not mean approval, difference need not mean censure. Yao sidelined certain men and Shun promoted them—neither was wrong. Why treat every past verdict as final? Han history shows Xiao He's heirs lost their fief to a legal fault—Wen withheld restoration, Jing granted it; they lost it again, and later emperors debated the same question until Xuan restored them. Only last year the court offered wine to Confucius—a rite neither Emperor Yuan nor Emperor Ming had performed. Emperor Ming merely withheld honors from Diao Xie; he did not condemn him as a criminal. Emperor Yuan executed Wang Cheng and Di Wuyi, yet both have since been honored—why should Diao Xie alone be frozen in an old slight? Sound policy looks to antiquity and to current precedent alike; then the debate stays clear and the punished feel justice was done. Privy counselor Zhou Yi and western commander Dai Yuan were not named in Wang Dun's manifesto; they were murdered only after peace returned. Zhou Yan and Guo Pu were not even dying in battle for the throne—they were cut down in peacetime—yet both were eulogized. Diao Xie's loyalty weighs no less. Lately even honorary cavaliers win posthumous titles; Diao Xie stood just below the Three Dukes. Had he died in bed, he would at least have matched the honors due a supernumerary gentleman. Even without posthumous promotion, he would still merit burial befitting his rank. The same man would be honored for dying in bed but disowned for dying for the throne—how does that teach loyalty? Publish a clear ruling and lay the realm's doubts to rest.

又聞談者亦多謂宜贈。凡事不允當，而得眾助者，若以善柔得眾，而刁令粗剛多怨；若以貴也，刁氏今賤；若以富也，刁氏今貧。人士何故反助寒門而此言之？足下宜察此意。

I hear most informed opinion favors restoration. When an unpopular cause still wins support, it is not because the man was sweet-tempered—Diao Xie was blunt and widely resented; it is not birth: the Diaos are now humble; it is not wealth: they are ruined. Why should elite opinion side with the powerless in urging this? Consider what that implies.

冰然之。事奏，成帝詔曰：「協情在忠主，而失為臣之道，故令王敦得託名公義，而實肆私忌，遂令社稷受屈，元皇銜恥，致禍之原，豈不有由！若極明國典，則曩刑非重。今正當以協之勤有可書，敦之逆命不可長，故議其事耳。今可復協本位，加之冊祭，以明有忠於君者纖介必顯，雖於貶裁未盡，然或足有勸矣。」於是追贈本官，祭乙太牢。

Yu Bing accepted the argument. The memorial went up; Emperor Cheng decreed: "Diao Xie's heart was loyal, but he failed as a minister, giving Wang Dun a pretext to rebel while nursing private spite—thus the state suffered and Emperor Yuan was humiliated. That disaster had roots. By the strict letter of law his earlier treatment was not excessive. Yet his service deserves record, and Wang Dun's treason cannot be the last word—hence this review. Restore his former office, grant him documented sacrifice, and show that loyalty to the throne, however slight, will out—even if the earlier demotion was not fully reversed, the example will encourage others." The court restored his titles and offered him the great beast sacrifice.

彝字大倫。少遭家難。王敦誅後，彝斬仇人党，以首祭父墓，詣廷尉請罪，朝廷特宥之，由是知名，曆尚書吏部郎、吳國內史，累遷北中郎將、徐兗二州刺史、假節，鎮廣陵，卒於官。

Diao Yi, courtesy name Dalun. He suffered family tragedy while young. After Wang Dun's death Diao Yi slew his father's killers, presented their heads at the tomb, then surrendered to justice; the court pardoned him and he rose to fame, serving as personnel director, governor of Wu, then general of the household gentlemen in the north and inspector of Xu and Yan with a garrison at Guangling, where he died in post.

子逵，字伯道，逵弟暢，字仲遠；次子弘，字叔仁，並曆顯職。隆安中，達為廣州刺史，領平越中郎將、假節；暢為始興相；弘為冀州刺史。兄弟子侄並不拘名行，以貨殖為務，有田萬頃，奴婢數千人，餘資稱是。

His son Diao Kui, courtesy name Bodao, and younger son Diao Chang, courtesy name Zhongyuan; a second son, Diao Hong, courtesy name Shuren—all rose to high office. During Long'an, Diao Kui was inspector of Guangzhou and general who pacifies the Yue, with imperial credentials; Diao Chang was administrator of Shixing; Diao Hong was inspector of Ji. The clan cared little for reputation; they chased profit, owned myriad hectares, thousands of bond servants, and fortunes to match.

桓玄篡位，以逵為西中郎將、豫州刺史，鎮曆陽；暢右衛將軍；弘撫軍桓修司馬。劉裕起義，斬桓修，時暢、弘謀起兵襲裕，裕遣劉毅討之，暢伏誅；弘亡，不知所在。逵在曆陽執劉裕參軍諸葛長民，檻車送于桓玄，至當利而玄敗，送人共破檻出長民，遂趣曆陽。逵棄城而走，為下人所執，斬於石頭。子侄無少長皆死，惟小弟騁被宥，為給事中，尋謀反伏誅，刁氏遂滅。刁氏素殷富，奴客縱橫，固吝山澤，為京口之蠹。裕散其資蓄，今百姓稱力而取之，彌日不盡。時天下饑弊，編戶賴之以濟焉。

When Huan Xuan seized the throne he named Diao Kui western general of the household gentlemen and inspector of Yu, stationed at Liyang; Diao Chang as general of the right guard; Diao Hong as major to the army supervisor Huan Xiu. When Liu Yu rose against Huan Xiu and killed him, Diao Chang and Diao Hong plotted a counterstroke; Liu Yu sent Liu Yi against them; Chang was captured and executed; Hong vanished without trace. Diao Kui at Liyang seized Liu Yu's aide Zhuge Changmin and sent him toward Huan Xuan in a prison cart; near Dangli Xuan fell; the guards freed Changmin and raced back to Liyang. Diao Kui fled the city, was caught by his own men, and executed at Stone Citadel. Every adult kinsman died; only the youngest brother Diao Cheng was spared as a palace attendant, then rebelled and was killed—the Diaos were gone. For generations the Diaos had hoarded wealth, bullied the countryside, and monopolized Jingkou's hills and streams. Liu Yu broke open their granaries and let commoners carry away what they could; a day was not enough to empty them. In a time of famine that windfall kept countless families alive.

戴若思，廣陵人也，名犯高祖廟諱。祖烈，吳左將軍。父昌，會稽太守。若思有風儀，性閑爽，少好遊俠，不拘操行。遇陸機赴洛，船裝甚盛，遂與其徒掠之。若思登岸，據胡床，指麾同旅，皆得其宜。機察見之，知非常人，在舫屋上遙謂之曰：「卿才器如此，乃復作劫邪！」若思感悟，因流涕，投劍就之。機與言，深加賞異，遂與定交焉。

Dai Ruosi came from Guangling; his personal name violated the temple taboo of the founding emperor (hence he is known by his courtesy name). His grandfather Dai Lie had been general of the left under Wu. His father Dai Chang was governor of Kuaiji. Dai Ruosi cut a striking figure, easygoing and bold; in youth he roamed as a knight-errant and scorned petty rules. When Lu Ji sailed for Luoyang with a lavishly laden boat, Dai and his band robbed him. He stepped ashore, sat on a camp stool, and deployed his men with perfect composure. Lu Ji saw this was no common robber and shouted from the cabin, "With ability like yours you play the pirate?" Dai Ruosi broke down, wept, threw away his sword, and came forward. Lu Ji spoke with him, admired him deeply, and they became friends.

若思後舉孝廉，入洛，機薦之于趙王倫曰：「蓋聞繁弱登禦，然後高墉之功顯；孤竹在肆，然後降神之曲成。是以高世之主必假遠邇之器，蘊櫝之才思托太音之和。伏見處士廣陵戴若思，年三十，清沖履道，德量允塞；思理足以研幽，才鑒足以辯物；安窮樂志，無風塵之慕，砥節立行，有井渫之潔；誠東南之遺寶，宰朝之奇璞也。若得托跡康衢，則能結軌驥騄；曜質廊廟，必能垂光璵璠矣。惟明公垂神采察，不使忠允之言以人而廢。」倫乃辟之，除沁水令，不就，遂往武陵省父。時同郡人潘京素有理鑒，名知人，其父遣若思就京與語，既而稱若思有公輔之才。累轉東海王越軍諮祭酒，出補豫章太守，加振威將軍，領義軍都督。以討賊有功，賜爵秣陵侯，遷治書侍御史、驃騎司馬，拜散騎侍郎。

Later, recommended as filial and incorrupt, Dai Ruosi went to Luoyang; Lu Ji commended him to Sima Lun: "When the great bow is strung, high walls fall; when Guzhu bamboo is offered in the market, the gods' music can be made. Thus a true king borrows talent from every quarter; gems still wrapped in cloth long for a place in the royal orchestra. I present the recluse Dai Ruosi of Guangling, thirty years old, serene in virtue and ample in character; his mind plumbs the subtle, his judgment sorts true from false; he loves poverty and clear purpose, never hankers after vulgar rank, and keeps a well-rope's unstained honor; he is the southeast's hidden treasure, the court's unpolished jade. Set him on the high road and he will keep pace with the finest steeds; bring him to the hall and his radiance will adorn the regalia. I beg Your Highness to look past rumor and not dismiss honest counsel for personal reasons." Sima Lun appointed him magistrate of Qinshui; he declined and went to Wuling to see his father. Pan Jing of the same commandery was famed as a judge of character; Dai's father sent the young man to meet him, and Pan pronounced him fit for the highest office. He rose to deliberation libationer on Sima Yue's staff, then became governor of Yuzhang with the title general who rouses might and commander of volunteer forces. For suppressing rebels he was enfeoffed as marquis of Moling, promoted to drafting censor, chief clerk to the commander-in-chief, and cavalier gentleman attendant.

元帝召為鎮東右司馬。將征杜弢，加若思前將軍，未發而弢滅。帝為晉王，以為尚書。中興建，為中護軍，轉護軍將軍、尚書僕射，皆辭不拜。出為征西將軍、都督兗豫幽冀雍並六州諸軍事、假節，加散騎常侍。發投刺王官千人為軍吏，調揚州百姓家奴萬人為兵配之，以散騎常侍王遐為軍司，鎮壽陽，與劉隗同出。帝親幸其營，勞勉將士，臨發祖餞，置酒賦詩。

Emperor Yuan named him senior clerk to the general who garrisons the east. When Du Tao was to be attacked, Dai Ruosi was named general of the van, but Du Tao fell before he marched. When Yuan held the title Prince of Jin, Dai Ruosi joined the secretariat. At the founding of the eastern court he was offered central guards commander, then general of the guards army and vice director of the secretariat, and each time declined. He then took the field as general who campaigns west with command over six provinces, imperial credentials, and the added title cavalier attendant-in-ordinary. He drafted a thousand nominal officials as staff, impressed ten thousand Yangzhou bond servants as troops, named Wang Xia army director, and marched to Shouyang beside Liu Kui. The emperor visited his camp in person, feasted the army on the eve of departure, and joined them in verse.

若思至合肥，而王敦舉兵，詔追若思還鎮京都，進驃騎將軍，與右衛將軍郭逸夾道築壘於大桁之北。尋而石頭失守，若思與諸軍攻石頭，王師敗績。若思率麾下百餘人赴宮受詔，與公卿百官於石頭見敦。敦問若思曰：「前日之戰有餘力乎？」若思不謝而答曰：「豈敢有餘，但力不足耳。」又曰：「吾此舉動，天下以為如何？」若思曰：「見形者謂之逆，體誠者謂之忠。」敦笑曰：「卿可謂能言。」敦參軍呂猗昔為台郎，有刀筆才，性尤奸諂，若思為尚書，惡其為人，猗亦深憾焉。至是，乃說敦曰：「周顗、戴若思皆有高名，足以惑眾，近者之言曾無愧色。公若不除，恐有再舉之患，為將來之憂耳。」敦以為然，又素忌之，俄而遣鄧岳、繆坦收若思而害之。若思素有重望，四海之士莫不痛惜焉。賊平，冊贈右光祿大夫、儀同三司，諡曰簡。

Near Hefei word came that Wang Dun had risen; Dai Ruosi was recalled to defend the capital as general of swift cavalry and, with Guo Yi of the right guard, threw up earthworks north of the great bridge. Stone Citadel soon fell; Dai Ruosi led the assault and the imperial forces broke. He took a hundred followers to the palace for orders, then joined the high ministers to face Wang Dun at Stone Citadel. Wang Dun asked, "Did you hold anything back in the last fight?" Dai Ruosi answered coolly, "I had no strength left to hide—only too little, not too much." Wang Dun pressed, "What does the realm make of my action?" Dai Ruosi said, "Surface judgment calls it treason; those who see the heart may call it loyalty." Wang Dun laughed, "You are eloquent, I grant you. Lu Yi, Wang Dun's adviser, had been a petty clerk, facile with documents, and a sycophant; Dai Ruosi had despised him at the secretariat, and Lu Yi hated him in return. Now Lu Yi urged Wang Dun, "Zhou Yi and Dai Ruosi command such prestige that they sway the crowd, yet they answered you without a blush. If you spare them they will stir a second revolt—that is the danger ahead." Wang Dun agreed; he already envied both men and soon sent Deng Yue and Miu Tan to arrest Dai Ruosi and kill him. Dai Ruosi had enjoyed immense prestige, and men across the realm mourned his death. After the rebellion he was canonized as right household grandee with Three Dukes parity and the posthumous name "Jian" (Sparing).

邈字望之。少好學，尤精《史》《漢》，才不逮若思，儒博過之。弱冠舉秀才，尋遷太子洗馬，出補西陽內史。永嘉中，元帝版行邵陵內史、丞相軍諮祭酒，出為征南軍司。于時凡百草創，學校未立，邈上疏曰：

Dai Miao, courtesy name Wangzhi. He loved books from boyhood, above all the Records and the Han history; he lacked Dai Ruosi's flash but surpassed him in scholarly breadth. He passed the provincial examination at twenty, became crown prince's groom, then governor of Xiyang. During Yongjia, Emperor Yuan named him acting governor of Shaoling, deliberation libationer on the chief minister's staff, then army director on the southern expedition. The empire was still being built and no schools existed; Dai Miao presented a memorial:

臣聞天道之所大，莫大於陰陽；帝王之至務，莫重於禮學。是以古之建國，有明堂辟雍之制，鄉有庠序1111校之儀，皆所以抽導幽滯，啟廣才思。蓋以六四有困蒙之吝，君子大養正之功也。昔仲尼列國之大夫耳，興禮修學於洙泗之間，四方髦俊斐然向風，身達者七十餘人。自茲以來，千載絕塵。豈天下小於魯衛，賢哲乏于曩時？勵與不勵故也。

Heaven's greatest workings are yin and yang; a monarch's first duty is ritual and education. The ancients founded the capital with a bright hall and a royal academy, and every district had its village schools—all to draw talent from obscurity and sharpen minds. The Changes warn against leaving the young in darkness; the gentleman therefore cultivates rectitude above all. Confucius was only a wandering minister, yet between the Zhu and Si rivers he taught ritual and learning until more than seventy disciples rose to office. For a millennium afterward that light went out. Was the empire smaller than Lu or Wei? Were there fewer sages than in his day? The difference lay in whether rulers bothered to encourage learning.

自頃國遭無妄之禍，社稷有綴旒之危，寇羯飲馬于長江，凶狡鴟張於萬里，遂使神州蕭條，鞠為茂草，四海之內，人跡不交。霸主有旰食之憂，黎元懷荼毒之苦，戎首交拜于中原，何遽籩豆之事哉！然三年不為禮，禮必壞；三年不為樂，樂必崩，況曠戴累紀如此之久邪！今末進後生目不睹揖讓升降之儀，耳不聞鐘鼓管弦之音，文章散滅，圖讖無遺，此蓋聖達之所深悼，有識之所嗟歎也。夫平世尚文，遭亂尚武，文武遞用，長久之道，譬之天地昏明之迭，自古以來未有不由之者也。

Lately the realm has suffered disaster, the throne has hung by a thread, barbarians have watered horses at the Yangzi, and traitors have swaggered across the map until the heartland is wasteland and travelers dare not cross the roads. Our leaders skip meals from worry, the people choke on misery, and warlords scrape and bow in the Yellow River plain—who has leisure for ritual vessels? Yet Confucius warned: three years without ritual and the rites rot; three years without music and harmony collapses—how much worse after generations of neglect! Today's youths have never seen a proper court ceremony, never heard ritual music; texts and omens are lost—this is what every thoughtful man laments. Peace exalts letters, turmoil exalts arms; the two must alternate like day and night—no dynasty has ever done otherwise.

今或以天下未一，非興禮學之時，此言似之而不其然。夫儒道深奧，不可倉卒而成。古之俊乂必三年而通一經，比天下平泰然後修之，則功成事定，誰與制禮作樂者哉？又貴遊之子未必有斬將搴旗之才，亦未有從軍征戍之役，不及盛年講肄道義，使明珠加磨瑩之功，荊璞發采琢之榮，不亦良可惜乎！

Some say the realm is still divided and schools can wait—that sounds plausible but is wrong. Confucian learning is deep; it cannot be rushed. Ancient scholars needed three years per classic; if we wait for perfect peace before teaching, who will be left to write the rituals and music? Scions of great houses are not all born warriors; most never see a campaign. To waste their best years without teaching the Way is to leave jade unpolished—what a loss!

臣愚以世喪道久，人情玩于所習；純風日去，華競日彰，猶火之消膏而莫之覺也。今天地告始，萬物權輿，聖朝以神武之德，值革命之運，蕩近世之流弊，繼千載之絕軌，篤道崇儒，創立大業。明主唱之於上，宰輔督之於下。夫上之所好，下必有過之者焉，是故雙劍之節崇，而飛白之俗成；挾琴之容飾，而赴曲之和作；君子之德風，小人之德草，實在感之而已。臣以暗淺，不能遠識格言；奉誦明令，慷慨下風，謂宜以三時之隙漸就修建。

I fear men have grown used to moral chaos; decency ebbs while vanity rises, like fat melting in a fire unseen. Heaven and earth have turned a new page; this court, with martial vigor and a mandate to renew the age, sweeps away late Jin decay and revives learning. Let the sovereign champion it above and the ministers enforce it below. The people ape their betters: honor swordsmanship and bravado spreads; praise lute-bearing dandies and shallow music thrives; the gentleman is wind, the commoner grass—example is everything. I am too dull to add lofty doctrine; but reading your edict I urge that we use slack seasons to rebuild schools step by step.

疏奏，納焉，於是始修禮學。

The throne approved, and the court began to restore ritual education.

代劉隗為丹陽尹。王敦作逆，加左將軍。及敦得志，而若思遇害，邈坐免官。敦誅後，拜尚書僕射。卒官，贈衛將軍，諡曰穆。子謐嗣，曆義興太守、大司農。

He succeeded Liu Kui as governor of Danyang. When Wang Dun rebelled, Dai Miao was named general of the left. After Wang Dun triumphed and Dai Ruosi was killed, Dai Miao lost his post as an accomplice. When Wang Dun fell, Dai Miao became vice director of the secretariat. He died in office, canonized as general who guards the army with the posthumous name "Mu" (Solemn). His son Dai Mi succeeded him, serving as governor of Yixing and minister of agriculture.

周顗，字伯仁，安東將軍浚之子也。少有重名，神彩秀徹，雖時輩親狎，莫能媟也。司徒掾同郡賁嵩有清操，見顗，歎曰：「汝潁固多奇士！自頃雅道陵遲，今復見周伯仁，將振起舊風，清我邦族矣。」廣陵戴若思東南之美，舉秀才，入洛，素聞顗名，往候之，終坐而出，不敢顯其才辯。顗從弟穆亦有美譽，欲陵折顗，顗陶然弗與之校，於是人士益宗附之。州郡辟命皆不就。弱冠，襲父爵武城侯，拜秘書郎，累遷尚書吏部郎。東海王越子毗為鎮軍將軍，以顗為長史。

Zhou Yi, courtesy name Boren, was the son of Zhou Jun, general who garrisons the east. Even as a youth he was famed for luminous dignity; friends might jest with him, but none took him lightly. Ben Song, a steward's aide from the same commandery, was a man of integrity; meeting Zhou Yi he exclaimed, "Yingchuan still breeds marvels! The old refinement has faded, yet here is Zhou Boren to revive it for our people." Dai Ruosi of Guangling, the southeast's leading talent, went to Luoyang on recommendation and called on Zhou Yi; he sat silent through the visit, too awed to show off his wit. Cousin Zhou Mu tried to upstage him, but Zhou Yi only smiled and refused the contest—so the elite flocked to him. He turned down every provincial appointment. At twenty he inherited the Wucheng marquisate, joined the palace library, and rose to personnel director at the secretariat. Sima Pi, son of Sima Yue, named him chief clerk when Pi held the post of general who garrisons the army.

元帝初鎮江左，請為軍諮祭酒，出為甯遠將軍、荊州刺史、領護南蠻校尉、假節。始到州，而建平流人傅密等叛迎蜀賊杜弢，顗狼狽失據。陶侃遣將吳寄以兵救之，故顗得免，因奔王敦于豫章。敦留之。軍司戴邈曰：「顗雖退敗，未有蒞眾之咎，德望素重，宜還復之。」敦不從。帝召為揚威將軍、兗州刺史。顗還建康，帝留顗不遣，復以為軍諮祭酒，尋轉右長史。中興建，補吏部尚書。頃之，以醉酒為有司所糾，白衣領職。復坐門生斫傷人，免官。

When Yuan first held the lower Yangzi, he made Zhou Yi deliberation libationer, then inspector of Jing with the southern-barbarian command and imperial credentials. He had barely arrived when refugees at Jianping rose under Fu Mi for Du Tao and left him stranded. Tao Kan's officer Wu Ji relieved him, so Zhou Yi escaped to Wang Dun in Yuzhang. Wang Dun kept him at headquarters. Dai Miao urged, "Zhou Yi lost a battle but never betrayed his command; his prestige is intact—send him back. Wang Dun refused. The emperor named him general who displays might and inspector of Yan. When Zhou Yi reached Jiankang, the emperor kept him at court as deliberation libationer, then senior clerk on the right. At the founding of the eastern Jin he became minister of personnel. Soon a drinking bout brought a censor's charge; he kept his duties while demoted to commoner status. When a client of his household wounded someone, he was stripped of office again.

太興初，更拜太子少傅，尚書如故。顗上疏讓曰：「臣退自循省，學不通一經，智不效一官，止足良難，未能守分，遂忝顯任，名位過量。不悟天鑒忘臣頑弊，乃欲使臣內管銓衡，外忝傅訓，質輕蟬翼，事重千鈞，此之不可，不待識而明矣。若臣受負乘之責，必貽聖朝惟塵之恥，俯仰愧懼，不知所圖。」詔曰：「紹幼沖便居儲副之貴，當賴軌匠以祛蒙蔽。望之儼然，斯不言之益，何學之習邪，所謂與田蘇遊忘其鄙心者。便當副往意，不宜沖讓。」轉尚書左僕射，領吏部如故。

Early in Taixing he was named junior tutor to the crown prince while keeping his secretariat post. Zhou Yi begged off: "I have mastered no single classic and proved myself in no single post; I cannot stay within my limits, yet I hold high rank—far beyond my weight. Now you would have me judge men within and teach the heir without—my talent is lighter than a cicada's wing, the burden heavier than a thousand stone weights; the mismatch is obvious. If I accept and fail, I will disgrace the court; I am terrified and see no way forward." The emperor replied, "The crown prince is young; he needs a model to clear his mind. Your dignified presence teaches without lessons—like the ancients who forgot low desires in good company. Accept the post; do not refuse. He was promoted to left vice director of the secretariat while remaining minister of personnel.

庾亮嘗謂顗曰：「諸人咸以君方樂廣。」顗曰：「何乃刻畫無鹽，唐突西施也。」帝宴群公於西堂，酒酣，從容曰：「今日名臣共集，何如堯舜時邪？」顗因醉厲聲曰：「今雖同人主，何得復比聖世！」帝大怒而起，手詔付廷尉，將加戮，累日方赦之。及出，諸公就省，顗曰：「近日之罪，固知不至於死。」尋代戴若思為護軍將軍。尚書紀瞻置酒請顗及王導等，顗荒醉失儀，復為有司所奏。詔曰：「顗參副朝右，職掌銓衡，當敬慎德音，式是百辟。屢以酒過，為有司所繩。吾亮其極歎之情，然亦是濡首之誡也。顗必能克己復禮者，今不加黜責。」

Yu Liang told him, "Everyone likens you to Yue Guang." Zhou Yi answered, "That is like painting Wuyan the ugly and calling her Xi Shi. At a western-hall banquet the emperor asked tipsily how his court compared to Yao and Shun." Zhou Yi, drunk, snapped, "We may share a throne, but we are no sage-kings!" The emperor nearly had him executed, then relented after several days. When friends visited him in disgrace, he said, "I knew I would not die for that. Soon he succeeded Dai Ruosi as general of the guards army. Ji Zhan hosted Zhou Yi and Wang Dao; Zhou Yi drank himself into another scandal. An edict rebuked him: "As vice director and minister of personnel you must exemplify decorum for every official. Wine has brought you before the censors again and again. I grant your passions run deep, but this is also the warning of the sodden head. If you can master yourself, we will not dismiss you."

初，顗以雅望獲海內盛名，後頗以酒失。為僕射，略無醒日，時人號為「三日僕射」。庾亮曰：「周侯末年，所謂鳳德之衰也。」顗在中朝時，能飲酒一石，及過江，雖日醉，每稱無對。偶有舊對從北來，顗遇之欣然，乃出酒二石共飲，各大醉。及顗醒，使視客，已腐脅而死。

Once famed for dignity, he later ruined himself with drink. As vice director he was seldom sober; men called him the "three-day vice director." Yu Liang said, "Zhou Yi in his last years showed the waning of phoenix virtue." In Luoyang he could down a full dan; south of the river he boasted while drunk that no one could match his cup. When an old drinking friend arrived from the north, Zhou Yi hauled out two dan and they drank themselves under. When Zhou Yi woke, his guest had died of drink.

顗性寬裕而友愛過人，弟嵩嘗因酒嗔目謂顗曰：「君才不及弟，何乃橫得重名！」以所燃蠟燭投之。顗神色無忤，徐曰：「阿奴火攻，固出下策耳。」王導甚重之，嘗枕顗膝而指其腹曰：「此中何所有也？」答曰：「此中空洞無物，然足容卿輩數百人。」導亦不以為忤。又于導坐傲然嘯詠，導云：「卿欲希嵇、阮邪？」顗曰：「何敢近舍明公，遠希嵇、阮。」

His brother Zhou Song once snarled drunk, "You are less able than I—how dare you outrank me in fame? He threw the burning candle at him. Zhou Yi only said calmly, "Brother, fire attacks are a low tactic." Wang Dao admired him, once rested on his knee and asked what lay in his belly." Zhou Yi said, "Nothing at all—yet room enough for hundreds like you." Wang Dao laughed it off. Once he whistled loudly at Wang Dao's party; Wang Dao asked if he meant to imitate Ji Kang and Ruan Ji." Zhou Yi replied, "I would not neglect my host to mimic long-dead eccentrics."

及王敦構逆，溫嶠謂顗曰：「大將軍此舉似有所在，當無濫邪？」顗曰：「君少年未更事。人主自非堯舜，何能無失，人臣豈可得舉兵以協主！共相推戴，未能數年，一旦如此，豈云非亂乎！處仲剛愎強忍，狼抗無上，其意寧有限邪！」既而王師敗績，顗奉詔詣敦，敦曰：「伯仁，卿負我！」顗曰：「公戎車犯順，下官親率六軍，不能其事，使王旅奔敗，以此負公。」敦憚其辭正，不知所答。帝召顗於廣室，謂之曰：「近日大事，二宮無恙，諸人平安，大將軍故副所望邪？」顗曰：「二宮自如明詔，於臣等故未可知。」護軍長史郝嘏等勸顗避敦，顗曰：「吾備位大臣，朝廷喪敗，寧可復草間求活，外投胡越邪！」俄而與戴若思俱被收，路經太廟，顗大言曰：「天地先帝之靈；賊臣王敦傾覆社稷，枉殺忠臣，陵虐天下，神祇有靈，當速殺敦，無令縱毒，以傾王室。」語未終，收人以戟傷其口，血流至踵，顏色不變，容止自若，觀者皆為流涕。遂于石頭南門外石上害之，時年五十四。

When Wang Dun rose, Wen Qiao asked Zhou Yi if the coup had a limited aim." Zhou Yi answered, "You are young and inexperienced. No ruler is flawless as Yao or Shun; still, no minister may raise arms to bully his sovereign! We have hailed this throne only a few years—how is this not treason? Wang Dun is ruthless, defiant, and respects no one above him—his ambition knows no bound! When the imperial army broke, Zhou Yi was sent to Wang Dun, who accused him: "Boren, you betrayed me!" Zhou Yi replied, "You turned rebel; I commanded the imperial armies and failed—that is how I failed you. Wang Dun, stung by his candor, had no reply. The emperor took Zhou Yi aside: "The coup is over; the palaces are safe—do you think the grand general has done what we wished?" Zhou Yi said, "The palaces are safe by your grace; as for us ministers, who can tell? Friends urged him to hide from Wang Dun; he refused: "I am a high minister; I will not skulk in the grass or flee to barbarians. Seized with Dai Ruosi and marched past the imperial shrine, he shouted, "Spirits of Heaven and our late kings! The traitor Wang Dun has ruined the state and murdered loyal men—if you have power, strike him down before he destroys the dynasty! Guards rammed a halberd into his mouth before he finished; blood ran to his heels, yet his face never changed, and the crowd wept. They killed him on the stone outside Stone Citadel's south gate; he was fifty-four.

顗之死也，敦坐有一參軍樗蒱，馬於博頭被殺，因謂敦曰：「周家奕世令望，而位不至公，及伯仁將登而墜，有似下官此馬。」敦曰：「伯仁總角於東宮相遇，一面披襟，便許之三事，何圖不幸自貽王法。」敦素憚顗，每見顗輒面熱，雖復冬月，扇面手不得休。敦使繆坦籍顗家，收得素簏數枚，盛故絮而已，酒五甕，米數石，在位者服其清約。敦卒後，追贈左光祿大夫、儀同三司，諡曰康，祀以少牢。

During the chupu game at Wang Dun's table a piece horse was removed; a player quipped that the Zhou clan, always eminent, never reached ducal rank—like that doomed horse." Wang Dun said, "Boren and I were boys together in the heir's palace; I swore three promises—never that the law would take him. Wang Dun feared Zhou Yi so deeply that his face burned even in winter and he fanned himself without cease. Wang Dun's men searched his home and found only old padding in baskets, a few jars of wine, and a little rice—officials marveled at his austerity. After Wang Dun's death Zhou Yi was canonized as left household grandee with Three Dukes parity, posthumous name "Kang," and a lesser beast sacrifice.

初，敦之舉兵也，劉隗勸帝盡除諸王，司空導率群從詣闕請罪，值顗將入，導呼顗謂曰：「伯仁，以百口累卿！」顗直入不顧。既見帝，言導忠誠，申救甚至，帝納其言。顗喜飲酒，致醉而出。導猶在門，又呼顗。顗不與言，顧左右曰：「今年殺諸賊奴，取金印如斗大繫肘。」既出，又上表明導，言甚切至。導不知救己，而甚銜之。敦既得志，問導曰：「周顗、戴若思南北之望，當登三司，無所疑也。」導不答。又曰：「若不三司，便應令僕邪？」又不答。敦曰：「若不爾，正當誅爾。」導又無言。導後料檢中書故事，見顗表救己，殷勤款至。導執表流涕，悲不自勝，告其諸子曰：「吾雖不殺伯仁，伯仁由我而死。幽冥之中，負此良友！」顗三子：閔、恬、頤。

When Wang Dun rebelled, Liu Kui urged executing the Sima princes; Wang Dao led his clan to beg mercy at the gate; seeing Zhou Yi arrive, he cried, "Boren, my family's hundred lives rest with you!" Zhou Yi walked past without a word. Before the throne he pleaded Wang Dao's loyalty until the emperor relented. He celebrated with wine and left drunk. Wang Dao still waited at the gate and called after him. Zhou Yi ignored him and muttered to attendants about killing "bandit slaves" and winning great seals—drunk boasting. Sober, he filed a sober memorial strongly defending Wang Dao. Wang Dao never knew Zhou Yi had saved him and nursed a bitter grudge. After his victory Wang Dun asked Wang Dao whether Zhou Yi and Dai Ruosi should be given the Three Dukes' rank. Wang Dao stayed silent. Wang Dun pressed, "If not the Three Dukes, then vice director? Again no answer. "Then I must kill them," Wang Dun said. Wang Dao still said nothing—consent by silence. Later Wang Dao found Zhou Yi's memorial in the archives and saw how fervently he had pleaded for him. He wept and told his sons, "I did not strike the blow, yet Boren died through me. In the world below I owe him that debt. Zhou Yi left three sons: Zhou Min, Zhou Tian, and Zhou Yi (junior).

閔字子騫，方直有父風。曆衡陽、建安、臨川太守，侍中，中領軍，吏部尚書，尚書左僕射，加中軍將軍，轉護軍，領秘書監。卒，追贈金紫光祿大夫，諡曰烈。無子，以弟頤長子琳為嗣。琳仕至東陽太守。恬、頤並曆卿守。琳少子文，驃騎諮議參軍

Zhou Min, courtesy name Ziqian, was as blunt and upright as his father. He governed several commanderies, served as palace attendant, central commander, minister of personnel, left vice director, central army general, general of the guards, and palace librarian. He died and was canonized golden purple grandee with posthumous name "Lie" (Ardent). Childless, he adopted his brother's son Zhou Lin. Zhou Lin rose to governor of Dongyang. Zhou Tian and the younger Zhou Yi both held ministerial and provincial posts. Zhou Lin's youngest son Zhou Wen served as deliberation adviser on the swift cavalry staff.

史臣曰：夫太剛則折，至察無徒，以之為政，則害于而國；用之行己，則凶於乃家。誠以器乖容眾，非先王之道也。大連司憲，陰候主情，當約法之秋，獻斫棺之議。玄亮剛愎，與物多違，雖有崇上之心，專行刻下之化，同薄相濟，並運天機。是使賢宰見疏，致物情於解體；權臣發怒，借其名以誓師。既而謀人之國，國危而苟免；見昵於主，主辱而圖生。自取流亡，非不幸也。若思閑爽，照理研幽。伯仁凝正，處腴能約。咸以高才雅道，參豫疇咨。及京室淪胥，抗言無撓，甘赴鼎而全操，蓋事君而盡節者歟！顗招時論，尤其酒德，《禮經》曰「瑕不掩瑜」，未足韜其美也。

The chroniclers say: excess rigidity snaps; hyper-criticism wins no allies—rule that way and the state suffers; live that way and your house comes to grief. Such temperaments cannot embrace the many; they are not the way of the ancient kings. Liu Kui enforced the code while reading the emperor's every mood; in a time of harsh justice he urged even posthumous punishment. Diao Xie was willful and abrasive; though he meant to strengthen the throne, he ground men down—petty minds in league, they shifted the court's fate. Good ministers were driven off and the realm's heart broke; a warlord seized on their names to muster his hosts. They plotted for the realm yet, when danger came, saved themselves; trusted by the throne, they fled when the throne was shamed. Their banishment was no accident. Dai Ruosi was magnanimous and acute, a subtle reasoner. Zhou Yi was stern and honest, austere even amid plenty. All three brought high gifts and refinement to the council chamber. When the capital fell they spoke without flinching and went to death with honor—true servants of the throne. Zhou Yi drew gossip for his drinking, yet as the Rites say, a flaw does not hide the jade—his virtues still shine.

贊曰：劉刁亮直，志奉興王。奸回醜正，終致奔亡。周戴英爽，忠謨允塞。道屬屯蒙，禍罹凶慝。

The verdict reads: Liu Kui and Diao Xie were blunt loyalists who served the restoration. Vice turned virtue upside down and ended in exile. Zhou Yi and Dai Ruosi were gallant and true, their counsel full of integrity. The age was dark and cruel fortune struck them down.

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