1
丘靈鞠檀超卞彬丘巨源王智深崔慰祖祖沖之賈希鏡袁峻劉昭鍾嶸周興嗣吳均劉勰何思澄任孝恭顏協紀少瑜杜之偉顏晃岑之敬何之元徐伯陽張正見阮卓
Qiu Lingju, Tan Chao, Bian Bin, Qiu Juyuan, Wang Zhishen, Cui Weizu, Zu Chongzhi, Jia Xijing, Yuan Jun, Liu Zhao, Zhong Rong, Zhou Xingsi, Wu Jun, Liu Xie, He Sicheng, Ren Xiaogong, Yan Xie, Ji Shaoyu, Du Zhiwei, Yan Huang, Cen Zhijing, He Zhiyuan, Xu Boyang, Zhang Zhengjian, and Ruan Zhuo.
2
易云：「觀乎人文以化成天下。」 孔子曰：「煥乎其有文章。」 自漢以來，辭人代有，大則憲章典誥，小則申抒性靈。 至於經禮樂而緯國家，通古今而述美惡，非斯則莫可也。 是以哲王在上，咸所敦悅。 故云：「言之不文，行之不遠」。 自中原沸騰，五馬南度，綴文之士，無乏于時。 降及梁朝，其流彌盛。 蓋由時主儒雅，篤好文章，故才秀之士，煥乎俱集。 于時武帝每所臨幸，輒命群臣賦詩，其文之善者賜以金帛。 是以縉紳之士，咸知自勵。 至有陳受命，運接亂離，雖加獎勵，而向時之風流息矣。 詩云：「人之雲亡，邦國殄悴。」 豈金陵之數將終三百年乎？ 不然，何至是也。 宋史不立文學傳，齊、梁皆有其目。 今綴而序之，以備此篇云爾。
The Book of Changes says: "Contemplate the patterns of human culture to transform and civilize all under Heaven. Confucius said: "How splendidly it shines with literary grace!" Since the Han dynasty, each age has produced writers of note: at the grand level they shaped canonical models and state documents; at the intimate level they gave expression to the inner life of the spirit. When it comes to weaving ritual and music through the fabric of the state, or spanning past and present to record what is admirable and what is base, nothing else can do the work. For this reason enlightened rulers on the throne have all honored and delighted in literary culture. Hence the saying: "Words without polish do not carry far." Ever since the Central Plains boiled with turmoil and the five imperial scions fled south, men skilled at literary composition have never been wanting. By the Liang dynasty the literary current had swollen to its height. This was chiefly because the rulers of the day were cultivated and Confucian-minded, passionately devoted to letters, so men of talent and brilliance assembled in radiant company. In those days, wherever Emperor Wu traveled he would have his ministers compose poems on the spot, and those whose work was finest received gifts of gold and silk. Thus the scholar-official class all understood the need to strive and improve themselves. By the time Chen received the Mandate, the fortune of the age had turned to chaos and dispersal; though encouragement was still offered, the literary brilliance of earlier days had faded away. The Book of Songs says: "When good men are gone, the state and its altars waste away. Was the three-hundred-year destiny of Jinling now drawing to its close? Otherwise, how could things have reached such a pass? The History of Song did not include a biographical section for men of letters, but both the Qi and Liang histories did. I have now gathered and arranged their accounts in order to complete this chapter.
3
丘靈鞠，吳興烏程人也。 祖系，秘書監。 父道真，護軍長史。
Qiu Lingju was a native of Wucheng in Wuxing commandery. His grandfather Xi served as Director of the Secretariat. His father Daozhen served as Chief Clerk to the Protector-General.
4
靈鞠少好學，善屬文，州辟從事。 詣領軍沈演之，演之曰：「身昔為州職，詣領軍謝晦，賓主坐處，政如今日。 卿將來復如此也。」 累遷員外郎。
Lingju loved learning from youth and excelled at literary composition; the province appointed him as an Attendant. He called on Commander-in-Chief Shen Yanzhi, who said, "When I was once in a provincial post I called on Commander-in-Chief Xie Hui; host and guest sat exactly as we do today. You too will find yourself in this same situation again someday. He rose through successive promotions to Outer Gentleman Attendant.
5
武帝即位，為通直常侍，尋領東觀祭酒。 靈鞠曰：「人居官願數遷，使我終身為祭酒不恨也。」 永明二年，領驍騎將軍。 靈鞠不樂武位，謂人曰：「我應還東掘顧榮塚。 江南地方數千里，士子風流皆出此中。 顧榮忽引諸傖輩度，妨我輩塗轍，死有餘罪。」
When Emperor Wu ascended the throne, Lingju was appointed Regular Attendant of Direct Communication and soon became Libationer of the Eastern Pavilion as well. Lingju said, "Men in office usually long for frequent promotion, yet if I could remain Libationer for life I would feel no regret. In the second year of Yongming he was appointed concurrent General of Valiant Cavalry. Lingju took no joy in a military appointment and said to others, "I ought to go back east and dig up Gu Rong's grave. The lands south of the Yangtze stretch for thousands of li, and the cultivated brilliance of the gentry all sprang from this country. Yet Gu Rong suddenly led all those coarse outsiders across the river, blocking our path—death would still have been too light a punishment for him."
6
靈鞠好飲酒，臧否人物，在沈深座，見王儉詩，深曰：「王令文章大進。」 靈鞠曰：「何如我未進時。」 此言達儉。 靈鞠宋時文名甚盛，入齊頗減，蓬發弛縱無形儀，不事家業。 王儉謂人曰：「丘公仕宦不進，才亦退矣。」 位長沙王車騎長史，卒。 著江左文章錄序，起太興，訖元熙。 文集行于時。 子遲。 遲字希範，八歲便屬文。 靈鞠常謂「氣骨似我」。 黃門郎謝超宗、征士何點並見而異之。 在齊，以秀才累遷殿中郎。 梁武帝平建鄴，引為驃騎主簿，甚被禮遇。 時勸進梁王及殊禮，皆遲文也。 及踐阼，遷中書郎，待詔文德殿。 時帝著連珠，詔群臣繼作者數十人，遲文最美。 坐事免，乃獻責躬詩，上優辭答之。
Lingju loved wine and was quick to praise or condemn others. At Shen Shen's gathering he saw Wang Jian's poems; Shen said, "Master Wang's writing has improved enormously. Lingju said, "How does it compare with before he improved?" This remark reached Wang Jian's ears. Under the Song his literary reputation had been immense; in Qi it waned somewhat. With unkempt hair and unrestrained ways he cared nothing for propriety and neglected his household affairs. Wang Jian remarked to others, "Master Qiu has not risen in office, and his talent has declined with it. He served as Chief Clerk to the Chariots and Cavalry of the Prince of Changsha, then died. He wrote a preface to the Record of Writings of the Eastern Quarter, covering the period from Taixing through Yuanxi. His collected writings circulated widely in his time. His son was Chi. Chi, styled Xifan, was already composing literary pieces at the age of eight. Lingju often said of him, "His vital spirit and backbone are just like mine." Gentleman Attendant at the Yellow Gate Xie Chaozong and the recluse He Dian both met him and marveled at his gifts. Under Qi he entered service as a Cultivated Talent and rose through successive promotions to Palace Attendant. When Emperor Wu of Liang pacified Jiankang, he appointed Chi Chief Clerk to the Rapid Cavalry and honored him with exceptional courtesy. The memorials urging the Prince of Liang to take the throne and the edicts granting him extraordinary honors were all Chi's compositions. When the emperor ascended the throne, Chi was promoted to Secretariat Gentleman and served as a drafting attendant in the Hall of Civil Virtue. The emperor had composed a linked-pearl poem and ordered several dozen ministers to write continuations; Chi's piece was judged the finest. Dismissed on a charge, he submitted a poem of self-reproach; the emperor answered with generous and gracious words.
7
後出為永嘉太守，在郡不稱職，為有司所糾。 帝愛其才，寢其奏。 天監四年，中軍將軍臨川王宏北侵魏，以為諮議參軍，領記室。 時陳伯之在北，與魏軍來拒，遲以書喻之，伯之遂降。 還拜中書侍郎，遷司空從事中郎，卒官。
Later he was sent out as Administrator of Yongjia, where he failed to perform his duties adequately and was impeached by the supervising offices. The emperor valued his talent and suppressed the impeachment memorial. In the fourth year of Tianjian, when Central Army General the Prince of Linchuan led a northern campaign against Wei, Chi was appointed Advisory Army Major and served concurrently as Master of Records. Chen Bozhi was then in the north fighting alongside Wei forces; Chi wrote him a letter of persuasion, and Bozhi surrendered. On his return he was appointed Vice Director of the Secretariat, then promoted to Attendant Gentleman of the Minister of Works, and died in that post.
8
遲辭采麗逸，時有鍾嶸著詩評云：「範雲婉轉清便，如流風回雪。 遲點綴映媚，似落花依草。 雖取賤文通，而秀於敬子。」 其見稱如此。
Chi's style was lush and graceful. Zhong Rong wrote in his Critique of Poetry: "Fan Yun is supple and lucid, like wind streaming and snow swirling back. Chi adorns his lines with charm, like fallen blossoms resting against the grass. Though he ranks below Wen Tong, he outshines Jingzi. Such was the praise he received.
9
仲孚字公信，靈鞠從孫也。 少好學，讀書常以中宵鍾鳴為限。 靈鞠嘗稱為千里駒也。 齊永明初，為國子生。 王儉曰：「東南之美，復見丘生。」 舉高第，未調，還鄉里。 家貧，乃結群盜為之計，劫掠三吳。 仲孚聰明有智略，群盜畏服，所行皆果，故亦不發。 為於湖令，有能名，太守呂文顯當時幸臣，陵詆屬縣，仲孚獨不為屈。
Zhongfu, styled Gongxin, was a grandnephew of Lingju. From youth he loved learning and often read until the midnight bell sounded. Lingju once called him a colt that would run a thousand li. At the beginning of Yongming under Qi he enrolled as a student of the Imperial University. Wang Jian said, "The finest talent of the southeast—we have another Qiu among us. He passed the examination with highest honors but received no appointment and returned home. His family was poor, so he joined a band of robbers and raided throughout the Three Wu region. Zhongfu was clever and full of stratagems; the bandits feared and obeyed him, and his operations were always decisive, so their raids were never discovered. As Magistrate of Yuhu he earned a reputation for ability. Administrator Lü Wenxian, a court favorite of the day, bullied the subordinate counties, but Zhongfu alone refused to submit.
10
梁武帝踐阼，復為山陰令。 仲孚長於撥煩，善適權變，吏人敬服，號稱神明，政為天下第一。 後為衛尉卿，恩任甚厚。 初起雙闕，以仲孚領大匠，累遷豫章內史，在郡更勵清節。 頃之卒，贈給事黃門侍郎。 喪將還，豫章老幼號哭攀送，車輪不得前。 仲孚為左丞，撰皇典二十卷，南宮故事百卷，又撰尚書具事雜儀行於世。
When Emperor Wu of Liang ascended the throne, Zhongfu was again appointed Magistrate of Shanyin. Zhongfu excelled at cutting through tangled affairs and adapting flexibly to circumstances; officials and commoners alike revered him, calling him miraculous, and his administration was ranked the finest in the realm. Later he was appointed Commandant of the Guards and enjoyed the emperor's deep favor and trust. When construction began on the twin palace gates, Zhongfu was appointed Master of Works; he rose through successive promotions to Internal Administrator of Yuzhang, where he redoubled his commitment to integrity. He died soon after and was posthumously awarded the title of Attendant Gentleman at the Yellow Gate in Attendance. When his coffin was borne home, old and young throughout Yuzhang wailed and clung to the procession so that the wheels could not move forward. As Left Vice Director he compiled twenty juan of Imperial Canons and one hundred juan of Southern Palace Precedents, and also wrote Miscellaneous Rites of the Director of Documents in Full Detail, which circulated widely.
11
檀超字悅祖，高平金鄉人也。 祖嶷之字弘宗，宋南琅邪太守。 父道彪字萬壽，位正員郎。 超少好文學，放誕任氣，解褐州西曹。 蕭惠開為別駕，超便抗禮。 惠開自以地位居前，稍相陵辱，而超舉動嘯傲，不以地勢推之，張目謂曰：「我與卿俱是國家微賤時外戚耳，何足以一爵高人！」 蕭太后，惠開之祖姑，長沙景王妃，超祖姑也，故超以此議之。 惠開欣然，更為刎頸之交。
Tan Chao, styled Yuezu, was a native of Jinxiang in Gaoping commandery. His grandfather Yingzhi, styled Hongzong, served as Administrator of Southern Langye under the Song. His father Daobiao, styled Wanshou, held the post of Regular Attendant. From youth Chao loved literature; unrestrained and headstrong, he entered service as Western Clerk of the province. When Xiao Huikai served as Vice Governor, Chao treated him as an equal rather than a superior. Huikai, considering himself the senior in rank, treated him with some condescension, but Chao carried himself with proud defiance and refused to defer. He glared at him and said, "You and I are both imperial in-laws from the days when the house was still obscure—what gives you the right to lord a mere title over another man! Empress Dowager Xiao was Huikai's great-aunt by marriage—consort of Prince Jing of Changsha—and Chao's great-aunt as well, which was why Chao pressed this argument. Huikai was delighted, and they became sworn friends as close as brothers.
12
後位國子博士，兼左丞。 超嗜酒，好談詠，自比晉郗超，言高平有二超，又謂人曰：「猶覺我為優也。」 齊高帝賞愛之，後為司徒右長史。
Later he served as Erudite of the Imperial University and concurrently as Left Vice Director. Chao loved wine and delighted in conversation and poetry; he compared himself to Xi Chao of Jin, remarking that Gaoping had produced two Chaos, and told others, "I still consider myself the superior of the two. Emperor Gao of Qi admired and favored him; later he was appointed Right Chief Clerk of the Minister of Works.
13
建元二年，初置史官，以超與驃騎記室江淹掌史職，上表立條例：開元紀號，不取宋年； 封爵各詳本傳，無假年表。 又制著十志，多為左僕射王儉所不同。 既與物多忤，史功未就，徙交州，于路見殺。 江淹撰成之，猶不備也。
In the second year of Jianyuan, when court historiographers were first established, Chao and Jiang Yan, Master of Records to the Rapid Cavalry, were placed in charge of the historical office. They submitted regulations: the Qi inaugural reign title was to be used, and Song reign years were not to be adopted; enfeoffments and titles were each to be recorded in full in the individual biographies, without relying on a chronological table. They also drafted ten monographs, many of which Left Vice Director Wang Jian opposed. Having clashed with many colleagues, he left the historical project unfinished; he was banished to Jiaozhou and was murdered on the journey. Jiang Yan finished the compilation, but it remained incomplete.
14
時有豫章熊襄著齊典，上起十代，其序云：「尚書堯典謂之虞書，則附所述通謂之齊書，名為河洛金匱。」
At the time Xiong Xiang of Yuzhang wrote a Qi Canon reaching back ten generations; its preface read: "The Canon of Yao in the Documents is called the Book of Yu; likewise what is appended to the narrative may collectively be called the Book of Qi, entitled Golden Casket of the River and Luo."
15
又有吳邁遠者，好為篇章，宋明帝聞而召之。 及見曰：「此人連絕之外，無所復有。」 邁遠好自誇而蚩鄙他人，每作詩，得稱意語，輒擲地呼曰：「曹子建何足數哉！」 超聞而笑曰：「昔劉季緒才不逮于作者，而好抵訶人文章。 季緒瑣瑣，焉足道哉，至於邁遠，何為者乎。」
There was also Wu Maiyuan, who loved composing literary pieces; Emperor Ming of Song heard of him and summoned him to court. When he met him the emperor said, "This man stands utterly beyond the pale—there is nothing to him at all. Maiyuan loved to boast and held others in contempt; whenever he wrote a poem and struck a line that pleased him, he would fling it to the ground and cry, "What is Cao Zijian beside me!" Chao heard this and laughed, saying, "Long ago Liu Jixu was no match for real writers, yet loved to pick apart other people's work. Jixu was a petty man scarcely worth mentioning; as for Maiyuan, what business does he have making such claims?"
16
超叔父道鸞字萬安，位國子博士、永嘉太守，亦有文學，撰續晉陽秋二十卷。
Chao's uncle Daoluan, styled Wan'an, served as Erudite of the Imperial University and Administrator of Yongjia; he too was a man of letters and wrote twenty juan of a Continuation of the Jin Annals.
17
卞彬字士蔚，濟陰冤句人也。 祖嗣之，中領軍。 父延之，弱冠為上虞令，有剛氣。 會稽太守孟顗以令長裁之，積不能容，脫幘投地曰：「我所以屈卿者，政為此幘耳。 今已投之卿矣。 卿以一世勳門，而傲天下國士。」 拂衣而去。
Bian Bin, styled Shiwei, was a native of Yuanju in Jiyin commandery. His grandfather Sizhi served as Central Army Commander. His father Yanzhi, while still in his early twenties, served as Magistrate of Shangyu and was known for his unyielding character. Kuaiji Administrator Meng Yan used his authority as district magistrate to keep him in check; at last unable to endure it, Yanzhi tore off his headcloth and flung it to the ground, saying, "The only reason I humbled myself before you was for this headcloth. Now I have thrown it to you. You come from a house of merit through the ages, yet you look down on the worthy men of the realm. He brushed his robes and walked away.
18
彬險拔有才，而與物多忤。 齊高帝輔政，袁粲、劉彥節、王蘊等皆不同，而沈攸之又稱兵反。 粲、蘊雖敗，攸之尚存。 彬意猶以高帝事無所成，乃謂帝曰：「比聞謠雲'可憐可念屍著服，孝子不在日代哭，列管暫鳴死滅族'。 公頗聞不？」 時蘊居父憂，與粲同死，故云：「屍著服。」 也。 「服」者，衣也。」 孝子不在日代哭。」 者，褚字也。 彬謂沈攸之得志，褚彥回當敗，故言哭也。 列管謂蕭也。 高帝不悅，及彬退，曰：「彬自作此。」 後常於東府謁高帝，高帝時為齊王。 彬曰：「殿下即東宮為府，則以青溪為鴻溝，鴻溝以東為齊，以西為宋。」 仍詠詩云：「誰謂宋遠，跂予望之。」 遂大忤旨，因此擯廢數年，不得仕進。 乃擬趙壹窮鳥為枯魚賦以喻意。
Bin was sharp-witted and talented, but he clashed with many people. When Emperor Gao of Qi served as regent, Yuan Can, Liu Yanjie, Wang Yun, and others all opposed him, while Shen Youzhi once again took up arms in rebellion. Though Can and Yun had been defeated, Youzhi was still at large. Bin still believed the emperor's cause would fail and said to him, "I have lately heard a ballad that runs, 'Pitiable, lamentable—a corpse in mourning dress; the filial son is absent, another weeps in his place; the reed-pipe sounds briefly, then the clan is wiped out. Have you heard anything of it?' At that time Wang Yun was in mourning for his father and died alongside Yuan Can, hence the line about a corpse in mourning dress. That is what it refers to." "Dress" means clothing." The filial son is not there, another weeps in his place." This refers to the character for Chu." Bin believed that if Shen Youzhi prevailed, Chu Yanhui would fall, hence the reference to weeping. "Reed-pipe" refers to the Xiao clan. The emperor was displeased, and when Bin had left he said, "Bin invented this himself. Later he often called on the emperor at the Eastern Mansion, when the emperor was still Prince of Qi. Bin said, "Your Highness, if the Eastern Palace becomes a separate establishment, then let Qingxi serve as the Hong Canal—east of the canal shall be Qi, west of it Song. He then recited a poem: "Who says Song is far? I stand on tiptoe and gaze toward it." This deeply offended the emperor, and for several years he was cast aside and barred from office. He then modeled himself on Zhao Yi's Impoverished Bird and wrote a Rhapsody on a Dried Fish to voice his frustration.
19
後為南康郡丞。 彬頗飲酒，擯棄形骸，仕既不遂，乃著蚤虱、蝸蟲、蝦蟆等賦，皆大有指斥。 其蚤虱賦序曰：「余居貧，布衣十年不制，一袍之縕，有生所托，資其寒暑，無與易之。 為人多病，起居甚疏，縈寢敗絮，不能自釋。 兼攝性懈墮，懶事皮膚，澡刷不謹，澣沐失時。 四體獰獰，加以臭穢，故葦席蓬纓之間，蚤虱猥流。 淫癢渭濩，無時恕肉，探揣擭撮，日不替手。 虱有諺言，'朝生暮孫'，若吾之虱者，無湯沐之慮，絕相吊之憂，晏聚乎久褲爛布之裳，復不懃於討捕，孫孫子子，三十五歲焉。」 其略言皆實錄也。 又為禽獸決錄。 目禽獸云：「羊性淫而佷，豬性卑而率，鵝性頑而傲，狗性險而出。」 皆指斥貴勢。 其羊淫佷，謂呂文顯； 豬卑率，謂朱隆之； 鵝頑傲，謂潘敞； 狗險出，謂文度。 其險詣如此。 蝦蟆賦云：「紆青拖紫，名為蛤魚。」 世謂比令僕也。 又云：「蝌鬥唯唯，群浮闇水，唯朝繼夕，聿役如鬼。」 比令史諮事也。 文章傳於閭巷。 後曆尚書比部郎，安吉令，車騎記室。 彬性好飲酒，以瓠壺瓢勺杬皮為具，著帛冠，十二年不改易。 以大瓠為火籠，什物多諸詭異。 自稱卞田居，婦為傅蠶室。 或謂曰：「卿都不持操，名器何由得升？」 彬曰：「擲五木子，十擲輒鞬，豈復是擲子之拙。 吾好擲，政極此耳。」 後為綏建太守，卒官。
Later he served as Assistant Administrator of Nankang commandery. Bin drank heavily and cast off all regard for propriety; when his career failed to prosper, he wrote rhapsodies on fleas and lice, snails and worms, frogs, and the like, all laden with pointed satire. The preface to his Rhapsody on Fleas and Lice reads: "I live in poverty; for ten years I have worn no new cloth garments. A single threadbare robe is all my life depends on; it shields me from cold and heat, and I have nothing to replace it. I am often ill and careless in my habits; tattered bedding clings to my sleep and I cannot free myself from it. Moreover my nature is slack and indolent; I am lazy about tending my body, careless in bathing, and irregular in washing my hair. My limbs are unkempt and foul besides, so between my rush mat and coarse headband fleas and lice swarm in profusion. Itching floods without end; my flesh knows no respite; groping, pinching, and plucking go on without cease, day after day. Lice have a proverb: 'Born in the morning, grandchildren by evening.' My lice need fear no hot baths and grieve no deaths among their kin; they dwell at ease in long-worn trousers and rotting cloth, and since I am not diligent in hunting them down, generation after generation they have lived to thirty-five years. In brief, what he wrote was all sober fact. He also wrote a Judgmental Record of Birds and Beasts. He characterized birds and beasts thus: "Sheep are lustful and obstinate; pigs are base and rash; geese are stubborn and proud; dogs are treacherous and aggressive. All were aimed at denouncing the powerful. The lustful, obstinate sheep referred to Lü Wenxian; the base, rash pig to Zhu Longzhi; the stubborn, proud goose to Pan Chang; the treacherous, aggressive dog to Wendu. His satirical barbs ran to this pitch. His Rhapsody on the Frog says: "Trailing green and dragging purple, its name is clam-fish. Contemporaries said this compared to the Vice Directors of the Secretariat. He also wrote: "Tadpoles murmur and murmur, floating in shoals through dark waters, serving from dawn to dusk like ghosts. This compared to the clerks and advisory attendants. His writings circulated widely in the streets. Later he served successively as Gentleman of the Ministry of Revenue for Comparisons, Magistrate of Anji, and Master of Records to the Chariots and Cavalry. Bin loved wine by nature and drank from gourds, ladles, spoons, and elm-bark vessels; he wore a cloth cap and did not change it for twelve years. He used a large gourd as a brazier, and his household goods were mostly bizarre and eccentric. He called himself Hermit Bian of the Fields, and styled his wife Mistress of the Silkworm Chamber. Someone said to him, "You hold to no standards at all—how can you hope to rise to honored office? Bin said, "When I throw the five gaming pieces, I get a full house ten throws out of ten—is that really the fault of the dice? Bin said, "I love to throw them—that is simply how it is." Later he was appointed Administrator of Suijian and died in that post.
20
永明中，琅邪諸葛勖為國子生，作雲中賦，指祭酒以下，皆有形似之目。 坐事系東冶，作東冶徒賦。 武帝見，赦之。 又有陳郡袁嘏，自重其文，謂人云：「我詩應須大材迮之，不爾飛去。」 建武末，為諸暨令，被王敬則賊所殺。
During Yongming, Zhuge Xu of Langye, a student of the Imperial University, wrote a Rhapsody from Within the Clouds, assigning to the Libationer and those below likenesses based on their appearance. For an offense he was imprisoned in the Eastern Works and wrote a Rhapsody of a Prisoner of the Eastern Works. When Emperor Wu read it, he pardoned him. There was also Yuan Ha of Chen commandery, who prized his own poetry highly and told people, "My poems need a great talent to weigh them down, or else they will fly away. At the end of Jianwu he served as Magistrate of Zhuji and was killed by the rebels of Wang Jingze.
21
時有廣陵高爽，博學多材。 劉蒨為晉陵縣，爽經途詣之，了不相接，爽甚銜之。 俄而爽代蒨為縣，蒨遣迎贈甚厚。 爽受餉，答書云：「高晉陵自答。」 人問其所以，答云：「劉蒨餉晉陵令耳，何關爽事。」 又有人送書與爽告躓，云：「比日守羊困苦。」 爽答曰：「守羊無食，何不貨羊糴米。」 孫抱為延陵縣，爽又詣之，抱了無故人之懷。 爽出從縣合下過，取筆書鼓云：「徒有八尺圍，腹無一寸腸，面皮如許厚，受打未詎央。」 爽機悟多如此。 坐事被系，作鑊魚賦以自況，其文甚工。 後遇赦免，卒。 抱東莞人。 父廉，吳興太守。 抱善吏職，形體肥壯，腰帶十圍，爽故以此激之。
At the time there was Gao Shuang of Guangling, a man of broad learning and many talents. When Liu Qian was magistrate of Jinling, Shuang passed through and called on him but received no welcome at all; Shuang deeply resented the snub. Before long Shuang replaced Qian as magistrate, and Qian sent generous gifts to welcome him. Shuang accepted the gifts and replied in a letter: "Gao of Jinling will answer for himself. When people asked his reason, he answered, "Liu Qian was making gifts to the magistrate of Jinling—what has that to do with me?" Someone also sent Shuang a letter reporting a mishap, saying, "Lately guarding the sheep has been hard going." Shuang replied, "If guarding sheep brings no food, why not sell the sheep and buy grain?" When Sun Bao was magistrate of Yanling, Shuang called on him again, but Bao showed none of the warmth due an old friend. As Shuang left he passed beneath the county gate drum, took up a brush, and wrote on it: "Eight feet around in girth, yet not an inch of gut within; skin so thick—beatings never reach the core. Shuang's quick wit showed itself in many such ways. For an offense he was imprisoned and wrote a Rhapsody on the Cauldron Fish to portray his situation; the piece was finely wrought. Later he was pardoned and died. Bao was a native of Dongguan. His father Lian served as Administrator of Wuxing. Bao was skilled in administrative duties; his body was stout and robust, his belt ten arm-spans around, and Shuang therefore used this to mock him.
22
元徽初，桂陽王休范在尋陽，以巨源有筆翰，遣船迎之，餉以錢物。 巨源因齊高帝自啟，敕板起之，使留都下。 桂陽事起，使於中書省撰符檄，事平，除奉朝請。 巨源望有封賞，既而不獲，乃與尚書令袁粲書自陳，竟不被申。 沈攸之事，高帝又使為尚書符荊州，以此又望賞異，自此意常不滿。
At the beginning of Yuanhui, the Prince of Guiyang, Xiu Fan, was at Xunyang; because Juyuan had literary talent, he sent a boat to fetch him and presented him with money and goods. Juyuan reported this through Emperor Gao of Qi, who ordered him summoned by official appointment and kept at the capital. When the Guiyang affair broke out, he was assigned to draft proclamations and summons at the Secretariat; when the matter was settled, he was appointed Court Gentleman for Attendance. Juyuan hoped for enfeoffment and reward but received none; he then wrote to Director of the Secretariat Yuan Can to plead his case, yet in the end his petition went unanswered. During the affair of Shen Youzhi, the emperor again had him draft the Secretariat dispatch to Jingzhou; for this he again hoped for special reward, and from then on he was often discontented.
23
後除武昌太守，拜竟，不樂江外行。 武帝問之，巨源曰：「古人云，'甯飲建鄴水，不食武昌魚'。 臣年已老，甯死於建鄴。」 乃以為余杭令。 明帝為吳興，巨源作秋胡詩，有譏刺語，以事見殺。 時又有會稽孔廣、孔逭皆才學知名。
Later he was appointed Administrator of Wuchang; when the appointment was announced, he took no pleasure in traveling beyond the Yangtze. When Emperor Wu asked him, Juyuan said, "The ancients said, 'Better drink the waters of Jiankang than eat the fish of Wuchang. I am already old and would rather die in Jiankang.' He was therefore appointed Magistrate of Yuhang. When Emperor Ming was in Wuxing, Juyuan wrote a poem on Qiuhu containing satirical language and was executed on that account. At the time there were also Kong Guang and Kong Huan of Kuaiji, both renowned for talent and learning.
24
廣字淹源，美容止，善吐論。 王儉、張緒咸美之。 儉常云：「廣來使人廢簿領，匠不須來，來則莫聽去。」 緒數巾車詣之，每歎云：「孔廣使吾成輕薄祭酒。」 仕至揚州中從事。
Guang, styled Yanyuan, had a handsome bearing and was skilled at discourse. Wang Jian and Zhang Xu both admired him. Jian often said, "When Guang visits, he makes one abandon one's paperwork; craftsmen need not come—and if they do, do not let them leave. Xu repeatedly came to visit him in a cloth-canopied carriage and would sigh, "Kong Guang turns me into a frivolous Libationer." In office he rose to Attendant of Yangzhou.
25
逭抗直有才藻，制東都賦，于時才士稱之。 陳郡謝瀹年少時遊會稽還，父莊問：「入東何見，見孔逭不？」 見重如此。 著三吳決錄，不傳。 終於衛軍武陵王東曹掾。 又時有虞通之、虞和、司馬憲、袁仲明、孫詵等，皆有學行，與廣埒名。
Huan was upright and forthright with literary gifts; he composed a Rhapsody on the Eastern Capital, which the talented men of the time praised. When Xie Yue of Chen commandery returned from traveling in Kuaiji in his youth, his father Zhuang asked, "What did you see in the east—did you meet Kong Huan? Such was the esteem in which he was held. He wrote a Record of the Three Wu, which has not survived. He ended his career as Eastern Bureau Attendant to the Prince of Wuling, General of the Guards. At the time there were also Yu Tongzhi, Yu He, Sima Xian, Yuan Zhongming, Sun Shen, and others, all men of learning and integrity whose fame matched Guang's.
26
通之、和皆會稽余姚人，通之善言易，至步兵校尉。
Tongzhi and He were both natives of Yuyao in Kuaiji; Tongzhi was skilled in expounding the Changes and rose to Colonel of Footsoldiers.
27
和位中書郎、廷尉，少好學，居貧屋漏，恐濕墳典，乃舒被覆書，書獲全而被大濕。 時人以比高鳳。
He held the posts of Secretariat Gentleman and Commandant of Justice; from youth he loved learning. His dwelling was poor and leaked; fearing his classical texts would be ruined by damp, he spread his quilt over the books—the books were preserved but the quilt was thoroughly soaked. People of the time compared him to Gao Feng.
28
憲字景思，河內溫人，待詔東觀為學士，至殿中郎，口辯有才地，使魏見稱於北。
Xian, styled Jingsi, was a native of Wen in Henei; he served as a scholar awaiting commands at the Eastern Pavilion, rose to Palace Attendant, was eloquent and talented, and on a mission to Wei won praise in the north.
29
仲明，陳郡人，撰晉史，未成而卒。 初仲明與劉融、卞鑠俱為袁粲所賞，恒在坐席。 粲為丹陽尹，取鑠為主簿。 好詩賦，多譏刺世人，坐徙巴州。
Zhongming was a native of Chen commandery; he compiled a History of Jin but died before completing it. Earlier Zhongming, together with Liu Rong and Bian Shuo, had all been favored by Yuan Can and were constantly among his seated company. When Yuan Can took office as Intendant of Danyang, he appointed Bian Shuo as his chief clerk. He loved poetry and rhapsodies and often satirized his contemporaries; for this he was banished to Ba province.
30
詵字休群，太原中都人，愛文，尤賞泉石。 卒于御史中丞。 王智深字雲才，琅邪臨沂人也。 少從陳郡謝超宗學屬文。
Sun Shen, styled Xiuqun, was a native of Zhongdu in Taiyuan. He loved letters and had a special fondness for springs and rocky landscapes. He died in office as Vice Director of the Censorate. Wang Zhishen, styled Yuncai, came from Linyi in Langye commandery. In his youth he studied literary composition under Xie Chaozong of Chen commandery.
31
好飲酒，拙澀乏風儀。 仕齊為豫章王大司馬參軍，兼記室。
He was fond of wine, but awkward and halting in manner and lacking in dignified bearing. Under the Qi he served as senior major on the staff of the Prince of Yuzhang's grand marshal, and also as recorder.
32
家貧無人事，嘗餓五日不得食，掘莞根食之。 司空王僧虔及子志分與衣食。 卒於家。
His family was destitute and without patrons; once he went five days without food and dug up cattail roots to eat. The Minister of Works Wang Sengqian and his son Zhi shared their food and clothing with him. He died at home.
33
崔慰祖字悅宗，清河東武城人也。 父慶緒，永明中為梁州刺史。 慰祖解褐奉朝請。 父喪不食鹽，母曰：「汝既無兄弟，又未有子胤。 毀不滅性，政當不進肴羞耳，如何絕鹽。 吾今亦不食矣。」 慰祖不得已，從之。 父梁州之資，家財千萬，散與宗族。 漆器題為「日」字，「日」字之器流乎遠近。 料得父時假貰文疏，謂族子紘曰：「彼有自當見還，彼無吾何言哉。」 悉火焚之。
Cui Weizu, styled Yuezong, came from Dongwucheng in Qinghe commandery. His father Qingxu served as Inspector of Liang province during the Yongming reign. Weizu entered official service as a palace attendant. While mourning his father he abstained from salt. His mother said, "You have no brothers, and as yet no sons to carry on the family line. Grief should not destroy one's life; one need only forgo rich foods. Why must you cut out salt altogether? From now on I shall not eat either." Weizu had no choice but to yield. From his father's tenure in Liang province the family had amassed a fortune of ten million cash, which he distributed among the clan. He marked his lacquerware with the character ri, and pieces so marked spread far and wide. He collected the loan records from his father's time and said to his clansman Hong, "Those who can repay will do so on their own; as for those who cannot, what more can I say?" Then he burned them all.
34
好學，聚書至萬卷。 鄰里年少好事者來從假借，日數十帙。 慰祖親自取與，未嘗為辭。
He loved learning and collected books until he had ten thousand scrolls. Young neighbors fond of such things would come to borrow from him, sometimes dozens of scrolls in a single day. Weizu personally fetched and lent them out and never refused.
35
為始安王遙光撫軍刑獄，兼記室。 遙光好棋，數召慰祖對戲。 慰祖輒辭拙，非朔望不見也。
He served as judge on the pacifying army staff of Prince Shian Yao Guang, and also as recorder. Yao Guang loved the game of weiqi and often summoned Weizu to play against him. Weizu always pleaded clumsiness at the board and would not visit except on the first and fifteenth of the month.
36
建武中詔舉士，從兄慧景舉慰祖及平原劉孝標並碩學。 帝欲試以百里，慰祖辭不就。 國子祭酒沈約、吏部郎謝朓嘗於吏部省中賓友俱集，各問慰祖地理中所不悉十餘事，慰祖口吃無華辭，而酬據精悉，一座稱服之。 朓歎曰：「假使班、馬復生，無以過此。」
During the Jianwu era an edict called for scholars of merit; his older cousin Huijing recommended Weizu and Liu Xiaobiao of Pingyuan together as leading scholars. The emperor wished to try him with a district magistracy, but Weizu declined the appointment. Once when Shen Yue, Libationer of the Imperial Academy, and Xie Tiao, Director of the Ministry of Personnel, gathered with friends in the personnel bureau, each put to Weizu more than a dozen geographical questions he could not answer. Weizu stuttered and spoke without flourish, yet his replies—grounded in fact—were precise and exhaustive, and everyone present was filled with admiration. Xie Tiao sighed and said, "Even if Ban Gu and Sima Qian were reborn, they could not surpass this."
37
慰祖賣宅須四十五萬，買者云：「寧有減不？」 答曰：「誠異韓伯休，何容二價。」 買者又曰：「君但賣四十六萬，一萬見與。」 慰祖曰：「豈是我心乎？」
Weizu was selling his house for four hundred fifty thousand cash. The buyer asked, "Can you come down a little?" He answered, "I am no Han Boyou—how could I set two prices?" The buyer added, "Just sell it for four hundred sixty thousand—I will give you ten thousand on the side." Weizu said, "Would that be worthy of my conscience?"
38
少與侍中江祀款，及祀貴，常來候之，而慰祖不往也。 與丹陽丞劉渢素善，遙光據東府反，慰祖在城內。 城未潰一日，渢謂之曰：「卿有老母，宜出。」 命門者出之。 慰祖詣闕自首，系尚方，病卒。
In youth he was close to Attendant-in-Ordinary Jiang Si. When Si rose to high rank he often came to call on Weizu, but Weizu never returned the visits. He was on good terms with Liu Fan, assistant magistrate of Danyang. When Yao Guang seized the Eastern Quarter and rebelled, Weizu was inside the city. One day before the city fell, Fan said to him, "You have an old mother. You ought to get out." He ordered the gatekeeper to let him leave. Weizu went to the palace to surrender himself, was imprisoned in the Imperial Workshops, and died of illness there.
39
慰祖著海岱志，起太公迄西晉人物，為四十卷，半成。 臨卒，與從弟緯書云：「常欲更注遷、固二史，采史、漢所漏二百餘事，在廚簏，可檢寫之，以存大意。 海岱志良未周悉，可寫數本付護軍諸從事人一通，及友人任昉、徐寅、劉洋、裴揆，令後世知吾微有素業也。」 又令以棺親土，不須磚，勿設靈座。
Weizu wrote the Record of the Sea and Mount Tai, treating figures from the Grand Duke down through Western Jin in forty scrolls, of which only half were completed. On his deathbed he wrote to his younger cousin Wei: "I had long wished to re-annotate Sima Qian's and Ban Gu's two histories, collecting more than two hundred items omitted from the Records and the Book of Han. The notes are in the kitchen cupboard; please search them out and copy them to preserve the main points. The Record of the Sea and Mount Tai is still far from complete. Make several copies and send one to the staff officers of the Guard General, and also to my friends Ren Fang, Xu Yin, Liu Yang, and Pei Kui, so that later generations may know I had some small scholarly legacy." He also ordered that his coffin be placed directly on the earth, without brick lining, and that no spirit seat be set up.
40
祖沖之字文遠，范陽遒人也。 曾祖台之，晉侍中。 祖昌，宋大匠卿。 父朔之，奉朝請。
Zu Chongzhi, styled Wenyuan, came from You in Fanyang commandery. His great-grandfather Taizhi served the Jin as Attendant-in-Ordinary. His grandfather Chang served the Song as Master of Works. His father Shuozhi was a palace attendant.
41
沖之稽古，有機思，宋孝武使直華林學省，賜宅宇車服。 解褐南徐州從事、公府參軍。
Chongzhi was a scholar of antiquity with a gift for ingenious contrivances. Emperor Xiaowu of Song assigned him to the Hualin Academy and granted him a residence, carriage, and official robes. His first appointments were as adjutant of South Xuzhou and staff officer in a prince's household.
42
始元嘉中，用何承天所制曆，比古十一家為密。 沖之以為尚疏，乃更造新法，上表言之。 孝武令朝士善曆者難之，不能屈。 會帝崩不施行。
From the Yuanjia era onward the calendar devised by He Chengtian was used, and compared with the eleven ancient systems it was the most precise. Chongzhi judged it still too loose and devised a new method, which he presented in a memorial to the throne. Xiaowu had court scholars versed in calendrics challenge him, but none could defeat his arguments. The emperor died before the reform could be put into effect.
43
轉長水校尉，領本職。 沖之造安邊論，欲開屯田，廣農殖。 建武中，明帝欲使沖之巡行四方，興造大業，可以利百姓者，會連有軍事，事竟不行。
He was transferred to Colonel of the Changshui while retaining his original duties. Chongzhi wrote the Treatise on Securing the Border, proposing to open military colonies and expand farming. During the Jianwu era Emperor Ming wished to send Chongzhi on a tour of the realm to undertake great public works for the people's benefit, but repeated military campaigns intervened and the plan was never carried out.
44
沖之解鍾律博塞，當時獨絕，莫能對者。 以諸葛亮有木牛流馬，乃造一器，不因風水，施機自運，不勞人力。 又造千里船，于新亭江試之，日行百餘里。 于樂游苑造水碓磨，武帝親自臨視。 又特善算。 永元二年卒，年七十二。 著易老莊義，釋論語、孝經，注九章，造綴述數十篇。 子暅之。
Chongzhi mastered bells, pitch pipes, and board games; in his day he stood alone, and no one could match him. Inspired by Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse, he built a device that moved by mechanism alone, without wind or water, and needed no human labor. He also built a fast long-distance boat and tested it on the river at Xinting; in one day it covered more than a hundred li. At the Leyou Gardens he built a water-powered mill and grindstones, which Emperor Wu inspected in person. He was also exceptionally skilled in mathematics. He died in the second year of Yongyuan, at the age of seventy-two. He wrote commentaries on the Changes, Laozi, and Zhuangzi, explications of the Analects and Classic of Filial Piety, an annotation of the Nine Chapters, and several dozen other works. His son was Xuanshi.
45
暅之字景爍，少傳家業，究極精微，亦有巧思。 入神之妙，般、倕無以過也。 當其詣微之時，雷霆不能入。 嘗行遇僕射徐勉，以頭觸之，勉呼乃悟。 父所改何承天歷時尚未行，梁天監初，暅之更修之，於是始行焉。 位至太舟卿。
Xuanshi, styled Jingshuo, inherited the family craft from youth, pursued its subtlest depths, and possessed a gift for ingenious design. In the subtle mastery that enters the realm of spirit, even Gongshu Ban and Artisan Chui could not surpass him. When he had reached the subtlest depths of his craft, even thunder could not break through his concentration. Once while walking he ran into Vice Director Xu Mian and struck him with his head; only when Mian called out did he come to himself. The calendar his father had revised from He Chengtian's system had not yet been adopted; at the start of the Liang Tianjian era Xuanshi revised it further, and only then was it put into effect. He rose to the post of Minister of the Imperial Boats.
46
暅之子皓，志節慷慨，有文武才略。 少傳家業，善算曆。 大同中為江都令，後拜廣陵太守。
Xuanshi's son Hao was high-minded and resolute, with both literary and military gifts. From youth he inherited the family craft and was skilled in mathematics and calendrics. During the Datong era he served as magistrate of Jiangdu, and was later appointed administrator of Guangling.
47
侯景陷台城，皓在城中，將見害，乃逃歸江西。 百姓感其遺惠，每相蔽匿。 廣陵人來嶷乃說皓曰：「逆豎滔天，王室如毀，正是義夫發憤之秋，志士忘軀之日。 府君荷恩重世，又不為賊所容。 今逃竄草間，知者非一，危亡之甚，累棋非喻。 董紹先雖景之心腹，輕而無謀，新克此州，人情不附，襲而殺之，此一壯士之任耳。 今若糾率義勇，立可得三二百人。 意欲奉戴府君，剿除凶逆，遠近義徒，自當投赴。 如其克捷，可立桓、文之勳； 必天未悔禍，事生理外，百代之下，猶為梁室忠臣。 若何？」 皓曰：「僕所願也，死且甘心。」 為要勇士耿光等百餘人襲殺景兗州刺史董紹先，推前太子舍人蕭勉為刺史，結東魏為援。 馳檄遠近，將討景。 景大懼，即日率侯子鑒等攻之。 城陷，皓見執，被縛射之，箭遍體，然後車裂以徇。 城中無少長，皆埋而射之。
When Hou Jing took Taicheng, Hao was inside the city and faced execution; he fled west of the Yangtze. The people, grateful for the kindness he had shown them in office, repeatedly hid and sheltered him. Lai Yi of Guangling then urged Hao: "The rebel fills heaven with outrage and the royal house seems near ruin. This is the season for righteous men to rise in fury and the day for men of purpose to forget their lives. My lord has received the dynasty's favor through generations, and the rebels will not spare you. Now you skulk among the grass, and more than one person knows where you are. The peril is beyond comparison—no stack of chess pieces could measure it. Dong Shaoxian is Hou Jing's confidant, but he is rash and unwise. He has only just taken this province and the people do not support him. A surprise attack to kill him is a task fit for one bold warrior. If we rally loyal volunteers now, we can raise two or three hundred men at once. We mean to install you as our leader and wipe out the rebels; loyal men near and far will surely flock to our banner. If we succeed, we may win glory like that of Duke Huan and Duke Wen; and even if Heaven has not yet turned from calamity and success lies beyond reason, a hundred generations hence you will still be remembered as a loyal minister of the Liang. What say you?" Hao said, "That is what I wish. I would gladly die for it." He gathered bold warriors led by Geng Guang, more than a hundred in all, to launch a surprise attack and kill Dong Shaoxian, Hou Jing's inspector of Yan province. He installed the former crown prince's attendant Xiao Mian as governor and sought aid from Eastern Wei. He sent proclamations far and wide, preparing to march against Hou Jing. Hou Jing was terrified and that same day led Hou Zijian and others against him. When the city fell Hao was taken prisoner, bound, and shot until arrows covered his body; only then was he torn apart by chariots as a public warning. In the city, every person, young and old alike, was buried up to the waist and shot.
48
來嶷字德山，幼有奇節，兼資文武。 既與皓義舉，邵陵王承制除步兵校尉、秦郡太守，封永甯縣侯。 及皓敗，並兄弟子侄遇害者十六人。 子法敏逃免，仕陳為海陵令。
Lai Yi, styled Deshan, showed exceptional character from youth and combined civil and military talent. After joining Hao's loyalist rising, the Prince of Shaoling, acting under imperial commission, appointed him Colonel of Footsoldiers and administrator of Qin commandery, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Yongning. When Hao was defeated, sixteen of his brothers, sons, and nephews were killed. His son Famin escaped with his life and later served the Chen as magistrate of Hailing.
49
賈希鏡，平陽襄陵人也。 祖弼之，晉員外郎。 父匪之，驃騎參軍。 家傳譜學。 宋孝武時，青州人發古塚，銘云：「青州世子，東海女郎。」 帝問學士鮑照、徐爰、蘇寶生，並不能悉。 希鏡對曰：「此是司馬越女嫁苟晞兒。」 檢訪果然，由是見遇，敕希鏡注郭子。
Jia Xijing came from Xiangling in Pingyang commandery. His grandfather Bizhi served the Jin as a supernumerary official. His father Feizhi was a staff officer on the staff of the General of Agile Cavalry. His family had a hereditary tradition of genealogical scholarship. During Emperor Xiaowu of Song's reign, people in Qing province excavated an ancient tomb whose inscription ran: "Heir of Qing province, a maiden of Donghai." The emperor questioned the scholars Bao Zhao, Xu Ai, and Su Baosheng, yet none could account for it completely. Xijing answered: "This records the marriage of Sima Yue's daughter to Gou Xi's son." When investigators verified the matter, it proved true. Thereafter he won imperial favor, and Xijing was ordered to annotate the genealogy of the Guo clan.
50
升明中，齊高帝嘉希鏡世學，取為驃騎參軍、武陵王國郎中令。 曆大司馬司徒府參軍。 竟陵王子良使希鏡撰見客譜，出為句容令。
During the Shengming era, Emperor Gao of Qi admired Xijing's family tradition of scholarship and appointed him staff officer to the General of Agile Cavalry and palace attendant of the Kingdom of Wuling. He served in turn as a staff officer in the offices of the Grand Marshal and the Minister over the Masses. Prince Ziliang of Jingling had Xijing compile a register of visiting guests, after which Xijing was posted as magistrate of Jurong.
51
先是，譜學未有名家，希鏡祖弼之廣集百氏譜記，專心習業。 晉太元中，朝廷給弼之令史書吏，撰定繕寫，藏秘閣及左戶曹。 希鏡三世傳學，凡十八州士族譜，合百帙，七百餘卷，該究精悉，皆如貫珠，當時莫比。 永明中，衛將軍王儉抄次百家譜，與希鏡參懷撰定。
Before this, genealogical scholarship had no celebrated master; Xijing's grandfather Bizhi amassed genealogical records from countless clans and devoted himself entirely to the craft. During the Jin Taiyuan era, the court supplied Bizhi with clerks and copyists to compile and transcribe the records, which were then stored in the Secret Archive and the Left Households Bureau. Xijing inherited this learning across three generations; his genealogies of noble clans from eighteen provinces filled a hundred fascicles and more than seven hundred scrolls—exhaustive, precise, and strung together like pearls on a cord, unmatched in his day. During the Yongming era, General of the Guard Wang Jian collated the genealogies of the hundred clans and worked with Xijing to plan and finalize the compilation.
52
建武初，希鏡遷長水校尉，傖人王泰寶買襲琅邪譜，尚書令王晏以啟明帝，希鏡坐被收，當極法。 子棲長謝罪，稽顙流血，朝廷哀之，免希鏡罪。 後為北中郎參軍，卒。 撰氏族要狀及人名書，並行于時。
At the start of the Jianwu era, Xijing was promoted to Colonel of the Long River. When the northern immigrant Wang Taibao purchased and forged the Langya genealogy, Minister over the Masses Wang Yan reported the matter to Emperor Ming. Xijing was implicated, arrested, and condemned to death. His son Qi prostrated himself in prolonged apology, knocking his forehead to the ground until it bled; moved to pity, the court pardoned Xijing. He later served as staff officer to the General of the North and died in that post. He wrote Essential Records of Clans and a Book of Personal Names, both of which circulated widely in his day.
53
袁峻字孝高，陳郡陽夏人，魏郎中令渙之八世孫也。 早孤，篤志好學。 家貧無書，每從人假借，必皆抄寫，自課日五十紙，紙數不登則不止。 訥言語，工文辭。 梁武帝雅好辭賦，時獻文章于南闕者相望焉。 天監六年，峻乃擬揚雄官箴奏之。 帝嘉焉，賜束帛，除員外郎，散騎侍郎，直文德學士省，抄史記、漢書各為二十卷。 又奉敕與陸倕各制新闕銘云。
Yuan Jun, styled Xiaogao, came from Yangxia in Chen commandery and was the eighth-generation descendant of Huan, Director of the Masters of Writing under Wei. Orphaned young, he pursued learning with fierce dedication. His family was too poor to own books; whenever he borrowed one he copied it out in full, assigning himself fifty sheets a day and refusing to stop until the count was complete. He was slow of speech but accomplished in literary composition. Emperor Wu of Liang had a deep love of rhapsodies and fu poetry, and in those days the stream of writers presenting their work at the southern palace gate never ceased. In the sixth year of Tianjian, Jun modeled his submission on Yang Xiong's Admonitions for Officials and presented it to the throne. The emperor was pleased, granted him silks, and appointed him supernumerary official and attendant cavalier, assigning him to the Academy at Wende with orders to abridge the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han into twenty scrolls each. He was further ordered, together with Lu Chui, each to compose an inscription for the new palace gate.
54
劉昭字宣卿，平原高唐人，晉太尉寔九世孫也。 祖伯龍，居父憂以孝聞，宋武帝敕皇太子諸王並往吊慰，官至少府卿。 父彪，齊征虜晉安王記室。
Liu Zhao, styled Xuanqing, came from Gaotang in Pingyuan commandery and was the ninth-generation descendant of Shi, Grand Commandant of Jin. His grandfather Bolong won renown for filial devotion during his father's mourning; Emperor Wu of Song ordered the crown prince and all the princes to visit and offer condolences, and Bolong eventually rose to privy treasurer. His father Biao served as secretary to the Prince of Jin'an under the General Who Pacifies the Barbarians during Qi.
55
昭幼清警，通老、莊義。 及長，勤學善屬文，外兄江淹早相稱賞。 梁天監中，累遷中軍臨川王記室。
From youth Zhao was bright and alert, and he mastered the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi. When he came of age he studied hard and wrote well; his cousin Jiang Yan praised him early. Under Liang during the Tianjian era he rose in successive appointments to secretary to the Prince of Linchuan on the central army staff.
56
初，昭伯父肜集眾家晉書注干寶晉紀為四十卷，至昭集後漢同異以注范曄後漢，世稱博悉。 卒於剡令。 集注後漢一百三十卷，幼童傳一卷，文集十卷。
At first Zhao's father's elder brother Tong collected annotations from various houses to histories of Jin and annotated Gan Bao's Annals of Jin in forty scrolls; Zhao then gathered parallels and variants on the Later Han to annotate Fan Ye's Book of Later Han, work the age hailed as encyclopedic. He died while serving as magistrate of Shan. His collected annotations to the Later Han ran to one hundred thirty scrolls; he also left one scroll of Biographies of Young Children and ten scrolls of collected writings.
57
子絛字言明，亦好學，通三禮，位尚書祠部郎，著先聖本記十卷行於世。
His son Tao, styled Yanming, also loved learning and mastered the Three Rites; he served as gentleman of the ancestral temple in the Ministry of Works and wrote Ten Scrolls on the Origins of the Sage, which circulated widely.
58
絛弟緩字含度，為湘東王中錄事。 性虛遠，有氣調，風流疊宕，名高一府。 常云：「不須名位，所須衣食。 不用身後之譽，唯重目前知見。」
Tao's younger brother Huan, styled Handu, served as chief recorder to the Prince of Xiangdong. By nature he was aloof and far-seeing, with fine presence and bearing; elegant and free-spirited, his reputation stood above everyone in the prefecture. He often said: "I have no need of titles or rank—only food and clothing. I care nothing for praise after death; I value only the esteem of those who know me in the present."
59
鍾嶸字仲偉，潁川長社人，晉侍中雅七世孫也。 父蹈，齊中軍參軍。
Zhong Rong, styled Zhongwei, came from Changshe in Yingchuan commandery and was the seventh-generation descendant of Ya, palace attendant of Jin. His father Dao served as a staff officer on the central army staff during Qi.
60
嶸與兄岏、弟嶼並好學，有思理。 嶸齊永明中為國子生，明周易。 衛將軍王儉領祭酒，頗賞接之。 建武初，為南康王侍郎。 時齊明帝躬親細務，綱目亦密，於是郡縣及六署九府常行職事，莫不爭自啟聞，取決詔敕。 文武勳舊皆不歸選部，於是憑勢互相通進，人君之務，粗為繁密。 嶸乃上書言：「古者明君揆才頒政，量能授職，三公坐而論道，九卿作而成務，天子可恭己南面而已。」 書奏，上不懌，謂太中大夫顧暠曰：「鍾嶸何人，欲斷朕機務，卿識之不？」 答曰：「嶸雖位末名卑，而所言或有可采。 且繁碎職事，各有司存，今人主總而親之，是人主愈勞而人臣愈逸，所謂代庖人宰而為大匠斲也。」 上不顧而他言。
Rong, his elder brother Wan, and his younger brother Yu all loved learning and had thoughtful minds. During Yongming in Qi, Rong was a student at the Imperial Academy and mastered the Book of Changes. General of the Guard Wang Jian, serving as chancellor of the academy, took a strong liking to him and drew him close. At the start of the Jianwu era he served as gentleman attendant to the Prince of Nankang. At that time Emperor Ming of Qi personally handled minute affairs, and the web of administration was drawn tight; commanderies, counties, the six bureaus, and the nine offices all competed to report routine business upward and await decisions by imperial edict. Meritorious civil and military officials no longer passed through the Selection Bureau; instead they used their influence to push one another forward, and the sovereign's business had grown roughly overburdened. Rong then submitted a memorial saying: "In antiquity enlightened rulers measured talent before distributing office, and matched ability to duty; the Three Dukes sat and discoursed on the Way while the Nine Ministers acted and completed their tasks—the Son of Heaven need only fold his hands in reverence and face south." When the memorial reached the throne, the emperor was displeased and said to Grand Master of Palace Gu Mao: "Who is this Zhong Rong who wants to cut me off from the business of state—do you know him?" He answered: "Though Rong holds a low post and an obscure name, what he says may yet have points worth heeding. Moreover, intricate duties each have their proper offices; when the ruler gathers them all and handles them personally, the ruler grows ever more weary while his ministers grow ever more idle—what is meant by the cook taking the butcher's place and the master carpenter doing the hewing himself." The emperor paid no attention and turned to other matters.
61
永元末，除司徒行參軍。 梁天監初，制度雖革，而未能盡改前弊，嶸上言曰：「永元肇亂，坐弄天爵，勳非即戎，官以賄就。 揮一金而取九列，寄片劄以招六校。 騎都塞市，郎將填街。 服既纓組，尚為臧獲之事，職雖黃散，猶躬胥徒之役。 名實淆紊，茲焉莫甚。 臣愚謂永元諸軍官是素族士人，自有清貫，而因斯受爵，一宜削除，以懲澆競。 若吏姓寒人，聽極其門品，不當因軍遂濫清級。 若僑雜傖楚，應在綏撫，正宜嚴斷祿力，絕其妨正，直乞虛號而已。」 敕付尚書行之。
At the end of the Yongyuan era he was appointed acting staff officer to the Minister over the Masses. At the beginning of Tianjian under Liang, though institutions had been reformed, the abuses of the past were not fully corrected; Rong submitted a memorial saying: "The Yongyuan disorders began when men idly traded in heavenly ranks—merit owed nothing to taking up arms, and office was bought with bribes. A handful of gold could buy the ninth rank; a brief note could secure six colonelships. Cavalry commandants clogged the markets, and general officers packed the streets. Though they already wore the insignia of office, they still did servants' work; though their posts were lofty civil appointments, they still performed clerks' and laborers' tasks in person. Names and realities were tangled beyond measure—nowhere was the disorder worse. This subject humbly holds that the military officers of Yongyuan who were gentry of established clans already had their proper career paths yet received titles through this abuse—all such titles should be struck to punish reckless ambition. If they were of low-born clerical families, let them rise only to their clan's proper grade—they should not through military service flood into exalted rank. If they were mixed bands of northern immigrants, they belong under pacification—it is right to cut off their salaries and stipends strictly, stop their interference with proper governance, and grant them empty titles and nothing more." An edict was issued entrusting the proposal to the Ministry of Works for implementation.
62
衡陽王元簡出守會稽，引為寧朔記室，專掌文翰。 時居士何胤築室若邪山，山發洪水，漂拔樹石，此室獨存。 元簡令嶸作瑞室頌以旌表之，辭甚典麗。 遷西中郎晉安王記室。
When Prince Yuanjian of Hengyang went out to govern Kuaiji, he took Rong on as secretary to the General Pacifying the North, putting him solely in charge of literary work. At the time the lay Buddhist He Yin built a dwelling on Mount Ruoye; when the mountain unleashed floods that swept away trees and stones, this dwelling alone remained standing. Yuan Jian had Rong compose an Eulogy for the Auspicious Chamber to honor the site; the language was richly classical and elegant. He was transferred to secretary to the Prince of Jin'an on the western army staff.
63
嶸嘗求譽于沈約，約拒之。 及約卒，嶸品古今詩為評，言其優劣，云：「觀休文眾制，五言最優。 齊永明中，相王愛文，王元長等皆宗附約。 于時謝朓未遒，江淹才盡，範雲名級又微，故稱獨步。 故當辭密于範，意淺于江」。 蓋追宿憾，以此報約也。 頃之卒官。
Rong once sought praise from Shen Yue, but Yue refused him. After Yue died, Rong graded ancient and modern poetry in his critique, judging strengths and weaknesses, and wrote: "Surveying Xiuywen's many compositions, his five-character verse is the finest. During Yongming in Qi, the Prince of Jingling loved literature, and Wang Yuanzhang and others all looked up to Yue and gathered around him. At the time Xie Tiao had not yet reached full strength, Jiang Yan's talent was exhausted, and Fan Yun's reputation and rank were modest—so Yue was called unrivaled. Accordingly his diction is tighter than Fan Yun's, his meaning shallower than Jiang Yan's." This was plainly settling an old grievance and repaying Yue in kind. Before long he died in office.
64
岏字長丘，位建康令卒。 著良吏傳十卷。
Wan, styled Changqiu, served as magistrate of Jiankang and died in that post. He wrote Ten Scrolls of Biographies of Good Officials.
65
嶼字季望，永嘉郡丞。
Yu, styled Jiwang, served as assistant governor of Yongjia commandery.
66
周興嗣字思纂，陳郡項人也。 世居姑孰，博學善屬文。 嘗步自姑孰，投宿逆旅，夜有人謂曰：「子才學邁世，初當見識貴臣，卒被知英主。」 言終不測所之。 齊隆昌中，侍郎謝朏為吳興太守，唯與興嗣初談文史而已。 及罷郡，因大相談薦。
Zhou Xingsi, styled Mizuan, came from Xiang in Chen commandery. His family had long lived at Gushu; he was broadly learned and wrote well. Once, walking out from Gushu, he lodged at a roadside inn; in the night someone said to him: "Your talent and learning surpass your age—you will first be recognized by eminent ministers and in the end be known by a heroic sovereign." When the words ended, no one could tell where the speaker had gone. During Longchang in Qi, Gentleman Attendant Xie Tiao served as governor of Wuxing and, on first meeting Xingsi, spoke with him only about history and literature. When he left the commandery, he spoke at length in recommendation of him.
67
梁天監初，奏休平賦，其文甚美，武帝嘉之，拜安成王國侍郎，直華林省。 其年，河南獻舞馬，詔興嗣與待詔到沆、張率為賦，帝以興嗣為工，擢拜員外散騎侍郎，進直文德、壽光省。 時武帝以三橋舊宅為光宅寺，敕興嗣與陸倕各制寺碑，及成俱奏，帝用興嗣所制。 自是銅表銘、柵塘碣、檄魏文、次韻王羲之書千字，並使興嗣為文。 每奏，帝稱善，賜金帛。 後佐撰國史。 興嗣兩手先患風疽，十二年，又染癘疾，左目盲。 帝撫其手，嗟曰：「斯人而有斯疾。」 手疏疽方以賜之。 任昉又愛其才，常曰：「興嗣若無此疾，旬日當至御史中丞。」 十七年，為給事中，直西省。 周舍奉敕注武帝所制歷代賦，啟興嗣與焉。 普通二年卒。 所撰皇帝實錄、皇德記、起居注、職儀等百餘卷，文集十卷。
At the beginning of Tianjian under Liang, he submitted the Rhapsody on Rest and Peace; its prose was exquisite, and Emperor Wu was pleased. He appointed Xingsi gentleman of the Kingdom of Ancheng and assigned him to serve at Hualin. That same year Henan presented dancing horses; the emperor ordered Xingsi, together with awaiting-edict Dao Hang and Zhang Shuai, to compose rhapsodies. Judging Xingsi's the finest, he promoted him to supernumerary attendant cavalier and advanced him to serve at Wende and Shouguang. At the time the emperor converted his old Three Bridges residence into Guangzhe Temple and ordered Xingsi and Lu Chui each to compose a temple stele; when both were finished and submitted, the emperor chose Xingsi's. From then on, inscriptions for bronze pillars, steles for palisade ponds, proclamations to Wei, and the Thousand-Character Text arranged after Wang Xizhi's calligraphy were all entrusted to Xingsi. Whenever he submitted a piece, the emperor praised it and granted him gold and silks. Later he assisted in compiling the national history. Xingsi had first suffered wind-sores on both hands for twelve years; he then contracted leprosy and lost sight in his left eye. The emperor stroked his hand and sighed: "That such a man should have such an affliction." He personally wrote out a prescription for sores and bestowed it upon him. Ren Fang also admired his talent and often said: "If Xingsi did not suffer this illness, within ten days he would reach censor-in-chief." In the seventeenth year he was appointed attendant within the palace gates and assigned to the Western Secretariat. By imperial order Zhou She annotated the rhapsodies on successive dynasties composed by Emperor Wu and included Xingsi in the project. He died in the second year of Putong. His writings included the Veritable Records of the Emperor, Record of Imperial Virtue, Diurnal Records, Regulations of Office, and more than a hundred scrolls in all, as well as ten scrolls of collected works.
68
吳均字叔庠，吳興故鄣人也。 家世寒賤，至均好學有俊才，沈約嘗見均文，頗相稱賞。 梁天監初，柳惲為吳興，召補主簿，日引與賦詩。 均文體清拔，有古氣，好事者或學之，謂為「吳均體」。 均嘗不得意，贈惲詩而去，久之復來，惲遇之如故，弗之憾也。 薦之臨川靖惠王，王稱之于武帝，即日召入賦詩，悅焉。 待詔著作，累遷奉朝請。
Wu Jun, styled Shuxiang, came from Gucheng in Wuxing commandery. His family was poor and lowly, but Jun himself loved learning and had outstanding talent; Shen Yue once read Jun's writings and praised them warmly. At the beginning of Tianjian under Liang, when Liu Yun governed Wuxing, he summoned Jun as chief clerk and daily invited him to compose poetry together. Jun's literary style was clear and striking, with an antique flavor; enthusiasts sometimes imitated it and called it the "Wu Jun style." Once, discontented, Jun presented Liu with a parting poem and left; long afterward he returned, and Liu received him as before, without the least resentment. Liu recommended him to Prince Jinghui of Linchuan; the prince praised him to Emperor Wu, who summoned him that same day to compose poetry and was delighted. He served as Drafting Attendant in the Directorate of Compilations and was eventually promoted to Attendant-in-Ordinary.
69
先是，均將著史以自名，欲撰齊書，求借齊起居注及群臣行狀，武帝不許，遂私撰齊春秋奏之。 書稱帝為齊明帝佐命，帝惡其實錄，以其書不實，使中書舍人劉之遴詰問數十條，竟支離無對。 敕付省焚之，坐免職。 尋有敕召見，使撰通史，起三皇訖齊代。 均草本紀、世家已畢，唯列傳未就，卒。
Earlier, Jun had hoped to win lasting fame by writing history. Wishing to compile a History of Qi, he asked to borrow the Qi court diurnal records and the biographical affidavits of ministers, but Emperor Wu refused. Jun then privately wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals of Qi and submitted it to the throne. The book described the emperor as a man who had helped establish Emperor Ming of Qi. The emperor resented this truthful account and, claiming the work was inaccurate, had Secretariat Gentleman Liu Zhiliao cross-examine him on dozens of points. In the end his replies were incoherent and he could not answer. An edict ordered the work sent to the provincial offices to be burned, and he was dismissed from his post. Before long an edict summoned him to court and charged him with compiling a comprehensive history from the Three Sovereigns through the Qi dynasty. Jun had finished draft basic annals and accounts of noble houses, but the biographies were still unfinished when he died.
70
均注范曄後漢書九十卷，著齊春秋三十卷，廟記十卷，十二州記十六卷，錢唐先賢傳五卷，續文釋五卷，文集二十卷。 先是有濟陽江洪，工屬文，為建陽令，坐事死。
Jun annotated Fan Ye's Book of Later Han in ninety scrolls and authored the Spring and Autumn Annals of Qi in thirty scrolls, Record of Temples in ten scrolls, Record of the Twelve Provinces in sixteen scrolls, Biographies of Worthies of Qiantang in five scrolls, Continued Literary Exegesis in five scrolls, and a collected works in twenty scrolls. Earlier there had been Jiang Hong of Jiyang, a skilled writer who served as magistrate of Jianyang and was executed for a crime.
71
劉勰字彥和，東莞莒人也。 父尚，越騎校尉。 勰早孤，篤志好學。 家貧不婚娶，依沙門僧佑居，遂博通經論，因區別部類，錄而序之。 定林寺經藏，勰所定也。
Liu Xie, styled Yanhe, came from Ju in Dongguan commandery. His father Shang served as Commandant of Agile Cavalry. Xie lost his father early and devoted himself wholeheartedly to study. Too poor to marry, he lived with the monk Sengyou, mastered Buddhist sutras and treatises, classified them by category, and compiled an ordered catalogue. The sutra repository at Dinglin Monastery was organized by Xie.
72
梁天監中，兼東宮通事舍人，時七廟饗薦已用蔬果，而二郊農社猶有犧牲，勰乃表言二郊宜與七廟同改。 詔付尚書議，依勰所陳。 遷步兵校尉，兼舍人如故，深被昭明太子愛接。
During Tianjian under Liang, while serving concurrently as Eastern Palace Attendant-in-Ordinary for General Affairs, he noted that offerings at the seven ancestral temples already used fruits and vegetables, whereas the suburban sacrifices to Heaven and Earth and the rites to the agricultural and soil gods still employed sacrificial animals. Xie submitted a memorial arguing that the suburban rites should be reformed to match the ancestral temples. An edict referred the matter to the Secretariat for deliberation, and they adopted Xie's proposal. He was promoted to Infantry Commandant while continuing as Attendant as before, and was warmly favored by Crown Prince Zhaoming.
73
初，勰撰文心雕龍五十篇，論古今文體，其序略云：「予齒在逾立，嘗夜夢執丹漆之禮器，隨仲尼而南行，寤而喜曰：大哉，聖人之難見也，乃小子之垂夢歟！ 自生靈以來，未有如夫子者也。 敷贊聖旨，莫若注經，而馬、鄭諸儒弘之已精，就有深解，未足立家。 唯文章之用，實經典枝條，五禮資之以成，六典因之致用。 於是搦筆和墨，乃始論文。 其為文用四十九篇而已。」 既成，未為時流所稱。 勰欲取定于沈約，無由自達，乃負書候約于車前，狀若貨鬻者。 約取讀，大重之，謂深得文理，常陳諸几案。
At first Xie wrote The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons in fifty chapters, discussing literary forms ancient and modern. Its preface in brief says: "When I had passed thirty, I once dreamed at night that I held vermilion-lacquered ritual vessels and followed Confucius southward. On waking I rejoiced and said: How great it is that the sage is so hard to meet—could such a dream have been granted to one as insignificant as I? Since living beings first arose, there has never been anyone like the Master. To spread and praise the sage's intent, nothing surpasses annotating the classics; yet scholars such as Ma Rong and Zheng Xuan have already refined that work to perfection—even profound understanding there would not suffice to establish one's own school. Only literature is truly a branch of the classics—the Five Rites depend on it for completion, and the Six Canons draw on it for practical use. Thereupon he took up brush and ink and began to write on literature. His discussion of the function of literature ran to forty-nine chapters in all. When it was finished, it won no praise from the leading writers of the day. Xie wanted Shen Yue's judgment but had no way to reach him, so he carried the book and waited for Yue beside his carriage, looking like a street vendor. Yue took it, read it, and valued it highly, declaring that it deeply grasped literary principle; he kept it on his desk at all times.
74
勰為文長於佛理，都下寺塔及名僧碑誌，必請勰制文。 敕與慧震沙門于定林寺撰經證。 功畢，遂求出家，先燔鬚髮自誓，敕許之。 乃變服改名慧地云。
Xie excelled at writing on Buddhist doctrine; for temples and pagodas in the capital and for steles and epitaphs of eminent monks, he was invariably asked to compose the texts. By imperial order he joined the monk Huizhen at Dinglin Monastery to compile sutra collations. When the work was finished, he sought to become a monk, first burning his beard and hair as a vow; an edict granted permission. He changed his garb and took the monastic name Huidi.
75
何思澄字元靜，東海郯人也。 父敬叔，齊長城令，有能名。 在縣清廉，不受禮遺，夏節至，忽牓門受餉，數日中得米二千餘斛，他物稱是，悉以代貧人輸租。
He Sicheng, styled Yuanjing, came from Tan in Donghai commandery. His father Jingshu served as magistrate of Changcheng under Qi and enjoyed a reputation for ability. As magistrate he was incorruptible and accepted no gifts. When the summer festival arrived, he suddenly posted a notice at the gate inviting offerings; within a few days he received more than two thousand bushels of rice and comparable quantities of other goods, all of which he used to pay taxes on behalf of the poor.
76
思澄少勤學工文，為遊廬山詩，沈約見之，大相稱賞，自以為弗逮。 約郊居宅新構閣齋，因命工書人題此詩於壁。 傅昭嘗請思澄制釋奠詩，辭文典麗。
Sicheng studied diligently from youth and was skilled at writing. He composed a poem on traveling to Mount Lu; Shen Yue read it and praised it warmly, declaring himself unable to match it. Yue had just built a pavilion study at his suburban residence and had a scribe inscribe the poem on its wall. Fu Zhao once asked Sicheng to compose a poem for the Confucian sacrifice; the text was classic and elegant.
77
天監十五年，敕太子詹事徐勉舉學士入華林撰遍略，勉舉思澄、顧協、劉杳、王子雲、鍾嶼等五人以應選。 八年乃書成，合七百卷。 思澄重交結，分書與諸賓朋校定，而終日造謁。 每宿昔作名一束，曉便命駕，朝賢無不悉狎，狎處即命食。 有人方之樓護，欣然當之。 投晚還家，所齎名必盡。 自廷尉正遷書侍御史。 宋、齊以來，此職甚輕，天監初始重其選。 車前依尚書二丞給三騶，執盛印青囊，舊事糾彈官印綬在前故也。 後除安西湘東王錄事參軍，兼東宮通事舍人。 時徐勉、周舍以才具當朝，並好思澄學，常遞日招致之。 後卒于宣惠武陵王中錄事參軍。 文集十五卷。
In the fifteenth year of Tianjian, an edict ordered Crown Prince's Household Administrator Xu Mian to recommend scholars to compile the Comprehensive Digest at Hualin. Mian recommended five men—Sicheng, Gu Xie, Liu Yao, Wang Ziyun, and Zhong Yu—for the task. Eight years later the work was finished, totaling seven hundred scrolls. Sicheng valued social connections. He distributed copies to friends for proofreading, yet spent his days calling on acquaintances. Each evening he prepared a list of names, and at dawn would set out in his carriage. There was scarcely a court official he did not know well, and wherever he called he would be served a meal. When someone compared him to Lou Hu, the great host of Han, he accepted the comparison with pleasure. By the time he returned home in the evening, every name on his list had been visited. He was promoted from Director of the Court of Justice to Supervising Censor of the Secretariat. From Song and Qi onward this office had carried little weight; only at the beginning of Tianjian was its selection taken seriously. Before his carriage, following the precedent set for the two assistant directors of the Secretariat, three outriders were provided, and he carried the seal case in a green pouch—an old custom because the censor's seal and sash took precedence. Later he was appointed Recorder under Prince Xiangdong, General Who Pacifies the West, while continuing concurrently as Eastern Palace Attendant-in-Ordinary for General Affairs. At the time Xu Mian and Zhou She, both talented men holding power at court, admired Sicheng's learning and took turns inviting him day after day. He later died while serving as Senior Recorder under Prince Wuling, General Who Proclaims Grace. His collected writings ran to fifteen scrolls.
78
初，思澄與宗人遜及子朗俱擅文名，時人語曰：「東海三何，子朗最多。」 思澄聞之曰：「此言誤耳。 如其不然，故當歸遜。」 思澄意謂宜在己也。
At first Sicheng, his clansman Xun, and Zilang were all renowned for their writing. People of the time said: "Among the Three He of Donghai, Zilang has the most. When Sicheng heard this he said: "That remark is mistaken. If it were not so, the credit ought to go to Xun. Sicheng in fact meant that the credit ought to be his.
79
子朗字世明，早有才思。 周舍每與談，服其精理。 嘗為敗塚賦，擬莊周馬棰，其文甚工。 世人語曰：「人中爽爽有子朗。」 卒于國山令，年二十四。 集行於世。
Zilang, styled Shiming, showed literary talent from an early age. Whenever Zhou She conversed with him, he admired the subtlety of his thought. He once wrote a fu on a ruined mound, modeled on Zhuang Zhou's Horse Whip, and the piece was highly accomplished. People said: "Among men, bright and outstanding stands Zilang. He died while serving as magistrate of Guoshan, at the age of twenty-four. His collected writings circulated in his day.
80
王子雲，太原人，及江夏費昶，並為閭里才子。 昶善為樂府，又作鼓吹曲。 武帝重之，敕曰：「才意新拔，有足嘉異。 昔郎惲博物，卞蘭巧辭。 束帛之賜，實惟勸善。 可賜絹十匹。」 子雲嘗為自吊文，甚美。
Wang Ziyun of Taiyuan and Fei Chang of Jiangxia were both local literary talents. Chang excelled at yuefu poetry and also composed martial procession songs. Emperor Wu valued him and issued an edict saying: "Your talent and conception are fresh and striking, and worthy of special praise. In former times Lang Yun was broadly learned and Bian Lan was artful in phrasing. The gift of silks is truly meant to encourage excellence. Let ten bolts of silk be granted. Ziyun once wrote a self-lament that was very fine.
81
任孝恭字孝恭，臨淮人也。 曾祖農夫，宋南豫州刺史。 農夫弟候伯，位輔國將軍、行湘州事，並任將帥。
Ren Xiaogong, styled Xiaogong, came from Linhuai commandery. His great-grandfather Nongfu served as Governor of Southern Yu Province under Song. Nongfu's younger brother Houbo served as General Who Assists the State and acting administrator of Xiang Province; both men were military commanders.
82
孝恭幼孤，事母以孝聞。 精力勤學，家貧無書，常崎嶇從人假借，每讀一遍，諷誦略無所遺。 外祖丘它與武帝有舊，帝聞其有才學，召入西省撰史。 初為奉朝請，進直壽光省，為司文侍郎，俄兼中書通事舍人。 敕遣制建陵寺刹下銘，又啟撰武帝集序文，並富麗。 自是專掌公家筆翰。 孝恭為文敏速，若不留思，每奏稱善，累賜金帛。 少從蕭寺雲法師讀經論，明佛理，至是蔬食持戒，信受甚篤。 而性頗自伐，以才能尚人，於流輩中多有忽略，世以此少之。
Xiaogong lost his father early and was known for filial devotion to his mother. He studied with tireless energy. Too poor to own books, he often trudged over rough paths to borrow them, and after reading a text once he could recite it from memory with scarcely a word forgotten. His maternal grandfather Qiu Ta had old ties with Emperor Wu. When the emperor heard of his talent and learning, he summoned him to the Western Secretariat to compile history. He first served as Attendant-in-Ordinary, then entered duty at the Shouguang Office as Vice Director for Documents, and soon concurrently served as Secretariat Attendant-in-Ordinary for General Affairs. By edict he composed the inscription beneath the pagoda at Jianling Monastery and also submitted a preface for Emperor Wu's collected writings; both were rich and splendid. From then on he was put in charge of official documents. Xiaogong wrote with quick facility, as if without effort; each memorial won praise, and he was repeatedly rewarded with gold and silks. From youth he had studied sutras and treatises under Master Yun of Xiao Monastery and understood Buddhist doctrine; by this time he ate only vegetables, kept the precepts, and practiced his faith with deep devotion. Yet he was inclined to boast of his abilities and look down on others; among his peers he often slighted people, and for this the world thought less of him.
83
太清二年，侯景寇逼，孝恭啟募兵，隸蕭正德。 正德入賊，孝恭還赴台，台門閉，侯景獲之，使作檄。 求還私第檢討，景許之，因走入東府。 城陷，景斬銼之。 文集行於世。
In the second year of Taiqing, when Hou Jing pressed the capital, Xiaogong petitioned to raise troops and was placed under Xiao Zhengde. When Zhengde defected to the rebels, Xiaogong hurried back to the capital, but the palace gates were closed; Hou Jing seized him and forced him to compose a proclamation. He asked to return home to revise the draft; Jing agreed, and he fled into the Eastern Palace. When the city fell, Hou Jing had him executed by dismemberment. His collected writings circulated in his day.
84
協幼孤，養于舅氏。 少以器局稱。 博涉群書，工於草隸飛白。 時吳人範懷約能隸書，協學其書，殆過真也。 荊楚碑碣皆協所書。 時又有會稽謝善勳能為八體六文，方寸千言，京兆韋仲善飛白，並在湘東王府。 善勳為錄事參軍，仲為中兵參軍。 府中以協優於韋仲而減於善勳。 善勳飲酒至數斗，醉後輒張眼大罵，雖復貴賤親疏無所擇也，時謂之謝方眼。 而胸衿夷坦，有士君子之操焉。
Yan Xie lost his father early and was raised by his uncle's family. From youth he was praised for breadth of character and bearing. He read widely and was skilled in cursive, clerical, and feibai calligraphy. At the time Fan Huaiyue of Wu was a master of clerical script; Xie studied his hand and nearly surpassed the original. The steles and tablets throughout Jing and Chu were all written by Xie. At the time Xie Shanxun of Kuaiji, who could write in eight script styles and fit a thousand characters within a square inch, and Wei Zhong of Jingzhao, skilled at feibai, were also in Prince Xiangdong's establishment. Shanxun served as Recorder and Zhong as Central Army Aide. In the prince's establishment Xie was ranked above Wei Zhong but below Shanxun. Shanxun could drink several dou of wine at a sitting; when drunk he would stare wide-eyed and curse loudly, sparing no one whether high or low, friend or stranger. People of the time called him Square-Eyed Xie. Yet his heart was open and generous, and he had the bearing of a true gentleman.
85
協家雖貧素，而修飾邊幅，非車馬未嘗出遊。 湘東王出鎮荊州，以為記室。 時吳郡顧協亦在蕃邸，與協同名，才學相亞，府中稱為二協。 舅陳郡謝暕卒，協以有鞠養恩，居喪如伯叔禮，議者甚重焉。 又感家門事義，不求顯達，恒辭徵辟，游於蕃府而已。 卒，元帝甚嘆惜之，為懷舊詩以傷之。
Although Xie's family was poor, he kept his appearance trim and never went out unless he had carriage and horses. When Prince Xiangdong went out to govern Jing Province, Xie was appointed his Recorder. At the time Gu Xie of Wu Commandery was also in the prince's establishment; he shared the name Xie and was nearly equal in talent and learning, so the staff called them the Two Xies. When his uncle Xie Yan of Chen Commandery died, Xie observed mourning as for an uncle in gratitude for having raised him, and commentators greatly respected this. Moved by his family's record of righteous service, he sought no prominence, repeatedly declined official summons, and contented himself with serving in the prince's establishment. When he died, Emperor Yuan deeply lamented his loss and composed a poem of remembrance to mourn him.
86
協所撰晉仙傳五篇，日月災異圖兩卷，行於世。 其文集二十卷，遇火湮滅。 子之儀、之推，並早知名。
His writings included Biographies of Jin Immortals in five chapters and Illustrations of Solar and Lunar Disasters and Omens in two scrolls, both of which circulated in his day. His collected writings in twenty scrolls were lost in a fire. His sons Zhiyi and Zhitui both won renown while still young.
87
紀少瑜字幼瑒，丹陽秣陵人也。 本姓吳，養于紀氏，因而命族。 早孤，幼有志節，常慕王安期之為人。 年十三，能屬文。 初為京華樂，王僧孺見而賞之，曰：「此子才藻新拔，方有高名。」 少瑜嘗夢陸倕以一束青鏤管筆授之，云：「我以此筆猶可用，卿自擇其善者。」 其文因此遒進。
Ji Shaoyu, style name Youchang, came from Moling in Danyang. Born a Wu, he was raised by the Ji family and took their name. Orphaned young, he held fast to purpose and integrity from boyhood and often looked to Wang Anqi as a model. By thirteen he could already write polished prose. His earliest compositions were Jinghua music-poems. Wang Senru read them and was impressed. "This boy's talent is fresh and striking," he said; "he will soon be widely known." Shaoyu once dreamed that Lu Chui handed him a bundle of green inlaid brush-pens, saying, "These brushes of mine can still serve—take whichever you find best." From that time his writing grew markedly stronger.
88
年十九，始遊太學，備探六經，博士東海鮑皦雅相欽悅。 時皦有疾，請少瑜代講。 少瑜既妙玄言，善談吐，辯捷如流。 為晉安國中尉，即梁簡文也，深被恩遇。 後侍宣城王讀。 當陽公為郢州，以為功曹參軍，轉輕車限內記室，坐事免。 大同七年，始引為東宮學士。 邵陵王在郢，啟求學士，武帝以少瑜充行。
At nineteen he entered the Imperial Academy for the first time and studied the Six Classics in full; the erudite Bao Hao of Donghai came to admire him deeply. When Bao fell ill, he asked Shaoyu to lecture for him. Shaoyu was masterful in abstruse discourse, fluent in speech, and quick as a stream in debate. He served under the Chief Commandant of Jin'an—none other than the future Emperor Jianwen of Liang—and was deeply favored. Later he attended the Prince of Xuancheng as a reading companion. When the Prince of Dangyang governed Ying Province, he made Shaoyu an army commandant assessor, then transferred him to registrar on the Light Chariot General's staff; he was later dismissed for an offense. In the seventh year of Datong he was first made an Eastern Palace scholar. When the Prince of Shaoling was stationed at Ying, he petitioned for a scholar, and Emperor Wu sent Shaoyu to serve.
89
少瑜美容貌，工草書，吏部尚書到溉嘗曰：「此人有大才而無貴仕。」 將拔之，會溉去職。 後除武陵王記室參軍，卒。
Shaoyu was handsome and skilled in cursive script. Dao Gai, Minister of the Civil Service, once said, "This man has great talent but no high office." He was about to promote him when Dao left his post. He was later made registrar assessor to the Prince of Wuling and died in that post.
90
杜之偉字子大，吳郡錢唐人也。 家世儒學，以三禮專門。 父規，梁奉朝請。 之偉幼精敏，有逸才。 年十五，遍觀文史及儀禮故事，時輩稱其早成。 僕射徐勉嘗見其文，重其有筆力。
Du Zhiwei, style name Zida, came from Qiantang in Wu commandery. His family had for generations pursued Confucian learning, with a specialty in the Three Rites. His father Gui had served as a court attendant under Liang. As a boy Zhiwei was quick and sharp, with gifts beyond his years. By fifteen he had read widely in literature, history, and ritual precedent, and contemporaries called him precocious. Vice Director Xu Mian once read his work and admired its force.
91
中大通元年，梁武帝幸同泰寺捨身，敕勉撰儀注。 勉以先無此禮，召之偉草具其儀。 乃啟補東宮學士，與學士劉陟等抄撰群書，各為題目，所撰富教、政道二篇，皆之偉為序。 後兼太學限內博士。
In the first year of Zhongdatong, Emperor Wu of Liang went to Tongtai Temple to yield his person in the Buddhist rite and ordered Xu Mian to draft the ceremonial protocol. Mian replied that the court had no precedent for it and summoned Zhiwei to sketch the full ceremony. He was then recommended as an Eastern Palace scholar and, with Liu Zhi and others, copied and compiled various books, each assigned its own topic; Zhiwei wrote the prefaces to both treatises he drafted, "Abundant Instruction" and "The Way of Governance." He later also served concurrently as an erudite within the Imperial Academy.
92
大同七年，梁皇太子釋奠于國學，時樂府無孔子、顏子登歌詞，令之偉制文，伶人傳習，以為故事。 再遷安前邵陵王刑獄參軍。
In the seventh year of Datong the Liang crown prince offered the Confucian libation at the national academy. The Music Bureau then lacked ascending hymns for Confucius and Yan Hui, so Zhiwei was ordered to compose them; the performers learned and kept them, and they became custom. He was promoted again to prison assessor under the Prince of Shaoling at Anqian.
93
之偉年位甚卑，特以強識俊才，頗有名當世。 吏部尚書張纘深知之，以為廊廟之器。 陳武帝為丞相，素聞其名，召補記室參軍。 遷中書侍郎，領大著作。 及受禪，除鴻臚卿，餘並如故。 之偉求解著作，優敕不許。 再遷太中大夫，仍敕撰梁史，卒官。 文集十七卷。
Zhiwei was still young and low in rank, yet his powerful memory and outstanding gifts had already made him a name in his day. Zhang Zuan, Minister of the Civil Service, knew him well and regarded him as a future pillar of the court. When Chen Wudi was grand chancellor, having long heard his name, he summoned him and appointed him registrar assessor. He was promoted to vice director of the secretariat and concurrently headed the historiography office. When Chen accepted the abdication, Zhiwei was made director of ceremonial affairs; his other posts remained unchanged. Zhiwei asked to be relieved of the historiography office, but a gracious edict refused. He was promoted again to grand master of palace affairs and was still ordered to compile the History of Liang; he died in office. His collected writings ran to seventeen scrolls.
94
顏晃字元明，琅邪臨沂人也。 少孤貧，好學，有辭采。 解褐梁邵陵王兼記室參軍。 時東宮學士庾信使府中，王使晃接對，信輕其少，曰：「此府兼記室幾人？」 晃曰：「猶當少於宮中學士。」 當時以為善對。
Yan Huang, style name Yuanming, came from Linyi in Langya. Orphaned and poor in youth, he loved learning and had a gift for language. His first appointment was as concurrent registrar assessor to the Prince of Shaoling of Liang. When Eastern Palace scholar Yu Xin was sent to the prince's headquarters, the prince had Huang receive him. Xin, thinking him too young, asked, "How many concurrent registrars does this establishment have, anyway?" Huang replied, "Still fewer than the palace scholars, I should think." Contemporaries judged it a sharp reply.
95
侯景之亂，奔荊州。 承聖初，除中書侍郎。 陳天嘉初，累遷員外散騎常侍，兼中書舍人，掌詔誥。 卒，贈司農卿，諡曰貞子。
During Hou Jing's rebellion he fled to Jing Province. At the beginning of the Chengsheng era he was made vice director of the secretariat. At the beginning of Chen's Tiancheng era he rose through successive promotions to supernumerary cavalier attendant-in-ordinary and concurrent secretariat steward, in charge of edicts and proclamations. When he died he was posthumously made director of the directorate of agriculture, with the posthumous name Zhenzi, "The Upright."
96
晃家世單門，傍無戚援，而介然修立，為當世所知。 其表奏詔誥，下筆立成，便得事理。 有集二十卷。
Huang came from a solitary household with no kin to lean on, yet he held himself upright in isolation and was known to his contemporaries. His memorials, submissions, edicts, and proclamations came from his brush at once and immediately hit the substance of the matter. He left a collection in twenty scrolls.
97
岑之敬字思禮，南陽棘陽人也。 父善紆，梁世以經學聞，官至吳甯令，司義郎。
Cen Zhijing, style name Sili, came from Jiyang in Nanyang. His father Shanyu was known in the Liang for classical learning and rose to magistrate of Wuning and attendant for righteousness.
98
之敬年五歲，讀孝經，每燒香正坐，親戚咸加歎異。 十六，策春秋左氏、制旨孝經義，擢為高第。 御史奏曰：「皇朝多士，例止明經，若顏、閔之流，乃應高第。」 梁武帝省其策，曰：「何妨我復有顏、閔邪。」 因召入面試。 令之敬升講坐，敕中書舍人朱異執孝經，唱士孝章，武帝親自論難。 之敬剖釋從橫，左右莫不嗟服。 仍除童子奉車郎，賞賜優厚。
At five Zhijing read the Classic of Filial Piety; each time he burned incense and sat upright, and his kin all marveled. At sixteen he was examined on the Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals and the emperor's exposition of the Classic of Filial Piety and was placed in the highest grade. The imperial censor memorialized: "Our dynasty has many scholars who ordinarily pass only the classics examination; only men of the caliber of Yan Yuan and Min Ziqian should receive the highest grade." Emperor Wu of Liang reviewed his papers and said, "Why should I not have my own Yan Yuan and Min Ziqian?" He then summoned him for a face-to-face test. He had Zhijing ascend the lecture seat, ordered secretariat steward Zhu Yi to hold the Classic of Filial Piety and intone the chapter on the scholar's filial piety, and debated him himself. Zhijing analyzed and explained freely in every direction; none present failed to admire him. He was immediately made gentleman attendant of carriages for the youth examination, with generous rewards.
99
十八，預重雲殿法會，時武帝親行香，熟視之敬曰：「未幾見兮，突而弁兮。」 即日除太學限內博士。 尋為壽光學士、司義郎。 太清元年，表請試吏，除南沙令。
At eighteen he attended the dharma assembly at Chongyun Hall; Emperor Wu personally performed the incense rite, gazed long at Zhijing, and said, "It seems but yesterday I saw you, and suddenly you wear the cap!" That same day he was made an erudite within the Imperial Academy. Soon afterward he became a scholar of Shouguang and attendant for righteousness. In the first year of Taiqing he petitioned to be tested as an official and was made magistrate of Nansha.
100
承聖二年，除晉安王宣惠府中記室參軍。 時蕭勃據嶺表，敕之敬宣旨慰喻。 會魏克江陵，仍留廣州。 陳太建初還朝，授東宮義省學士。 累遷南台書侍御史，征南府諮議參軍。
In the second year of Chengsheng he was made registrar assessor on the staff of Prince Xuanhui of Jin'an. When Xiao Bo held Lingnan, Zhijing was ordered to proclaim the imperial will and reassure him. When Wei captured Jiangling he stayed on in Guangzhou. At the beginning of Chen's Taijian era he returned to court and was made a scholar of the Eastern Palace Righteousness Bureau. He rose through successive promotions to secretariat attendant censor of the Southern Secretariat and advisory assessor of the southern campaign headquarters.
101
之敬始以經業進，而博涉文史，雅有詞筆，不為醇儒。 性謙謹，未嘗以才學矜物，接引後進，恂恂如也。 每母忌日營齋，必躬自灑掃，涕泣終日，士君子以篤行稱之。 十一年卒。 有集十卷行於世。
Zhijing had entered through classical studies but ranged widely in literature and history, wrote well, and was no narrow ritual scholar. By nature he was modest and careful; he never flaunted his talent before others, and in guiding younger scholars he was ever gentle and courteous. On each anniversary of his mother's death he held a Buddhist fast, always sweeping the grounds himself and weeping all day; men of honor praised him for his devoted conduct. He died in the eleventh year. A collection of ten scrolls by him circulated in his day.
102
子德潤，有父風，位中軍吳興王記室。
His son Derun inherited his father's character and served as registrar to the Prince of Wuxing of the Central Army.
103
何之元，廬江灊人也。 祖僧達，齊南台書侍御史。 父法勝，以行業聞。
He Zhiyuan came from Qian in Lujiang. His grandfather Sengda had been secretariat attendant censor of the Southern Secretariat under Qi. His father Fasheng was known for upright conduct.
104
之元幼好學，有才思，居喪過禮。 梁天監末，司空袁昂表薦之，因得召見。 累遷信義令。 其宗人敬容，位望隆重，頻相顧訪，之元終不造焉。 或問其故，之元曰：「昔楚人得寵於觀起，有馬者皆亡。 夫德薄任隆，必近覆敗，吾恐不獲其利而招其禍。」 識者以是稱之。
Zhiyuan loved learning from childhood and had literary gifts; in mourning he went beyond what the rites required. Near the end of Liang's Tianjian era, Minister of Works Yuan Ang recommended him in a memorial, and he was summoned to an audience. He rose through successive promotions to magistrate of Xinyi. His clansman Jingrong held weighty rank and prestige and often sought him out, but Zhiyuan never visited him in return. Asked why, Zhiyuan said, "Long ago a man of Chu won favor through Guan Qi, and everyone who had horses perished. When virtue is thin yet responsibility is heavy, ruin is near; I fear I would gain no profit but invite disaster instead." Those who understood praised him for this.
105
侯景之亂，武陵王以太尉承制，授南梁州刺史、北巴西太守。 武陵王自成都舉兵東下，之元與蜀中人庶抗表請無行，王以為沮眾，囚之元於艦中。 及武陵兵敗，之元從邵陵太守劉棻之郡。 俄而魏克江陵，劉棻卒，王琳召為記室參軍。 及琳立蕭莊，署為中書侍郎。 王琳敗，齊主以為揚州別駕，所居即壽春也。
During Hou Jing's rebellion the Prince of Wuling, exercising authority as grand marshal, appointed him governor of Southern Liang Province and administrator of Northern Baxi. When the Prince of Wuling raised troops from Chengdu and marched east, Zhiyuan joined the people of Shu in jointly memorializing against the campaign; the prince deemed this demoralizing and imprisoned Zhiyuan aboard his warship. When the Prince of Wuling's army was defeated, Zhiyuan followed Liu Fen, administrator of Shaoling, to his commandery. Before long Wei captured Jiangling; Liu Fen died, and Wang Lin summoned him as registrar assessor. When Lin enthroned Xiao Zhuang, he was appointed vice director of the secretariat. When Wang Lin was defeated, the ruler of Qi made him vice administrator of Yang Province; his residence was at Shouchun.
106
及眾軍北伐，湘州刺史始興王叔陵遣功曹史柳咸齎書召之。 之元始與陳朝有隙，書至大惶恐。 讀書至「孔璋無罪，左車見用」，遂隨咸至湘州。 再遷中衛府諮議參軍。
When the allied armies marched north, Prince Shixing Wang Shuling, governor of Xiang Province, sent clerk of merit Liu Xian with a letter summoning him. Zhiyuan had previously had a falling-out with the Chen court; when the letter arrived he was greatly alarmed. When he read as far as the line, "Chen Lin was guiltless, and Zuo Si was put to use," he followed Xian to Xiang Province. He was promoted again to advisory assessor of the Central Guard headquarters.
107
陳亡，移居常州之晉陵縣。 隋開皇十三年，卒於家。
When Chen fell, he moved to Jinling County in Chang Prefecture. In the thirteenth year of Kaihuang of Sui he died at home.
108
徐伯陽字隱忍，東海人也。 父僧權，梁東宮通事舍人，領秘書，以善書知名。
Xu Boyang, style name Yinren, came from Donghai. His father Sengquan served as Attendant Master of Affairs of the Eastern Palace under Liang and concurrently as Director of the Secretariat, and was renowned for his calligraphy.
109
伯陽敏而好學，善色養。 家有史書，所讀者近三千餘卷。 梁大同中，為候官令，甚得人和。 侯景之亂，至廣州依蕭勃。 勃平，還都。 陳天嘉中，除司空侯安都府記室參軍。 太建初，與中記室李爽、記室張正見、左戶郎賀徹、學士阮卓、黃門郎蕭詮、三公郎王由禮、處士馬樞、記室祖孫登、比部郎賀循、長史劉刪等為文會友，後有蔡凝、劉助、陳暄、孔範亦預焉，皆一時士也。 游宴賦詩，動成卷軸。 伯陽為其集序，盛傳於世。
Boyang was quick-witted and loved learning, and excelled at caring for his parents with filial grace. His household possessed historical works, and he had read nearly three thousand scrolls. During Datong under Liang he served as Magistrate of Houguan and won great harmony among the people. During the rebellion of Hou Jing he went to Guangzhou and placed himself under Xiao Bo's protection. When Bo was pacified, he returned to the capital. During Tianjia under Chen he was appointed Army Major and Master of Records in the household of Minister of Works Hou Andu. At the beginning of Taijian he formed a literary fellowship with Li Shuang, Zhang Zhengjian, He Che, Ruan Zhuo, Xiao Quan, Wang Youli, Ma Shu, Zu Sun Deng, He Xun, Liu Shan, and others; later Cai Ning, Liu Zhu, Chen Xuan, and Kong Fan joined as well—all were leading literary men of the day. At their gatherings and banquets they composed poetry, often enough to fill whole scrolls. Boyang wrote a preface to their collected works, which circulated widely.
110
後除鎮北新安王府中記室參軍，兼南徐州別駕，帶東海郡丞。 鄱陽王為江州刺史，伯陽常奉使造焉。 王率府僚與伯陽登匡嶺置宴，酒酣，命筆賦劇韻三十，伯陽與祖孫登前成，王賜以奴婢雜物。 後除鎮右新安王府諮議參軍事。 聞姊喪，發疾卒。
Later he was appointed Central Army Major and Master of Records in the household of the Prince of Xin'an, Defender of the North, and served concurrently as Vice Governor of Southern Xuzhou with concurrent duty as Assistant Administrator of Donghai commandery. When the Prince of Poyang served as Governor of Jiangzhou, Boyang was often sent on missions to visit him. The prince led his staff and Boyang up Mount Kuang for a banquet; when the wine was flowing he ordered brush and paper and assigned thirty difficult rhymes. Boyang and Zu Sun Deng finished first, and the prince rewarded them with servants and various goods. Later he was appointed Advisory Army Major in the household of the Prince of Xin'an, Defender of the Right. On hearing of his elder sister's death he fell ill and died.
111
張正見字見賾，清河東武城人也。 祖善之，魏散騎常侍、勃海長樂二郡太守。 父修禮，魏散騎侍郎，歸梁，仍拜本職，遷懷方太守。
Zhang Zhengjian, styled Jianze, was a native of Dongwucheng in Qinghe commandery. His grandfather Shanzhi served as Regular Attendant of the Cavalry in Wei and as Administrator of the commanderies of Bohai and Changle. His father Xiuli served as Vice Director of the Cavalry in Wei; he submitted to Liang and was reappointed to his former post, then promoted to Administrator of Huaifang.
112
阮卓，陳留尉氏人也。 祖詮，梁散騎侍郎。 父問道，梁岳陽王府記室參軍。
Ruan Zhuo was a native of Weishi in Chenliu commandery. His grandfather Quan served as Vice Director of the Cavalry under Liang. His father Wendao served as Army Major and Master of Records in the household of the Prince of Yueyang under Liang.
113
卓幼聰敏，篤志經籍，尤工五言。 性至孝，父隨岳陽王出鎮江州，卒，卓時年十五，自都奔赴，水漿不入口者累日。 載柩還都，度彭蠡湖，中流遇疾風，船幾沒者數四，卓仰天悲號，俄而風息，人以為孝感之至。
From youth Zhuo was clever and keen, devoted to the classics, and especially skilled in five-word verse. By nature he was deeply filial. His father had followed the Prince of Yueyang to his posting in Jiangzhou and died there; Zhuo was then fifteen and rushed from the capital. For many days he took neither water nor food. He bore the coffin back to the capital and crossed Lake Poyang; mid-lake they met fierce winds and the boat nearly sank several times. Zhuo looked heavenward and wailed; presently the wind ceased, and people regarded this as the utmost power of filial devotion.
114
還除南海王府諮議參軍，以目疾不之官。 退居裏舍，改構亭宇，修山池卉木，招致賓友，以文酒自娛。 陳亡入隋，行至江州，追感其父所終，遘疾卒。
On his return he was appointed Advisory Army Major in the household of the Prince of Nanhai, but because of eye disease he did not take up the post. He retired to his home village, rebuilt pavilions and halls, tended mountain pools and flowering trees, gathered guests and friends, and amused himself with literature and wine. When Chen fell and he entered Sui, he traveled as far as Jiangzhou; overcome by remembrance of where his father had died, he fell ill and died.
115
論曰：文章者，蓋情性之風標，神明之律呂也。 蘊思含豪，遊心內運，放言落紙，氣韻天成。 莫不稟以生靈，遷乎愛嗜，機見殊門，賞悟紛雜，感召無象，變化不窮。 發五聲之音響，而出言異句，寫萬物之情狀，而下筆殊形。 暢自心靈，而宣之簡素，輪扁之言，未或能盡。 然縱假之天性，終資好習，是以古之賢哲，咸所用心。 至若丘靈鞠等，或克荷門業，或夙懷慕尚，雖位有窮通，而名不可滅。 然則立身之道，可無務乎。
The commentary says: Literature is the banner of one's inner nature and the pitch-pipe of the spirit. Thoughts stored and boldness held within, the mind roams in inner motion; words released onto paper, and breath and resonance are born of heaven. All receive it from living spirit and shift with love and appetite; openings of insight have different gates, appreciation and understanding are tangled and mixed, stimulus and response have no fixed form, and transformation is inexhaustible. It releases the sounds of the five tones yet produces words in differing lines; it depicts the conditions of the ten thousand things yet sets the brush to differing forms. What flows from the inner heart and is declared in plain simplicity—even the words of Wheelwright Bian could not fully exhaust it. Yet though one may borrow from innate nature, in the end one relies on devoted practice; therefore the sages of old all devoted themselves to it. As for men such as Qiu Lingju, some were able to bear the family vocation, others from early on cherished literary ambition; though office had its limits of success and failure, their names cannot be extinguished. Thus the way of establishing oneself in the world—can one afford not to devote oneself to it?