Guo Pu (郭璞) | 24 Histories

Overview

Guo Pu was a scholar, Official, Writer, and Diviner.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Alternate name	Master Guo	郭生	Guo Sheng

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 317 to AD 322 乃著《客傲》
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 72, passage 83; jinshu:072:s0083a01; jinshu:072:s0083a02; jinshu:072:s0083a03; jinshu:072:s0083a04; jinshu:072:s0083a05; jinshu:072:s0083a06; jinshu:072:s0083a07; jinshu:072:s0083a08; jinshu:072:s0083a09; jinshu:072:s0083a10; jinshu:072:s0083a11; jinshu:072:s0083a12; jinshu:072:s0083a13; jinshu:072:s0083a14; jinshu:072:s0083a15; jinshu:072:s0083a16; jinshu:072:s0083a17; jinshu:072:s0083a18; jinshu:072:s0083a19; jinshu:072:s0083a20; jinshu:072:s0083a21; jinshu:072:s0083a22; jinshu:072:s0083a23; jinshu:072:s0083a24; jinshu:072:s0083a25; jinshu:072:s0083a26; jinshu:072:s0083a27; jinshu:072:s0083a28; jinshu:072:s0083a29; jinshu:072:s0083a30; jinshu:072:s0083a31; jinshu:072:s0083a32
AD 317 to AD 322 明帝之在東宮
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 72, passage 78
AD 317 to AD 322 歲首純陽之月；此月四日；日在癸亥；往年歲末；未及一月
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 72, passage 75; jinshu:072:s0075a01; jinshu:072:s0075a02; jinshu:072:s0075a03; jinshu:072:s0075a04; jinshu:072:s0075a05; jinshu:072:s0075a06; jinshu:072:s0075a07; jinshu:072:s0075a08; jinshu:072:s0075a09; jinshu:072:s0075a10; jinshu:072:s0075a11; jinshu:072:s0075a12; jinshu:072:s0075a13; jinshu:072:s0075a14; jinshu:072:s0075a15; jinshu:072:s0075a16; jinshu:072:s0075a17; jinshu:072:s0075a18; jinshu:072:s0075a19
AD 317 to AD 322 頃之
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 72, passages 76-77

Career and standing

court secretary with brush at the edge of court 珥筆朝末
Directly stated · jinshu:072:s0075a19
gentleman of the masters of writing 尚書郎
Promoted
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 76

Places and affiliations

Polity Id eastern-jin · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 72, passages 75-76, 78

Learning and skills

Skill divination 卜筮 · Level obsessed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 82

Works and attributed material

The Guest's Pride 客傲
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 83
Dialogue · Speaker · With Gan Bao (干寶) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 81
Memorial · Author · With Your Majesty (陛下) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 75; jinshu:072:s0075a01; jinshu:072:s0075a02; jinshu:072:s0075a03; jinshu:072:s0075a04; jinshu:072:s0075a05; jinshu:072:s0075a06; jinshu:072:s0075a07; jinshu:072:s0075a08; jinshu:072:s0075a09; jinshu:072:s0075a10; jinshu:072:s0075a11; jinshu:072:s0075a12; jinshu:072:s0075a13; jinshu:072:s0075a14; jinshu:072:s0075a15; jinshu:072:s0075a16; jinshu:072:s0075a17; jinshu:072:s0075a18; jinshu:072:s0075a19
The Guest's Pride 客傲
Rhapsody · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · jinshu:072:s0083a05; jinshu:072:s0083a06; jinshu:072:s0083a07; jinshu:072:s0083a08; jinshu:072:s0083a09; jinshu:072:s0083a10; jinshu:072:s0083a11; jinshu:072:s0083a12; jinshu:072:s0083a13; jinshu:072:s0083a14; jinshu:072:s0083a15; jinshu:072:s0083a16; jinshu:072:s0083a17; jinshu:072:s0083a18; jinshu:072:s0083a19; jinshu:072:s0083a20; jinshu:072:s0083a21; jinshu:072:s0083a22; jinshu:072:s0083a23; jinshu:072:s0083a24; jinshu:072:s0083a25; jinshu:072:s0083a26; jinshu:072:s0083a27; jinshu:072:s0083a28; jinshu:072:s0083a29; jinshu:072:s0083a30; jinshu:072:s0083a31; jinshu:072:s0083a32

Events and relationships

The Guest's Pride 客傲
Scholarly · Author · Composed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 83
Promoted
AD 317 to AD 322 頃之 · Career · Appointee
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 76
Submitted memorial
AD 317 to AD 322 歲首純陽之月；此月四日；日在癸亥；往年歲末；未及一月 · Political · Author · With Your Majesty (陛下)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 75
Tendered timely counsel
Political · Adviser
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 77
Relation Admonished by · Person Gan Bao (干寶)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 80
Relation Compared with · Person Yu Liang (庾亮)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 78

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Relation Compared with · Person Wen Qiao (溫嶠)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 78

Assessments and attributes

Assessment considered his talent high and his rank low · Mode self-report Speaker Guo Pu (郭璞)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 83
Assessment esteemed for talent and learning and ranked equal to Wen Qiao and Yu Liang · Mode named-source-report Source discoursers
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 78
Assessment gentry mocked his love of divination · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 82
careless of dignity, fond of wine and beauty, sometimes to excess
Character
Directly stated · Book of Jin 72, passage 79

References in the histories

Search passages

History

8 passages

Book of Jin, Chapter 72Volume 72 Biographies 42: Guo Pu; Ge Hong · 8 passages

Open chapter

其後日有黑氣，璞復上疏曰：臣以頑昧，近者冒陳所見，陛下不遺狂言，事蒙禦省。 After this, black qi appeared in the sun, and Guo Pu again submitted a memorial: Because I am stubborn and ignorant, I recently ventured to state what I had seen; Your Majesty did not reject my mad words, and the matter received imperial review.

計去微臣所陳，未及一月，而便有此變，益明皇天留情陛下懇懇之至也。 Counting from what this humble minister stated, not yet one month had passed before this change occurred; this further clarifies that August Heaven fixes its concern on Your Majesty with the utmost earnestness.

此國家大信之要，誠非微臣所得幹豫。 This is the essential point of the state's great trust, and truly not something a petty servant may interfere in.

明帝之在東宮，與溫嶠、庾亮並有布衣之好，璞亦以才學見重，埒於嶠、亮，論者美之。 While the Ming Emperor was in the Eastern Palace, he enjoyed a commoner's friendship with Wen Qiao and Yu Liang; Guo Pu was also esteemed for talent and learning, ranked equal to Qiao and Liang, and critics praised him.

璞曰：「吾所受有本限，用之恆恐不得盡，卿乃憂酒色之為患乎！」 Guo Pu replied: "My allotted span is finite—I fear exhausting life without tasting everything—and you fret over wine and beauty?"

璞既好卜筮，縉紳多笑之。 Officials mocked his obsession with divination.

又自以才高位卑，乃著《客傲》，其辭曰：客傲郭生曰：「玉以兼城為寶，士以知名為賢。 Again, because he considered his talent high and his rank low, he wrote Ke'ao, "The Guest's Pride." Its text says: A guest mocked Master Guo: "Jade is treasured when it is worth paired cities, and a gentleman is deemed worthy when his name is known.

郭生粲然而笑曰：「鷦鷯不可與論雲翼，井蛙難與量海鰲。 Master Guo laughed brightly and said: "A wren cannot discuss cloud-wings, and a well frog is hard to use in measuring the sea turtle.