1
太史公曰：余讀功令，至於廣厲學官之路，未嘗不廢書而嘆也。 曰：嗟乎！ 夫周室衰而關雎作，幽厲微而禮樂壞，諸侯恣行，政由彊國。 故孔子閔王路廢而邪道興，於是論次詩書，修起禮樂。 適齊聞韶，三月不知肉味。 自衛返魯，然後樂正，雅頌各得其所。 世以混濁莫能用，是以仲尼干七十餘君無所遇，曰「茍有用我者，期月而已矣」。 西狩獲麟，曰「吾道窮矣」。 故因史記作春秋，以當王法，其辭微而指博，後世學者多錄焉。
The Grand Historian remarks: Whenever I read the imperial statutes and reach the provisions for expanding the pathways of official scholarship, I cannot help but put down my book and sigh. He exclaimed: Alas! As the Zhou dynasty waned, the ode "Guan Ju" was composed; as Kings You and Li grew feeble, ritual and music fell to ruin. The feudal lords acted as they pleased, and political power rested with the strongest states. Confucius, grieving that the Way of the kings had fallen into disuse while heterodox doctrines flourished, set about editing the Odes and the Documents and reviving the rites and music. When he traveled to Qi and heard the Shao music performed, for three months he was so enraptured that he could not taste his food. Only after his return from Wei to Lu did he set the music in order, restoring the Ya and Song sections each to their proper place. The age was so mired in chaos that none would employ him. Confucius appealed to more than seventy rulers, yet none took him in. He said, "Were anyone to employ me, within a single year I would have something to show for it." When a qilin was captured during a hunt in the west, he said, "My Way has come to its end." Drawing upon the historical records, he composed the Spring and Autumn Annals as a standard of kingly governance. Its language is subtle, yet its implications are vast, and scholars of later ages have widely studied and transmitted it.
2
自孔子卒後，七十子之徒散游諸侯，大者為師傅卿相，小者友教士大夫，或隱而不見。 故子路居衛，子張居陳，澹臺子羽居楚，子夏居西河，子貢終於齊。 如田子方、段干木、吳起、禽滑釐之屬，皆受業於子夏之倫，為王者師。 是時獨魏文侯好學。 后陵遲以至于始皇，天下并爭於戰國，懦術既絀焉，然齊魯之閒，學者獨不廢也。 於威、宣之際，孟子、荀卿之列，咸遵夫子之業而潤色之，以學顯於當世。
After Confucius died, his seventy disciples scattered across the states. The most prominent among them rose to become tutors, ministers, and chancellors; the lesser ones befriended and instructed the scholar-officials; and some withdrew into seclusion, never to be seen again. And so Zilu settled in Wei, Zizhang in Chen, Dantai Ziyu in Chu, Zixia along the West River, and Zigong ended his days in Qi. Figures like Tian Zifang, Duan Ganmu, Wu Qi, and Qin Guli all studied under the circle of Zixia and went on to become teachers of kings. At that time, only Marquis Wen of Wei was devoted to learning. In the gradual decline that followed, down to the time of the First Emperor, the realm was consumed by the rivalries of the Warring States, and Confucian learning was cast aside. Yet in the lands between Qi and Lu, scholars alone kept the tradition alive. During the reigns of Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi, scholars of the caliber of Mencius and Xunzi carried forward the Master's legacy and refined it, achieving renown in their own day through their scholarship.
3
及至秦之季世，焚詩書，阬術士，六藝從此缺焉。 陳涉之王也，而魯諸儒持孔氏之禮器往歸陳王。 於是孔甲為陳涉博士，卒與涉俱死。 陳涉起匹夫，驅瓦合適戍，旬月以王楚，不滿半歲竟滅亡，其事至微淺，然而縉紳先生之徒負孔子禮器往委質為臣者，何也？ 以秦焚其業，積怨而發憤于陳王也。
In the last days of the Qin, the Odes and the Documents were burned and scholars were buried alive. From that time onward, the Six Arts were left in ruins. When Chen She declared himself king, the Confucian scholars of Lu took up the ritual vessels of the Kong family and went to pledge their allegiance to him. Kong Jia became one of Chen She's erudites, and in the end perished alongside him. Chen She rose from the humblest origins, rallied a ragtag band of garrison conscripts, proclaimed himself king of Chu within a month, and was utterly destroyed in less than half a year — his enterprise could not have been more trifling. Yet the robed and belted scholars carried Confucius's ritual vessels to his court and pledged their service. Why? Because Qin had burned their life's work, they had stored up such resentment that they channeled their fury through King Chen.
4
及高皇帝誅項籍，舉兵圍魯，魯中諸儒尚講誦習禮樂，弦歌之音不絕，豈非聖人之遺化，好禮樂之國哉？ 故孔子在陳曰：「歸與！ 歸與！ 吾黨之小子狂簡，斐然成章，不知所以裁之。」 夫齊魯之閒於文學，自古以來，其天性也。 故漢興，然後諸儒始得修其經藝，講習大射鄉飲之禮。 叔孫通作漢禮儀，因為太常，諸生弟子共定者，咸為選首，於是喟然嘆興於學。 然尚有干戈，平定四海，亦未暇遑庠序之事也。 孝惠、呂后時，公卿皆武力有功之臣。 孝文時頗徵用，然孝文帝本好刑名之言。 及至孝景，不任儒者，而竇太后又好黃老之術，故諸博士具官待問，未有進者。
When the High Emperor defeated Xiang Yu and his armies laid siege to Lu, the Confucian scholars within the city were still lecturing, reciting, and practicing the rites and music; the sounds of strings and song never ceased. Was this not the enduring legacy of the sage — a land truly devoted to ritual and music? And so Confucius, while in the state of Chen, once said: "Let me go home! Let me go home! The young men back home are ambitious yet unrestrained; they have produced splendid writings, but do not yet know how to shape them." The devotion to literature and learning in the lands between Qi and Lu has been part of their very nature since ancient times. Only after the founding of the Han were Confucian scholars at last able to resume their classical studies and practice the rites of the Great Archery Ceremony and the District Drinking Ceremony. Shusun Tong devised the Han court rituals and was appointed Grand Master of Ceremonies. The students and disciples who had helped establish these rites were all awarded top appointments, inspiring a great surge of admiration and enthusiasm for learning. Yet with warfare still raging as the empire was being pacified, there was no time to attend to the affairs of the academies. In the reigns of Emperor Hui and Empress Dowager Lu, the high ministers were all men who had won their rank through military achievement. Under Emperor Wen, scholars were recruited to some extent, but the emperor himself was primarily drawn to the Legalist doctrines of punishment and terminology. Under Emperor Jing, Confucian scholars found no favor, and Empress Dowager Dou was herself devoted to the teachings of Huang-Lao. The erudites merely held their posts and awaited inquiries, with none advancing in rank.
5
及今上即位，趙綰、王臧之屬明儒學，而上亦鄉之，於是招方正賢良文學之士。 自是之后，言詩於魯則申培公，於齊則轅固生，於燕則韓太傅。 言尚書自濟南伏生。 言禮自魯高堂生。 言易自菑川田生。 言春秋於齊魯自胡毋生，於趙自董仲舒。 及竇太后崩，武安侯田蚡為丞相，絀黃老、刑名百家之言，延文學儒者數百人，而公孫弘以春秋白衣為天子三公，封以平津侯。 天下之學士靡然鄉風矣。
When the present emperor ascended the throne, men like Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, distinguished in Confucian learning, came to prominence, and the emperor himself was drawn to their tradition. He summoned men who were upright, worthy, and accomplished in the literary arts. From that time on, the foremost exponents of the Odes were Master Shen Pei in Lu, Yuan Gu in Qi, and Grand Tutor Han in Yan. The tradition of the Documents was transmitted from Master Fu of Jinan. The tradition of the Rites was transmitted from Master Gaotang of Lu. The tradition of the Changes was transmitted from Master Tian of Zichuan. The tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals was transmitted by Humu Sheng in the regions of Qi and Lu, and by Dong Zhongshu in Zhao. After Empress Dowager Dou died, the Marquis of Wu'an, Tian Fen, became Chancellor. He dismissed the doctrines of Huang-Lao, Legalism, and the Hundred Schools, and recruited several hundred literary and Confucian scholars. Gongsun Hong, through his mastery of the Spring and Autumn Annals, rose from commoner to one of the Three Excellencies under the Son of Heaven, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingjin. Scholars throughout the realm turned toward this new wind like grass bending in a breeze.
6
公孫弘為學官，悼道之郁滯，乃請曰：「丞相御史言：制曰『蓋聞導民以禮，風之以樂。 婚姻者，居屋之大倫也。 今禮廢樂崩，朕甚愍焉。 故詳延天下方正博聞之士，咸登諸朝。 其令禮官勸學，講議洽聞興禮，以為天下先。 太常議，與博士弟子，崇鄉里之化，以廣賢材焉』。 謹與太常臧、博士平等議曰：聞三代之道，鄉里有教，夏曰校，殷曰序，周曰庠。 其勸善也，顯之朝廷； 其懲惡也，加之刑罰。 故教化之行也，建首善自京師始，由內及外。 今陛下昭至德，開大明，配天地，本人倫，勸學修禮，崇化厲賢，以風四方，太平之原也。 古者政教未洽，不備其禮，請因舊官而興焉。 為博士官置弟子五十人，復其身。 太常擇民年十八已上，儀狀端正者，補博士弟子。 郡國縣道邑有好文學，敬長上，肅政教，順鄉里，出入不悖所聞者，令相長丞上屬所二千石，二千石謹察可者，當與計偕，詣太常，得受業如弟子。 一歲皆輒試，能通一藝以上，補文學掌故缺； 其高弟可以為郎中者，太常籍奏。 即有秀才異等，輒以名聞。 其不事學若下材及不能通一藝，輒罷之，而請諸不稱者罰。 臣謹案詔書律令下者，明天人分際，通古今之義，文章爾雅，訓辭深厚，恩施甚美。 小吏淺聞，不能究宣，無以明布諭下。 治禮次治掌故，以文學禮義為官，遷留滯。 請選擇其秩比二百石以上，及吏百石通一藝以上，補左右內史、大行卒史； 比百石已下，補郡太守卒史：皆各二人，邊郡一人。 先用誦多者，若不足，乃擇掌故補中二千石屬，文學掌故補郡屬，備員。 請著功令。 佗如律令。」 制曰：「可。」 自此以來，則公卿大夫士吏斌斌多文學之士矣。
Gongsun Hong, as the official overseeing scholarship, lamented the stagnation of the Way and submitted a memorial: "The Chancellor and the Imperial Secretary state: The imperial edict reads, 'We have heard that the people should be guided through ritual and transformed through music. Marriage is the foremost bond of the household. Now that ritual has fallen into disuse and music has collapsed, We are deeply grieved. Therefore We have carefully summoned from throughout the realm men who are upright and broadly learned, and brought them all to court. Let the ritual officials promote learning, and through broad discussion and inquiry revive the rites, so as to lead the realm by example. Let the Grand Master of Ceremonies deliberate with the erudites and their disciples on promoting moral transformation in the local communities, thereby expanding the pool of worthy talent.' After respectful deliberation with the Grand Master of Ceremonies Zang, the Erudite Ping, and others, we state: We have heard that under the Way of the Three Dynasties, there were local schools — the Xia called them xiao, the Shang called them xu, and the Zhou called them xiang. Those who excelled in virtue were honored at court; those who did evil were subject to punishment. In carrying out moral transformation, the standard of virtue must be established first in the capital and then spread outward. Now Your Majesty has made manifest the highest virtue, opened the way to great enlightenment, matched Heaven and Earth, and established the foundation of human relations. By encouraging learning, cultivating ritual, exalting moral transformation, and inspiring the worthy, you influence the four corners of the realm — this is the very wellspring of an era of great peace. In ancient times, when governance and instruction had not yet been fully established and the rites were still incomplete, the existing officials were relied upon to bring about their revival. We request that fifty students be assigned to the office of the erudites, with each granted exemption from corvee labor. The Grand Master of Ceremonies shall select from among the people those who are eighteen years of age or older and of proper bearing and appearance, to fill the positions of erudite students. In the commanderies, kingdoms, counties, districts, and towns, those who are devoted to learning, respectful toward their elders, attentive to governance and instruction, well regarded in their communities, and whose conduct accords with what they have been taught, shall be reported by the local magistrates and their deputies to the two-thousand-bushel administrator. The administrator shall carefully evaluate the qualified candidates, who shall then be sent to the capital with the annual accounts to study under the Grand Master of Ceremonies as students. Each year they shall be examined. Those who have mastered one or more of the classical arts shall fill vacancies as literary scholars or keepers of precedents; the highest-ranking students who qualify to serve as Gentlemen of the Interior shall be registered by the Grand Master of Ceremonies and reported to the throne. Should there be candidates of exceptional talent and outstanding ability, their names shall be promptly reported. Those who do not apply themselves to their studies, who are of inferior ability, or who cannot master even a single art, shall be dismissed. We further request that those who fail to meet the standard be subject to punishment. Your servant has carefully examined the imperial edicts and statutory orders that have been promulgated: they clarify the boundary between Heaven and humanity, illuminate the significance of past and present, their prose is refined and elegant, their instructive language is profound, and their beneficence is most admirable. Yet the petty officials, with their shallow understanding, are unable to fully expound and promulgate these edicts, and thus cannot clearly convey the message to the people below. Those who have studied the rites and mastered precedents, and who serve in office by virtue of their literary learning and knowledge of ritual, have long been stalled in their advancement. We request that from among those with a salary rank of two hundred bushels or above, and officials of one hundred bushels who have mastered at least one classical art, selections be made to fill positions as attendant clerks under the Left and Right Metropolitan Governors and the Grand Herald; those ranked below one hundred bushels shall fill positions as attendant clerks under the commandery governors — two per commandery, and one for each border commandery. Priority shall be given to those who have mastered the most texts. If these are insufficient, keepers of precedents shall be selected to fill posts under the two-thousand-bushel officials, and literary scholars and keepers of precedents shall fill commandery posts to complete the roster. We request that this be inscribed in the imperial statutes. All other matters shall follow the existing laws and ordinances." The emperor decreed: "Approved." From this time onward, the ranks of the high ministers, grandees, and officials were filled with men distinguished in literary learning.
7
申公者，魯人也。 高祖過魯，申公以弟子從師入見高祖于魯南宮。 呂太后時，申公游學長安，與劉郢同師。 已而郢為楚王，令申公傅其太子戊。 戊不好學，疾申公。 及王郢卒，戊立為楚王，胥靡申公。 申公恥之，歸魯，退居家教，終身不出門，復謝絕賓客，獨王命召之乃往。 弟子自遠方至受業者百餘人。 申公獨以詩經為訓以教，無傳（疑），疑者則闕不傳。
Master Shen was a native of Lu. When the High Ancestor passed through Lu, Master Shen accompanied his teacher as a student to have an audience with the High Ancestor at the Southern Palace of Lu. During the time of Empress Dowager Lu, Master Shen traveled to Chang'an to study and shared the same teacher as Liu Ying. In time, Liu Ying became King of Chu and appointed Master Shen as tutor to his heir apparent, Wu. Wu had no love of learning and came to resent Master Shen. When King Ying died and Wu ascended as King of Chu, he sentenced Master Shen to servitude as a convict laborer. Humiliated, Master Shen returned to Lu and withdrew to teach from his home. For the rest of his life he never stepped outside his gate. He refused all visitors, and would venture forth only when summoned by royal command. More than a hundred students came from distant places to study under him. Master Shen taught solely through the explication of the Classic of Odes. He left no transmitted commentary, and where there was any doubt, he simply left a gap rather than pass on uncertain material.
8
蘭陵王臧既受詩，以事孝景帝為太子少傅，免去。 今上初即位，臧乃上書宿衛上，累遷，一歲中為郎中令。 及代趙綰亦嘗受詩申公，綰為御史大夫。 綰、臧請天子，欲立明堂以朝諸侯，不能就其事，乃言師申公。 於是天子使使束帛加璧安車駟馬迎申公，弟子二人乘軺傳從。 至，見天子。 天子問治亂之事，申公時已八十餘，老，對曰：「為治者不在多言，顧力行何如耳。」 是時天子方好文詞，見申公對，默然。 然已招致，則以為太中大夫，舍魯邸，議明堂事。 太皇竇太后好老子言，不說儒術，得趙綰、王臧之過以讓上，上因廢明堂事，盡下趙綰、王臧吏，後皆自殺。 申公亦疾免以歸，數年卒。
Wang Zang of Lanling, having studied the Odes under Master Shen, served Emperor Jing as Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent, but was later dismissed from the post. When the present emperor first ascended the throne, Wang Zang submitted a memorial and was assigned to the palace guard. Through successive promotions, he rose within a single year to become the Commandant of the Gentlemen of the Interior. Zhao Wan of Dai had also studied the Odes under Master Shen. He rose to become the Imperial Secretary. Zhao Wan and Wang Zang petitioned the emperor to build a Hall of Light for receiving the feudal lords in audience. Unable to bring the project to fruition on their own, they recommended their teacher, Master Shen. The emperor sent an envoy bearing bundles of silk and jade discs, together with a comfortable carriage drawn by four horses, to welcome Master Shen. Two of his disciples rode in a light carriage to accompany him. Upon his arrival, he was granted an audience with the emperor. The emperor asked him about the principles of order and disorder. Master Shen, by then over eighty and frail with age, replied: "Good governance does not lie in many words — it lies only in the vigor of one's actions." At that time the emperor was particularly enamored of eloquent rhetoric. Hearing Master Shen's blunt reply, he fell silent. Nevertheless, having already summoned him, the emperor appointed him Grand Palace Grandee, lodged him at the Lu embassy, and charged him with deliberating on the Hall of Light project. The Grand Empress Dowager Dou was devoted to the teachings of Laozi and had no use for Confucian learning. She seized upon the transgressions of Zhao Wan and Wang Zang to reproach the emperor. The emperor thereupon abandoned the Hall of Light project and turned Zhao Wan and Wang Zang over to the judicial officials. Both later took their own lives. Master Shen, too, was dismissed on account of illness and returned home. He died a few years later.
9
弟子為博士者十餘人：孔安國至臨淮太守，周霸至膠西內史，夏寬至城陽內史，碭魯賜至東海太守，蘭陵繆生至長沙內史，徐偃為膠西中尉，鄒人闕門慶忌為膠東內史。 其治官民皆有廉節，稱其好學。 學官弟子行雖不備，而至於大夫、郎中、掌故以百數。 言詩雖殊，多本於申公。
More than ten of his disciples became erudites: Kong Anguo rose to Governor of Linhuai, Zhou Ba to Metropolitan Governor of Jiaoxi, Xia Kuan to Metropolitan Governor of Chengyang, Lu Ci of Dang to Governor of Donghai, Master Miao of Lanling to Metropolitan Governor of Changsha, Xu Yan to Commandant of Jiaoxi, and Quemen Qingji of Zou to Metropolitan Governor of Jiaodong. In their governance of officials and people alike, they all demonstrated integrity and propriety, and were praised for their devotion to learning. Though the students of the official academy were not always impeccable in their conduct, those among them who rose to the rank of grandee, Gentleman of the Interior, or keeper of precedents numbered in the hundreds. Though the various traditions of the Odes differed from one another, most traced their origins to Master Shen.
10
清河王太傅轅固生者，齊人也。 以治詩，孝景時為博士。 與黃生爭論景帝前。 黃生曰：「湯武非受命，乃弒也。」 轅固生曰：「不然。 夫桀紂虐亂，天下之心皆歸湯武，湯武與天下之心而誅桀紂，桀紂之民不為之使而歸湯武，湯武不得已而立，非受命為何？」 黃生曰：「冠雖敝，必加於首； 履雖新，必關於足。 何者，上下之分也。 今桀紂雖失道，然君上也； 湯武雖聖，臣下也。 夫主有失行，臣下不能正言匡過以尊天子，反因過而誅之，代立踐南面，非弒而何也？」 轅固生曰：「必若所云，是高帝代秦即天子之位，非邪？」 於是景帝曰：「食肉不食馬肝，不為不知味； 言學者無言湯武受命，不為愚。」 遂罷。 是後學者莫敢明受命放殺者。
Yuan Gusheng, who served as Grand Tutor to the King of Qinghe, was a native of Qi. Through his mastery of the Odes, he was appointed an erudite during the reign of Emperor Jing. He once engaged in a debate with Master Huang in the presence of Emperor Jing. Master Huang declared: "Tang and Wu did not receive the Mandate of Heaven — what they did was regicide." Yuan Gusheng replied: "That is not so. Jie and Zhou were cruel and tyrannical, and the hearts of all under Heaven turned to Tang and Wu. Tang and Wu, acting in accord with the will of the people, punished Jie and Zhou. The people under Jie and Zhou refused to serve their rulers and turned to Tang and Wu instead. Tang and Wu had no choice but to take the throne. If this is not receiving the Mandate of Heaven, then what is?" Master Huang replied: "A cap, however worn, must still be placed upon the head; shoes, however new, must still be worn on the feet. Why? Because this is the distinction between what is above and what is below. Jie and Zhou, though they lost the Way, were still the sovereign above; Tang and Wu, though sages, were still subjects below. When the sovereign errs in conduct, if his subjects cannot speak forthrightly to correct his faults and thereby honor the Son of Heaven, but instead exploit those faults to execute him, take his place, and assume the throne — if that is not regicide, what is?" Yuan Gusheng retorted: "If what you say must hold, then was the High Emperor wrong to replace Qin and take the throne?" At this, Emperor Jing intervened: "A man who eats meat but refuses horse liver is not thereby ignorant of flavor; a scholar who declines to speak of Tang and Wu receiving the Mandate is not thereby a fool." The debate was brought to a close. From then on, no scholar dared openly discuss the Mandate of Heaven or the deposing and slaying of rulers.
11
竇太后好老子書，召轅固生問老子書。 固曰：「此是家人言耳。」 太后怒曰：「安得司空城旦書乎？」 乃使固入圈刺豕。 景帝知太后怒而固直言無罪，乃假固利兵，下圈刺豕，正中其心，一刺，豕應手而倒。 太后默然，無以復罪，罷之。 居頃之，景帝以固為廉直，拜為清河王太傅。 久之，病免。
Empress Dowager Dou was fond of the writings of Laozi and summoned Yuan Gusheng to discuss them. Yuan Gu replied: "This is merely the talk of a commoner." The Empress Dowager was enraged: "How would you like a taste of convict literature instead?" She ordered Yuan Gu to enter the boar pen and fight a wild pig. Emperor Jing, knowing the Empress Dowager was enraged but that Yuan Gu had spoken forthrightly and was blameless, secretly provided him with a sharp weapon. Yuan Gu descended into the pen, struck the boar straight through the heart, and with a single thrust the beast dropped dead. The Empress Dowager fell silent, having no further grounds to punish him, and let the matter drop. Before long, Emperor Jing, recognizing Yuan Gu as a man of integrity and forthright character, appointed him Grand Tutor to the King of Qinghe. In time, he was relieved of his duties on account of illness.
12
今上初即位，復以賢良徵固。 諸諛儒多疾毀固，曰「固老」，罷歸之。 時固已九十餘矣。 固之徵也，薛人公孫弘亦徵，側目而視固。 固曰：「公孫子，務正學以言，無曲學以阿世！」 自是之後，齊言詩皆本轅固生也。 諸齊人以詩顯貴，皆固之弟子也。
When the present emperor first ascended the throne, Yuan Gu was once again summoned as a worthy and virtuous scholar. The sycophantic scholars at court, harboring jealousy, slandered him, saying he was too old. He was dismissed and sent home. By that time, Yuan Gu was already over ninety years of age. When Yuan Gu was summoned, Gongsun Hong of Xue was likewise summoned. He regarded Yuan Gu with a sidelong glance. Yuan Gu admonished him: "Master Gongsun, devote yourself to honest scholarship and speak the truth — do not twist your learning to flatter the world!" From that time onward, all the Odes scholars in Qi traced their tradition back to Yuan Gusheng. Every man of Qi who rose to prominence through the Odes was a disciple of Yuan Gu.
13
韓生者，燕人也。 孝文帝時為博士，景帝時為常山王太傅。 韓生推詩之意而為內外傳數萬言，其語頗與齊魯閒殊，然其歸一也。 淮南賁生受之。 自是之後，而燕趙閒言詩者由韓生。 韓生孫商為今上博士。
Master Han was a native of Yan. He served as an erudite under Emperor Wen and as Grand Tutor to the King of Changshan under Emperor Jing. Master Han elaborated on the meaning of the Odes and composed Inner and Outer Commentaries amounting to tens of thousands of words. His language differed considerably from the traditions of Qi and Lu, yet the essential purport was the same. Master Ben of Huainan received this transmission from him. From that time on, those who expounded the Odes in the lands between Yan and Zhao traced their tradition to Master Han. Master Han's grandson, Shang, became an erudite under the present emperor.
14
伏生者，濟南人也。 故為秦博士。 孝文帝時，欲求能治尚書者，天下無有，乃聞伏生能治，欲召之。 是時伏生年九十餘，老，不能行，於是乃詔太常使掌故晁錯往受之。 秦時焚書，伏生壁藏之。 其後兵大起，流亡，漢定，伏生求其書，亡數十篇，獨得二十九篇，即以教于齊魯之閒。 學者由是頗能言尚書，諸山東大師無不涉尚書以教矣。
Master Fu was a native of Jinan. He had formerly served as an erudite under the Qin dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wen, the court sought someone who could expound the Documents, but no one in the realm could be found. When they learned that Master Fu possessed this knowledge, they wished to summon him. At that time, Master Fu was over ninety and too frail to travel. An edict was therefore issued ordering Chao Cuo, the keeper of precedents under the Grand Master of Ceremonies, to go and receive instruction from him. When the Qin burned the books, Master Fu hid his copies inside a wall. When the great wars erupted and he was forced to flee, and after the Han had settled the realm, Master Fu searched for his hidden books. Several dozen chapters had been lost; only twenty-nine survived. With these he began to teach in the region between Qi and Lu. From this point on, scholars became capable of discoursing on the Documents, and all the great masters east of the mountains drew upon the Documents in their teaching.
15
伏生教濟南張生及歐陽生，歐陽生教千乘兒寬。 兒寬既通尚書，以文學應郡舉，詣博士受業，受業孔安國。 兒寬貧無資用，常為弟子都養，及時時閒行傭賃，以給衣食。 行常帶經，止息則誦習之。 以試第次，補廷尉史。 是時張湯方鄉學，以為奏讞掾，以古法議決疑大獄，而愛幸寬。 寬為人溫良，有廉智，自持，而善著書、書奏，敏於文，口不能發明也。 湯以為長者，數稱譽之。 及湯為御史大夫，以兒寬為掾，薦之天子。 天子見問，說之。 張湯死后六年，兒寬位至御史大夫。 九年而以官卒。 寬在三公位，以和良承意從容得久，然無有所匡諫； 於官，官屬易之，不為盡力。 張生亦為博士。 而伏生孫以治尚書徵，不能明也。
Master Fu taught Master Zhang of Jinan and Master Ouyang. Master Ouyang in turn taught Er Kuan of Qiansheng. Once Er Kuan had mastered the Documents, he was recommended by his commandery on the basis of literary learning, went to study under the erudites, and received instruction from Kong Anguo. Er Kuan was poor and without means, so he often served as a cook for the other students and, in his spare moments, went out to do hired labor to pay for his food and clothing. Wherever he went he carried his classics with him, and whenever he stopped to rest he would recite and study them. On the strength of his examination ranking, he was appointed as a clerk in the office of the Commandant of Justice. At that time, Zhang Tang was developing an interest in scholarship. He appointed Er Kuan as his assistant for drafting memorials and judicial cases, drawing on ancient law to deliberate and resolve difficult cases. He came to favor and esteem Er Kuan greatly. Er Kuan was mild and virtuous by nature, possessed of integrity and wisdom, and self-disciplined. He excelled at writing books and drafting memorials, and was gifted with the pen — though he could not match this eloquence in speech. Zhang Tang regarded him as a man of great integrity and repeatedly spoke well of him. When Zhang Tang became the Imperial Secretary, he made Er Kuan his assistant and recommended him to the emperor. The emperor granted him an audience, questioned him, and was pleased. Six years after Zhang Tang's death, Er Kuan rose to the position of Imperial Secretary. Nine years later, he died in office. While Er Kuan held one of the Three Excellencies, he kept his position for a long time through his amiable temperament and skill at accommodating the emperor's wishes. Yet he never offered any frank remonstrance or correction. In office, his subordinates took him lightly and did not give him their full effort. Master Zhang likewise became an erudite. Master Fu's grandson was summoned on the basis of his knowledge of the Documents, but proved unable to expound them with any clarity.
16
自此之後，魯周霸、孔安國，雒陽賈嘉，頗能言尚書事。 孔氏有古文尚書，而安國以今文讀之，因以起其家。 逸書得十餘篇，蓋尚書滋多於是矣。
From that time on, Zhou Ba and Kong Anguo of Lu, along with Jia Jia of Luoyang, became noted for their discourse on the Documents. The Kong family possessed the Documents in the ancient-text script. Kong Anguo interpreted them using the modern-text script and thereby established his family's scholarly tradition. More than ten lost chapters were recovered, and the corpus of the Documents grew considerably from that point onward.
17
諸學者多言禮，而魯高堂生最本。 禮固自孔子時而其經不具，及至秦焚書，書散亡益多，於今獨有士禮，高堂生能言之。
Many scholars discoursed on the rites, but Master Gaotang of Lu preserved the most authentic tradition. The ritual texts had been incomplete since the time of Confucius, and the Qin book-burning scattered and destroyed even more. By this time, only the Rites of the Scholar survived, and Master Gaotang alone was able to expound it.
18
而魯徐生善為容。 孝文帝時，徐生以容為禮官大夫。 傳子至孫延、徐襄。 襄，其天姿善為容，不能通禮經； 延頗能，未善也。 襄以容為漢禮官大夫，至廣陵內史。 延及徐氏弟子公戶滿意、桓生、單次，皆嘗為漢禮官大夫。 而瑕丘蕭奮以禮為淮陽太守。 是後能言禮為容者，由徐氏焉。
Master Xu of Lu was renowned for his mastery of ceremonial deportment. During the reign of Emperor Wen, Master Xu was appointed Grandee of the Ritual Office on the strength of his skill in deportment. The tradition was passed down through his son to his grandsons, Yan and Xu Xiang. Xu Xiang possessed a natural gift for ceremonial deportment, but could not master the Ritual Classic; Yan showed some ability, though he had not yet perfected it. Through his skill in deportment, Xu Xiang was appointed Grandee of the Han Ritual Office and eventually rose to Metropolitan Governor of Guangling. Yan, along with the Xu family's disciples Gonghu Manyi, Master Huan, and Shan Ci, all served at various times as Grandees of the Han Ritual Office. Xiao Fen of Xiaqiu rose through his knowledge of the rites to become Governor of Huaiyang. From that time on, all who could discourse on the rites and practice ceremonial deportment traced their tradition to the Xu family.
19
自魯商瞿受易孔子，孔子卒，商瞿傳易，六世至齊人田何，字子莊，而漢興。 田何傳東武人王同子仲，子仲傳菑川人楊何。 何以易，元光元年徵，官至中大夫。 齊人即墨成以易至城陽相。 廣川人孟但以易為太子門大夫。 魯人周霸，莒人衡胡，臨菑人主父偃，皆以易至二千石。 然要言易者本於楊何之家。
Shang Qu of Lu received the Changes from Confucius. After the Master's death, the tradition was passed down through six generations until it reached Tian He of Qi, courtesy name Zizhuang, by which time the Han dynasty had been established. Tian He passed the tradition to Wang Tong Zizhong of Dongwu, who in turn passed it to Yang He of Zichuan. Through his mastery of the Changes, Yang He was summoned to court in the first year of the Yuanguang era and rose to the rank of Palace Grandee. Jimo Cheng of Qi, through the Changes, rose to become Chancellor of Chengyang. Meng Dan of Guangchuan, through the Changes, was appointed Grandee of the Heir Apparent's Gate. Zhou Ba of Lu, Heng Hu of Ju, and Zhufu Yan of Linzi all attained the rank of two-thousand-bushel official through the Changes. In short, all who expounded the Changes traced their tradition back to the school of Yang He.
20
董仲舒，廣川人也。 以治春秋，孝景時為博士。 下帷講誦，弟子傳以久次相受業，或莫見其面，蓋三年董仲舒不觀於舍園，其精如此。 進退容止，非禮不行，學士皆師尊之。 今上即位，為江都相。 以春秋災異之變推陰陽所以錯行，故求雨閉諸陽，縱諸陰，其止雨反是。 行之一國，未嘗不得所欲。 中廢為中大夫，居舍，著災異之記。 是時遼東高廟災，主父偃疾之，取其書奏之天子。 天子召諸生示其書，有刺譏。 董仲舒弟子呂步舒不知其師書，以為下愚。 於是下董仲舒吏，當死，詔赦之。 於是董仲舒竟不敢復言災異。
Dong Zhongshu was a native of Guangchuan. Through his mastery of the Spring and Autumn Annals, he was appointed an erudite during the reign of Emperor Jing. He taught behind lowered curtains, and his disciples passed the teaching down by seniority, with each receiving instruction from the one before — some never even laid eyes on him. For three full years Dong Zhongshu never once glanced at his own garden. Such was the depth of his dedication. In every gesture and movement, he would do nothing that did not accord with ritual propriety. The scholars all revered him as a master. When the present emperor ascended the throne, Dong Zhongshu was appointed Chancellor of Jiangdu. Drawing on the portents and anomalies recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, he deduced the principles governing the interaction of yin and yang. To bring rain, he would suppress the yang forces and unleash the yin; to stop rain, he would do the reverse. Whenever he applied these methods within his domain, he never failed to get the result he sought. Midway through his career, he was dismissed and given the lesser post of Palace Grandee. Living in retirement at his quarters, he composed a record of portents and anomalies. Around that time, the High Ancestor's temple in Liaodong was struck by a disaster. Zhufu Yan, who bore a grudge against him, seized his writings and presented them to the emperor. The emperor summoned the court scholars and showed them the writings, which contained pointed criticisms of the government. Dong Zhongshu's own disciple, Lu Bushu, failed to recognize his teacher's work and judged it to be the product of an inferior and foolish mind. Dong Zhongshu was turned over to the judicial officials and sentenced to death, but an imperial pardon saved his life. From that day on, Dong Zhongshu never again dared to speak of portents and anomalies.
21
董仲舒為人廉直。 是時方外攘四夷，公孫弘治春秋不如董仲舒，而弘希世用事，位至公卿。 董仲舒以弘為從諛。 弘疾之，乃言上曰：「獨董仲舒可使相繆西王。」 膠西王素聞董仲舒有行，亦善待之。 董仲舒恐久獲罪，疾免居家。 至卒，終不治產業，以修學著書為事。 故漢興至于五世之閒，唯董仲舒名為明於春秋，其傳公羊氏也。
Dong Zhongshu was a man of integrity and forthright character. At that time, the empire was engaged in campaigns to drive back the barbarians on all four frontiers. Gongsun Hong's mastery of the Spring and Autumn Annals did not match Dong Zhongshu's, yet Gongsun Hong courted the favor of the times, wielded real power, and rose to the highest ministerial rank. Dong Zhongshu regarded Gongsun Hong as nothing more than a sycophant. Gongsun Hong, nursing a grudge, told the emperor: "Only Dong Zhongshu is fit to serve as Chancellor to the King of Jiaoxi." The King of Jiaoxi had long heard of Dong Zhongshu's virtuous reputation and treated him with respect. Fearing that a prolonged tenure would eventually bring disaster upon him, Dong Zhongshu pleaded illness and was relieved of his post to live at home. Until the end of his life, he never concerned himself with acquiring property or business, devoting himself entirely to scholarship and the writing of books. In the five reigns from the founding of the Han, Dong Zhongshu alone was renowned for his mastery of the Spring and Autumn Annals. His was the tradition of the Gongyang school.
22
胡毋生，齊人也。 孝景時為博士，以老歸教授。 齊之言春秋者多受胡毋生，公孫弘亦頗受焉。
Humu Sheng was a native of Qi. He served as an erudite during the reign of Emperor Jing and, upon reaching old age, returned home to teach. Most of the Spring and Autumn Annals scholars in Qi had studied under Humu Sheng, and Gongsun Hong himself received considerable instruction from him.
23
瑕丘江生為穀梁春秋。 自公孫弘得用，嘗集比其義，卒用董仲舒。
Master Jiang of Xiaqiu was a transmitter of the Guliang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. After Gongsun Hong rose to power, he once gathered and compared the interpretations of both traditions, but ultimately adopted the teachings of Dong Zhongshu.
24
仲舒弟子遂者：蘭陵褚大，廣川殷忠，溫呂步舒。 褚大至梁相。 步舒至長史，持節使決淮南獄，於諸侯擅專斷，不報，以春秋之義正之，天子皆以為是。 弟子通者，至於命大夫； 為郎、謁者、掌故者以百數。 而董仲舒子及孫皆以學至大官。
Among Dong Zhongshu's most accomplished disciples were Chu Da of Lanling, Yin Zhong of Guangchuan, and Lu Bushu of Wen. Chu Da rose to become Chancellor of Liang. Lu Bushu rose to the post of Chief Clerk. Bearing the imperial staff as an envoy, he adjudicated the case of the King of Huainan. Among the feudal lords he made independent judgments without awaiting approval, justifying his actions by the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals. The emperor approved of every decision he made. Among his proficient disciples, some rose to the rank of appointed grandee; those who served as Gentlemen, Ushers, or Keepers of Precedents numbered in the hundreds. Dong Zhongshu's sons and grandsons all attained high office through their scholarship.