Xu Shen (許慎) | 24 Histories

Overview

Xu Shen was a scholar and Writer.

PeriodQin and Han

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 100 to AD 121 漢代
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 472, passage 94
AD 100 to AD 121 若虛曰：「非也，此許慎所謂鼨鼠，豹文而形小。」
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 123, passage 194
AD 100 to AD 121 許慎
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 359, passage 182; Draft History of Qing 503, passage 167
c. AD 100 to AD 121 許慎（東漢，說文解字）
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 442, passage 117
AD 100 to AD 147 許慎五經異義
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 40, passage 247

Key source chapters

Career and standing

lexicographer 字書作者
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 123, passage 194

Places and affiliations

Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Active in
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 40, passage 247
Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Lived under
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 359, passage 182; Draft History of Qing 442, passage 117; Draft History of Qing 503, passage 167; New Book of Tang 123, passage 194

Learning and skills

Skill philology 文字學 · Level canonical
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 503, passage 167

Works and attributed material

Divergent meanings of the Five Classics 五經異義
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 40, passage 247
lexical definition of the patterned rat 所謂鼨鼠
Relation Author
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 194
Shuowen 說文
Relation Author
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 359, passage 182
Xu's dictionary (Shuowen) 許書
Relation Author
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 442, passage 117

Events and relationships

Proposed for Confucian temple sacrifice
AD 1865 to AD 1877 汪鳴鑾疏請從祀 · Ritual · Honoree · With Wang Mingluan (汪鳴鑾) · At Confucian temple 文廟 · Posthumous true
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 442, passage 117

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 40, passage 247; Draft History of Qing 359, passage 182
Value historical
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 442, passage 117

References in the histories

Book of Later Han, Chapter 40Volume 35: Biographies of Zhang, Cao, Zheng · 1 passage

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凡玄所註《周易》、《尚書》、《毛詩》、《儀禮》、《禮記》、《論語》、《孝經》、《尚書大傳》、《中候》、《乾象歷》，又著《天文七政論》、《魯禮禘祫義》、《六藝論》、《毛詩譜》、《駁許慎五經異義》、《答臨孝存周禮難》，凡百餘萬言。 All told he glossed the Changes, Documents, Mao Odes, Ceremonial, Book of Rites, Analects, Filial Piety, Amplified Documents, Zhong hou, and the Qian xiang calendar, and wrote treatises on the seven celestial governors, the Lu ritual meaning of di and xia, the six arts, the Mao ode stemma, a refutation of Xu Shen's divergent glosses, and a reply to Lin Xiaocun's Zhou li critique—well over a million characters.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 359Volume 359 Biographies 146: Yue Qi, Jing Daoqian, Xie Qikun, Li Diantu, Zhang Shicheng, Wang Shaolan, Li Yichou, Qian Kai, He Shunwu · 1 passage

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去官後，一意著述，以許慎、鄭康成為宗，於儀禮、說文致力尤深，著書皆可傳。 After leaving office he devoted himself entirely to scholarship, taking Xu Shen and Zheng Xuan as his models. He applied himself especially to the Ceremonies and the Shuowen, and his writings are all works of lasting value.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 442Volume 442 Biographies 229: Xu Shuming, Xue Yunsheng, Zong Shiyanxu, Zi, Hui Zhang, Wang Mingluan, Zhang Lin, Zhou Jiamei, Zhou Derun, Hu Yufen, Zhang Yinhuan · 1 passage

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治經當從許書入手，嘗疏請以許慎從祀文廟。 Classical study should begin with Xu Shen; he once memorialized to have Xu Shen enshrined in the Confucian temple.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 472Volume 472 Biographies 259: Lu Runxiang, Shi Xu, Yi Ketan, Liang Dingfen, Xu Fang, Lao Naixuan, Shen Cengzhi · 2 passages

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漢儒許慎，特因說文解字，功在經籍，專隆升祔。 The Han scholar Xu Shen had been specially elevated solely because his Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters served the study of the classics.

揆諸古者釋奠祭師之誼，達海應得附祀，核與漢儒許慎從祀之例亦屬相符。 Measured by the ancient rite of the libation sacrifice honoring teachers, Dahai deserves collateral sacrifice; compared with the precedent of the Han scholar Xu Shen, the case is entirely in accord.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 503Volume 503 Biographies 290: Yi Shu Er · 1 passage

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又考上古逮史籀、李斯，折衷於許慎，作在昔篇。 He also traced writing from high antiquity through Shi Zhou and Li Si, reconciling them with Xu Shen's tradition, and composed the Zaixi Pian.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 123Volume 123 Biographies 48: Li, Xiao, Lu, Wei, Zhao, He · 1 passage

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若虛曰：「非也，此許慎所謂鼨鼠，豹文而形小。」 Ruoxu said, "Not so—this is what Xu Shen calls the patterned rat, leopard-marked and small in form".