1
列傳第五十九
Biography 59
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沈炯虞荔傅縡顧野王姚察
Shen Jiong, Yu Li, Fu Zai, Gu Yewang, and Yao Chao
3
沈炯字初明，吳興武康人也。 祖瑀，梁尋陽太守。 父續，王府記室參軍。
Shen Jiong, whose courtesy name was Chuming, came from Wukang in Wuxing commandery. His grandfather Yu had served as Administrator of Xunyang under the Liang. His father Xu held the post of Registrar on a prince's staff.
4
炯少有俊才，為當時所重。 仕梁為尚書左戶侍郎、吳令。 侯景之難，吳郡太守袁君正入援建鄴，以炯監郡。 台城陷，景將宋子仙據吳興，使召炯，方委以書記，炯辭以疾，子仙怒，命斬之。 炯解衣將就戮，礙于路間桑樹，乃更牽往他所，或救之，僅而獲免。 子仙愛其才，終逼之令掌書記。 及子仙敗，王僧辯素聞其名，軍中購得之，酬所獲者錢十萬，自是羽檄軍書，皆出於炯。 及簡文遇害，四方嶽牧上表勸進，僧辯令炯製錶，當時莫有逮者。 陳武帝南下，與僧辯會白茅灣，登壇設盟，炯為其文。 及景東奔，至吳郡，獲炯妻虞氏及子行簡，並殺之，炯弟攜其母逃免。 侯景平，梁元帝湣其妻子嬰戮，特封原鄉侯。 僧辯為司徒，以炯為從事中郎。 梁元帝徵為給事黃門侍郎，領尚書左丞。
From youth Jiong showed remarkable talent and won the respect of his contemporaries. Under the Liang he rose to Left Household Vice Minister in the Secretariat and Magistrate of Wu. During Hou Jing's rebellion, Yuan Junzheng, Administrator of Wu commandery, marched to relieve Jiankang and left Jiong in charge of the commandery. After the Terrace City fell, Hou Jing's general Song Zixian seized Wuxing and summoned Jiong to serve as his secretary. Jiong pleaded illness; Zixian flew into a rage and ordered his execution. Jiong stripped for the block, but mulberry trees along the road impeded the blow, so his guards hauled him elsewhere. Someone intervened, and he barely escaped with his life. Zixian admired his gifts and eventually forced him to serve as secretary after all. After Zixian's defeat, Wang Sengbian, who had long known Jiong's reputation, ransomed him from the ranks for a reward of a hundred thousand cash. From then on every urgent dispatch and military document issued from Sengbian's camp bore Jiong's hand. After Emperor Jianwen was murdered, governors throughout the realm submitted memorials urging the throne onward. Sengbian charged Jiong with drafting them, and none of his contemporaries could rival his prose. When Chen Wudi marched south and met Sengbian at Baimao Bay, they ascended the altar to swear their alliance, and Jiong wrote the covenant. As Hou Jing fled eastward into Wu commandery, he seized Jiong's wife Lady Yu and their son Xingjian and put them to death. Jiong's younger brother escaped with their mother. After Hou Jing's defeat, Emperor Yuan of Liang mourned the slaughter of Jiong's wife and son and specially enfeoffed him as Marquis of Yuanxiang. When Sengbian was appointed Minister of Works, he named Jiong Attendant Gentleman on his staff. Emperor Yuan summoned him to the post of Yellow Gate Attendant-in-Ordinary with concurrent duty as Left Vice Director of the Secretariat.
5
魏克荊州，被虜，甚見禮遇，授儀同三司。 以母在東，恒思歸國，恐以文才被留，閉門卻掃，無所交接。 時有文章，隨即棄毀，不令流布。
When the Northern Wei conquered Jingzhou he was taken captive but treated with great honor and granted the rank of Commissioner with the Protocol of Three Excellencies. His mother remained in the east, and he longed constantly to return. Fearing the Wei would detain him for his literary gifts, he shut his gate to visitors and kept company with no one. Whenever he composed something, he destroyed it at once rather than let it circulate.
6
嘗獨行經漢武通天台，為表奏之，陳己思鄉之意。 曰：「臣聞橋山雖掩，鼎湖之灶可祠； 有魯遂荒，大庭之跡無泯。 伏惟陛下降德猗蘭，纂靈豐穀，漢道既登，神仙可望。 射之罘於海浦，禮日觀而稱功，橫中流於汾河，指柏梁而高宴，何其甚樂，豈不然歟！ 既而運屬上仙，道窮晏駕，甲帳珠簾，一朝零落，茂陵玉碗，遂出人間。 陵雲故基，與原田而膴膴，別風餘跡，帶陵阜而芒芒，羈旅縲臣，豈不落淚。 昔承明見厭，嚴助東歸，駟馬可乘，長卿西反，恭聞故實，竊有愚心。 黍稷非馨，敢望徼福。 但雀台之吊，空愴魏君，雍丘之祠，未光夏後，瞻仰煙霞，伏增淒戀。」 奏訖，其夜夢有宮禁之所，兵衛甚嚴，炯便以情事陳訴。 聞有人言：「甚不惜放卿還，幾時可至。」 少日，便與王克等並獲東歸。 曆司農卿，御史中丞。
Once, walking alone past Emperor Wu of Han's Terrace of Communication with Heaven, he drafted a memorial there expressing his longing to return home. It read: "I have heard that though Mount Qiao may hide the sage's remains, the altar at Lake Ding may still receive offerings; though Youlu fell into ruin, the traces at the Great Court have not vanished. Your Majesty's virtue spreads like orchids in the shade; you inherit a numinous legacy from a land of plenty. The Han way has reached its height, and immortality lies within reach. You hunted at Zhifu by the sea, paid rites at Mount Ri and proclaimed your achievements, crossed the Fen midstream, and feasted high at Cypress Beam—what boundless joy, was it not so! Then fate turned toward the transcendent realm, the Way reached its end at the imperial deathbed; armored curtains and pearl blinds collapsed in a single morning, and the jade bowl of Maoling passed into mortal hands. The old foundations of Lingyun Terrace merge with broad fields stretching green and wide; lingering traces of departed glory wind through the mounds in endless haze. A captive wanderer in bonds—how could he not weep? In old times, when the Hall of Chenming grew tiresome, Yan Zhu returned east; a four-horse carriage awaited Sima Xiangru's journey west. I have heard these precedents with reverence and dare harbor a humble wish of my own. My humble offerings lack fragrance; I dare not hope for undeserved grace. Yet the lament at Sparrow Terrace grieves the Wei lord to no avail, and the rites at Yongqiu have not yet honored the Xia heir. Gazing toward the mists and dawn light, I prostrate myself, and my desolate longing only deepens." After he submitted the memorial, that night he dreamed of the palace precincts, heavily guarded. Jiong pleaded his case in the dream. He heard a voice say, "We are quite willing to let you go home—when can you arrive?" Before long he was permitted to return east together with Wang Ke and the others. He served in turn as Minister of Agriculture and as Censor-in-Chief.
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陳武帝受禪，加通直散騎常侍。 表求歸養，詔不許。 文帝嗣位，又表求去，詔答曰：「當敕所由，相迎尊累，使卿公私無廢也。」
When Chen Wudi accepted the abdication, Jiong was further appointed Regular Attendant of the Direct and Upright Cavalry. He submitted a memorial asking to go home and care for his mother, but the throne refused. When Emperor Wen succeeded, Jiong again asked to resign. The edict answered: "We shall order the authorities to bring your honored kin here, so that neither your public service nor your family duties need suffer."
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初，武帝嘗稱炯宜居王佐，軍國大政，多預謀謨。 文帝又重其才，欲寵貴之。 會王琳入寇大雷，留異擁據東境，帝欲使炯因是立功，乃解中丞，加明威將軍，遣還鄉里，收徒眾。 以疾卒于吳中，贈侍中，諡恭子。 有集二十卷行於世。
Earlier, Wudi had said that Jiong was fit to serve as a prince's chief aide, and he took part in planning most major military and state affairs. Emperor Wen likewise prized his talent and wished to shower him with honors. When Wang Lin invaded Dalei and Liu Yi held the eastern territories, the Emperor hoped Jiong would distinguish himself in the crisis. He relieved him of the censorate, made him General of Illustrious Might, and sent him home to raise troops. He died of illness in Wu. Posthumously he was made Palace Attendant with the posthumous name Gongzi, "The Respectful." A collected works of twenty juan circulated in his day.
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虞荔字山披，會稽余姚人也。 祖權，梁廷尉卿、永嘉太守。 父檢，平北始興王諮議參軍。
Yu Li, whose courtesy name was Shanpi, came from Yuyao in Kuaiji commandery. His grandfather Quan had served the Liang as Minister of Justice and Administrator of Yongjia. His father Jian had been Staff Adviser to the Prince of Shixing, Pacifier of the North.
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荔幼聰敏，有志操。 年九歲，隨從伯闡候太常陸倕，倕問五經十事，荔對無遺失，倕甚異之。 又嘗詣征士何胤，時太守衡陽王亦造之，胤言于王，王欲見荔，荔辭曰：「未有板刺，無容拜謁。」 王以荔有高尚之志，雅相欽重，還郡，即辟為主簿，荔又辭以年小不就。 及長，美風儀，博覽墳籍，善屬文。 仕梁為西中郎法曹外兵參軍，兼丹陽詔獄正。
From childhood Li was quick-witted and possessed firm moral purpose. At nine he accompanied his father's elder cousin Kan on a visit to Lu Yan, Grand Master of Ceremonies. Yan posed ten questions drawn from the Five Classics; Li answered every one without fault, and Yan was astonished. On another occasion he called on the recluse He Yin while the Prince of Hengyang, then serving as commandery administrator, was also visiting. Yin mentioned Li to the prince, who wished to receive him. Li declined: "I have no visiting card and am in no position to pay a formal call." The prince admired Li's lofty character and held him in high esteem. Back in his commandery he immediately summoned Li as Chief Clerk, but Li again declined on grounds of youth. As an adult he possessed striking presence, had read widely in the classics, and wrote with skill. Under the Liang he served as External Military Assistant in the Western Central Commandant's law office and concurrently as Director of the Danyang imperial prison.
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梁武帝於城西置士林館，荔乃制碑奏上，帝命勒之於館，仍用荔為士林學士。 尋為司文郎，遷通直散騎侍郎，兼中書舍人。 時左右之任，多參權軸，內外機務，互有帶掌，唯荔與顧協泊然靜退，居於西省，但以文史見知。 尋領大著作。
Emperor Wu of Liang founded the Forest of Literati Hall west of the capital. Li composed a stele inscription and submitted it; the Emperor ordered it carved at the hall and appointed Li a scholar there. Soon he became Lang of the Documents Office, then Vice Director of the Direct and Upright Cavalry with concurrent duty as Secretariat Drafter. At that time most court attendants meddled in the centers of power and jostled for overlapping control of civil and military affairs. Only Li and Gu Xie remained calm and withdrawn in the Western Secretariat, known solely for their literary and historical expertise. He soon took charge of the Grand Historiographer's office.
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及侯景之亂，荔率親屬入台，除鎮西諮議參軍，舍人如故。 台城陷，逃歸鄉里。 侯景平，元帝徵為中書侍郎。 貞陽侯僭位，授揚州別駕，並不就。
During Hou Jing's rebellion Li led his family into the Terrace City. He was appointed Staff Adviser to the Pacifier of the West while retaining his post as Secretariat Drafter. When the Terrace City fell, he fled home. After Hou Jing's defeat, Emperor Yuan summoned him as Vice Director of the Secretariat. When the Marquis of Zhenyang seized the throne, Li was offered the post of Yangzhou Vice Administrator, but he accepted neither appointment.
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張彪之據會稽，荔時在焉。 及文帝平彪，武帝及文帝並書招之，迫切不得已，乃應命至都，而武帝崩，文帝嗣位，除太子中庶子，仍侍太子讀。 尋領大著作。
When Zhang Biao seized Kuaiji, Li happened to be there. After Emperor Wen defeated Biao, both Wudi and Wen wrote urging him to court. Unable to refuse their repeated summons, he went to the capital. Wudi died before his arrival; Wen succeeded and appointed him Crown Prince Attendant while keeping him as tutor to the heir. He soon resumed charge of the Grand Historiographer's office.
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初，荔母隨荔入台，卒於台內，尋而城陷，情禮不申，由是終身蔬食布衣，不聽音樂。 雖任遇隆重，而居止儉素，淡然無營。 文帝深器之，常引在左右，朝夕顧訪。 荔性沈密，少言論，凡所獻替，莫有見其際者。
Earlier Li's mother had accompanied him into the Terrace City and died there. The city soon fell before mourning rites could be observed. From then on he ate only vegetables, wore plain cloth, and refused all music for the rest of his life. Though his appointments were exalted, he lived frugally and sought nothing for himself. Emperor Wen valued him deeply, kept him constantly at his side, and sought his counsel morning and evening. Li was reserved and discreet, spoke little, and none could tell when he had offered counsel behind the scenes.
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第二弟寄，寓於閩中，依陳寶應，荔每言之輒流涕。 文帝哀而謂曰：「我亦有弟在遠，此情甚切，他人豈知。」 乃敕寶應求寄，寶應終不遣。 荔因以感疾，帝欲數往臨視，令將家口入省。 荔以禁中非私居之所，乞停城外，帝不許，乃令住蘭台。 乘輿再三臨問，手敕中使相望於道。 又以蔬食積久，非羸疾所堪，乃敕曰：「卿年事已多，氣力稍減，方欲仗委，良須克壯。 今給卿魚肉，不得固從所執。」 荔終不從。 卒，贈侍中，諡曰德子。 及喪柩還鄉里，上親出臨送，當時榮之。 子世基、世南，並少知名。
His second younger brother Ji was living in Min under Chen Baoying's protection, and Li wept whenever he spoke of him. Emperor Wen was moved and said, "I too have a brother far away. This longing cuts deep—who else could understand it?" He ordered Baoying to send Ji back, but Baoying never released him. Li fell ill from grief. The Emperor wished to visit him often and ordered his household brought into the palace compound. Li protested that the palace was no private home and asked to stay outside the walls. The Emperor refused and had him lodge at the Orchid Terrace instead. The Emperor visited him repeatedly, and handwritten edicts and palace envoys crowded the road in succession. Seeing that prolonged abstinence from meat was too much for his frail body, the Emperor wrote: "You are advanced in years and your strength has waned. We mean to rely on you still—you must regain your vigor. We now supply you with fish and meat. You must not cling stubbornly to your vow." Li still refused. He died. Posthumously he was made Palace Attendant with the posthumous name Dezi, "The Virtuous." When his coffin returned home, the Emperor went out in person to escort it—a mark of honor that his contemporaries envied. His sons Shiji and Shinan were both celebrated from an early age.
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寄字次安，少聰敏。 年數歲，客有造其父，遇寄於門，嘲曰：「郎子姓虞，必當無智。」 寄應聲曰：「文字不辨，豈得非愚！」 客大慚。 入謂其父：「此子非常人，文舉之對，不是過也。」
Ji, whose courtesy name was Ci'an, was quick-witted as a boy. When he was only a few years old, a visitor called on his father and met Ji at the gate. The man jested, "A lad surnamed Yu must surely lack wit." Ji shot back, "If you cannot tell one character from another, who is the fool here?" The guest was deeply embarrassed. Inside he told Ji's father, "This boy is no ordinary child. His retort rivals Kong Rong's famous answer."
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及長，好學，善屬文。 性沖靜，有棲遁志。 弱冠舉秀才，對策高第。 起家梁宣城王國左常侍。 大同中，嘗驟雨，殿前往往有雜色寶珠，梁武觀之，甚有喜色，寄因上瑞雨頌。 帝謂寄兄荔曰：「此頌典裁清拔，卿之士龍也，將如何擢用？」 寄聞之歎曰：「美盛德之形容，以申擊壤之情耳，吾豈買名求仕者乎？」 乃閉門稱疾，唯以書籍自娛。 岳陽王察為會稽太守，寄為中記室，領郡五官掾。 在職簡略煩苛，務存大體，曹局之內，終日寂然。
As an adult he loved learning and wrote with skill. He was gentle and withdrawn by nature and aspired to a life of seclusion. At his coming of age he was recommended as Cultivated Talent and placed at the top of the policy examination. He began his career as Left Regular Attendant in the establishment of the Liang Prince of Xuancheng. During the Datong era a sudden rain once left multicolored pearls scattered before the hall. Emperor Wu looked on with delight, and Ji submitted an Ode on the Auspicious Rain. The Emperor told Ji's elder brother Li, "This ode is elegant and elevated. He is your Lu Ji—how shall we promote him?" When Ji heard this he sighed. "I only meant to praise the Emperor's virtue and voice the people's joy. Am I the sort to trade on a name for office?" He shut his gate, pleaded illness, and amused himself with books alone. When the Prince of Yueyang, Cha, became Administrator of Kuaiji, Ji served as Central Recorder with concurrent duty as Commandery Five-Officials Assistant. In office he cut through petty bureaucracy and kept to essentials. His bureau was silent all day long.
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及寶應結昏留異，潛有逆謀，寄微知其意，言說之際，每陳逆順之理，微以諷諫。 寶應輒引說他事以拒之。 又嘗令左右讀漢書，臥而聽之，至蒯通說韓信曰：「相君之背，貴不可言」，寶應蹶然起曰：「可謂智士。」 寄正色曰：「覆酈驕韓，未足稱智，豈若班彪王命識所歸乎？」 寄知寶應不可諫，慮禍及己，乃為居士服以拒絕之。 常居東山寺，偽稱腳疾，不復起。 寶應以為假託，遣人燒寄所臥屋，寄安臥不動。 親近將扶寄出，寄曰：「吾命有所懸，避欲安往？」 所縱火者，旋自救之。 寶應自此方信之。
When Baoying allied with Liu Yi by marriage and secretly plotted rebellion, Ji sensed his intent. In conversation he would explain the difference between loyalty and treason, hinting at admonition. Baoying always changed the subject to avoid him. Once he had an attendant read the Book of Han while he lay listening. At the passage where Kuai Tong tells Han Xin, "The back of my lord is noble beyond words," Baoying sat bolt upright and exclaimed, "Now there was a wise man!" Ji said sternly, "Overthrowing Li and defying Han hardly counts as wisdom. How does that compare with Ban Biao's 'Kingly Mandate,' which knew where true allegiance lay?" Seeing that Baoying could not be persuaded and fearing he would be implicated, Ji put on lay Buddhist robes to keep his distance. He took up residence at East Mountain Temple, feigned a foot ailment, and would not rise again. Baoying assumed he was feigning illness and sent men to burn the house where Ji lay. Ji remained still and did not stir. His attendants tried to help him out. Ji said, "My fate still hangs in the balance—where would fleeing take me?" Those who had set the fire soon put it out themselves. Only then did Baoying believe that his illness was genuine.
19
及留異稱兵，寶應資其部曲，寄乃因書極諫曰：
When Liu Yi took up arms, Baoying supplied his troops. Ji sent him a letter of the strongest remonstrance, which read:
20
東山居士虞寄致書于明將軍使君節下：寄流離艱故，飄寓貴鄉，將軍待以上賓之禮，申以國士之眷，意氣所感，何日忘之。 而寄沈痼彌留，愒陰將盡，常恐卒填溝壑，涓塵莫報，是以敢布腹心，冒陳丹款，願將軍留須臾之慮，少思察之，則冥目之日，所懷畢矣。
East Mountain Recluse Yu Ji to the Illustrious General, Lord Envoy: I have been adrift through hardship and loss and have found shelter in your domain. You received me with the honors due a chief guest and treated me with the affection owed a true champion of the state. The bond between us is something I could never forget. Yet my illness grows grave and my days are nearly spent. I fear I may die at any moment without repaying even the smallest part of your kindness. I therefore dare lay bare my inmost heart and offer my loyal counsel. I beg you to pause for a moment and consider what I say. Then, when I close my eyes, I shall have nothing left unsaid.
21
夫安危之兆，禍福之機，匪獨天時，亦由人事。 失之毫釐，差以千里。 是以明智之士，據重位而不傾，執大節而不失，豈惑於浮辭哉。 將軍文武兼資，英威動俗，往因多難，仗劍興師，援旗誓眾，抗威千里。 豈不以四郊多壘，共謀王室，匡時報主，甯國庇人乎。 此所以五尺童子，皆願荷戟而隨將軍者也。 及高祖武皇帝肇基草昧，初濟艱難，于時天下沸騰，人無定主，豺狼當道，鯨鯢橫擊，海內業業，未知所從。 將軍運動微之鑒，折從衡之辯，策名委質，自托宗盟，此將軍妙算遠圖，發於衷誠者也。 及主上繼業，欽明睿聖，選賢與能，群臣輯睦，結將軍以維城之重，崇將軍以裂土之封，豈非宏謨廟略，推赤心於物者也。 屢申明詔，款篤殷勤，君臣之分定矣，骨肉之恩深矣。 不意將軍惑于邪說，翻然異計，寄所以疾首痛心，泣盡繼之以血，萬全之策，竊為將軍惜之。 寄雖疾侵耄及，言無足采，千慮一得，請陳愚算。 願將軍少戢雷霆，賒其晷刻，使得盡狂瞽之說，披肝膽之誠，則雖死之日，猶生之年也。
The signs of safety and danger, the turning points of fortune and ruin, depend not on heaven alone but on human conduct as well. A slip of a hair's breadth can lead to an error of a thousand li. That is why the wise man holds high office without falling and keeps to great principle without wavering. How could he be swayed by empty rhetoric? You combine civil and martial gifts, and your heroic authority moves the age. In former days, amid many hardships, you took sword in hand, raised armies, lifted the banner to swear your troops, and displayed your might for a thousand li. Was that not because the realm was beset on every side, so that you might join in restoring the royal house, set the age aright, repay your sovereign, and bring peace to the state and shelter to the people? That is why even children wished to shoulder arms and follow you. When the Martial Emperor, our High Ancestor, first founded the realm amid chaos and first crossed through hardship, the world seethed. Men had no fixed lord; wolves blocked the roads and monsters ravaged the land. The whole realm trembled, not knowing whom to follow. You exercised subtle discernment, set aside the arts of alliance and counter-alliance, registered your allegiance, and entrusted yourself to the imperial clan. That was your far-seeing design, born of sincere loyalty. When our sovereign succeeded to the throne, reverent, bright, and sage, choosing the worthy and employing the able while his ministers lived in harmony, he bound you with the duty of guarding the realm and honored you with enfeoffment and broad lands. Is that not the court's grand design, extending its loyal heart to all? He has issued edict after edict, earnest and full of kindness. The bond between lord and minister is settled, and the affection between kin runs deep. I never expected you to be swayed by perverse counsel and suddenly change course. That is why I beat my head and grieve until tears are followed by blood. I grieve for you over the plan that would have kept you wholly safe. Though my illness has brought me to old age and my words may be worthless, among a thousand thoughts one may prove true. I beg leave to set forth my humble counsel. I beg you to restrain your wrath for a moment and grant me a little time, so that I may fully speak my reckless words and lay bare my loyal heart. Then even on the day I die it will be as though I still lived.
22
自天厭梁德，多難薦臻，寰宇分崩，英雄互起，不可勝紀，人人自以為得之。 然夷凶翦亂，拯溺扶危，四海樂推，三靈眷命，揖讓而居南面者，陳氏也。 豈非歷數有在，惟天所授，當璧應運，其事甚明，一也。 主上承基，明德遠被，天綱再張，地維重紐。 夫以王琳之強，侯瑱之力，進足以搖盪中原，爭衡天下，退足以屈強江外，雄張偏隅。 然或命一旅之師，或資一士之說，琳即瓦解冰泮，投身異域，瑱則厥角稽顙，委命闕庭。 斯又天假之威，而除其患，其事甚明，二也。 今將軍以藩戚之重，擁東南之眾，盡忠奉上，戮力勤王，豈不勳高竇融，寵過吳芮，析珪判野，南面稱孤，其事甚明，三也。 且聖朝棄瑕忘過，寬厚待人，改過自新，咸加敘擢。 至如余孝頃、潘純陀、李孝欽、歐陽頠等，悉委以心腹，任以爪牙，胸中豁然，曾無纖芥。 況將軍釁非張繡，罪異畢諶，當何慮于危亡，何失于富貴？ 此又其事甚明，四也。 方今周、齊鄰睦，境外無虞，並兵一向，匪朝伊夕。 非有劉、項競逐之機，楚、趙連從之事，可得雍容高拱，坐論西伯，其事甚明，五也。 且留將軍狼顧一隅，亟經摧衄，聲實虧喪，膽氣衰沮。 高瓖、向文政、留瑜、黃子玉此數人者，將軍所知，首鼠兩端，唯利是視，其餘將帥亦可見矣。 孰能被堅執銳，長驅深入，系馬埋輪，奮不顧命，以先士卒者乎？ 此又其事甚明，六也。 且將軍之強，孰如侯景？ 將軍之眾，孰如王琳？ 武皇滅侯景於前，今上摧王琳於後，此乃天時，非復人力。 且兵革已後，人皆厭亂，其孰能棄墳墓，捐妻子，出萬死不顧之計，從將軍于白刃之間乎？ 此又其事甚明，七也。 曆觀前古，鑒之往事，子陽、季孟傾覆相尋，餘善、右渠危亡繼及，天命可畏，山川難恃。 況將軍欲以數郡之地，當天下之兵，以諸侯之資，拒天子之命，強弱逆順，可得侔乎？ 此又其事甚明，八也。 且非我族類，其心必異，不愛其親，豈能及物？ 留將軍身縻國爵，子尚王姬，猶且棄天屬而弗顧，背明君而孤立，危急之日，豈能同憂共患，不背將軍者乎？ 至於師老力屈，懼誅利賞，必有韓、智晉陽之謀，張、陳井陘之事。 此又其事甚明，九也。 且北軍萬里遠鬥，鋒不可當，將軍自戰其地，人多顧後，梁安背向為心，修忤匹夫之力，眾寡不敵，將帥不侔，師以無名而出，事以無機而動，以此稱兵，未知其利。 夫以漢朝吳、楚，晉室穎、顒，連城數十，長戟百萬，拔本塞源，自圖家國，其有成功者乎？ 此又其事甚明，十也。
Since Heaven grew weary of the Liang and hardships followed one upon another, the realm split apart and heroes rose beyond counting, each believing he held destiny in his hand. Yet it was the house of Chen that quelled the wicked, rescued the drowning, and upheld the endangered; that the four seas joyfully advanced, that the three numina favored, and that through abdication took the throne. Is this not because the mandate of fate was fixed and Heaven alone bestowed it, the jade disk answering the age? This is clear—the first point. Our sovereign has inherited the foundation. His bright virtue spreads far. Heaven's net is stretched anew and Earth's cords are bound again. Consider Wang Lin's strength and Hou Tian's power. Advancing, they could shake the central plains and contend for the realm. Retreating, they could hold the Yangzi south and dominate a corner. Yet with a single brigade sent, or with one man's counsel relied upon, Lin dissolved like melting ice and fled to foreign lands, while Tian bowed his forehead to the ground and surrendered at the imperial court. This again is Heaven lending its might to remove such threats. This is clear—the second point. You bear the weight of an imperial kinsman on the frontier and command the hosts of the southeast. If you devote your loyalty to the throne and join your strength to the royal cause, would your merit not exceed Dou Rong's and your favor surpass Wu Rui's, with jade tallies divided and lands apportioned, reigning in your domain? This is clear—the third point. Moreover the court discards flaws and forgets faults, treats men with generous breadth, and promotes all who reform and renew themselves. Men such as Yu Xiaoxiang, Pan Chuntuo, Li Xiaoqin, and Ouyang Hui were all entrusted as inner confidants and employed as his claws and fangs. The sovereign's heart remained open, without the slightest grudge. Your offense is not Zhang Xiu's, your crime differs from Bi Chen's. Why should you fear ruin or lose wealth and honor? This too is clear—the fourth point. At present Northern Zhou and Qi are friendly neighbors. Beyond the borders there is no worry, yet their united armies may strike at any moment—not merely tomorrow or the day after. There is no occasion like Liu Bang and Xiang Yu contending for the realm, no alliance like Chu and Zhao joining forces. You cannot at ease with folded hands sit and discourse like the Earl of the West. This is clear—the fifth point. Moreover General Liu, holding one corner like a wolf glancing backward, has suffered defeat after defeat. His reputation is ruined and his courage broken. Gao Rang, Xiang Wenzheng, Liu Yu, and Huang Ziyu—these men you know well—are fence-sitters who look only to profit. The rest of your commanders are no better. Who among them can don hard armor, grasp sharp blades, drive deep into enemy territory, tether horses and bury wheels, and charge ahead of the ranks without regard for his life? This too is clear—the sixth point. Moreover, is your strength equal to Hou Jing's? Are your troops equal to Wang Lin's? The Martial Emperor destroyed Hou Jing before; our present sovereign crushed Wang Lin after. This is Heaven's season, not human strength alone. After years of war, all men are weary of disorder. Who would abandon his ancestors' graves, cast off wife and children, and follow you between flashing blades in a plan that courts ten thousand deaths? This too is clear—the seventh point. Surveying former ages and taking past events as mirror, Ziyang and Jimeng fell in succession, Yushan and Youqu perished one after another. Heaven's mandate is to be feared; mountains and rivers are hard to rely on. How much less can you, with the lands of a few commanderies, meet the armies of the realm, or with a feudal lord's resources refuse the Son of Heaven's command? Can strength and weakness, obedience and rebellion, be matched? This too is clear—the eighth point. Moreover, those not of our kindred must differ in heart. If one does not love his kin, how can he care for others? General Liu holds state rank and his son is married to an imperial princess, yet he still abandons his kin and turns his back on the enlightened sovereign to stand alone. In days of peril, how could he share your worry and not turn against you? When troops grow weary and strength fails, when men fear punishment and covet reward, there will surely be plots like those of Han and Zhi at Jinyang and affairs like those of Zhang and Chen at Jingxing Pass. This too is clear—the ninth point. The northern army fights from ten thousand li away, yet its edge cannot be withstood. You fight on your own ground, yet your men look behind them. Liang An's heart has turned away. Xiu can defy only a common man's strength. Many and few do not match; commanders are unequal. Your army goes forth without righteous cause and moves without opportune moment. To raise arms on this basis—I do not see the profit. Consider Han's Wu and Chu, Jin's Ying and Yong—linked cities by the tens, long halberds by the million, uprooting the root and blocking the source to plot for themselves—were there any who succeeded? This too is clear—the tenth point.
23
為將軍計者，莫若不遠而復，絕親留氏，秦郎、快郎，隨遣入質，釋甲偃兵，一遵詔旨。 且朝廷許以鐵券之要，申以白馬之盟，朕不食言，誓之宗社。 寄聞明者鑒未形，智者不再計，此成敗之效，將軍勿疑，吉凶之幾，間不容髮。 方今蕃維尚少，皇子幼沖，凡預宗枝，皆蒙寵樹。 況以將軍之地，將軍之才，將軍之名，將軍之勢，而能克修蕃服，北面稱臣，甯與劉澤同年而語其功業哉？ 豈不身與山河等安，名與金石相弊？ 願加三思，慮之無忽。
For your planning, nothing surpasses returning while you are still far from ruin: break with the Liu clan, send Qinlang and Kuailang as hostages at once, lay aside armor and rest your weapons, and follow the imperial edict in full. The court promises the pledge of the iron certificate and renews the covenant sworn over a white horse. The sovereign will not break his word; he swears it before the ancestral altars. I have heard that the clear-sighted discern what has not yet taken form and the wise do not reckon twice. This is the effect of success and failure. Do not doubt it. The hinge of fortune and ruin admits not a hair's breadth between. At present the frontier bulwarks are still few and the imperial sons young. All who share the imperial clan are showered with favor and planted in high office. With your lands, your talent, your name, and your power, if you can well fulfill your frontier duty and face north as a loyal minister, could your achievements be spoken of in the same breath as Liu Ze's? Would not your person share the peace of mountains and rivers, your name endure like metal and stone? I beg you to think thrice and not neglect this counsel.
24
寄氣力綿微，余陰無幾，感恩懷德，不覺狂言，鈇鉞之誅，甘之如薺。 寶應覽書大怒。 或謂寶應曰：「虞公病篤，言多錯謬。」 寶應意乃小釋。 亦以寄人望，且容之。 及寶應敗走，夜至蒲田，顧謂其子扞秦曰：「早從虞公計，不至今日。」 扞秦但泣而已。 寶應既禽，凡諸賓客微有交涉者皆誅，唯寄以先識免禍。
My strength is thread-thin and my days few. Grateful for your kindness, I have spoken rashly without noticing. I would accept the axe and halberd as gladly as shepherd's purse. Baoying read the letter and flew into a rage. Someone told Baoying, "Lord Yu is gravely ill. His words are mostly delirious." Baoying's anger eased somewhat. He also spared Ji for a time out of respect for his reputation. When Baoying was defeated and fled, he reached Putian by night and turned to his son Hanchin. "Had we followed Lord Yu's counsel earlier, we would not have come to this." Hanchin could only weep. After Baoying was captured, every guest who had had even slight dealings with him was executed. Only Ji escaped, thanks to his earlier remonstrance.
25
初，沙門慧標涉獵有才思，及寶應起兵，作五言詩以送之曰：「送馬猶臨水，離旗稍引風。 好看今夜月，當照紫微宮。」 寶應得之甚悅。 慧標以示寄，寄一覽便止，正色無言。 慧標退，寄謂所親曰：「標公既以此始，必以此終。」 後竟坐是誅。
Earlier the monk Huibiao, widely read and clever, composed a five-word poem when Baoying raised troops to send him off: "Horses still water at the ford; parting banners catch the wind. Watch well tonight's moon—it shall shine on the Purple Subtlety Palace." Baoying was greatly pleased by it. Huibiao showed it to Ji. Ji read it once, set it down, and said nothing, his face stern. When Huibiao withdrew, Ji told those close to him, "Master Biao has begun with this—he will surely end with it." In the end he was indeed executed for it.
26
文帝尋敕都督章昭達發遣寄還朝，及至，謂曰：「管寧無恙，甚慰勞懷。」 頃之，帝謂到仲舉曰：「衡陽王既出合，須得一人旦夕遊處，兼掌書記，宜求宿士有行業者。」 仲舉未知所對，帝曰：「吾自得之。」 乃手敕用寄。 寄入謝，帝曰：「所以暫屈卿遊蕃，非止以文翰相煩，乃令以師表相事也。」 後除東中郎建安王諮議，加戎昭將軍。 寄乃辭以疾，不堪旦夕陪列。 王於是令長停公事，其有疑議，就以決之，但朔旦箋修而已。 太建八年，加太中大夫，後卒。
Emperor Wen soon ordered Area Commander Zhang Zhaoda to send Ji back to court. When he arrived, the Emperor said, "Like Guan Ning you have returned safe and sound—this greatly comforts my weary heart." Soon after the Emperor told Dao Zhongju, "Now that the Prince of Hengyang has left the capital, we need someone to keep him company day and night and handle his secretarial work. We should find an elder scholar of established conduct." Zhongju did not know whom to name. The Emperor said, "I have already chosen him." He then by handwritten edict appointed Ji. Ji came to give thanks. The Emperor said, "The reason I bend you for a time to the frontier is not merely to burden you with documents. I wish you to serve as teacher and model." Later he was made Staff Adviser to the Prince of Jian'an, Eastern Central Commandant, with the additional rank of General of Martial Illumination. Ji declined on grounds of illness, saying he could not bear constant attendance in the prince's retinue. The prince then ordered routine business suspended in the bureau. When doubts arose, Ji decided them. He drafted memorials only on the first of each month. In the eighth year of Taijian he was made Grand Master of the Palace. He died not long after.
27
寄少篤行，造次必于仁厚，雖僮豎未嘗加以聲色。 至臨危執節，則辭氣凜然，白刃不憚也。 自流寓南土，與兄荔隔絕，因感氣病。 每得荔書，氣輒奔劇，危殆者數矣。 前後所居官，未嘗至秩滿，裁期月，便自求解退。 常曰：「知足不辱，吾知足矣。」 及謝病私庭，每諸王為州將，下車必造門致禮，命釋鞭板，以几杖侍坐。 嘗出遊近寺，閭里傳相告語，老幼羅列，望拜道左。 或言誓為約者，但指寄便不欺，其至行所感如此。 所制文筆，遭亂並多散失。
From youth Ji was steadfast in conduct. Even in haste he was always benevolent and generous, and he never raised his voice or scowled at servants or boys. When facing peril he held to his integrity with stern bearing and feared no naked blade. After he was stranded in the south, cut off from his elder brother Li, he contracted a disorder of the vital breath. Whenever a letter arrived from Li, his disorder would flare violently, and several times he was near death. In every office he held he never served a full term. After only a month or so he would request resignation. He often said, "Knowing when one has enough brings no disgrace. I know when I have enough." When he retired ill to his home, every prince who became a provincial commander would visit his gate on arrival, set aside whip and tablet, and sit with him using armrest and staff as for an elder. Once when he went out to a nearby temple, word spread through the neighborhood. Old and young lined the road and bowed as he passed. People said that in sworn agreements, merely naming Ji as witness meant no deceit would follow—such was the power of his moral example. Most of the writings he composed were scattered and lost in the turmoil.
28
傅縡字宜事，北地靈州人也。 父彝，梁臨沂令。 縡幼聰敏，七歲誦古詩賦至十餘萬言。 長好學，能屬文。 太清末，丁母憂，在兵亂中，居喪盡禮，哀毀骨立，士友以此稱之。 後依湘州刺史蕭循。 循頗好士，廣集墳籍，縡肆志尋閱，因博通群書。 王琳聞其名，引為府記室。 琳敗，隨琳將孫瑒還都。 時陳文帝使顏晃賜瑒雜物，瑒托縡啟謝，詞理周洽，文無加點。 晃還言之文帝，召為撰史學士。 再遷驃騎安成王中記室，撰史如故。
Fu Zai, whose courtesy name was Yishi, came from Lingzhou in Beidi commandery. His father Yi had served the Liang as Magistrate of Linyi. From childhood Zai was quick-witted. At seven he could recite more than a hundred thousand words of ancient poetry and rhapsodies. As an adult he loved learning and wrote with skill. At the end of the Taiqing era he mourned his mother. Amid military disorder he observed the full rites of mourning until grief had wasted him to skin and bone, and his friends praised him for it. Later he attached himself to Xiao Xun, Inspector of Xiangzhou. Xun greatly favored scholars and gathered a broad library. Zai read at will and thereby mastered the classics. Wang Lin heard of him and appointed him Registrar on his staff. When Lin was defeated, he followed Lin's general Sun Chang back to the capital. At that time Emperor Wen sent Yan Huang to bestow gifts on Sun Chang. Chang asked Zai to draft the letter of thanks. Its reasoning was complete and the prose flawless. Huang reported this to Emperor Wen on his return, and Zai was summoned as Historiography Scholar. He was later made Central Recorder to the Prince of Ancheng, Rapid Cavalry General, while continuing his historiographical duties.
29
縡篤信佛教，從興皇寺慧朗法師受三論，盡通其學。 尋以本官兼通直散騎侍郎使齊，還，累遷太子庶子、僕。
Zai was a devout Buddhist. He studied the Three Treatises under Master Huilang of Xinghuang Temple and mastered the doctrine completely. Soon he was additionally appointed Regular Attendant of the Direct and Upright Cavalry and sent as envoy to Qi. On his return he rose through Crown Prince Attendant to Vice Director of the Crown Prince's household.
30
後主即位，遷秘書監、右衛將軍，兼中書通事舍人，掌詔誥。 縡為文典麗，性又敏速，雖軍國大事，下筆輒成，未嘗起草，沈思者亦無以加，甚為後主所重。 然性木強，不持檢操，負才使氣，陵侮人物，朝士多銜之。 會施文慶、沈客卿以佞見幸，專制衡軸，而縡益疏。 文慶等因共譖之，後主收縡下獄。 縡素剛，因憤恚，於獄中上書曰：「夫人君者，恭事上帝，子愛黔黎，省嗜欲，遠諂佞，未明求衣，日旰忘食，是以澤被區宇，慶流子孫。 陛下頃來酒色過度，不虔郊廟之神，專媚淫昏之鬼。 小人在側，宦豎弄權，惡忠直若仇讎，視百姓如草芥。 後宮曳綺繡，廄馬餘菽粟，兆庶流離，轉屍蔽野，貨賄公行，帑藏損耗，神怒人怨，眾叛親離。 恐東南王氣，自斯而盡。」 書奏，後主大怒。 頃之稍解，使謂曰：「我欲赦卿，卿能改過不？」 縡對曰：「臣心如面，臣面可改，則臣心可改。」 後主於是益怒，令宦者李善度窮其事，賜死獄中。 有集十卷。
When the Later Sovereign succeeded, Zai became Director of the Secretariat and General of the Right Guard, with concurrent duty as Secretariat Communications Attendant in charge of edicts and proclamations. Zai wrote in a classical, elegant style and worked with remarkable speed. Even on grave military and state matters his pen produced finished prose at once, without drafting. Even the most deliberate writers could not match him, and the Later Sovereign valued him deeply. Yet he was stubborn by nature, unrestrained in conduct, arrogant in his gifts, and insulting toward others. Most court officials bore him a grudge. Shi Wenqing and Shen Keqing won favor through flattery and monopolized the centers of power, while Zai grew ever more distant from court. They slandered him together, and the Later Sovereign had Zai arrested and imprisoned. Zai had always been upright. In rage he submitted a memorial from prison: "A ruler should reverently serve Heaven, love the people as his children, curb his appetites, keep flatterers at a distance, rise before dawn, and forget his meal as the sun tilts west. Thus grace covers the realm and blessing flows to his descendants. Your Majesty of late has indulged excessively in wine and women, neglected the gods of the suburban altars and ancestral temples, and devoted yourself to lewd and benighted spirits. Petty men stand at your side, eunuchs toy with power, you hate the loyal and upright as enemies, and regard the common people as grass and chaff. The rear palace trails brocade while the stables overflow with grain. The people wander displaced; corpses cover the fields. Bribes walk openly and the treasury is drained. Gods are angry, men resent you, the masses rebel, and your kin turn away. I fear the kingly qi of the southeast will from this moment be exhausted." When the memorial was submitted, the Later Sovereign flew into a rage. Before long his anger eased. He sent word: "I wish to pardon you. Can you reform your ways?" Zai replied, "My heart is like my face. If my face could be changed, then my heart could be changed." The Later Sovereign grew still angrier, ordered the eunuch Li Shandu to investigate the matter fully, and had him executed in prison. A collected works of ten juan circulated in his day.
31
縡雖強直有才，而毒惡傲慢，為當世所疾。 及死，有惡蛇屈尾來上靈床，當前受祭酹，去而復來者百餘日。 時時有彈指聲。
Though forcefully upright and talented, Zai was venomous and arrogant, and his contemporaries resented him. After his death a vicious serpent with curled tail came onto his spirit couch, accepted offerings before it, and returned day after day for more than a hundred days. From time to time there was also the sound of finger-snapping.
32
時有吳興章華，字仲宗，家本農夫，至華獨好學，與士君子游處，頗通經史，善屬文。 侯景之亂，游嶺南，居羅浮山寺，專精習業。 歐陽頠為廣州刺史，署為南海太守。 頠子紇敗，乃還都。 後主時，除太市令，非其所好，乃辭以疾。 禎明初，上書極諫，其大略曰：「陛下即位，於今五年，不思先帝之艱難，不知天命之可畏。 溺于嬖寵，惑於酒色。 祠七廟而不出，拜妃嬪而臨軒。 老臣宿將，棄之草莽，諂佞讒邪，升之朝廷。 今疆埸日蹙，隋軍壓境，陛下如不改弦易張，臣見麋鹿復游于姑蘇矣。」 書奏，後主大怒，即日斬之。
At that time there was Zhang Hua of Wuxing, courtesy name Zhongzong. His family were farmers, but he alone loved learning, kept company with scholars, was well versed in the classics and histories, and wrote with skill. During Hou Jing's rebellion he went to Lingnan and lived at Luofu Mountain Temple, devoting himself wholly to study. When Ouyang Hui became Inspector of Guangzhou, he appointed Hua Administrator of Nanhai. When Hui's son He was defeated, Hua returned to the capital. Under the Later Sovereign he was appointed Director of the Grand Market, a post he disliked, and he declined on grounds of illness. At the beginning of the Zhenming era he submitted a memorial of the strongest remonstrance, which in essence read: "Your Majesty has reigned five years without reflecting on the former emperor's hardships or knowing that Heaven's mandate is to be feared. You are drowned in favorites and deluded by wine and women. You neglect the sacrifices at the seven temples yet attend to your consorts at court. You cast old ministers and veteran generals into the wilderness while raising flatterers and slanderers to the court. The borders shrink daily and Sui armies press the frontier. If Your Majesty does not change course, I see elk roaming Gusu once more." When the memorial was submitted, the Later Sovereign flew into a rage and executed him that same day.
33
顧野王字希馮，吳郡吳人也。 祖子喬，梁東中郎武陵王府參軍事。 父烜，信威臨賀王記室，兼本郡五官掾，以儒術知名。
Gu Yewang, whose courtesy name was Xifeng, came from Wu in Wu commandery. His grandfather Ziqiao had served as a staff officer in the establishment of the Liang Prince of Wuling, Eastern Central Commandant. His father Xuan had been Recorder to the Prince of Linhe, Trustworthy in Might, with concurrent duty as Commandery Five-Officials Assistant, and was renowned for Confucian learning.
34
野王幼好學，七歲讀五經，略知大旨。 九歲能屬文。 嘗制日賦，領軍朱異見而奇之。 十二，隨父之建安，撰建安地記二篇。 長而遍觀經史，精記默識，天文地理，蓍龜占候，蟲篆奇字，無所不通。 為臨賀王府記室。 宣城王為揚州刺史，野王及琅邪王褒並為賓客，王甚愛其才。 野王又善丹青，王於東府起齋，令野王畫古賢，命王褒書贊，時人稱為二絕。
From childhood Yewang loved learning. At seven he read the Five Classics and grasped their main purport. At nine he could already compose. Once he composed a Rhapsody on the Sun. Area Commander Zhu Yi saw it and was astonished. At twelve he accompanied his father to Jian'an and composed two chapters of a Topography of Jian'an. As an adult he read widely in the classics and histories with remarkable memory. Astronomy, geography, yarrow and tortoise divination, seal script and rare characters—there was nothing he did not master. He became Recorder in the establishment of the Prince of Linhe. When the Prince of Xuancheng became Inspector of Yangzhou, Yewang and Wang Bao of Langya both served as his guests, and the prince greatly prized their talents. Yewang was also skilled in painting. The prince built a studio in the eastern mansion, had Yewang paint ancient worthies, and ordered Wang Bao to inscribe their encomia. Contemporaries called them twin marvels.
35
及侯景之亂，野王丁父憂，歸本郡，乃召募鄉黨，隨義軍援都。 野王體素清羸，裁長六尺，又居喪過毀，殆不勝哀。 及杖戈被甲，陳君臣之義，逆順之理，抗辭作色，見者莫不壯之。 城陷，逃歸會稽。
During Hou Jing's rebellion Yewang mourned his father, returned home, recruited local men, and marched with the loyal army to relieve the capital. Yewang was slight and frail by nature, barely six feet tall, and his mourning had wasted him until he could scarcely bear his grief. Yet when he took up arms and donned armor, expounding the bond between lord and minister and the logic of loyalty and rebellion with defiant words and stern bearing, all who saw him were stirred. When the city fell, he fled back to Kuaiji.
36
陳天嘉中，敕補撰史學士。 太建中，為太子率更令，尋領大著作，掌國史，知梁史事。 後為黃門侍郎，光祿卿，知五禮事。 卒，贈秘書監，右衛將軍。
In the Tianjia era he was appointed Historiography Scholar by imperial edict. During the Taijian era he became Crown Prince Director of Palace Standards, soon took charge of the Grand Historiographer's office, managed the national history, and oversaw Liang historical affairs. Later he became Yellow Gate Vice Director and Minister of Imperial Largess with oversight of the Five Rites. He died. Posthumously he was made Director of the Secretariat and General of the Right Guard.
37
野王少以篤學至性知名，在物無過辭失色。 觀其容貌，似不能言，其厲精力行，皆人所莫及。 所撰玉篇三十卷，輿地志三十卷，符瑞圖十卷，顧氏譜傳十卷，分野樞要一卷，續洞冥記一卷，玄象表一卷，並行于時。 又撰通史要略一百卷，國史紀傳二百卷，未就而卒。 有文集二十卷。
From youth Yewang was known for devoted learning and moral seriousness. In company he never spoke out of turn or lost composure. To look at him one might think he could scarcely speak, yet his stern energy and forceful conduct were beyond others' reach. His works included Jade Chapters in thirty juan, Topography in thirty juan, Charts of Omens and Blessings in ten juan, Gu Clan Genealogy in ten juan, Essentials of Field Allocation, Continuation of Records of the Hidden Realm, and Tables of Dark Images—all circulated in his day. He also began Essentials of the Comprehensive History in one hundred juan and National History in Annals-Biography Form in two hundred juan, but died before completing them. A literary collection of twenty juan circulated in his day.
38
姚察字伯審，吳興武康人，吳太常卿信之九世孫也。 父僧垣，梁太醫正。 及元帝在荊州，為晉安王諮議參軍。 後入周，位遇甚重。
Yao Cha, whose courtesy name was Boshen, came from Wukang in Wuxing. He was ninth in descent from Xin, Grand Master of Ceremonies of Wu. His father Sengyuan had served the Liang as Chief Physician. When Emperor Yuan was in Jingzhou, Sengyuan served as Staff Adviser to the Prince of Jin'an. Later he went over to the Northern Zhou and was treated with great honor.
39
察幼有至性，六歲誦書萬餘言。 不好戲弄，勵精學業，十二能屬文。 僧垣精醫術，知名梁代，二宮所得供賜，皆回給察兄弟，為遊學之資。 察並用聚蓄圖書，由是聞見日博。 年十三，梁簡文帝時在東宮，盛修文義，即引于宣猷堂聽講論難，為儒者所稱。 及簡文嗣位，尤加禮接。 起家南海王國左常侍，兼司文侍郎。 後兼尚書駕部郎。 遇梁室喪亂，隨二親還鄉里。 在亂離間，篤學不廢。 元帝於荊州即位，授察原鄉令。 後為佐著作，撰史。
From childhood Cha showed exceptional moral seriousness. At six he could recite more than ten thousand words of text. He disliked play, applied himself diligently to study, and at twelve could compose. Sengyuan was skilled in medicine and renowned under the Liang. The gifts he received from the two palaces he gave entirely to Cha and his brothers to fund their studies abroad. Cha used these funds to gather books, and his knowledge grew broader day by day. At thirteen, when Emperor Jianwen of Liang was cultivating literary studies in the Eastern Palace, Cha was brought into the Hall of Proclaimed Teachings to hear lectures and join debate, and Confucian scholars praised him. When Jianwen succeeded to the throne, he honored Cha still more. He began his career as Left Regular Attendant in the establishment of the Prince of Nanhai with concurrent duty as Vice Director of the Documents Office. Later he served concurrently as Lang of the Secretariat Carriage Section. When the Liang fell into chaos, he returned home with both parents. Amid the turmoil he studied devotedly without ceasing. When Emperor Yuan took the throne at Jingzhou, he appointed Cha Magistrate of Yuanxiang. Later he became Assistant Author and compiled history.
40
陳永定中，吏部尚書徐陵領大著作，復引為史佐。 太建初，補宣明殿學士。 尋為通直散騎常侍，報聘于周。 江左耆舊先在關右者，咸相傾慕。 沛國劉臻竊於公館訪漢書疑事十餘條，並為剖析，皆有經據。 臻謂所親曰：「名下定無虛士。」 著西聘道里記。 使還，補東宮學士，遷尚書祠部侍郎。
In the Yongding era Xu Ling, Minister of Personnel, headed the Grand Historiographer's office and again brought Cha in as history assistant. At the beginning of Taijian he was appointed Scholar of the Hall of Illuminated Proclamation. Soon he became Regular Attendant of the Direct and Upright Cavalry and went on a return mission to the Northern Zhou. Elder scholars of the south who were already in the northwest all admired him. Liu Zhen of Pei privately raised more than ten doubtful points from the Book of Han at the guest house. Cha analyzed each with canonical grounding. Zhen told those close to him, "When a name is established, the man behind it is never hollow." He composed a Record of Routes on the Western Mission. On his return he was appointed Eastern Palace Scholar and promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat Rites Section.
41
舊魏王肅奏祀天地，設宮懸之樂，八佾之舞，爾後因循不革。 至梁武帝以為事人禮縟，事神禮簡，古無宮懸之文。 陳初承用，莫有損益。 宣帝欲設備樂，付有司立議，以梁武為非。 時碩學名儒，朝端在位，咸希旨注同。 察乃博引經籍，獨違群議，據梁樂為是。 當時驚駭，莫不慚服。 僕射徐陵因改同察議。 其不順時隨俗，皆此類也。
Formerly Wang Su of Wei memorialized on sacrifices to Heaven and Earth and established suspended palace music and the eight-rows dance. Thereafter court followed his precedent without change. Emperor Wu of Liang held that rites for serving men were elaborate while rites for serving spirits were simple, and that antiquity contained no precedent for suspended palace music. At the founding of Chen this practice was adopted unchanged. Emperor Xuan wished to establish full court music and ordered the relevant offices to debate the matter, holding Emperor Wu of Liang to have been wrong. At that time eminent scholars and leading officials at court all followed the imperial intent and agreed. Cha then cited the classics broadly, alone defying the collective opinion and maintaining that Liang music was correct. All were astonished and none failed to yield in shame. Vice Director Xu Ling thereupon changed his view to agree with Cha. His refusal to follow fashion and custom was always of this kind.
42
後曆仁威淮南王、平南建安王二府諮議參軍。 丁內憂去職。 俄起為戎昭將軍，知撰梁史。 後主立，兼東宮通事舍人，知撰史。 至德元年，除中書侍郎，轉太子僕，余並如故。
Later he served in turn as Staff Adviser to the Prince of Huainan, Benevolent in Might, and the Prince of Jian'an, Pacifier of the South. He left office to observe mourning for his mother. He was soon recalled as General of Martial Illumination with charge of compiling the history of Liang. When the Later Sovereign succeeded, he was additionally made Eastern Palace Communications Attendant with charge of compiling history. In the first year of Zhide he was made Vice Director of the Secretariat and transferred to Crown Prince Vice Director while retaining his other duties.
43
初，梁室淪沒，察父僧垣入長安，察蔬食布衣，不聽音樂，至是凶問因聘使到江南。 時察母韋氏喪制適除，後主以察羸瘠，慮加毀頓，乃密遣中書舍人司馬申就宅發哀，仍敕申專加譬抑。 尋以忠毅將軍起兼東宮通事舍人，察頻讓不許。 俄敕知著作郎事。 服闋，除給事黃門侍郎，領著作。 察既累居憂戚，齋素日久，因加氣疾。 後主嘗別召見，為之動容，命停長齋，令從晚食。 又詔授秘書監，領著作，奏撰中書表集。 曆度支、吏部二尚書。
Earlier, when the Liang fell, Cha's father Sengyuan had gone to Chang'an. Cha ate only vegetables, wore plain cloth, and refused music. Now word of his father's death arrived in the south through an envoy. Cha's mother Lady Wei had just completed her mourning term. The Later Sovereign, seeing Cha emaciated and fearing he would ruin his health with fresh grief, secretly sent Secretariat Drafter Sima Shen to his house to initiate mourning for his father and ordered Shen to counsel and restrain him. Soon he was recalled as General of Loyal Valor with concurrent duty as Eastern Palace Communications Attendant. Cha declined repeatedly, but the throne would not allow it. Shortly afterward an edict put him in charge of the Author's office. When mourning ended he was made Yellow Gate Attendant-in-Ordinary with charge of authorship. Cha had lived long in grief and eaten plain food for many years, and he contracted a disorder of the vital breath. The Later Sovereign once summoned him privately, was moved by his condition, ordered an end to prolonged fasting, and allowed him evening meals. He was again made Director of the Secretariat with charge of authorship and ordered to compile the Secretariat Memorial Collection. He served in turn as Minister of Revenue and Minister of Personnel.
44
察自居顯要，一不交通。 嘗有私門生不敢厚餉，送南布一端，花綀一匹。 察謂曰：「吾所衣著，止是麻布蒲綀，此物於吾無用。 既欲相款接，幸不煩爾。」 此人遜請，察厲色驅出，自是莫敢饋遺。
Once he held high office, Cha kept no private dealings with anyone. Once a private student, not daring a lavish gift, sent one bolt of southern cloth and one piece of figured silk. Cha said, "I wear only hemp cloth and rush silk. These things are useless to me. If you wish to be friendly with me, please do not trouble yourself with such gifts." The man pleaded humbly, but Cha drove him out with a stern face. From then on no one dared offer him gifts.
45
陳亡入隋，詔授秘書丞，別敕成梁、陳二史。 又敕于朱華閣長參。 文帝知察蔬菲，別日獨召入內殿，賜果菜，指謂朝臣曰：「聞姚察學行當今無比，我平陳唯得此一人。」
After Chen fell and he entered the Sui, he was appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat by edict, with a separate order to complete the histories of Liang and Chen. He was also ordered to attend regularly at the Vermilion Flower Pavilion. Emperor Wen knew Cha lived frugally on vegetables. On another day he summoned him alone to the inner hall, gave him fruits and vegetables, and told the court ministers, "I hear Yao Cha's learning and conduct are unmatched today. In pacifying Chen I gained only this one man."
46
開皇十三年，襲封北絳郡公。 察在陳時聘周，因得與父僧垣相見，將別之際，絕而復蘇。 至是承襲，愈更悲感，見者莫不為之歔欷。 丁後母杜氏喪，解職。 在服制之中，有白鳩巢於戶上。
In the thirteenth year of Kaihuang he inherited the title Duke of Northern Jiang commandery. While serving Chen on a mission to Zhou, Cha was able to see his father Sengyuan. At their parting he fainted and revived. Now, on inheriting his father's title, his grief deepened still further, and all who saw him sighed. He left office to mourn his stepmother Lady Du. While he was in mourning, a white turtledove nested above his door.
47
初，察欲讀一藏經，並已究竟，將終，曾無痛惱，但西向坐正念，云：「一切空寂」。 其後身體柔軟，顏色如恒。 兩宮悼惜，贈賵甚厚。
Earlier Cha had wished to read the full Buddhist canon and had already mastered it. Near the end he felt no pain, only sat facing west in meditation, saying, "All is empty and still." Afterward his body remained soft and his complexion unchanged. Both palaces mourned him and sent lavish funeral gifts.
48
察至孝，有人倫鑒識，沖虛謙遜，不以所長矜人。 專志著書，白首不倦。 所著漢書訓纂三十卷，說林十卷，西聘、玉璽、建康三鍾等記各一卷，文集二十卷。 所撰梁、陳史，雖未畢功，隋開皇中，文帝遣中書舍人虞世基索本，且進。 臨亡，戒子思廉撰續。 思廉在陳為衡陽王府法曹參軍、會稽王主簿。
Cha was deeply filial, discerning in human relations, gentle and humble, and never flaunted his strengths before others. He devoted himself to writing and never tired even in old age. His works included Exegesis and Compilation of the Book of Han in thirty juan, Forest of Discourse in ten juan, records of the Western Mission, the Jade Seal, and the Three Bells of Jiankang, each in one juan, and a literary collection of twenty juan. The histories of Liang and Chen he composed were unfinished, but in the Kaihuang era Emperor Wen sent Secretariat Drafter Yu Shiji to request the manuscript and have it submitted. On his deathbed he charged his son Silian to continue the work. Under Chen, Silian had served as Legal Section Assistant in the establishment of the Prince of Hengyang and as Chief Clerk to the Prince of Kuaiji.
49
論曰：沈炯才思之美，足以繼踵前良。 然仕于梁朝，年已知命，主非不文，而位裁邑宰。 及於運逢交喪，驅馳戎馬，所在稱美，用舍信有時焉。 虞荔弟兄，才行兼著，崎嶇喪亂，保茲貞一，並取貴時主，豈虛得乎。 傅縡聰警特達，才氣自負，行之平日，其猶殆諸； 處以危邦，死其宜矣。 顧、姚棲托藝文，蹈履清直，文質彬彬，各踐通賢之域，美矣乎！
The historian remarks: Shen Jiong's literary gifts were fine enough to follow in the footsteps of former masters. Yet under the Liang he had already reached the age of fifty. His sovereign was not uncultured, yet Jiong rose no higher than district magistrate. When turmoil overtook the realm and he rode through war, he won praise wherever he went. Use and dismissal truly have their seasons. Yu Li and his brothers were outstanding in talent and conduct. Through ruin and disorder they preserved their integrity and won honor from their sovereigns. They earned it fairly. Fu Zai was brilliant and outstanding, arrogant in his gifts. In ordinary times his conduct was already perilous; placed in a doomed state, his death was only fitting. Gu and Yao devoted themselves to letters, walked the path of pure integrity, and balanced substance with style. Each reached the realm of true excellence. How admirable!