1
孔愉 〈（子汪安國弟祗從子坦嚴從弟群群子沉）〉 丁潭張茂陶回
Biography: Kong Yu. The chapter also treats Kong Yu's sons Wang and Anguo, his brother Zhi, his nephews Tan and Yan, his cousin Qun, and Qun's son Shen.〉 This volume continues with Ding Tan, Zhang Mao, and Tao Hui.
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孔愉，字敬康，會稽山陰人也。 其先世居梁國。 曾祖潛，太子少傅，漢末避地會稽，因家焉。 祖竺，吳豫章太守。 父恬，湘東太守。 從兄侃，大司農。 俱有名江左。 愉年十三而孤，養祖母以孝聞，與同郡張茂字偉康、丁潭字世康齊名，時人號曰「會稽三康」。 吳平，愉遷於洛。 惠帝末，歸鄉里，行至江淮間，遇石冰、封雲為亂，雲逼愉為參軍，不從將殺之，賴雲司馬張統營救獲免。 東還會稽，人新安山中，改姓孫氏，以稼穡讀書為務，信著鄉里。 後忽舍去，皆謂為神人，而為之立祠。 永嘉中，元帝始以安東將軍鎮揚土，命愉為參軍。 邦族尋求，莫知所在。 建興初，始出應召。 為丞相掾，仍除駙馬都尉、參丞相軍事，時年已五十矣。 以討華軼功，封余不亭侯。 愉嘗行經餘不亭，見籠龜于路者，愉買而放之溪中，龜中流左顧者數四。 及是，鑄侯印，而印龜左顧，三鑄如初。 印工以告，愉乃悟，遂佩焉。
Kong Yu, whose courtesy name was Jingkang, came from Shanyin in Kuaiji commandery. His forebears had lived for generations in Liang. His great-grandfather Qian had served as Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent; when the Han dynasty collapsed he took refuge in Kuaiji and made it his home. His grandfather Zhu had been governor of Yuzhang for Eastern Wu. His father Kong Tian had served as governor of Xiangdong. His senior cousin Kong Kan had reached the post of Minister of Agriculture. All of them were celebrated in the region south of the Yangzi. Kong Yu lost his father at thirteen; he cared for his grandmother and earned a reputation for filial devotion. Alongside Zhang Mao of the same commandery (courtesy Weikang) and Ding Tan (courtesy Shikang), he was equally renowned, and contemporaries dubbed them the "Three Kang of Kuaiji." After Wu fell, Kong Yu relocated to Luoyang. Near the end of Emperor Hui's reign he headed home; between the Yangzi and the Huai he ran into the uprising led by Shi Bing and Feng Yun. Feng Yun tried to force Kong Yu onto his staff as an adviser; when Yu refused, Yun prepared to execute him, but Zhang Tong, Yun's aide-de-camp, intervened and saved his life. He traveled east to Kuaiji and withdrew into the Xin'an hills, adopting the surname Sun and devoting himself to farming and study until his integrity was widely trusted in the countryside. When he suddenly vanished, locals took him for an immortal and erected a shrine in his honor. In the Yongjia era the Prince of Langye—later Yuan Emperor—first held Yangzhou as General Who Guards the East and appointed Kong Yu as his military adviser. His kinsmen searched for him, but no one could find him. Only at the opening of the Jianxing era did he emerge and answer the court's call. He became an aide to the Chancellor of State, then Chief Commandant of Attendant Cavalry and a member of the Chancellor's military staff—by then he was fifty years old. He earned the title Marquis of Yubu township for his part in defeating Hua Yi. Passing Yubu township once, Kong Yu bought a caged tortoise from a roadside vendor and released it into the creek; midstream the animal turned its head left—again and again. When his seal was cast, the tortoise motif faced left all three times—just as the living tortoise had behaved. The engraver reported the oddity; Kong Yu grasped the omen and gladly wore the seal.
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帝為晉王，使長兼中書郎。 于時刁協、劉隗用事，王導頗見疏遠。 愉陳導忠賢，有佐命之勳，謂事無大小皆宜諮訪。 由是不合旨，出為司徒左長史，累遷吳興太守。 沈充反，愉棄官還京師，拜御史中丞，遷侍中、太常。 及蘇峻反，愉朝服守宗廟。 初，愉為司徒長史，以平南將軍溫嶠母亡遭亂不葬，乃不過其品。 至是，峻平，而嶠有重功，愉往石頭詣嶠，嶠執愉手而流涕曰：「天下喪亂，忠孝道廢。 能持古人之節，歲寒不凋者，唯君一人耳。」 時人咸稱嶠居公而重愉之守正。 尋徙大尚書，遷安南將軍、江州刺史，不行。 轉尚書右僕射，領東海王師。 尋遷左僕射。
After the sovereign became Prince of Jin, Kong Yu served provisionally as a gentleman of the Palace Secretariat. Diao Xie and Liu Wei dominated court affairs then, while Wang Dao found himself increasingly marginalized. Kong Yu argued that Wang Dao was loyal and capable, had helped establish the dynasty, and ought to be consulted on every decision, large or small. That advice displeased the throne, so he was posted out as senior clerk of the Minister of Education's left section and eventually rose to governor of Wuxing. When Shen Chong rose in revolt, Kong Yu quit his post for the capital, received appointment as Censor-in-chief, and advanced to palace attendant and Minister of Ceremonies. During Su Jun's rebellion he stood guard over the imperial ancestral shrine in full court dress. Earlier, while serving as the Minister of Education's senior clerk, Kong Yu had withheld a favorable personnel rating from Wen Qiao—General Who Pacifies the South—because Qiao's mother had died in the chaos and still lay unburied. After Su Jun fell, Wen Qiao—who had rendered outstanding service—received Kong Yu at Stone Fort. Qiao clasped his hand with tears: "The empire lies in ruins; fidelity and filial piety have been abandoned. Among all who could uphold the old standard and stand firm through the bitter winter, you alone remain." Contemporaries applauded Wen Qiao for magnanimity in power and Kong Yu for unbending principle. He was soon shifted to senior minister of the masters of writing and offered General Who Guards the South and governor of Jiangzhou, but declined to assume the latter posts. He moved to vice director of the right of the masters of writing while tutoring the Prince of Donghai. Soon afterward he became vice director of the left.
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咸和八年，詔曰：「尚書令玩、左僕射愉並恪居官次，祿不代耕。 端右任重，先朝所崇，其給玩親信三十人，愉二十人，稟賜。」 愉上疏固讓，優詔不許。 重表曰：「臣以朽暗，忝廁朝右，而以惰劣，無益毗佐。 方今強寇未殄，疆場日駭，政煩役重，百姓困苦，奸吏擅威，暴人肆虐。 大弊之後，倉庫空虛，功勞之士，賞報不足，困悴之餘，未見拯恤，呼嗟之怨，人鬼感動。 宜並官省職，貶食節用，勤撫其人，以濟其艱。 臣等不能讚揚大化，糾明刑政，而偷安高位，橫受寵給，無德而祿，殃必及之，不敢橫受殊施，以重罪戾。」 從之。 王導聞而非之，於都坐謂愉曰：「君言奸吏擅威，暴人肆虐，為患是誰？」 愉欲大論朝廷得失，陸玩抑之乃止。 後導將以趙胤為護軍，愉謂導曰：「中興以來，處此官者，周伯仁、應思遠耳。 今誠乏才，豈宜以趙胤居之邪！」 導不從。 其守正如此。 由是為導所銜。
In Xianhe 8 an edict declared: "Director Wan and Vice Director Kong Yu steadfastly fill their offices though their stipends scarcely feed a household. Their seats at the helm are heavy trusts once honored by earlier courts—award Wan thirty personal attendants and Kong Yu twenty, with grain allowances." Kong Yu memorialized to decline the gift; a gracious edict refused. Another memorial followed: "I am a dull, undeserving man perched among the senior ministers; sloth has kept me from aiding governance in any real way. The great enemy remains undefeated; the frontiers flare daily; administration is tangled and corvée burdens crush the people; cruel officials wield unchecked power and predators ravage the land. After such devastation the treasuries are bare; heroes go underpaid; the exhausted receive no relief; lamentations stir living and dead alike. Merge offices, trim posts, cut salaries and spending, and diligently succor the people through this calamity. We cannot magnify your transforming influence nor clarify law and policy, yet we idle in lofty posts and soak up privilege—salary without merit invites disaster—so we dare not accept such extraordinary largesse and deepen our guilt." The imperial court accepted the memorial. Wang Dao took offense. At the metropolitan assembly he challenged Kong Yu: "You blame corrupt clerks and cruel bullies—whom exactly do you mean?" Kong Yu was ready to dissect the court's failings in detail, but Lu Wan checked him and he fell silent. When Wang Dao planned to make Zhao Yin Defender-in-Chief, Kong Yu objected: "Since the restoration only Zhou Bozhou and Ying Siyuan have held that post. Even if qualified men are scarce, can Zhao Yin rightly fill it?" Wang Dao refused to listen. Such was his steadfast integrity. Wang Dao hence harbored a grudge against him.
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後省左右僕射，以愉為尚書僕射。 愉年在懸車，累乞骸骨，不許，轉護軍將軍，加散騎常侍。 復徙領軍將軍，加金紫光祿大夫，領國子祭酒。 頃之，出為鎮軍將軍、會稽內史，加散騎常侍。 句章縣有漢時舊陂，毀廢數百年。 愉自巡行，修復故堰，溉田二百餘頃，皆成良業。 在郡三年，乃營山陰湖南侯山下數畝地為宅，草屋數間，便棄官居之。 送資數百萬，悉無所取。 病篤，遺令斂以時服，鄉邑義賵，一不得受。 年七十五，咸康八年卒。 贈車騎將軍、開府儀同三司，諡曰貞。
When the paired vice directorships were merged, Kong Yu became sole vice director of the masters of writing. Past the age when officials retire, Kong Yu repeatedly asked leave to resign; the throne refused and instead named him Defender-in-Chief with concurrent appointment as regular attendant-in-ordinary. He then shifted to General Who Guards the Army, received the honorary rank of grand master of golden seal and purple ribbon, and headed the National University. Soon he left the capital as General Who Guards the Army and interior governor of Kuaiji, with additional status as palace attendant regular attendant. Gouzhang county still held a Han-era irrigation works ruined for centuries. Kong Yu inspected it himself, rebuilt the old dam, and brought more than two hundred qing under irrigation—all prime farmland again. Three years into his tenure he laid out a few mu beneath Mount Hou south of Shanyin Lake, threw up a cluster of thatched cottages, resigned his post, and lived there. Locals pressed millions in cash on him; he refused every coin. Stricken mortally, he ordered burial in ordinary clothes and forbade any condolence offerings from the district. He died at seventy-five in Xiankang 8. He was posthumously honored as General of Chariots and Cavalry with privilege to maintain an independent command matching the Three Dukes, and canonized as "Steadfast" (Zhen).
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三子：訚、汪、安國。 訚嗣爵，位至建安太守。 訚子靜，字季恭，再為會稽內史，累遷尚書左僕射，加後將軍。
He left three sons—Yin, Wang, and Anguo. Yin succeeded to the marquisate and rose to governor of Jian'an. Yin's son Kong Jing (courtesy Jigong) twice governed Kuaiji as interior governor and eventually reached vice director of the left of the masters of writing with the additional title General of the Rear Guard.
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汪字德澤，好學有志行，孝武帝時位至侍中。 時茹千秋以佞媚見幸于會稽王道子，汪屢言之於帝，帝不納。 遷尚書太常卿，以不合意，求出。 為假節、都督交廣二州諸軍事、征虜將軍、平越中郎將、廣州刺史，甚有政績，為嶺表所稱。 太元十七年卒。
Kong Wang, courtesy Deze, loved scholarship and conducted himself with principle; under Emperor Xiaowu he rose to palace attendant. Ru Qianqiu curried favor with Prince Daozi of Kuaiji; Kong Wang repeatedly warned the emperor, who brushed him off. Promoted to the ministries of masters of writing and of ceremonies, he found the roles uncongenial and requested a provincial assignment. As credential-bearing governor of Guangzhou and commander over Jiao and Guang—with the titles General Who Subdues the Barbarians and Colonel Who Pacifies the Yue—he governed so well that he won acclaim throughout the Lingnan region. He died in the seventeenth year of the Taiyuan era.
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安國字安國，年小諸兄三十餘歲。 群從諸兄並乏才名，以富強自立，唯安國與汪少厲孤貧之操。 汪既以直亮稱，安國亦以儒素顯。 孝武帝時甚蒙禮遇，仕歷侍中、太常。 及帝崩，安國形素贏瘦，服衰絰，涕泗竟日，見者以為真孝，再為會稽內史、領軍將軍。 安帝隆安中下詔曰：「領軍將軍孔安國貞慎清正，出內播譽，可以本官領東海王師，必能導達津梁，依仁遊藝。」 後曆尚書左右僕射。 義熙四年卒，贈左光祿大夫。
Kong Anguo bore the same courtesy name as his formal name and was more than thirty years junior to his brothers. Among his cousins and elder brothers none had won literary fame—they leaned on wealth and force—yet Anguo and Wang alone embraced austerity and endured poverty in youth. Where Wang was celebrated for blunt integrity, Anguo made his mark as a sober Ru scholar. Emperor Xiaowu treated him with exceptional favor; his career ran through palace attendant and Minister of Ceremonies. When the emperor passed away, Anguo—already gaunt—donned hemp mourning and wept the whole day through; observers deemed his grief utterly sincere. He twice served as Kuaiji's interior governor and as General Who Leads the Army. During Emperor An's Long'an era an edict praised Kong Anguo—General Who Leads the Army—for discretion and integrity celebrated inside and outside the court, and authorized him to tutor the Prince of Donghai while keeping his military title, confident he could shepherd the heir across life's crossings through humane cultivation. He subsequently served as vice director of both the left and right of the masters of writing. He died in Yixi 4 and was posthumously honored as senior grand master of the left.
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祗字承祖。 太守周劄命為功曹史。 劄為沈充所害，故人賓吏莫敢近者。 祗冒刃號哭，親行殯禮，送喪還義興，時人義之。
Kong Zhi's courtesy name was Chengzu. Governor Zhou Zha named him clerk for the bureau of merit. When Shen Chong killed Zhou Zha, former friends and staff kept their distance—none dared go near the body. Kong Zhi risked the blades to keen over him, personally conducted the obsequies, and convoyed the coffin home to Yixing—contemporaries hailed his righteousness.
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坦字君平。 祖沖，丹陽太守。 父侃，大司農。 坦少方直，有雅望，通《左氏傳》，解屬文。 元帝為晉王，以坦為世子文學。 東宮建，補太子舍人，遷尚書郎。 時台郎初到，普加策試，帝手策問曰：「吳興徐馥為賊，殺郡將，郡今應舉孝廉不？」 坦對曰：「四罪不相及，殛鯀而興禹。 徐馥為逆，何妨一郡之賢！」 又問：「奸臣賊子弑君，汙宮瀦宅，莫大之惡也。 鄉舊廢四科之選，今何所依？」 坦曰：「季平子逐魯昭公，豈可以廢仲尼也！」 竟不能屈
Kong Tan's courtesy name was Junping. His grandfather Kong Chong had governed Danyang. His father Kong Kan held the post of Minister of Agriculture. From youth Kong Tan was upright and commanded respect; he mastered the Zuo Commentary and could compose polished prose. While still Prince of Jin, Emperor Yuan appointed Kong Tan literary scholar to the heir apparent. Once the heir's residence stood, Kong Tan became a gentleman attendant of the heir apparent and then a gentleman of the masters of writing. Newly appointed gentlemen of the masters of writing faced palace examinations; the emperor personally asked Kong Tan: "Xu Fu of Wuxing rose as a rebel and murdered the governor—should that commandery still put forward nominees for filial and incorrupt office?" Kong Tan answered: "The canonical 'four crimes' do not implicate the innocent—Gun was executed, yet Yu succeeded him. If Xu Fu rebelled, that still does not indict every worthy man in the commandery." The emperor pressed on: "When traitors murder their sovereign and defile the palace—surely the ultimate crime. The earlier court suspended the four-way recommendation system—what guideline should we follow now?" Kong Tan shot back: "Ji Pingzi drove out Duke Zhao of Lu—would anyone scrap Confucius on that account?" Try as they might, they could not stump him.
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先是，以兵亂之後，務存慰悅，遠方秀孝到，不策試，普皆除署。 至是，帝申明舊制，皆令試《經》，有不中科，刺史、太守免官。 太興三年，秀孝多不敢行，其有到者，並托疾。 帝欲除署孝廉，而秀才如前制。 坦奏議曰：
Earlier, eager to soothe the realm after war, the court had waived examinations for provincial nominees and handed out posts wholesale. Now the emperor reinstated the old rule: every candidate faced classicist examinations, and any failure cost the regional inspector and the governor their posts. In Taixing 3 most nominees stayed home; those who did appear pleaded sickness instead of sitting the exam. The emperor planned to grant posts to filial-and-incorrupt nominees while leaving the rules for "cultivated talent" candidates unchanged. Kong Tan submitted a memorial arguing:
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臣聞經邦建國，教學為先，移風崇化，莫尚斯矣。 古者且耕且學，三年而通一經，以平康之世，猶假漸漬，積以日月。 自喪亂以來，十有餘年，于戈載揚，俎豆禮戢，家廢講誦，國闕庠序，率爾責試，竊以為疑。 然宣下以來，涉曆三載，累遇慶會，遂未一試。 揚州諸郡，接近京都，懼累及君父，多不敢行。 其遠州邊郡，掩誣朝廷，冀於不試，冒昧來赴，既到審試，遂不敢會。 臣愚以不會與不行，其為闕也同。 若當偏加除署，是為肅法奉憲者失分，僥倖投射者得官，頹風傷教，懼於是始。 夫王言如絲，其出如綸，臨事改制，示短天下，人聽有惑，臣竊惜之。 愚以王命無貳，憲制宜信。 去年察舉，一皆策試。 如不能試，可不拘到，遣歸不署。 又秀才雖以事策，亦汜問經義，苟所未學，實難暗通，不足復曲碎垂例，違舊造異。 謂宜因其不會，徐更革制。 可申明前下，崇修學校，普延五年，以展講習，鈞法齊訓，示人軌則。 夫信之與法，為政之綱，施之家室，猶弗可貳，況經國之典而可玩黷乎！
I have always heard that to govern a state one must put schools first—nothing reforms manners or uplifts morals like education. Ancient scholars farmed while they studied and needed three full years to master a single classic—even in tranquil times mastery came only through long immersion. For over a decade war has raged, ritual has lapsed, families no longer teach their sons, and the capital has no functioning academy—yet we suddenly insist on examinations; I find that deeply doubtful. Yet three years have passed since the edict, with repeated court festivals, and we still have not held a single examination. Yangzhou's districts hug the capital: candidates stay away for fear their failure will disgrace their kin. Remote jurisdictions lie and claim hardship hoping to dodge the exam; they travel to the capital, yet when the tests loom they feign illness and skip the session. In my view skipping the examination and refusing to travel amount to the same failure. If we still appoint men piecemeal, we punish the conscientious and reward the lucky—rotting public ethics begins right there. Imperial decrees should be as binding as spun silk becoming hawser—changing the rules mid-course exposes weakness and confuses the empire; it saddens me. The throne must speak once for all; statutes deserve unquestioned faith. Last year's provincial nominees already faced written examinations. When candidates truly cannot sit the exam, waive the requirement to appear—send them home without office rather than fabricating excuses. Cultivated-talent candidates answer policy questions yet classics remain fair game—what they never studied they cannot fake; we need not churn petty exceptions that abandon precedent. Because examinees keep absenting themselves, we ought to revise the statute—but gradually. Reissue the earlier order: rebuild schools, give everyone five full years of instruction, harmonize curricula, and display clear standards for scholars. Faith and statute anchor government; families cannot survive divided loyalty—much less the empire—without inviting contempt for the law.
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帝納焉。 聽孝廉申至七年，秀才如故。
The emperor accepted his advice. Filial-and-incorrupt candidates might postpone attendance until the seventh year; rules for cultivated talents stayed unchanged.
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時典客令萬默領諸胡，胡人相誣，朝廷疑默有所偏助，將加大辟。 坦獨不署，由是被譴，遂棄官歸會稽。 久之，除領軍司馬，未赴召。 會王敦反，與右衛將軍虞潭俱在會稽起義，而討沈充。 事平，始就職。 揚州刺史王導請為別駕。
Director Wan Mo oversaw tribal envoys; mutual accusations among the tribes convinced the court he was playing favorites, and ministers pressed for his execution. Only Kong Tan withheld his signature; censured for it, he quit office and withdrew to Kuaiji. Months later he received appointment as marshal on the army headquarters staff but never took up the post. When Wang Dun rose in revolt, Kong Tan joined General Yu Tan of the Right Guards to rally Kuaiji and strike Shen Chong. Only after the rebellion collapsed did he assume his duties. Yangzhou governor Wang Dao recruited him as provincial aide-de-camp.
15
咸和初，遷尚書左丞，深為台中之所敬憚。 尋屬蘇峻反，坦與司徒司馬陶回白王導曰：「及峻未至，宜急斷阜陵之界，守江西當利諸口，彼少我眾，一戰決矣。 若峻未至，可往逼其城。 今不先往，峻必先至。 先人有奪人之功，時不可失。」 導然之。 庾亮以為峻脫徑來，是襲朝廷虛也，故計不行。 峻遂破姑熟，取鹽米，亮方悔之。 坦謂人曰：「觀峻之勢，必破台城。 自非戰士，不須戎服。」 既而台城陷，戎服者多死，白衣者無他，時人稱其先見。 及峻挾天子幸石頭，坦奔陶侃，侃引為長史。 時侃等夜築白石壘，至曉而成。 聞峻軍嚴聲，咸懼來攻。 坦曰：「不然。 若峻攻壘，必須東北風急，令我水軍不得往救。 今天清靜，賊必不動，決遣軍出江乘，掠京口以東矣。」 果如所籌。 時郗鑒鎮京口，侃等各以兵會。 既至，坦議以為本不應須召郗公，遂使東門無限。 今宜遣還，雖晚，猶勝不也。 侃等猶疑，坦固爭甚切，始令鑒還據京口，遣郭默屯大業，又令驍將李閎、曹統、周光與默並力，賊遂勢分，卒如坦計。
Early in Xianhe he rose to assistant director of the left of the masters of writing and commanded deep respect throughout the boards. When Su Jun rose, Kong Tan and the Minister of Education's marshal Tao Hui urged Wang Dao: "Strike before Su Jun arrives—cut the Fuling line and hold the Yangzi crossings at Dangli; we outnumber him and can settle this in one engagement. If his army has not yet marched out, push straight against his base. Delay, and Su Jun will reach the capital first. Seizing the initiative wins the campaign—this moment will not come again." Wang Dao agreed. Yu Liang feared Su Jun might slip through by side roads and strike an undefended court, so the plan died. Su Jun seized Gushu and its salt and grain stores before Yu Liang understood his mistake. Kong Tan warned everyone: "Su Jun's momentum will carry him straight through Taicheng. Anyone not bound for battle should shed armor and travel as a civilian." When Taicheng fell, armored courtiers perished while civilians in plain clothes survived—everyone credited Kong Tan's foresight. After Su Jun dragged the emperor to Stone Fort, Kong Tan escaped to Tao Kan, who took him on as chief clerk. Tao Kan's men threw up White Stone bastion overnight; by dawn it stood complete. Su Jun's drums threw everyone into panic—they expected an immediate assault. Kong Tan disagreed: "That is not what is happening. Su Jun would need a howling northeaster to pin our fleet helpless if he meant to storm this fort. The air is calm—the rebels will sit tight while detaching a column upriver from Jiangcheng to raid east of Jingkou." Events unfolded exactly as Kong Tan predicted. Xi Jian held Jingkou while Tao Kan concentrated allied troops. Once assembled, Kong Tan argued they never should have summoned Duke Xi—doing so left the eastern approaches wide open. Send him back to his post—even now it beats leaving the flank bare. Although Tao Kan wavered, Kong Tan pressed relentlessly until Xi Jian returned to Jingkou, Guo Mo occupied Daye, and Li Hong, Cao Tong, and Zhou Guang reinforced him—splitting Su Jun's forces exactly as Kong Tan had intended.
16
及峻平，以坦為吳郡太守。 自陳吳多賢豪，而坦年少，未宜臨之。 王導、庾亮並欲用坦為丹陽尹。 時亂離之後，百姓凋弊，坦固辭之。 導等猶未之許。 坦慨然曰：「昔肅祖臨崩，諸君親據御床，共奉遺詔。 孔坦疏賤，不在顧命之限。 既有艱難，則以微臣為先。 今由俎上肉，任人膾截耳！」 乃拂衣而去。 導等亦止。 於是遷吳興內史，封晉陵男，加建威將軍。 以歲饑，運家米以振窮乏，百姓賴之。 時使坦募江淮流人為軍，有殿中兵，因亂東還，來應坦募，坦不知而納之。 或諷朝廷，以坦藏台叛兵，遂坐免。 尋拜侍中。
After Su Jun fell, Kong Tan became governor of Wu commandery. He pleaded that Wu swarmed with eminent families while he was too young to govern them. Wang Dao and Yu Liang both wanted to install him as governor of Danyang. With the realm shattered and the people destitute, Kong Tan firmly declined. Wang Dao's faction refused to let him off. Kong Tan burst out: "When Emperor Ming lay dying, you ministers clustered at the imperial couch to receive his final edict. I, Kong Tan, was too mean and remote to be counted among your fellowship of regents. Now that crisis returns, you reach first for the insignificant man you once ignored. Today I am carcass on your board—slice me however you please!" He swept his sleeves and walked out. Wang Dao and his allies dropped the demand. They moved him to interior governor of Wuxing instead, with the title baron of Jinling and General Who Establishes Might. When famine struck he shipped his own granary grain to feed the destitute, and the people depended on him. Ordered to draft refugees from the Huai and Yangzi valleys, Kong Tan unknowingly enlisted palace guards who had fled east amid the chaos. Detractors told the court Kong Tan sheltered mutinous imperial troops, and he lost his post. Soon he was recalled as palace attendant.
17
三康元年，石聰寇曆陽，王導為大司馬，討之，請坦為司馬。 會石勒新死，季龍專恣，石聰及譙郡太守彭彪等各遣使請降。 坦與聰書曰：
In the first year of the Xiankang era (335 CE), Shi Cong struck Liyang; Grand Marshal Wang Dao took the field and named Kong Tan his army marshal. Shi Le had just died, leaving Shi Hu in charge; Shi Cong and Peng Biao of Qiao commandery each offered to defect. Kong Tan sent Shi Cong this letter:
18
華狄道乖，南北回邈，瞻河企宋，每懷饑渴。 數會陽九，天禍晉國，奸凶猾夏，乘釁肆虐。 我德雖衰，天命未改。 乾符啟再集之慶，中興應靈期之會，百六之艱既過，惟新之美日隆。 而神州振盪，遺氓波散，誓命戎狄之手，局蹐豺狼之穴，朝廷每臨寐永歎，痛心疾首。 天罰既集，罪人斯隕，王旅未加，自相魚肉。 豈非人怨神怒，天降其災！ 蘭艾同焚，賢愚所歎，哀矜勿喜，我後之仁，大赦曠廓，唯季龍是討。 彭譙使至，粗具動靜，知將軍忿疾丑類，翻然同舉。 承問欣豫，慶若在己。 何知幾之先覺，砎石之易悟哉！ 引領來儀，怪無聲息。
The Huai River divides civilization from steppe folk; though north and south stand far apart, we gaze toward the Yellow River and ache for the Central Plains as thirst aches for water. Cycle after cycle of ill-starred years has scourged the Jin; traitors have exploited every crack to ravage the heartland. Our virtue may flag, yet Heaven's mandate still rests with Jin. The dynastic omens promise reunion; the restoration answers heaven's timetable—the worst calamities lie behind us, and renewal grows brighter daily. Yet the heartland still convulses; survivors cling to alien masters or cower in dens of wolves—every night the court groans awake, hearts cracked with grief. Heaven's axe already falls on the guilty, yet before our armies march Zhao devours Zhao. Surely this is popular hatred and divine wrath—Heaven's scourge on traitors. Good and wicked perish together—every honest man sorrows; our sovereign shows the mercy that mourns rather than gloats, grants sweeping amnesty to those willing to return, and reserves punishment for Shi Hu alone. Peng Biao's messenger reported your revulsion toward Shi Hu's clique and your readiness to rise with us. We rejoiced at the news as though the triumph were already ours. How keen your foresight—like striking flint, instantly understood! We still crane our necks for your hostages and hear only silence—why?
19
將軍出自名族，誕育洪胄。 遭世多故，國傾家覆，生離親屬，假養異類。 雖逼偽寵，將亦何賴！ 聞之者猶或有悼，況身嬰之，能不憤慨哉！ 非我族類，其心必異，誠反族歸正之秋，圖義建功之日也。 若將軍喻納往言，宣之同盟，率關右之眾，輔河南之卒，申威趙魏，為國前驅，雖竇融之保西河，黥布之去項羽，比諸古今，未足為喻。 聖上寬明，宰輔弘納，雖射鉤之隙，賞之故行，雍齒之恨，侯之列國。 況二三子無曩人之嫌，而遇天啟之會，當如影響，有何遲疑！
You spring from a noble house and carry an eminent pedigree. War uprooted your clan and stranded you among barbarians who raised you as their own. Their counterfeit favors bought your service—what loyalty could they deserve? Listeners still pity your plight—how can you not rage while living it? Alien folk cannot share our hearts—now is the hour to return to your own blood and win glory for the cause. Share this pledge with your allies, march from the Guanzhong heartland to join our Henan legions, sweep Zhao and Wei, and lead the van—your deed would dwarf Dou Rong's western stand or Qing Bu's break with Xiang Yu. Our sovereign forgives freely—like Duke Huan honoring Guan Zhong despite an old arrow feud or Liu Bang ennobling Yong Chi despite ancient spite. You bear none of those old grudges—Heaven itself opens the door; answer it as shadow answers shape.
20
今六軍誡嚴，水陸齊舉，熊羆踴躍，齕噬爭先，鋒鏑一交，玉石同碎，雖復後悔，何嗟及矣！ 僕以不才，世荷國寵，雖實不敏，誠為行李之主，區區之情，還信所具。 夫機事不先，鮮不後悔，自求多福，唯將軍圖之。
Our hosts stand mobilized on land and river; once blades cross, good and wicked perish together—by then remorse will come too late. Though unworthy, I inherit my family's offices and therefore steward this correspondence—every earnest word sits in the letter you hold. Miss the crucial moment and regret follows—seize your own fortune, General, while there is time.
21
朝廷遂不果北伐，人皆懷恨。
The court failed to launch the northern expedition, and everyone resented it.
22
坦在職數年，遷侍中。 時成帝每幸丞相王導府，拜導妻曹氏，有同家人，坦每切諫。 時帝刻日納後，而尚書左僕射王彬卒，議者以為欲卻期。 坦曰：「婚禮之重，重於救日蝕。 救日蝕，有後之喪，太子墮井，則止。 納後盛禮，豈可以臣喪而廢！」 從之。 及帝既加元服，猶委政王導，坦每發憤，以國事為己憂，嘗從容言於帝曰：「陛下春秋以長，聖敬日躋，宜博納朝臣，諮諏善道。」 由是忤導，出為廷尉，怏怏不悅，以疾去職。 加散騎常侍，遷尚書，未拜。
After some years in office Kong Tan became palace attendant. Emperor Cheng constantly called at Wang Dao's mansion and treated Lady Cao like kin; Kong Tan remonstrated sharply each time. The emperor had fixed his wedding day when Vice Director Wang Bin died—court gossips assumed the ceremony would slip. Kong Tan said: "A royal wedding outweighs even the grand rite that stays a solar eclipse. The eclipse ritual halts only for a queen's death or if the heir falls down a well—per the canon. You cannot scrap an empress's installation because a subject died!" The court agreed. Even after the capping ceremony Emperor Cheng left power with Wang Dao; Kong Tan burned with worry for the state and once urged him: "Your Majesty matures daily; widen counsel beyond one chancellor and seek the true Way of rule." Wang Dao took offense and posted him commandant of justice; bitter and ill, Kong Tan soon resigned. He received concurrent appointment as palace attendant regular attendant and nomination as minister of the masters of writing but never took up the latter office.
23
疾篤，庾冰省之，乃流涕。 坦慨然曰：「大丈夫將終不問安國寧家之術，乃作兒女子相問邪！」 冰深謝焉。 臨終，與庾亮書曰：「不謂疾苦，遂至頓弊，自省綿綿，奄忽無日。 修短命也，將何所悲！ 但以身往名沒，朝恩不報，所懷未敘，即命多恨耳！ 足下以伯舅之尊，居方伯之重，抗威顧眄，名震天下，榱椽之佐，常願下風。 使九服式序，四海一統，封京觀于中原，反紫極于華壤，是宿昔之味詠，慷慨之本誠矣。 今中道而斃，豈不惜哉！ 若死而有靈，潛聽風烈。」 俄卒，時年五十一。 追贈光祿勳，諡曰簡。 亮報書曰：「廷尉孔君，神遊體離，嗚呼哀哉！ 得八月十五日書，知疾患轉篤，遂不起濟，悲恨傷楚，不能自勝。 足下方在中年，素少疾患，雖天命有在，亦禍出不圖。 且足下才經於世，世常須才，況於今日，倍相痛惜。 吾以寡乏，忝當大任，國恥未雪，夙夜憂憤。 常欲足下同在外籓，戮力時事。 此情未果，來書奄至。 申尋往復，不覺涕隕。 深明足下慷慨之懷，深痛足下不遂之志。 邈然永隔，夫復何言！ 謹遣報答，並致薄祭，望足下降神饗之。」 子混嗣。
At death's door he received a visit from Yu Bing, who wept. "Must a dying man sound like a fretful child?" Kong Tan snapped at Yu Bing. "Ask about the realm, not my bedside comfort!" Yu Bing withdrew, ashamed. He sent Yu Liang a final letter: "I never thought sickness would waste me so; I fade away with imperial favor still unrepaid and ambitions untold—only regrets remain! Death comes soon enough—why indulge private grief? Yet my body will vanish before I repay the dynasty or voice half my aims—that rankles. You—imperial uncle—command a province and awe the realm; I long hoped merely to serve beneath your banner. Restore ritual across the nine provinces, reunify the empire, raise victory monuments on the plain and bring the throne home to Luoyang—that was our shared dream. To die halfway—how cruel! If the dead still hear, witness what courage remains among us." He died soon after, fifty-one years old. The court posthumously named him superintendent of the imperial household and canonized him as "Simple" (Jian). Yu Liang answered: "The commandant of justice—spirit flown, flesh abandoned—alas for him! Your letter of the fifteenth broke my heart—your decline is irreversible, and I cannot bear the grief. You were still in life's prime and seldom ill—Heaven's will may rule, yet this blow none foresaw. The age hungers for men of your caliber—your loss wounds doubly. Feeble as I am, I shoulder the regency while northern shame still stains us—I burn with nightly rage. I counted on you holding a frontier command so we might strike together. That hope remains unmet—yet your farewell letter came. Reading line after line, tears blind me. I feel the depth of your loyalty—and the sharper pain that you leave unfinished work. We are parted forever—speech fails. I send this poor offering—may your spirit descend and partake." His son Kong Hun inherited the title.
24
嚴字彭祖。 祖父奕，全椒令，明察過人。 時有遺其酒者，始提入門，奕遙呵之曰：「人餉吾兩罌酒，其一何故非也？」 檢視之，一罌果是水。 或問奕何以知之，笑曰：「酒重水輕，提酒者手有輕重之異故耳。」 在官有惠化，及卒，市人若喪慈親焉。 父倫，黃門郎。 嚴少仕州郡，曆司徒掾、尚書殿中郎。 殷浩臨揚州，請為別駕。 遷尚書左丞。 時朝廷崇樹浩，以抗擬桓溫，溫深以不平。 浩又引接荒人，謀立功於閫外。 嚴言於浩曰：「當今時事艱難，可謂百六之運，使君屈己應務，屬當其會。 聖懷所以日昃匪懈，臨朝斤斤，每欲深根固本，靜邊甯國耳，亦豈至私哉！ 而處任者所志不同，所見各異，人口云云，無所不至。 頃來天時人情，良可寒心。 古人為政，防人之口甚於防川。 間日侍座，亦已粗申所懷，不審竟當何以鎮之？ 《老子》雲'夫唯不爭，則萬物不難與之爭'，此言不可不察也。 愚意故謂朝廷宜更明授任之方，韓彭可專征伐，蕭曹守管籥，內外之任，各有攸司。 深思廉藺屈申之道，平勃相和之義，令婉然通順，人無間言，然後乃可保大定功，平濟天下也。 又觀頃日降附之徒，皆人面獸心，貪而無親，難以義感。 而聚著都邑，雜處人間，使君常疲聖體以接之，虛府庫以拯之，足以疑惑視聽耳。」 浩深納之。
Kong Yan's courtesy name was Pengzu. His grandfather Kong Yi governed Quanjiao with uncanny discernment. When a servant carried two jars through the gate, Kong Yi called out from across the yard that one vessel was false. Inspection proved one jar held water. Asked how he knew, Kong Yi laughed: "Wine weighs more than water—the bearer's grip gave it away." As magistrate he ruled with kindness; when he died the townsfolk mourned like orphans. His father Kong Lun served as gentleman at the Yellow Gates. Kong Yan began in provincial posts, then became an aide to the Minister of Education and a gentleman of the palace masters of writing. Yin Hao recruited him as provincial aide when Yin governed Yangzhou. He rose to assistant director of the left of the masters of writing. The court had built up Yin Hao to counter Huan Wen; Wen deeply resented it. Yin Hao also recruited displaced northerners, hoping to win glory beyond the capital. Kong Yan warned Yin Hao: "These are ill-starred times—the court humbles itself for good reason. The sovereign toils from dawn to dusk to stabilize the realm—not for selfish ends! Yet every official nurses a private agenda, and rumor mongers invent anything. Heaven and public sentiment lately chill the blood. The ancients feared loose talk more than breached dikes. We touched on this when I last sat with you—how will you quiet it? The Laozi says, "Because he does not strive, nothing can strive against him"—ponder that. Clarify who leads armies and who guards the capital—like Han general versus Xiao He at home. Study how Lian and Lin traded humility and how Chen Ping worked with Zhou Bo—only harmony preserves the state. The northern defectors you shelter wear human faces yet beast hearts—they understand no loyalty. Herding them inside the walls drains your energy and treasury without earning trust." Yin Hao took the rebuke to heart.
25
及哀帝踐阼，議所承統，時多異議。 嚴與丹陽尹庾和議曰：「順本居正，親親不可奪，宜繼成皇帝。」 諸儒咸以嚴議為長，竟從之。
When Emperor Ai took the throne, ministers quarreled over his ritual lineage. Kong Yan and Yin He of Danyang urged enthroning Emperor Ai as heir to Emperor Cheng's line—the legally straightforward choice. Classicists preferred Kong Yan's argument and the court adopted it.
26
隆和元年，詔曰：「天文失度，太史雖有禳祈之事，猶釁眚屢彰。 今欲依鴻祀之制，於太極殿前庭親執虔肅。」 嚴諫曰：「鴻祀雖出《尚書大傳》，先儒所不究，歷代莫之興，承天接神，豈可以疑殆行事乎！ 天道無親，唯德是輔，陛下祗順恭敬，留心兆庶，可以消災復異。 皆已蹈而行之，德合神明，丘禱久矣，豈須屈萬乘之尊，修雜祀之事！ 君舉必書，可不慎歟！」 帝嘉之而止。 以為揚州大中正，嚴不就。 有司奏免，詔特以侯領尚書
In Longhe 1 an edict blamed celestial disorder and lingering ill omens. The throne proposes the ancient Hong sacrifice on the Taiji Hall forecourt." Kong Yan protested: "That rite appears only in the apocryphal Great Tradition—no dynasty performed it; dare we experiment with heaven? Heaven favors virtue alone—the emperor's diligence toward the people already answers heaven. You walk every virtue Confucius prayed for at Qi—why stage ad hoc rituals beneath imperial dignity? Historians record each imperial act—tread carefully!" The emperor praised Kong Yan and canceled the ceremony. The court named him Yangzhou's chief impartial judge; he declined. Censors moved to strip him; an edict instead let him lead the masters of writing while keeping his marquis title.
27
時東海王奕求海鹽、錢塘以水牛牽埭稅取錢直，帝初從之，嚴諫乃止。 初，帝或施私恩，以錢帛賜左右。 嚴又啟諸所別賜及給廚食，皆應減省。 帝曰：「左右多困乏，故有所賜，今通斷之。 又廚膳宜有減撤，思詳具聞。」 嚴多所匡益。
Prince Yi wanted tolls on Haiyan and Qiantang dikes; Emperor Ai agreed until Kong Yan blocked it. Emperor Ai had showered favorites with silk and coin. Kong Yan urged cuts to those petty gifts and palace kitchen budgets. "My staff were destitute—that is why I gave alms," the emperor answered; "now stop all such gifts. Trim the imperial kitchens as well—report every saving." Kong Yan's blunt counsel repeatedly improved court discipline.
28
太和中，拜吳興太守，加秩中二千石。 善於宰牧，甚得人和。 余杭婦人經年荒，賣其子以活夫之兄子。 武康有兄弟二人，妻各有孕，弟遠行未反，遇荒歲，不能兩全，棄其子而活弟子。 嚴並褒薦之。 又甄賞才能之士，論者美焉。 五年，以疾去職，卒於家。
Under the Taihe reign he became governor of Wuxing at two thousand shi median salary. He governed Wuxing so well that gentry and commoners alike embraced him. A Yuhang woman, starving year after year, sold her child to save her nephew. In Wukang two brothers' wives bore sons in the same famine; the younger brother, away on travel, told his wife to abandon their infant so her nephew might live. Kong Yan honored both families with commendations. He also elevated worthy locals—commentators applauded him. In the fifth year illness forced retirement; he died at home.
29
三子：道民，宣城內史； 靜民，散騎侍郎； 福民，太子洗馬，皆為孫恩所害。
His sons were Daomin, interior governor of Xuancheng; Jingmin, gentleman cavalier attendant; and Fumin, heir-apparent groom—all three fell victim to Sun En.
30
群字敬林，嚴叔父也。 有智局，志尚不羈。 蘇峻入石頭，時匡術有寵於峻，賓從甚盛。 群與從兄愉同行于橫塘，遇之，愉止與語，而群初不視術。 術怒，欲刃之。 愉下車抱術曰：「吾弟發狂，卿為我宥之。」 乃獲免。 後峻平，王導保存術，嘗因眾坐，令術勸群酒，以釋橫塘之憾。 群答曰：「群非孔子，厄同匡人。 雖陽和布氣，鷹化為鳩，至於識者，猶憎其目。」 導有愧色。 仕歷中丞。 性嗜酒，導嘗戒之曰：「卿恆飲，不見酒家覆瓿布，日月久糜爛邪？」 答曰：「公不見肉糟淹更堪久邪？」 嘗與親友書云：「今年田得七百石秫米，不足了曲糵事。」 其耽湎如此。 卒於官。 嗣子沉。
Kong Qun (courtesy Jinglin) was Kong Yan's uncle. He was shrewd and restless in ambition. After Su Jun seized Stone Fort, Kuang Shu basked in his favor with a crowd of hangers-on. Kong Qun and Kong Yu met Kuang Shu at Hengtang; Yu exchanged pleasantries while Qun refused even to glance at him. Kuang Shu drew steel to kill him. Kong Yu leapt down and seized Kuang Shu's arms: "Forgive my crazed brother." Only thus did Kong Qun survive. After the rebellion Wang Dao sheltered Kuang Shu and tried to reconcile them over wine. Kong Qun answered: "I am no Confucius trapped among Kuang villagers. Warm winds may turn hawks into doves—yet anyone with eyes still despises a hawk's glare." Wang Dao flushed with embarrassment. He served as censor-in-chief. Wang Dao scolded his drinking: "Have you never seen the sodden sacks at a distillery?" Kong Qun shot back: "Marinades last longer than unwashed cloth." He boasted to kin that seven hundred shi of glutinous rice still could not slake his brewing. Such was his devotion to drink. He died in harness. His heir was Kong Chen.
31
沉字德度，有美名。 何充薦沉于王導曰：「文思通敏，宜登宰門。」 辟丞相司徒掾、琅邪王文學，並不就。 從兄坦以裘遺之，辭不受。 坦曰：「晏平仲儉，祀其先人，豚肩不掩豆，猶狐裘數十年，卿復何辭！」 於是受而服之。 是時沉與魏顗、虞球、虞存、謝奉並為四族之俊。
Kong Chen (courtesy Dedu) enjoyed a fine reputation. He Chong urged Wang Dao to recruit him: "His prose sparkles—promote him." Wang Dao offered posts as Chancellor aide and tutor to the Prince of Langye—Kong Chen refused both. His cousin Kong Tan sent a fur robe; Kong Chen returned it. Kong Tan teased him: "Yan Ying wore one fox robe for decades—take the coat!" He relented and wore the robe. Kong Chen ranked with Wei Yi, Yu Qiu, Yu Cun, and Xie Feng among the foremost noble heirs.
32
沉子廞，位至吳興太守、廷尉。 廞子琳之，以草書擅名，又為吳興太守，侍中。
His son Yin became governor of Wuxing and commandant of justice. Yin's son Linzhi won fame for cursive calligraphy and likewise governed Wuxing and entered the palace corps.
33
丁潭，字世康，會稽山陰人也。 祖固，吳司徒。 父彌，梁州刺史。 潭初為郡功曹，察孝廉，除郎中，稍遷丞相西閣祭酒。 時元帝稱制，使各陳時事損益，潭上書曰：
Ding Tan (courtesy Shikang) came from Shanyin in Kuaiji. His grandfather Ding Gu had been Wu's Minister of Education. His father Ding Mi governed Liangzhou as regional inspector. He entered service as commandery merit clerk, passed filial-and-incorrupt rating, became a gentleman of the palace, then overseer of sacrifices at the western pavilion of the chancellery. While Yuan Emperor ruled in name alone he solicited policy critiques; Ding Tan submitted:
34
為國者恃人須才，蓋二千石長吏是也。 安可不明簡其才，使必允當。 既然得其人，使久於其職，在官者無苟且，居下者有恆心，此為政之較也。 今之長吏，遷轉既數，有送迎之費。 古人三載考績，三考黜陟，中才處局，故難以速成矣。
"No institution matters more than picking sound governors." "Scrutinize candidates until every seat fits its officer." "Stable tenure breeds conscientious magistrates and loyal subjects—that is sound administration." "Constant transfers waste wealth on endless send-offs." "Ancient rule reviewed governors triennially; middling officials need years to show results."
35
夫兵所以防禦未然，鎮壓奸凶，周雖三聖，功成由武。 今戎戰之世，益宜留心，簡選精銳，以備不虞。 無事則優其身，有難則責其力。 竊聞今之兵士，或私有役使，而營陳不充。 夫為國者，由為家也。 計財力之所任，審趨舍之舉動，不營難成之功，損棄分外之役。 今兵人未強，當審其宜，經塗遠舉，未獻大捷，更使力單財盡而威望挫弱也。
"Armies deter rebellion—Zhou's sage kings prevailed through arms as well as rites." "In wartime train elite soldiery before disaster strikes." "Pay soldiers in peace so they fight when crisis comes." "Commanders press troops into private labor while formations stand hollow." "Ruling a realm resembles balancing a household budget." "Spend only what revenue allows; abandon wasteful campaigns." "Ill-trained armies cannot endure futile expeditions—they drain silver and morale."
36
及帝踐阼，拜駙馬都尉、奉朝請、尚書祠部郎。 時琅邪王裒始受封，帝欲引朝賢為其國上卿，將用潭，以問中書令賀循。 循曰：「郎中令職望清重，實宜審授。 潭清淳貞粹，雅有隱正，聖明所簡，才實宜之。」 遂為琅邪王郎中令。 會裒薨，潭上疏求行終喪禮，曰：「在三之義，禮有達制，近代已來，或隨時降殺，宜一匡革，以敦於後，輒案令文，王侯之喪，官僚服斬，既葬而除。 今國無繼統，喪庭無主，臣實陋賤，不足當重，謬荷首任，禮宜終喪。」 詔下博議。 國子祭酒杜夷議：「古者諒闇，三年不言。 下及周世，稅衰效命。 春秋之時，天子諸侯既葬而除。 此所謂三代損益，禮有不同。 故三年之喪，由此而廢。 然則漢文之詔，合于隨時，凡有國者，皆宜同也，非唯施於帝皇而已。 案禮，殤與無後，降于成人。 有後，既葬而除。 今不得以無後之故而獨不除也。 愚以丁郎中應除衰麻，自宜主祭，以終三年。」 太常賀循議：「禮，天子諸侯俱以至尊臨人，上下之義，群臣之禮，自古以來，其例一也。 故禮盛則並全其重，禮殺則從其降。 春秋之事，天子諸侯不行三年。 至於臣為君服，亦宜以君為節，未有君除而臣服，君服而臣除者。 今法令，諸侯卿相官屬為君斬衰，既葬而除。 以令文言之，明諸侯不以三年之喪與天子同可知也。 君若遂服，則臣子輕重無應除者也。 若當皆除，無一人獨重之文。 禮有攝主而無攝重，故大功之親主人喪者，必為之再祭練祥，以大功之服，主人三年喪者也。 苟謂諸侯與天子同制，國有嗣王，自不全服，而人主居喪，素服主祭，三年不攝吉事，以尊令制。 若當遠跡三代，令復舊典，不依法令者，則侯之服貴賤一例，亦不得唯一人論。」 於是詔使除服，心喪三年。
At Ming Emperor's accession Ding Tan took chief commandant of attendant cavalry, court status, and the sacrifices bureau. When Prince Shou of Langye needed a chief minister, the throne favored Ding Tan and consulted He Xun. He Xun replied: "The prince's superintendent must be chosen with extreme care. Ding Tan's integrity suits the post perfectly." Ding Tan received the Langye prince's superintendent post. When Prince Shou died, Ding Tan asked to observe full mourning, citing statutes on princely funerals. With no heir yet enthroned I alone lead the prince's household—I must finish the three-year rites." The court referred his plea for debate. Du Yi cited ancient palace seclusion during mourning. By Zhou times mourning hemp yielded to duty. Spring and Autumn records show rulers shedding mourning after burial. Thus three dynasties adjusted mourning by circumstance. Hence full three-year mourning fell away for rulers. Emperor Wen of Han shortened mourning appropriately—every prince should follow suit. Rites shorten mourning for childless or youthful deaths. When an heir survives, mourning ends at burial. You cannot prolong mourning merely because no heir survives. Du Yi felt Ding Tan should shed officials' mourning yet host rites for three years. He Xun argued sovereign and vassal mourning must align. Grand occasions demand full observance; lesser ones may yield. Annals never show feudal lords keeping three full years. Subjects cannot out-mourn their lord or shed grief while he still mourns. Current code ends ministerial mourning at the prince's burial. Statute explicitly distinguishes princes from the emperor. If the prince stays in hemp, no minister may lighten dress alone. If everyone doffs mourning, no lone heavier obligation remains. Ritual allows a stand-in host but not a stand-in chief mourner—great-kin substitutes preside second-grade rites. If princes matched the throne, regents would wear white yet leave state business—but statutes forbid that confusion. Unless reviving antiquity wholesale, noble mourners must follow one rule. An edict traded sackcloth for inner grief lasting three years.
37
太興三年，遷王導驃騎司馬，轉中書郎，出為廣武將軍、東陽太守，以清潔見稱。 徵為太子左衛率，不拜。 成帝踐阼，以為散騎常侍、侍中。 蘇峻作亂，帝蒙塵於石頭，唯潭及侍中鐘雅、劉超等隨從不離帝側。 峻誅，以功賜爵永安伯，遷大尚書，徙廷尉，累遷左光祿大夫、領國子祭酒、本國大中正，加散騎常侍。
In Taixing 3 he served Wang Dao as cavalry marshal, then palace secretary, then governor of Dongyang—celebrated for honesty. He declined appointment as captain of the heir's left guards. Under Emperor Cheng he joined the palace attendant corps. During Su Jun's coup Ding Tan stayed with Emperor Cheng at Stone Fort alongside Zhong Ya and Liu Chao. After Su Jun fell Ding Tan earned the Yongan barony, rose through senior minister, commandant of justice, grand master, university overseer, and chief impartial judge.
38
康帝即位，屢表乞骸骨。 詔以光祿大夫還第，門施行馬，祿秩一如舊制，給傳詔二人，賜錢二十萬，床帳褥席。 年八十，卒。 贈侍中，大夫如故，諡曰簡。 王導嘗謂孔敬康有公才而無公望，丁世康有公望而無公才。 子話，位至散騎侍郎。
After Emperor Kang took the throne, Ding Tan repeatedly asked permission to retire. He retired as grand master with full salary, carriage blocks at his gate, two runners, twenty thousand cash, and bedding gifts. He died at eighty. Posthumously honored as palace attendant and canonized "Simple." Wang Dao quipped that Kong Yu had ministerial ability without prestige, Ding Tan prestige without equal ability. His son Ding Hua reached gentleman cavalier attendant.
39
張茂，字偉康，少單貧，有志行，為鄉里所敬信。 初起義兵，討賊陳斌，一郡用全。 元帝辟為掾屬。 官有老牛數十，將賣之，茂曰：「殺牛有禁，買者不得輒屠，齒力疲老，又不任耕駕，是以無用之物收百姓利也。」 帝乃止。 遷太子右衛率，出補吳興內史。 沈充之反也，茂與三子並遇害。 茂弟盎，為周劄將軍，充討劄，盎又死之。 贈茂太僕。 茂少時夢得大象，以問占夢萬推。 推曰：「君當為大郡，而不善也。」 問其故，推曰：「象者大獸，獸者守也，故知當得大郡。 然象以齒焚，為人所害。」 果如其言。
Zhang Mao (courtesy Weikang) grew up poor yet principled and trusted locally. He raised militia against Chen Bin and saved his commandery. Yuan Emperor recruited him as staff. When magistrates tried to sell aging oxen, Zhang Mao protested that useless livestock still could not be butchered under law. The emperor canceled the sale. He became captain of the heir's right guards, then governor of Wuxing. Shen Chong's revolt cost Zhang Mao and his three sons their lives. His brother Ang served Zhou Zha against Shen Chong and died in that fight. The court posthumously named him superintendent of carriages. Young Zhang Mao dreamed of an elephant and consulted Wan Tui. Wan Tui said a great governorship awaited—but ill-starred." Elephants mean weighty office," Wan explained. Yet ivory destroys the elephant—you will die by men." The omen came true to the last word.
40
陶回，丹陽人也。 祖基，吳交州刺史。 父抗，太子中庶子。 回辟司空府中軍、主簿，並不就。 大將軍王敦命為參軍，轉州別駕。 敦死，司徒王導引為從事中郎，遷司馬。 蘇峻之役，回與孔坦言於導，請早出兵守江口，語在坦傳。 峻將至，回復謂亮曰：「峻知石頭有重戍，不敢直下，必向小丹陽南道步來，宜伏兵要之，可一戰而擒。」 亮不從。 峻果由小丹陽經秣陵，迷失道，逢郡人，執以為鄉導。 時峻夜行，甚無部分。 亮聞之，深悔不從回等之言。 尋王師敗績，回還本縣，收合義軍，得千餘人，並為步軍，與陶侃、溫嶠等並力攻峻，又別破韓晁，以功封康樂伯。
Tao Hui came from Danyang. His grandfather Tao Ji held Jiao province under Wu. His father Tao Kang served as junior mentor to the heir. He spurned posts in the Minister of Education's army staff. Wang Dun made him army adviser, then provincial aide. After Wang Dun died Wang Dao brought him in as executive aide and marshal. As Su Jun advanced, Tao Hui and Kong Tan urged Wang Dao to hold the river mouth—Kong Tan's biography records it. Tao Hui warned Yu Liang that Su Jun would skirt Stone Fort via Lesser Danyang—lay ambush there. Yu Liang ignored him. Su Jun took Lesser Danyang, lost his way near Moling, and pressed a local guide. Su Jun's night march was chaotic. Yu Liang bitterly regretted spurning Tao Hui's advice. After the rout Tao Hui rallied a thousand foot soldiers, fought beside Tao Kan and Wen Qiao, crushed Han Chao, and earned the Kangle barony.
41
時大賊新平，綱維弛廢，司徒王導以回有器幹，擢補北軍中候，俄轉中護軍。 久之，遷征虜將軍、吳興太守。 時人饑谷貴，三吳尤甚。 詔欲聽相鬻賣，以拯一時之急。 回上疏曰：「當今天下不普荒儉，唯獨東土穀價偏貴，便相鬻賣，聲必遠流，北賊聞之，將窺疆場。 如愚臣意，不如開倉廩以振之。」 乃不待報，輒便開倉，及割府郡軍資數萬斛米以救乏絕，由是一境獲全。 既而下詔，並敕會稽、吳郡依回振恤，二郡賴之。 在郡四年，徵拜領軍將軍，加散騎常侍，征虜將軍如故。
With peace fragile Wang Dao named Tao Hui northern army inspector then Defender-in-Chief. Later he governed Wuxing as General Who Subdues the Barbarians. Famine made grain ruinously costly in the Wu region. The court prepared to legalize child-sale to stem starvation. Tao Hui argued that legalizing human trafficking would advertise Jin weakness to Zhao. "Open state granaries instead," he pleaded. Without waiting he opened granaries and poured tens of thousands of hu into Wu—the district survived. Imperial orders extended his policy to Kuaiji and Wu. Four years later he became General Who Leads the Army with prior titles intact.
42
回性雅正，不憚強禦。 丹陽尹桓景佞事王導，甚為導所昵。 回常慷慨謂景非正人，不宜親狎。 會熒惑守南斗經旬，導語回曰：「南斗，揚州分，而熒惑守之，吾當遜位以厭此謫。」 回答曰：「公以明德作相，輔弼聖主，當親忠貞，遠邪佞，而與桓景造膝，熒惑何由退舍！」 導深愧之咸和二年，以疾辭職，帝不許。 徙護軍將軍，常侍、領軍如故，未拜，卒，年五十一。 諡曰威。
Tao Hui combined integrity with iron nerve. Governor Huan Jing curried Wang Dao's favor shamelessly. Tao Hui insisted Huan Jing was no gentleman and unworthy of intimacy. When Mars lingered over Sagittarius Wang Dao told Tao Hui he would resign to appease heaven." Your virtue anchors the court," Tao Hui retorted; "banish flatterers—do not blame the planets." Wang Dao flushed with shame. In Xianhe 2 Tao Hui begged sick leave; the emperor refused. Named Defender-in-Chief while keeping prior titles, he died at fifty-one before inauguration. Canonized as "Formidable" (Wei).
43
四子：汪、陋、隱、無忌。 汪嗣爵，位至輔國將軍、宣城內史，陋冠軍將軍，隱少府，無忌光祿勳，兄弟咸有于用。
He left four sons—Wang, Lou, Yin, and Wuji. Wang inherited his rank and reached general of state support and Xuancheng; Lou became champion general; Yin headed the lesser treasury; Wuji became superintendent of the household—each proved capable.
44
史臣曰：孔愉父子暨丁潭等，咸以筱簜之材，邀締構之運，策名霸府，騁足高衢，曆試清階，遂登顯要，外宣政績，內盡謀猷，罄心力以佐時，竭股肱以衛主，並能保全名節，善始令終。 而愉高謝百萬之貲，辭榮數畝之宅，弘止足之分，有廉讓之風者矣。 陶回陳邪佞之宜遠，明鬻賣之非宜，並補闕弼違，良可稱也。
The historians observe that Kong Yu, his sons, Ding Tan, and their peers rose from modest roots to sustain the founding court—serving loyally inside and out while keeping honor intact. Kong Yu spurned riches and mansions—true exemplar of knowing when enough sufficed. Tao Hui exposed sycophants and barred slave markets—counsel as valuable as his grain relief.
45
贊曰：愉既公才，潭唯公望。 領軍儒雅，平越忠亮。 君平料敵，彭祖弘益。 茂以象焚，群由匡厄。 陶回規過，言同金石。
The verse praises Kong Yu's substance and Ding Tan's reputation. The general-education scholar led armies; the colonel who pacified the Yue stood loyal and bright. Junping read battles; Pengzu enriched the state. Zhang Mao died like the ivory omen; Kong Qun survived Kuang Shu's spite. Tao Hui's blunt counsel rang hard as bronze bells.