Volume 338 Biographies 97: Su Shi and son: Guo

蘇軾，字子瞻，眉州眉山人。生十年，父洵遊學四方，母程氏親授以書，聞古今成敗，輒能語其要。程氏讀東漢《范滂傳》，慨然太息，軾請曰：「軾若爲滂，母許之否乎？」程氏曰：「汝能爲滂，吾顧不能爲滂母邪？」

Su Shi, whose style name was Zizhan, came from Meishan in Meizhou. When he was ten, his father Su Xun was away studying throughout the realm, while his mother Lady Cheng taught him herself; whenever she discussed the rise and fall of men and states in history, he could summarize the main points. Lady Cheng was reading the Eastern Han account of Fan Pang and sighed with deep feeling. Shi asked her, "Mother, if I were to be like Fan Pang, would you allow it?" Lady Cheng replied, "If you can be like Fan Pang, why should I not be like Fan Pang's mother?"

比冠，博通經史，屬文日數千言，好賈誼、陸贄書。旣而讀《莊子》，歎曰：「吾昔有見，口未能言，今見是書，得吾心矣。」嘉祐二年，試禮部。方時文磔裂詭異之弊勝，主司歐陽脩思有以救之，得軾《刑賞忠厚論》，驚喜，欲擢冠多士，猶疑其客曾鞏所爲，但置第二；復以《春秋》對義居第一，殿試中乙科。後以書見脩，脩語梅聖俞曰：「吾當避此人出一頭地。」聞者始譁不厭，久乃信服。

By the time he came of age, he had mastered the classics and histories, wrote several thousand words of prose a day, and favored the works of Jia Yi and Lu Zhi. Later, reading the Zhuangzi, he exclaimed, "I had seen these truths before but could not express them; now this book has found the words for what I felt." In 1057 he sat for the metropolitan examination at the Ministry of Rites. Contemporary examination essays were dominated by fractured, eccentric prose, and chief examiner Ouyang Xiu sought a remedy. When he read Shi's "On Punishments and Rewards with Generous Sincerity," he was thrilled and meant to rank him first among all candidates, yet still suspected the essay might be the work of his protégé Zeng Gong, so he placed Shi second. He again placed first in the Spring and Autumn exegesis test and received the second rank in the palace examination. Later he sent a letter to Ouyang Xiu, who told Mei Shengyu, "I ought to step aside and let this man rise a head above the rest." Those who heard this remark at first protested loudly, but in time they came to accept it.

丁母憂。五年，調福昌主簿。歐陽脩以才識兼茂，薦之秘閣。試六論，舊不起草，以故文多不工。軾始具草，文義粲然。復對制策，入三等。自宋初以來，制策入三等，惟吳育與軾而已。

He went into mourning for his mother. Five years later he was appointed registrar of Fuchang. Ouyang Xiu recommended him for the Secretariat Pavilion, citing his exceptional talent and learning. In the six-essay examination, candidates had traditionally not drafted their work beforehand, so most essays were poorly finished. Shi was the first to submit a full draft, and his argument shone with clarity. He again sat for the policy examination and was placed in the third grade. Since the founding of the Song, only Wu Yu and Shi had achieved the third grade in the policy examination.

除大理評事、簽書鳳翔府判官。關中自元昊叛，民貧役重，岐下歲輸南山木筏，自渭入河，經砥柱之險，衙吏踵破家。軾訪其利害，爲脩衙規，使自擇水工以時進止，自是害減半。

He was appointed Evaluator of the Court of Judicial Review and signing secretary to the Fengxiang prefectural judge. After Yuanhao's rebellion, Guanzhong was impoverished and corvée burdens were crushing. Each year timber rafts from the southern mountains were sent downstream from Qi, entering the Wei and then the Yellow River and passing the treacherous Jizhi rapids, and yamen clerks were ruined one after another. Shi investigated the costs and benefits, drafted regulations for the transport office, and allowed clerks to choose their own river hands and time their departures accordingly; from then on the losses were cut in half.

治平二年，入判登聞鼓院。英宗自藩邸聞其名，欲以唐故事召入翰林，知制誥。宰相韓琦曰：「軾之才，遠大器也，他日自當爲天下用。要在朝廷培養之，使天下之士莫不畏慕降伏，皆欲朝廷進用，然後取而用之，則人人無復異辭矣。今驟用之，則天下之士未必以爲然，適足以累之也。」英宗曰：「且與脩注如何？」琦曰：「記注與制誥爲鄰，未可遽授。不若於館閣中近上貼職與之，且請召試。」英宗曰：「試之未知其能否，如軾有不能邪？」琦猶不可，及試二論，復入三等，得直史館。軾聞琦語，曰：「公可謂愛人以德矣。」會洵卒，賻以金帛，辭之，求贈一官，於是贈光祿丞。洵將終，以兄太白早亡，子孫未立，妹嫁杜氏，卒未葬，屬軾。軾旣除喪，卽葬姑。後官可蔭，推與太白曾孫彭。

In 1065 he was appointed judge of the Petition Drum Court. While still heir apparent, Emperor Yingzong had heard of him and wished, following Tang precedent, to summon him to the Hanlin Academy as drafter of edicts. Chief Councilor Han Qi said, "Shi is a man of great capacity meant for the long term; in time he will naturally serve the empire. The court should cultivate him so that scholars everywhere admire him and long for his advancement; only then should he be appointed, and no one will object. If he is promoted too suddenly, the scholarly world may not accept it, and that would only harm him. Emperor Yingzong asked, "What if we assign him to work on the veritable records with Ouyang Xiu for now?" Han Qi replied, "The chronicle office borders on edict drafting; we cannot grant that post too quickly. Better to give him an attached post in the palace academies close to the throne, and call for an examination. The emperor said, "An examination might not show his ability—but could Shi possibly fail?" Han Qi still objected, but when Shi was examined on two essays he again achieved the third grade and was appointed compiler in the Historiography Institute. When Shi heard Han Qi's reasoning, he remarked, "Your Grace truly loves a man by honoring his virtue." Soon afterward Su Xun died. The court offered gold and silk as condolence gifts, but Shi declined them and asked that an office be granted to his father instead; Xun was then posthumously given the rank of Vice Director of the Imperial Livery. On his deathbed Xun told Shi that his elder brother Taibai had died young without heirs, and that his sister, married into the Du family, had died and remained unburied; he charged Shi with these duties. As soon as his mourning period ended, Shi buried his aunt. Later, when he became eligible for a privilege appointment, he gave it to Taibai's great-grandson Peng.

熙寧二年，還朝。王安石執政，素惡其議論異己，以判官告院。四年，安石欲變科舉、興學校，詔兩制、三館議。軾上議曰：

In 1069 he returned to the capital. With Wang Anshi in power, who had long resented Shi's dissenting views, Shi was assigned as judge of the Office for Reporting Matters. In 1071 Wang Anshi proposed reforming the examinations and expanding the schools, and the emperor ordered the drafting corps and palace institutes to submit opinions. Shi submitted a memorial that read:

「得人之道，在於知人；知人之法，在於責實。使君相有知人之明，朝廷有責實之政，則胥吏皂隸未嘗無人，而況于學校貢舉乎？雖因今之法，臣以爲有餘。使君相不知人，朝廷不責實，則公卿侍從常患無人，而況學校貢舉乎？雖復古之制，臣以爲不足。夫時有可否，物有廢興，方其所安，雖暴君不能廢，及其旣厭，雖聖人不能復。故風俗之變，法制隨之，譬如江河之徙移，強而復之，則難爲力。

"The way to find good men lies in knowing men; and the method of knowing men lies in holding them accountable for real results. If the ruler and his ministers know how to judge talent and the court demands real achievement, even petty clerks yield capable men—how much more will schools and examinations? Even under the present system, I believe that would be more than enough. If the ruler and his ministers cannot judge talent and the court does not demand real results, even the highest offices lack good men—how much less will schools and examinations supply them? Even restoring ancient institutions would not suffice. What works in one age fails in another; customs rise and fall. While people are content with a practice, even a tyrant cannot abolish it; once they tire of it, even a sage cannot bring it back. Customs change and institutions must follow, like a river changing its course—forcing it back is nearly impossible.

慶曆固嘗立學矣，至于今日，惟有空名僅存。今將變今之禮，易今之俗，又當發民力以治宮室，斂民財以食遊士。百里之內，置官立師，獄訟聽於是，軍旅謀於是，又簡不率教者屏之遠方，則無乃徒爲紛亂，以患苦天下邪？若乃無大更革，而望有益於時，則與慶曆之際何異？故臣謂今之學校，特可因仍舊制，使先王之舊物，不廢於吾世足矣。至於貢舉之法，行之百年，治亂盛衰，初不由此。陛下視祖宗之世，貢舉之法，與今爲孰精？言語文章，與今爲孰優？所得人才，與今爲孰多？天下之事，與今爲孰辦？較此四者之長短，其議決矣。

Schools were established in the Qingli reforms, yet today only empty titles remain. Now you propose to change present rites and alter present customs, mobilize the people's labor to build schools, and tax their wealth to support idle scholars. Within a hundred li you will place officials and teachers, hold lawsuits and plan campaigns in the schools, and exile students who fail to obey—will this not only spread disorder and bring hardship on the realm? If there is no real reform yet you expect benefit to the age, how will this differ from the Qingli experiment? I therefore hold that the schools need only follow the old system so that the institutions of the former kings are not lost in our age. As for the examination system, practiced for a century, the rise and fall of dynasties has never depended on it. Your Majesty, compare the examination system of the ancestral emperors' age with today's—which was finer? Were literary composition and eloquence then or now superior? Were the talented men produced then or now more numerous? Were affairs of state then or now the better managed? Compare these four points, and the debate is settled.

今所欲變改不過數端：或曰鄉舉德行而略文詞，或曰專取策論而罷詩賦，或欲兼采譽望而罷封彌，或欲經生不帖墨而考大義，此皆知其一，不知其二者也。願陛下留意于遠者、大者，區區之法何預焉。臣又切有私憂過計者。夫性命之說，自子貢不得聞，而今之學者，恥不言性命，讀其文，浩然無當而不可窮；觀其貌，超然無著而不可挹，此豈真能然哉！蓋中人之性，安於放而樂於誕耳。陛下亦安用之？」

The proposed changes are only a few: recommend virtue in local selection and slight literary skill; take policy essays alone and abolish poetry; combine reputation with open examination; test classical scholars on principles rather than transcription—all know one side and not both. I urge Your Majesty to attend to what is far-reaching and great; petty regulations are beside the point. I also have a personal concern that may be overwrought. Even Zigong never heard Confucius discuss nature and fate, yet today's scholars are ashamed not to speak of them; read their writings and they seem vast and inexhaustible yet say nothing solid; observe their bearing and they seem lofty and untouchable—can they truly be so! This is simply the nature of mediocre men, who are comfortable with license and delight in extravagance. Of what use would Your Majesty make such men?"

議上，神宗悟曰：「吾固疑此，得軾議，意釋然矣。」卽日召見，問：「方今政令得失安在？雖朕過失，指陳可也。」對曰：「陛下生知之性，天縱文武，不患不明，不患不勤，不患不斷，但患求治太急，聽言太廣，進人太銳。願鎮以安靜，待物之來，然後應之。」神宗悚然曰：「卿三言，朕當熟思之。凡在館閣，皆當爲朕深思治亂，無有所隱。」軾退，言於同列。安石不悅，命權開封府推官，將困之以事。軾決斷精敏，聲聞益遠。會上元敕府市浙燈，且令損價。軾疏言：「陛下豈以燈爲悅？此不過以奉二宮之歡耳。然百姓不可戶曉，皆謂以耳目不急之玩，奪其口體必用之資。此事至小，體則甚大，願追還前命。」卽詔罷之。

When the memorial reached him, Emperor Shenzong said, "I had already doubted this; reading Shi's argument has set my mind at ease. That same day he summoned Shi and asked, "Where do the strengths and weaknesses of present policy lie? Even my own faults—you may point them out." He answered, "Your Majesty's nature is one of innate wisdom, gifted in both civil and military affairs. You need not fear lack of clarity, diligence, or resolve—only that you seek order too urgently, listen to too many voices, and promote men too sharply. I urge you to remain calm and quiet, wait for matters to present themselves, and then respond. The emperor started and said, "Your three warnings—I shall ponder them carefully. All who serve in the academies should ponder order and disorder for me and conceal nothing." When Shi withdrew, he told his colleagues what had passed. Wang Anshi was displeased and appointed him acting investigating officer of the Kaifeng prefectural court, intending to overwhelm him with work. Shi's judgments were swift and precise, and his reputation spread ever wider. At the Lantern Festival the court ordered the prefecture to purchase lanterns from Zhejiang and to force down their prices. Shi memorialized the throne: "Does Your Majesty take pleasure in lanterns? This is only to please the empress dowager and the empress. Yet the common people cannot be told household by household; they believe the court is seizing their daily necessities for mere ornaments. The matter is trifling, but the principle is weighty; I beg Your Majesty to revoke the order. The emperor immediately revoked the order.

時安石創行新法，軾上書論其不便，曰：

While Wang Anshi was launching the New Policies, Shi submitted a memorial on their drawbacks, saying:

「臣之所欲言者，三言而已。願陛下結人心，厚風俗，存紀綱。人主之所恃者人心而已，如木之有根，燈之有膏，魚之有水，農夫之有田，商賈之有財。失之則亡，此理之必然也。自古及今，未有和易同眾而不安，剛果自用而不危者。陛下亦知人心之不悅矣。

"What I wish to say can be summed up in three points. I urge Your Majesty to win the people's hearts, strengthen customs, and preserve institutions. A ruler relies on nothing but the people's hearts—as a tree needs roots, a lamp needs oil, a fish needs water, a farmer needs fields, a merchant needs capital. Lose them and ruin follows—this is inevitable. From antiquity to the present, no ruler who was gentle and in harmony with the people failed to prosper, and none who was harsh and self-willed escaped danger. Your Majesty already knows that the people are displeased.

祖宗以來，治財用者不過三司。今陛下不以財用付三司，無故又創制置三司條例一司，使六七少年，日夜講求于內，使者四十餘輩，分行營幹於外。夫制置三司條例司，求利之名也；六七少年與使者四十餘輩，求利之器也。造端宏大，民實驚疑；創法新奇，吏皆惶惑。以萬乘之主而言利，以天子之宰而治財，論說百端，喧傳萬口，然而莫之顧者，徒曰：『我無其事，何恤於人言。』操網罟而入江湖，語人曰：『我非漁也』，不如捐網罟而人自信。驅鷹犬而赴林藪，語人曰：『我非獵也』，不如放鷹犬而獸自馴。故臣以爲欲消讒慝而召和氣，則莫若罷條例司。

Since the founding emperors, fiscal affairs have been managed by the Three Departments alone. Now Your Majesty has not entrusted finances to the Three Departments but has created the Fiscal Planning Commission, set six or seven young men to scheme day and night within the palace, and dispatched more than forty agents to operate throughout the realm. The Fiscal Planning Commission is a name for profit-seeking; the six or seven youths and the more than forty agents are its instruments. The enterprise is vast in scope and the people are alarmed and doubtful; the laws are novel and strange, and officials are fearful and confused. For the sovereign of ten thousand chariots to speak of profit and the chief minister to manage finances—arguments multiply and rumor spreads, yet no one heeds the outcry, saying only, 'I am not doing this—why worry what people say?' It is like taking nets onto the river and saying, 'I am not fishing'—better to cast aside the nets and let people trust you of their own accord. It is like driving hawks and hounds into the woods and saying, 'I am not hunting'—better to release them and let the game come of its own accord. I therefore believe that to dispel slander and restore harmony, nothing is better than abolishing the Fiscal Planning Commission.

今君臣宵旰，幾一年矣，而富國之功，茫如捕風，徒聞內帑出數百萬緡，祠部度五千餘人耳。以此爲術，其誰不能？而所行之事，道路皆知其難。汴水濁流，自生民以來，不以種稻。今欲陂而清之，萬頃之稻，必用千頃之陂，一歲一淤，三歲而滿矣。陛下遂信其說，卽使相視地形，所在鑿空，訪尋水利，妄庸輕剽，率意爭言。官司雖知其疏，不敢便行抑退，追集老少，相視可否。若非灼然難行，必須且爲興役。官吏苟且順從，真謂陛下有意興作，上糜帑廩，下奪農時。堤防一開，水失故道，雖食議者之肉，何補於民！臣不知朝廷何苦而爲此哉？

For nearly a year ruler and ministers have labored from dawn to dusk, yet the goal of enriching the state remains as elusive as catching the wind; one hears only that the inner treasury has spent millions of strings of cash and the Sacrificial Administration has ordained more than five thousand clerics. Who cannot do this? Yet everyone knows how hard the policies being pursued really are. The Bian River runs muddy; since antiquity no one has grown rice in it. To dam and clear it for rice would require a vast reservoir that silts yearly and fills within three years. The emperor believed them and sent surveyors to bore holes everywhere in search of water projects, while reckless adventurers competed to offer schemes. Officials knew the plans were flawed but dared not reject them outright; they gathered locals to judge feasibility. Unless plainly unworkable, labor had to proceed. Officials complied, believing the emperor truly wished to build, wasting treasury funds above and seizing the farming season below. Once dikes are breached, the river loses its course; even punishing the planners would not help the people. I do not know why the court insists on this.

自古役人，必用鄉戶。今者徒聞江、浙之間，數郡顧役，而欲措之天下。單丁、女戶，蓋天民之窮者也，而陛下首欲役之，富有四海，忍不加恤！自楊炎爲兩稅，租調與庸旣兼之矣，奈何復欲取庸？萬一後世不幸有聚斂之臣，庸錢不除，差役仍舊，推所從來，則必有任其咎者矣。青苗放錢，自昔有禁。今陛下始立成法，每歲常行。雖云不許抑配，而數世之後，暴君汙吏，陛下能保之與？計願請之戶，必皆孤貧不濟之人，鞭撻已急，則繼之逃亡，不還，則均及鄰保，勢有必至，異日天下恨之，國史記之，曰『青苗錢自陛下始』，豈不惜哉！且常平之法，可謂至矣。今欲變爲青苗，壞彼成此，所喪逾多，虧官害民，雖悔何及！

Since antiquity corvée has relied on local household registers. A few prefectures in Jiangsu and Zhejiang use hired service, yet you wish to impose this on the entire realm. Single sons and female-headed households are the poorest subjects, yet you would conscript them first; ruling all under Heaven, can you not pity them? Since Yang Yan's two-tax reform combined rent and corvée, why take corvée again? If later ages bring a rapacious minister, with corvée payments retained and assigned service continuing, posterity will trace the blame to this reign. Lending grain at interest was forbidden in earlier ages. Now you have made it a permanent annual practice. Though forced allocation is forbidden today, can you guarantee that tyrants and corrupt officials of later ages will obey? Borrowers will be orphans and the destitute; when the lash falls they flee, and neighbors are held liable for their debts—posterity will record that Green Sprouts money began with your reign. Is that not lamentable? The Ever-Normal Granary system was already excellent. Replacing it with Green Sprouts destroys what worked; the loss exceeds the gain, harming both treasury and people beyond recall.

昔漢武帝以財力匱竭，用賈人桑羊之說，買賤賣貴，謂之均輸。于時商賈不行，盜賊滋熾，幾至於亂。孝昭旣立，霍光順民所欲而予之，天下歸心，遂以無事。不意今日此論復興。立法之初，其費已厚，縱使薄有所獲，而徵商之額，所損必多。譬之有人爲其主畜牧，以一牛易五羊。一牛之失，則隱而不言；五羊之獲，則指爲勞績。今壞常平而言青苗之功，虧商稅而取均輸之利，何以異此？臣竊以爲過矣。議者必謂：『民可與樂成，難與慮始。』故陛下堅執不顧，期於必行。此乃戰國貪功之人，行險僥倖之說，未及樂成，而怨已起矣。臣之所願陛下結人心者，此也。

When Emperor Wu's treasury was empty, he adopted Sang Hongyang's plan to buy cheap and sell dear, called Equitable Transport. Merchants ceased trading, banditry flourished, and the realm nearly fell into chaos. When Emperor Zhao succeeded, Huo Guang restored trade to the people; the realm turned to him and peace returned. One did not expect this doctrine revived today. The new laws were costly from the start; any slight gain is outweighed by losses in merchant taxes. It is like a herdsman who trades one of his master's oxen for five sheep. He hides the loss of the ox and says nothing; but points to the five sheep as merit. Destroying Ever-Normal to praise Green Sprouts, losing merchant taxes for Equitable Transport—how is this different? I believe this is a mistake. Critics will say, "The people rejoice in results but resist beginnings." Therefore you persist, determined to enforce the laws. This is the talk of Warring States adventurers seeking quick profit; resentment has arisen before any benefit. This is what I mean by winning the people's hearts.

國家之所以存亡者，在道德之淺深，不在乎強與弱；歷數之所以長短者，在風俗之薄厚，不在乎富與貧。人主知此，則知所輕重矣。故臣願陛下務崇道德而厚風俗，不願陛下急於有功而貪富強。愛惜風俗，如護元氣。聖人非不知深刻之法可以齊眾，勇悍之夫可以集事，忠厚近於迂闊，老成初若遲鈍。然終不肯以彼易此者，知其所得小，而所喪大也。仁祖持法至寬，用人有敘，專務掩覆過失，未嘗輕改舊章。考其成功，則曰未至。以言乎用兵，則十出而九敗；以言乎府庫，則僅足而無餘。徒以德澤在人，風俗知義，故升遐之日，天下歸仁焉。議者見其末年吏多因循，事不振舉，乃欲矯之以苛察，齊之以智能，招來新進勇銳之人，以圖一切速成之效。未享其利，澆風已成。多開驟進之門，使有意外之得，公卿侍從跬步可圖，俾常調之人舉生非望，欲望風俗之厚，豈可得哉？近歲樸拙之人愈少，巧進之士益多。惟陛下哀之救之，以簡易爲法，以清淨爲心，而民德歸厚。臣之所願陛下厚風俗者，此也。

Whether a state survives depends on moral depth, not strength; whether a dynasty endures depends on customs, not wealth. If the ruler knows this, he knows what matters. I urge you to esteem morality and enrich customs, not to hurry after achievement and covet wealth and power. Cherish customs as you would protect the body's vital breath. Sages know that harsh laws can control the masses and fierce men can get things done; generosity seems pedantic and experience seems slow. Yet they refuse to trade the latter for the former, knowing the gain is small and the loss great. Emperor Renzong was lenient in law, orderly in appointments, covered officials' faults, and rarely changed old rules. Judged by results, his reign seemed incomplete. In war, nine campaigns in ten failed; the treasury was barely full. Yet his kindness lived in the people and customs held to righteousness, so when he died the realm mourned him with devotion. Critics, seeing late Renzong officials as sluggish, wished to correct them with harsh scrutiny and recruit bold new men for quick results. Before any benefit appeared, a corrupting wind had already risen. Opening paths to sudden advancement, making regular officials dream of quick promotion—can customs grow thick? Plain honest men grow fewer and clever climbers more numerous. Only if you pity them, take simplicity as law and purity as heart, will popular virtue thicken again. This is what I mean by enriching customs.

祖宗委任臺諫，未嘗罪一言者。縱有薄責，旋卽超升，許以風聞，而無官長。言及乘輿，則天子改容；事關廊廟，則宰相待罪。臺諫固未必皆賢，所言亦未必皆是。然須養其銳氣，而借之重權者，豈徒然哉？將以折奸臣之萌也。今法令嚴密，朝廷清明，所謂奸臣，萬無此理。然養貓以去鼠，不可以無鼠而養不捕之貓；畜狗以防盜，不可以無盜而畜不吠之狗。陛下得不上念祖宗設此官之意，下爲子孫萬世之防？臣聞長老之談，皆謂臺諫所言，常隨天下公議。公議所與，臺諫亦與之；公議所擊，臺諫亦擊之。今者物論沸騰，怨讟交至，公議所在，亦知之矣。臣恐自茲以往，習慣成風，盡爲執政私人，以致人主孤立，紀綱一廢，何事不生！臣之所願陛下存紀綱者，此也。」

The ancestral emperors entrusted the censorate and never punished a single remonstrance. Even slight censure was followed by quick promotion; they reported what they heard without a superior. When speech touched the throne, the emperor changed expression; when affairs concerned the court, the chief minister awaited punishment. Censors were not all worthy, nor were their words always right. Yet their spirit had to be nourished and their authority upheld—was this for nothing? It was to check treacherous ministers at the outset. Today laws are strict and the court is clear; treachery is scarcely possible. One keeps cats to catch mice and cannot, for lack of mice, keep cats that do not hunt; one keeps dogs to guard against thieves and cannot, for lack of thieves, keep dogs that do not bark. Will you not recall why the ancestral emperors created these offices and safeguard your descendants for ten thousand generations? Elders say that censors speak as public opinion directs. What the public approves, censors approve; what the public condemns, censors condemn. Now popular discussion boils with resentment; you know where public consensus lies. I fear that hereafter censors will become partisans of the ruling faction, leaving the ruler isolated and institutions ruined. This is what I mean by preserving institutions."

軾見安石贊神宗以獨斷專任，因試進士發策，以「晉武平吳以獨斷而克，苻堅伐晉以獨斷而亡，齊恒專任管仲而霸，燕噲專任子之而敗，事同而功異」爲問，安石滋怒，使御史謝景溫論奏其過，窮治無所得，軾遂請外，通判杭州。高麗入貢，使者發幣於官吏，書稱甲子。軾卻之曰：「高麗於本朝稱臣，而不稟正朔，吾安敢受！」使者易書稱熙寧，然後受之。

When Shi saw Wang Anshi praise the emperor for acting alone, he set an examination question contrasting rulers who succeeded or failed through sole reliance on ministers. Wang Anshi was furious and had the censor Xie Jingwen investigate him. Finding no fault, Shi requested an outside post and was appointed vice prefect of Hangzhou. When Koryo sent tribute, the envoy distributed gifts to officials in a letter dated by the sexagenary cycle alone. Shi refused, saying, "Koryo calls itself our subject yet does not use our calendar—how dare I accept this?" The envoy changed the letter to the Xining reign title, and only then did Shi accept.

時新政日下，軾於其間，每因法以便民，民賴以安。徙知密州。司農行手實法，不時施行者以違制論。軾謂提舉官曰：「違制之坐，若自朝廷，誰敢不從？今出於司農，是擅造律也。」提舉官驚曰：「公姑徐之。」未幾，朝廷知法害民，罷之。

As new policies poured forth, Shi often used them where possible to help the people, who were thereby spared hardship. He was transferred to prefect of Mizhou. The Directorate of Agriculture enforced the hand-verification law; failure to implement it on schedule was punished as a regulatory violation. Shi told the promoting official, "If this order came from the court itself, who would dare disobey? But it comes from the Directorate of Agriculture—that is to usurp lawmaking." The official was alarmed and said, "Please wait, Your Grace." Soon the court learned the law harmed the people and abolished it.

有盜竊發，安撫司遣三班使臣領悍卒來捕，卒凶暴恣行，至以禁物誣民，入其家爭鬪殺人，且畏罪驚潰，將爲亂。民奔訴軾，軾投其書不視，曰：「必不至此。」散卒聞之，少安，徐使人招出戮之。

When bandits appeared, the Pacification Commission sent fierce soldiers who brutalized the people, falsely accused them of contraband, killed them in their homes, then panicked and nearly caused a riot. The people appealed to Shi; he threw down their petitions unread, saying, "It will not come to that." The soldiers calmed somewhat; he then had them summoned out and executed.

徙知徐州。河決曹村，泛於梁山泊，溢于南清河，匯于城下，漲不時洩，城將敗，富民爭出避水。軾曰：「富民出，民皆動搖，吾誰與守？吾在是，水決不能敗城。」驅使復入。軾詣武衛營，呼卒長曰：「河將害城，事急矣，雖禁軍且爲我盡力。」卒長曰：「太守猶不避塗潦，吾儕小人，當效命。」率其徒持畚鍤以出，築東南長堤，首起戲馬臺，尾屬于城。雨日夜不止，城不沈者三版。軾廬於其上，過家不入，使官吏分堵以守，卒全其城。復請調來歲夫增築故城，爲木岸，以虞水之再至。朝廷從之。

He was transferred to prefect of Xuzhou. The Yellow River broke at Caocun, flooded into Liangshan Marsh and the Southern Qing River, pooled below Xuzhou, and the city was about to fall; the wealthy fled. Shi said, "If the wealthy flee, the people will panic—whom shall I defend the city with? While I remain, the flood cannot take the city." He drove them back inside. Shi went to the Martial Guards camp and told the squad leader, "The river threatens the city; even the imperial guards must help." The leader replied, "The prefect does not shun the mud—how can we petty men not serve?" They built a long dike from the Cockfighting Terrace to the city wall. Rain fell day and night; the city sank no more than three board-lengths. Shi lived on the dike, passed his home without entering, set officials to guard by section, and saved the city. He requested corvée the next year to heighten the old wall and build a timber revetment against future floods. The court approved.

徙知湖州，上表以謝。又以事不便民者不敢言，以詩託諷，庶有補於國。御史李定、舒亶、何正臣摭其表語，並媒蘖所爲詩以爲訕謗，逮赴臺獄，欲置之死，鍛煉久之不決。神宗獨憐之，以黃州團練副使安置。軾與田父野老，相從溪山間，築室於東坡，自號「東坡居士」。

He was transferred to prefect of Huzhou and submitted a memorial of thanks. Unable to speak openly of policies that harmed the people, he voiced his criticism in poetry, hoping to benefit the state. Censors Li Ding, Shu Dan, and He Zhenchen twisted his memorial and poems into charges of slander; he was imprisoned and they sought his death, but prolonged interrogation brought no verdict. Emperor Shenzong alone pitied him and appointed him Vice Military Training Commissioner of Huangzhou on probation. Su Shi lived among local farmers and villagers, wandering through streams and hills; he built a house at Dongpo and took the name "Dongpo Hermit."

三年，神宗數有意復用，輒爲當路者沮之。神宗嘗語宰相王珪、蔡確曰：「國史至重，可命蘇軾成之。」珪有難色。神宗曰：「軾不可，姑用曾鞏。」鞏進《太祖總論》，神宗意不允，遂手札移軾汝州，有曰：「蘇軾黜居思咎，閱歲滋深，人材實難，不忍終棄。」軾未至汝，上書自言饑寒，有田在常，願得居之。朝奏，夕報可。

In the third year of his exile, Emperor Shenzong repeatedly wanted to bring him back, but those in power blocked it each time. Emperor Shenzong once told the chancellors Wang Gui and Cai Que, "The National History is far too important to neglect—we could assign Su Shi to complete it." Wang Gui looked uneasy. The emperor said, "Su Shi will not do; for now use Zeng Gong instead." Zeng Gong submitted his "General Discussion on Emperor Taizu," but the emperor was displeased; he then wrote personally to transfer Su Shi to Ruzhou, saying, "Su Shi, living in exile and reflecting on his faults, has grown ever deeper in repentance over the years. Talent is truly hard to find, and I cannot bear to cast him aside forever." Before Su Shi reached Ruzhou, he petitioned the throne, saying he suffered hunger and cold and had land in Changzhou where he wished to live. He petitioned in the morning; approval came that same evening.

道過金陵，見王安石，曰：「大兵大獄，漢、唐滅亡之兆。祖宗以仁厚治天下，正欲革此。今西方用兵，連年不解，東南數起大獄，公獨無一言以救之乎？」安石曰：「二事皆惠卿啓之，安石在外，安敢言？」軾曰：「在朝則言，在外則不言，事君之常禮耳。上所以待公者，非常禮，公所以待上者，豈可以常禮乎？」安石厲聲曰：「安石須說。」又曰：「出在安石口，入在子瞻耳。」又曰：「人須是知行一不義，殺一不辜，得天下弗爲，乃可。」軾戲曰：「今之君子，爭減半年磨勘，雖殺人亦爲之。」安石笑而不言。

Passing through Jinling on his way, he met Wang Anshi and said, "Massive warfare and great judicial persecutions are the very signs by which Han and Tang fell. Our founding emperors governed the realm with benevolence and generosity precisely to root out such things. Now the western campaigns drag on year after year without end, and in the southeast great prosecutions have repeatedly arisen—will you not speak a word to stop them?" Wang Anshi replied, "Both matters were Huixin's doing. I am out of office—how would I dare speak?" Su Shi said, "When one is at court one speaks; when one is out of office one keeps silent—that is the ordinary way of serving one's sovereign. The way the sovereign has treated you is no ordinary courtesy. Can the way you treat the sovereign be governed by ordinary courtesy?" Wang Anshi said sharply, "I must speak." He added, "What leaves my mouth enters your ears alone." He also said, "A man must know that he would not commit one injustice or kill one innocent person even to gain the whole realm—only then is he fit." Su Shi joked, "Today's gentlemen would commit murder for half a year off their merit review." Wang Anshi laughed and said nothing.

至常，神宗崩，哲宗立，復朝奉郎、知登州，召爲禮部郎中。軾舊善司馬光、章惇。時光爲門下侍郎，惇知樞密院，二人不相合，惇每以謔侮困光，光苦之。軾謂惇曰：「司馬君卽時望甚重。昔許靖以虛名無實，見鄙於蜀先主，法正曰：『靖之浮譽，播流四海，若不加禮，必以賤賢爲累。』先主納之，乃以靖爲司徒。許靖且不可慢，況君實乎？」惇以爲然，光賴以少安。

When he reached Changzhou, Emperor Shenzong died and Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne. Su Shi was restored to Gentleman for Court Audience and appointed prefect of Dengzhou, then summoned as Director in the Ministry of Rites. Su Shi had long been on good terms with Sima Guang and Zhang Dun. At the time Sima Guang was Vice Director of the Chancellery and Zhang Dun was Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs. The two did not get along, and Zhang Dun often mocked and humiliated Sima Guang, to his great distress. Su Shi said to Zhang Dun, "Master Sima already enjoys immense public esteem. In the past Xu Jing, though all reputation and no substance, was looked down on by the lord of Shu. Fa Zheng said, "Jing's inflated fame has spread throughout the realm. If we fail to honor him, we shall surely be blamed for slighting the worthy." The lord of Shu accepted this and made Xu Jing Minister over the Masses. If even Xu Jing could not be slighted, how much less Junshi?" Zhang Dun agreed, and Sima Guang was somewhat relieved.

初，祖宗時，差役行久生弊，編戶充役者不習其役，又虐使之，多致破產，狹鄉民至有終歲不得息者。王安石相神宗，改爲免役，使戶差高下出錢雇役，行法者過取，以爲民病。司馬光爲相，知免役之害，不知其利，欲復差役，差官置局，軾與其選。軾曰：「差役、免役，各有利害。免役之害，掊斂民財，十室九空，斂聚於上而下有錢荒之患。差役之害，民常在官，不得專力于農，而貪吏猾胥得緣爲奸。此二害輕重，蓋略等矣。」光曰：「於君何如？」軾曰：「法相因則事易成，事有漸則民不驚。三代之法，兵農爲一，至秦始分爲二，及唐中葉，盡變府兵爲長徵之卒。自爾以來，民不知兵，兵不知農，農出穀帛以養兵，兵出性命以衛農，天下便之。雖聖人復起，不能易也。今免役之法，實大類此。公欲驟罷免役而行差役，正如罷長徵而復民兵，蓋未易也。」光不以爲然。軾又陳於政事堂，光忿然。軾曰：「昔韓魏公刺陝西義勇，公爲諫官，爭之甚力，韓公不樂，公亦不顧。軾昔聞公道其詳，豈今日作相，不許軾盡言耶？」光笑之。尋除翰林學士。

Under the founding emperors, the corvée assignment system had long been in force and had grown corrupt. Households drafted for labor were unskilled in their duties and were driven harshly, often ruining their families; in narrow districts peasants sometimes went the whole year without a day's rest. Wang Anshi, serving as Shenzong's chancellor, replaced it with the Service Substitution Tax, requiring households to pay according to rank to hire laborers. Those enforcing the law overcharged, and this became a burden on the people. When Sima Guang became chancellor, he saw the harm of the Service Substitution Tax but not its benefits, and wished to restore corvée assignment. Officials were dispatched to establish a bureau, and Su Shi was among those selected. Su Shi said, "Corvée assignment and the Service Substitution Tax each have benefits and harms. The harm of the Service Substitution Tax is that it squeezes the people's wealth until nine of ten households are ruined, money is gathered at the top while below there is a shortage of cash. The harm of corvée assignment is that the people are constantly tied to official service and cannot devote themselves fully to farming, while greedy clerks and wily subordinates find openings for corruption. These two harms are roughly equal in severity." Sima Guang asked, "What do you think?" Su Shi replied, "When laws follow one upon another, affairs are easily accomplished; when change proceeds gradually, the people are not alarmed. Under the law of the Three Dynasties, soldier and farmer were one; not until Qin were they divided; by the mid-Tang all garrison militia had been converted into long-service troops. Since then farmers no longer knew war and soldiers no longer knew farming. Farmers supplied grain and cloth to sustain the army; soldiers gave their lives to protect the farmers. The realm found this arrangement convenient. Even if a sage arose again, he could not change it. The present Service Substitution Tax is in fact very much like this. You wish abruptly to abolish the Service Substitution Tax and restore corvée assignment. That is like abolishing long-service troops and reviving militia—it would not be easy." Sima Guang did not agree. Su Shi stated his views again in the Hall of Administration, and Sima Guang grew angry. Su Shi said, "In the past when Duke Han of Wei dispatched voluntary troops in Shaanxi, you as remonstrance official argued against it with great force. Duke Han was displeased, yet you paid no heed. I once heard you speak in detail of this. Now that you are chancellor, will you not allow me to speak fully?" Sima Guang laughed. Soon afterward he was appointed Hanlin Academician.

二年，兼侍讀。每進讀至治亂興衰、邪正得失之際，未嘗不反覆開導，覬有所啓悟。哲宗雖恭默不言，輒首肯之。嘗讀祖宗《寶訓》，因及時事，軾歷言：「今賞罰不明，善惡無所勸沮；又黃河勢方北流，而強之使東；夏人入鎮戎，殺掠數萬人，帥臣不以聞。每事如此，恐浸成衰亂之漸。」

In the second year he additionally served as Lecturer-in-Waiting. Whenever he lectured and reached passages on the rise and fall of states, or the gains and losses of right and wrong, he never failed to expound at length, hoping to awaken understanding. Though Emperor Zhezong remained respectfully silent, he always nodded in assent. Once, reading the ancestral "Precious Instructions," he turned to current affairs, and Su Shi enumerated: "Today rewards and punishments are unclear, and good and evil receive no encouragement or restraint; moreover the Yellow River's current tends northward, yet we force it eastward; the Tanguts entered Zhenrong, killing and plundering tens of thousands, yet the frontier commander did not report it. With each matter like this, I fear we are gradually sliding toward decline and disorder."

軾嘗鎖宿禁中，召入對便殿，宣仁后問曰：「卿前年爲何官？」曰：「臣爲常州團練副使。」曰：「今爲何官？」曰：「臣今待罪翰林學士。」曰：「何以遽至此？」曰：「遭遇太皇太后、皇帝陛下。」曰：「非也。」曰：「豈大臣論薦乎？」曰：「亦非也。」軾驚曰：「臣雖無狀，不敢自他途以進。」曰：「此先帝意也。先帝每誦卿文章，必歎曰：『奇才，奇才！』但未及進用卿耳。」軾不覺哭失聲，宣仁后與哲宗亦泣，左右皆感涕。已而命坐賜茶，徹御前金蓮燭送歸院。

Su Shi once kept overnight vigil in the palace and was summoned to audience in the side hall. Empress Xuanren asked, "What office did you hold the year before last?" He replied, "Your subject was Vice Military Training Commissioner of Changzhou." She asked, "What office do you hold now?" He replied, "Your subject now holds the post of Hanlin Academician, bearing disgrace." She asked, "How did you rise to this so quickly?" He replied, "Through the grace of the Grand Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor." She said, "That is not so." He asked, "Was it through recommendation by great ministers?" She said, "That also is not so." Su Shi said in alarm, "Though I am unworthy, I dare not advance by any other path." She said, "This was the former emperor's intention. Whenever the former emperor recited your writings, he always sighed and said, "A prodigy—a prodigy!" Only he did not live to employ you." Su Shi involuntarily burst into sobs. Empress Xuanren and Emperor Zhezong wept as well, and all those present were moved to tears. Presently he was invited to sit and granted tea; the imperial golden lotus candles were carried out to escort him back to the Hanlin Academy.

三年，權知禮部貢舉。會大雪苦寒，士坐庭中，噤未能言。軾寬其禁約，使得盡技。巡鋪內侍每摧辱舉子，且持曖昧單詞，誣以爲罪，軾盡奏逐之。

In the third year he served as acting supervisor of the Ministry of Rites examinations. There happened to be heavy snow and bitter cold. The candidates sat in the courtyard, teeth chattering and unable to speak. Su Shi relaxed the restrictions so they could display their full ability. Palace eunuchs on patrol often humiliated examinees and, seizing on ambiguous single words, falsely charged them with offenses. Su Shi memorialized to have them all dismissed.

四年，積以論事，爲當軸者所恨。軾恐不見容，請外，拜龍圖閣學士、知杭州。未行，諫官言前相蔡確知安州，作詩借郝處俊事以譏太皇太后。大臣議遷之嶺南。軾密疏：「朝廷若薄確之罪，則于皇帝孝治爲不足；若深罪確，則于太皇太后仁政爲小累。謂宜皇帝敕置獄逮治，太皇太后出手詔赦之，則於仁孝兩得矣。」宣仁后心善軾言而不能用。軾出郊，用前執政恩例，遣內侍賜龍茶、銀合，慰勞甚厚。

In the fourth year, having repeatedly spoken out on state affairs, he was hated by those in power. Fearing he would not be tolerated, Su Shi requested an outside post and was appointed Hanlin Gentleman of the Dragon Diagram Hall and prefect of Hangzhou. Before he departed, remonstrance officials reported that the former chancellor Cai Que, as prefect of Anzhou, had composed poetry alluding to Hao Chujun to mock the Grand Empress Dowager. The great ministers deliberated on banishing him to Lingnan. Su Shi submitted a secret memorial: "If the court treats Que's offense lightly, it will fall short of the emperor's filial governance; if it punishes Que severely, it will be a slight stain on the Grand Empress Dowager's benevolent rule. I propose that His Majesty decree arrest and trial, and the Grand Empress Dowager issue a personal edict pardoning him—thus both benevolence and filial piety would be satisfied." Empress Xuanren approved Su Shi's words in her heart but could not adopt them. When Su Shi went out to the suburbs to take leave, the precedent for former chief administrators was applied: an internal attendant was sent to bestow dragon tea and a silver casket, with generous words of consolation.

旣至杭，大旱，饑疫並作。軾請於朝，免本路上供米三之一，復得賜度僧牒，易米以救饑者。明年春，又減價糶常平米，多作饘粥藥劑，遣使挾醫分坊治病，活者甚眾。軾曰：「杭，水陸之會，疫死比他處常多。」乃裒羨緡得二千，復發橐中黃金五十兩，以作病坊，稍畜錢糧待之。

Once he reached Hangzhou, severe drought struck and famine and pestilence arose together. Su Shi petitioned the court to exempt one-third of the tribute grain supplied by his circuit, and also obtained permission to sell ordination certificates, exchanging them for grain to feed the hungry. The following spring he again sold grain from the Ever-Normal Granary at reduced prices, prepared large quantities of gruel, porridge, and medicine, and sent agents with physicians to treat the sick ward by ward. Very many lives were saved. Su Shi said, "Hangzhou is a crossroads of waterways and roads; deaths from pestilence are usually greater here than elsewhere." He therefore collected surplus funds totaling two thousand strings of cash, and also took fifty taels of gold from his own purse to build sick wards and set aside money and grain in reserve.

杭本近海，地泉鹹苦，居民稀少。唐刺史李泌始引西湖水作六井，民足于水。白居易又浚西湖水入漕河，自河入田，所溉至千頃，民以殷富。湖水多葑，自唐及錢氏，歲輒浚治，宋興，廢之，葑積爲田，水無幾矣。漕河失利，取給江潮，舟行市中，潮又多淤，三年一淘，爲民大患，六井亦幾於廢。軾見茅山一河專受江潮，鹽橋一河專受湖水，遂浚二河以通漕。復造堰閘，以爲湖水畜洩之限，江潮不復入市。以餘力復完六井，又取葑田積湖中，南北徑三十里，爲長堤以通行者。吳人種菱，春輒芟除，不遣寸草。且募人種菱湖中，葑不復生。收其利以備脩湖，取救荒餘錢萬緡、糧萬石，及請得百僧度牒以募役者。堤成，植芙蓉、楊柳其上，望之如畫圖，杭人名爲蘇公堤。

Hangzhou originally lay near the sea. Its groundwater was brackish and bitter, and residents were sparse. During the Tang, Prefect Li Bi first drew West Lake water to create six wells, and the people had enough water. Bai Juyi further dredged West Lake water into the canal and from the canal into the fields, irrigating up to a thousand qing. The people grew prosperous. Duckweed filled much of the lake. From the Tang through the Qian clan it was dredged every year, but after the Song rose this was abandoned; duckweed accumulated into fields, and little water remained. The canal lost its function and had to rely on river tides. Boats sailed through the market district, yet the tides also silted heavily and required dredging every three years—a great affliction for the people—and the six wells were nearly abandoned. Su Shi saw that one Mao Mountain canal received river tides exclusively and one Salt Bridge canal received lake water exclusively. He dredged both canals to restore transport. He also built weirs and sluice gates to regulate the storing and releasing of lake water, so that river tides no longer entered the city. With remaining labor he restored the six wells, and also took the duckweed fields accumulated in the lake and built a long causeway thirty li from north to south for travelers. People of Wu, when growing water chestnuts, clear them each spring, leaving not an inch of grass. He moreover hired people to grow water chestnuts in the lake, so duckweed no longer grew. The profits were collected to fund lake maintenance. He took ten thousand strings of cash and ten thousand shi of grain left from famine relief, and also obtained a hundred ordination certificates to hire laborers. When the causeway was complete, hibiscus and willows were planted upon it. Viewed from afar it resembled a painted scroll, and the people of Hangzhou named it Su Causeway.

杭僧淨源，舊居海濱，與舶客交通，舶至高麗，交譽之。元豐末，其王子義天來朝，因往拜焉。至是，淨源死，其徒竊持其像，附舶往告。義天亦使其徒來祭，因持其國母二金塔，云祝兩宮壽。軾不納，奏之曰：「高麗久不入貢，失賜予厚利，意欲求朝，未測吾所以待之厚薄，故因祭亡僧而行祝壽之禮。若受而不答，將生怨心；受而厚賜之，正墮其計。今宜勿與知，從州郡自以理卻之。彼庸僧猾商，爲國生事，漸不可長，宜痛加懲創。」朝廷皆從之。未幾，貢使果至，舊例，使所至吳越七州，費二萬四千餘緡。軾乃令諸州量事裁損，民獲交易之利，無復侵撓之害矣。

The Hangzhou monk Jingyuan had formerly lived on the seashore and associated with merchant voyagers. When the ships reached Goryeo, they all praised him. At the end of the Yuanfeng era, Goryeo's Prince Uicheon came to court and went to pay his respects to Jingyuan. By then Jingyuan had died; his disciples secretly took his image aboard a ship to deliver the news. Uicheon also sent disciples to make offerings, bearing two golden pagodas from his kingdom's queen mother, saying they were to pray for the longevity of the two palaces. Su Shi refused to accept them and memorialized the throne: "Goryeo has long ceased sending tribute and lost the rich benefits of imperial gifts. They wish to seek an audience but cannot gauge how generously we will receive them, so they use this memorial service for a dead monk to perform a longevity blessing. If we accept without responding, they will harbor resentment; if we accept and richly reward them, we fall right into their scheme. For now the court should not let them know our reasoning; let the prefectures and districts reject them on their own grounds. Such mediocre monks and cunning merchants stir up trouble for the state; this abuse must not be allowed to grow—they should be severely punished. The court fully approved his advice. Before long the tribute mission did arrive. Under the old practice, wherever the envoys passed through the seven Wu-Yue prefectures, the cost exceeded twenty-four thousand strings of cash. Su Shi then ordered the prefectures to trim expenses as circumstances allowed. The people gained the benefit of trade and were no longer harmed by harassment.

浙江潮自海門東來，勢如雷霆，而浮山峙于江中，與漁浦諸山犬牙相錯，洄洑激射，歲敗公私船不可勝計。軾議自浙江上流地名石門，並山而東，鑿爲漕河，引浙江及溪谷諸水二十餘里以達于江。又並山爲岸，不能十里以達龍山大慈浦，自浦北折抵小嶺，鑿嶺六十五丈以達嶺東古河，浚古河數里達于龍山漕河，以避浮山之險，人以爲便。奏聞，有惡軾者，力沮之，功以故不成。

The Qiantang River tide rolls in from the sea gate in the east with force like thunder. Fushan stands in mid-river, its contours interlocking with the hills of Yǔpǔ in jagged teeth; eddies surge and shoot forth, and each year public and private ships lost are beyond counting. Su Shi proposed starting from Shimen, a place name upstream on the Qiantang River, cutting eastward along the mountains to carve a canal and drawing the Qiantang and various stream waters for more than twenty li to reach the river. Further, building banks along the mountains for less than ten li to reach Longshan Daci Ford, then turning north from the ford to reach Little Ridge, cutting through the ridge for sixty-five zhang to reach the ancient river east of the ridge, and dredging the ancient river for several li to reach the Longshan canal—thus avoiding the danger of Fushan. People thought it convenient. When he memorialized the throne, those who hated Su Shi forcefully obstructed the plan, and the work therefore was not completed.

軾復言：「三吳之水，瀦爲太湖，太湖之水，溢爲松江以入海。海日兩潮，潮濁而江清，潮水常欲淤塞江路，而江水清駛，隨輒滌去，海口常通，則吳中少水患。昔蘇州以東，公私船皆以篙行，無陸挽者。自慶曆以來，松江大築挽路，建長橋以扼塞江路，故今三吳多水，欲鑿挽路、爲十橋，以迅江勢」。亦不果用，人皆以爲恨。軾二十年間再蒞杭，有德於民，家有畫像，飲食必祝。又作生祠以報。

Su Shi further said: "The waters of the Three Wu regions accumulate into Tai Lake; the waters of Tai Lake overflow into the Song River to reach the sea. The sea sends two tides daily. The tide is turbid and the river clear; the tide constantly seeks to silt up the river route, but the clear, swift river water washes it away and keeps the river mouth open—then central Wu has fewer flood disasters. Formerly east of Suzhou, public and private boats all traveled by pole and had no land haulage. Since the Qingli era, massive haul roads were built on the Song River and long bridges erected to choke the river route, so now the Three Wu have much flooding. I wish to cut through the haul roads and build ten bridges to quicken the river's flow." This too was not adopted, and people all regarded it as a regret. Over twenty years Su Shi twice presided over Hangzhou and had earned the people's gratitude; households kept his portrait and always blessed him at meals. They also built living shrines in gratitude.

六年，召爲吏部尚書，未至。以弟轍除右丞，改翰林承旨。轍辭右丞，欲與兄同備從官，不聽。軾在翰林數月，復以讒請外，乃以龍圖閣學士出知潁州。先是，開封諸縣多水患，吏不究本末，決其陂澤，注之惠民河，河不能勝，致陳亦多水。又將鑿鄧艾溝與潁河並，且鑿黃堆欲注之於淮。軾始至潁，遣吏以水平準之，淮之漲水高於新溝幾一丈，若鑿黃堆，淮水顧流潁地爲患。軾言於朝，從之。

In the sixth year he was summoned as Minister of Personnel but had not yet arrived. Because his brother Zhe was appointed Right Vice Grand Councillor, Su Shi was reassigned as Hanlin Academician-in-Waiting. Zhe declined the vice councillorship, wishing to serve alongside his brother as attendant officials, but the request was denied. Su Shi was in the Hanlin for several months, then again, because of slander, requested an outside post. He was sent out as Academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall to govern Yingzhou. Previously the counties of Kaifeng had many flood disasters. Officials did not investigate root causes and released their reservoirs and marshes into the Huimin River; the river could not bear it, causing Chen prefecture also to suffer much flooding. They were also going to dig Deng Ai's canal to join the Ying River, and dig Huangdui to pour into the Huai. When Su Shi first reached Ying, he sent officials with a water level. The Huai's floodwater was nearly one zhang higher than the new ditch; if Huangdui were dug, Huai water would run back into Ying territory and become a disaster. Su Shi spoke to the court and his advice was followed.

郡有宿賊尹遇等，數劫殺人，又殺捕盜吏兵。朝廷以名捕不獲，被殺家復懼其害，匿不敢言。軾召汝陰尉李直方曰：「君能禽此，當力言於朝，乞行優賞；不獲，亦以不職奏免君矣。」直方有母且老，與母訣而後行。乃緝知盜所，分捕其黨與，手戟刺遇，獲之。朝廷以小不應格，推賞不及。軾請以己之年勞，當改朝散郎階，爲直方賞，不從。其後吏部爲軾當遷，以符會其考，軾謂已許直方，又不報。

The prefecture had hardened bandits such as Yin Yu, who repeatedly robbed and killed and also killed officers and soldiers sent to capture them. The court issued warrants by name but could not capture them. Families of the slain also feared further harm and hid, daring not speak. Su Shi summoned Ruyin Assistant Prefect Li Zhifang and said: "If you can capture these men, I shall strongly plead to the court for outstanding reward; if you fail, I shall also memorialize your dismissal for dereliction of duty. Zhifang had an aged mother; he bade her farewell and then set out. He then traced the bandits' whereabouts, divided forces to capture their accomplices, and personally stabbed Yin Yu with a halberd and seized him. The court held the case too minor to meet the standard and no reward was granted. Su Shi requested to use his own annual merit, due for promotion to Gentleman for Attendant Service, as Zhifang's reward, but this was denied. Later the Ministry of Personnel scheduled Su Shi's promotion according to his evaluation. Su Shi said he had already promised Zhifang and again received no response.

七年，徙揚州。舊發運司主東南漕法，聽操舟者私載物貨，徵商不得留難。故操舟者輒富厚，以官舟爲家，補其敝漏，且周船夫之乏，故所載率皆速達無虞。近歲一切禁而不許，故舟弊人困，多盜所載以濟饑寒，公私皆病。軾請復舊，從之。未閱歲，以兵部尚書召兼侍讀。

In the seventh year he was transferred to Yangzhou. Formerly the Transport Commission governed Southeast canal law, allowing boatmen to carry private goods; tax collectors could not obstruct them. Therefore boatmen grew wealthy, treating official boats as home, repairing their wear and leaks and also supplying boatmen's needs. Thus cargoes mostly arrived swiftly without mishap. In recent years all was forbidden and not permitted. Boats fell into disrepair and men were destitute; many stole what they carried to relieve hunger and cold, and both public and private interests suffered. Su Shi requested restoration of the old practice, and it was approved. Before a year had passed he was summoned as Minister of War with concurrent appointment as Lecturer-in-Waiting.

是歲，哲宗親祀南郊，軾爲鹵簿使，導駕入太廟。有赭繖犢車並青蓋犢車十餘爭道，不避儀仗。軾使御營巡檢使問之，乃皇后及大長公主。時御史中丞李之純爲儀仗使，軾曰：「中丞職當肅政，不可不以聞之。」純不敢言，軾于車中奏之。哲宗遣使齎疏馳白太皇太后，明日，詔整肅儀衛，自皇后而下皆毋得迎謁。尋遷禮部兼端明殿、翰林侍讀兩學士，爲禮部尚書。高麗遣使請書，朝廷以故事盡許之。軾曰：「漢東平王請諸子及《太史公書》，猶不肯予。今高麗所請，有甚於此，其可予乎？」不聽。

That year Emperor Zhezong personally performed the southern suburb sacrifice. Su Shi served as Master of the Guard of Honor, guiding the imperial procession into the Imperial Ancestral Temple. More than ten red-canopied calf carts and blue-canopied calf carts disputed the route, not yielding to the ceremonial guard. Su Shi sent the Imperial Camp Inspector to inquire; they were the empress and the Grand Elder Princess. The Censor-in-Chief Li Zhichun was Master of Ceremonial Arms. Su Shi said: "The Censor-in-Chief's duty is to enforce discipline; this cannot go unreported. Li Zhichun dared not speak; Su Shi memorialized from within his carriage. Zhezong sent a messenger with the memorial racing to inform the Grand Empress Dowager. The next day an edict ordered the ceremonial guard rectified, and from the empress down none were permitted to meet and greet the procession. Shortly after he was promoted to concurrent Academician of the Hall of Manifest Illumination and Hanlin Lecturer-in-Waiting in the Ministry of Rites, serving as Minister of Rites. Goryeo sent envoys requesting books; the court by precedent granted all they asked. Su Shi said: "In Han times the Prince of Dongping requested copies of the Masters' works and Sima Qian's Records, and still was refused. What Goryeo now requests goes beyond that—how can it be granted? His advice was not heeded.

八年，宣仁后崩，哲宗親政。軾乞補外，以兩學士出知定州。時國事將變，軾不得入辭。旣行，上書言：

In the eighth year Empress Dowager Xuanren died and Zhezong personally took the reins of government. Su Shi requested a provincial post and was sent out as Academician of two halls to govern Dingzhou. At that time state affairs were about to change; Su Shi was not permitted a farewell audience. After departing he submitted a memorial saying:

「天下治亂，出於下情之通塞。至治之極，小民皆能自通；迨於大亂，雖近臣不能自達。陛下臨御九年，除執政、臺諫外，未嘗與羣臣接。今聽政之初，當以通下情、除壅蔽爲急務。臣日侍帷幄，方當戍邊，顧不得一見而行，況疏遠小臣欲求自通，難矣。然臣不敢以不得對之故，不效愚忠。古之聖人將有爲也，必先處晦而觀明，處靜而觀動，則萬物之情，畢陳於前。陛下聖智絕人，春秋鼎盛。臣願虛心循理，一切未有所爲，默觀庶事之利害，與羣臣之邪正。以三年爲期，俟得其實，然後應物而作。使旣作之後，天下無恨，陛下亦無悔。由此觀之，陛下之有爲，惟憂太蚤，不患稍遲，亦已明矣。臣恐急進好利之臣，輒勸陛下輕有改變，故進此說，敢望陛下留神，社稷宗廟之福，天下幸甚。」

"Whether the realm is governed or in disorder depends on whether sentiments below can reach the throne. At the height of perfect order even common people can make themselves heard; when great disorder comes, even close ministers cannot make themselves heard. Your Majesty has reigned nine years; apart from chief ministers and remonstrating censors, you have never met with the officials. At the beginning of your personal rule, opening channels below and removing obstruction should be urgent tasks. I daily attend within the curtains, yet as I am about to guard the border I cannot even obtain one audience before departing—how much harder for distant minor officials who wish to be heard. Yet I dare not fail to offer loyal counsel because I cannot answer in person. When the sages of old were about to act, they first placed themselves in obscurity to observe clarity, in stillness to observe movement—then the truth of all things was fully displayed before them. Your Majesty's sagely wisdom surpasses others, and you are in the prime of youth. I wish that you would empty your mind and follow reason, doing nothing at all for the moment, silently observing the gains and losses of affairs and the loyalty and treachery of officials. Take three years as a term; wait until you know the truth, then respond to things and act. Then after you act, the realm will have no regrets and Your Majesty will have no remorse. Seen in this light, Your Majesty's acting need only fear being too early, not being slightly late—this is already clear. I fear that officials eager for advancement and profit will urge Your Majesty to change course lightly; therefore I offer this counsel. I dare hope Your Majesty will heed it—for the blessing of the state and ancestral temples, and the good fortune of the realm."

定州軍政壞馳，諸衛卒驕惰不教，軍校蠶食其廩賜，前守不敢誰何。軾取貪污者配隸遠惡，繕脩營房，禁止飲博，軍中衣食稍足，乃部勒戰法，眾皆畏伏。然諸校業業不安，有卒史以贓訴其長，軾曰：「此事吾自治則可，聽汝告，軍中亂矣。」立決配之，眾乃定。會春大閱，將吏久廢上下之分，軾命舉舊典，帥常服出帳中，將吏戎服執事。副總管王光祖自謂老將，恥之，稱疾不至。軾召書吏使爲奏，光祖懼而出，訖事，無一慢者。定人言：「自韓琦去後，不見此禮至今矣。」契丹久和，邊兵不可用，惟沿邊弓箭社與寇爲鄰，以戰射自衛，猶號精銳。故相龐籍守邊，因俗立法。歲久法弛，又爲保甲所撓。軾奏免保甲及兩稅折變科配，不報。

Dingzhou military administration had fallen into ruin. Guardsmen of the various guards were proud, lazy, and untrained; military officers embezzled their grain stipends; previous prefects dared not challenge them. Su Shi assigned the corrupt to distant penal service, repaired barracks, and forbade drinking and gambling. Once food and clothing in the army were somewhat sufficient, he drilled battle formations and all feared and submitted. But the officers were all uneasy. A clerk denounced his superior for embezzlement. Su Shi said: "This matter I can handle myself; if I let you denounce him, the army will fall into disorder. He immediately sentenced and assigned him to penal service; the force then settled. When spring grand review came, officers and clerks had long abandoned hierarchy. Su Shi ordered the old regulations observed—the commander in ordinary dress emerged from the tent, officers and clerks in military dress performed their duties. Deputy Commander Wang Guangzu, considering himself a veteran general, felt shamed and claimed illness and did not come. Su Shi summoned a clerk to draft a memorial; Guangzu feared and came out. When it was over, not one was remiss. People of Ding said: "Since Han Qi left, we have not seen such ceremony until now. Khitan peace had lasted long; border troops were unusable. Only the archery societies along the border, neighbors to bandits, trained in combat and archery for self-defense, were still called elite. Former Chancellor Pang Ji, when guarding the border, established law according to local custom. Over the years the law lapsed, and it was further disrupted by the baojia system. Su Shi memorialized to exempt the baojia and the conversion and apportionment of the two taxes, but no response came.

紹聖初，御史論軾掌內外制日，所作詞命，以爲譏斥先朝。遂以本官知英州，尋降一官，未至，貶寧遠軍節度副使，惠州安置。居三年，泊然無所蒂芥，人無賢愚，皆得其歡心。又貶瓊州別駕，居昌化。昌化，故儋耳地，非人所居，藥餌皆無有。初僦官屋以居，有司猶謂不可，軾遂買地築室，儋人運甓畚土以助之。獨與幼子過處，著書以爲樂，時時從其父老遊，若將終身。

At the start of Shaosheng, censors attacked Su Shi for the edicts he composed while holding inner and outer draft posts, claiming they mocked and condemned the previous reign. He was therefore sent to govern Yingzhou at his existing rank, soon demoted one rank. Before arriving he was demoted to Military Commissioner Vice Commissioner of Ningyuan Army and assigned to Huizhou. He lived there three years, at ease without grievance. Whether worthy or simple, all gave him their affection. He was further demoted to Assistant Prefect of Qiongzhou and lived at Changhua. Changhua was the old Dan'er territory—not a place fit for human habitation. Medicines were wholly lacking. At first he rented official quarters to live in, but the authorities still said this was not permitted. Su Shi then bought land and built a house, and people of Dan transported bricks and baskets of earth to help. He lived alone with his young son Guo, taking writing for pleasure, often keeping company with local elders as if he would end his days there.

徽宗立，移廉州，改舒州團練副使，徙永州。更三大赦，遂提舉玉局觀，復朝奉郎。軾自元祐以來，未嘗以歲課乞遷，故官止於此。建中靖國元年，卒于常州，年六十六。

When Huizong ascended, he was moved to Lianzhou, changed to Vice Commissioner of Shuzhou Militia, then transferred to Yongzhou. After three great amnesties he was appointed Superintendent of the Jade Bureau Abbey and restored to Gentleman for Attendant Service. Since the Yuanyou era Su Shi had never sought promotion by annual merit reports, so his rank stopped here. In the first year of Jianzhong Jingguo he died at Changzhou, aged sixty-six.

軾與弟轍，師父洵爲文，旣而得之於天。嘗自謂：「作文如行雲流水，初無定質，但常行於所當行，止於所不可不止。」雖嬉笑怒駡之辭，皆可書而誦之。其體渾涵光芒，雄視百代，有文章以來，蓋亦鮮矣。洵晚讀《易》，作《易傳》未究，命軾述其志。軾成《易傳》，復作《論語說》；後居海南，作《書傳》；又有《東坡集》四十卷、《後集》二十卷、《奏議》十五卷、《內制》十卷、《外制》三卷、《和陶詩》四卷。一時文人如黃庭堅、晁補之、秦觀、張耒、陳師道，舉世未之識，軾待之如朋儔，未嘗以師資自予也。

Su Shi and his brother Zhe studied writing under their father Xun, then received it from Heaven. He once said: "Writing is like drifting clouds and flowing water—it has no fixed form at first, but always moves where it should move and stops where it must stop. Even words of jest, laughter, anger, and scolding could all be written down and recited. His style was full and luminous, towering over a hundred generations; since writing began, such cases have been rare. In his later years Xun read the Book of Changes and began a Commentary on the Changes but did not finish; he charged Su Shi to carry out his intent. Su Shi completed the Commentary on the Changes and also wrote Explanations of the Analects; later, living in Hainan, he wrote a Commentary on the Documents; There were also Eastern Slope Collection in forty juan, Later Collection in twenty juan, Memorials and Discussions in fifteen juan, Inner Drafts in ten juan, Outer Drafts in three juan, and Poems in Harmony with Tao in four juan. Men of letters of the age such as Huang Tingjian, Chao Buzhi, Qin Guan, Zhang Lei, and Chen Shidao were unknown to the world; Su Shi treated them as peers and never assumed the role of master.

自爲舉子至出入侍從，必以愛君爲本，忠規讜論，挺挺大節，羣臣無出其右。但爲小人忌惡擠排，不使安於朝廷之上。

From his days as an examination candidate to his service in attendance, he always took love of the ruler as his foundation. His loyal remonstrance and forthright counsel, his upright integrity—among the officials none surpassed him. But petty men envied and hated him and drove him out, not allowing him to rest at ease at court.

高宗卽位，贈資政殿學士，以其孫符爲禮部尚書。又以其文置左右，讀之終日忘倦，謂爲文章之宗，親制集贊，賜其曾孫嶠。遂崇贈太師，諡「文忠」。軾三子：邁、迨、過，俱善爲文。邁，駕部員外郎。迨，承務郎。

When Gaozong ascended, Su Shi was posthumously granted Academician of the Hall for Propagation of Governance, and his grandson Fu was made Minister of Rites. He also kept Su Shi's writings at hand, reading them all day without tiring, calling him patriarch of letters. He personally composed a preface for the collected works and granted it to his great-grandson Qiao. Su Shi was then posthumously elevated to Grand Preceptor with the posthumous title "Loyal in Letters." Su Shi had three sons: Mai, Dai, and Guo—all skilled in writing. Mai served as Vice Director of the Office of Imperial Equipage. Dai served as Gentleman for Managing Affairs.

子過

Son: Guo

過，字叔黨。軾知杭州，過年十九，以詩賦解兩浙路，禮部試下。及軾為兵部尚書，任右承務郎。軾帥定武，謫知英州，貶惠州，遷儋耳，漸徙廉、永，獨過侍之。凡生理晝夜寒暑所須者，一身百為，不知其難。初至海上，為文曰《志隱》，軾覽之曰：「吾可以安於島夷矣。」因命作《孔子弟子別傳》。軾卒於常州，過葬軾汝州郟城小峨眉山，遂家潁昌，營湖陰水竹數畝，名曰「小斜川」，自號「斜川居士」。卒，年五十二。

Guo, whose style name was Shudang. When Su Shi governed Hangzhou, Guo was nineteen. By poetry and rhapsody he passed the Two Zhe circuit preliminary but fell short at the Ministry of Rites examination. When Su Shi became Minister of War, Guo was appointed Right Gentleman for Attending Affairs. When Su Shi commanded Dingzhou, was demoted to govern Yingzhou, banished to Huizhou, moved to Dan'er, and gradually transferred to Lian and Yong, Guo alone attended him. For everything needed in daily life day and night through summer and winter, he alone did a hundred tasks without seeming to know the hardship. When he first reached the sea, he wrote an essay called "Record of Hidden Intent." Su Shi read it and said: "I can now settle at ease among these island barbarians. He then ordered him to write Separate Biographies of the Disciples of Confucius. When Su Shi died at Changzhou, Guo buried him at Little Emei Mountain in Jia County, Ruzhou. He then made his home at Yingchang, laid out several mu of waters and bamboo by the lake, naming it "Little Xie Stream," and styled himself "Recluse of Xie Stream." He died at the age of fifty-two.

初監太原府稅，次知潁昌府郾城縣，皆以法令罷。晚權通判中山府。有《斜川集》二十卷。其《思子臺賦》、《颶風賦》早行於世。時稱為「小坡」，蓋以軾為「大坡」也。其叔轍每稱過孝，以訓宗族。且言：「吾兄遠居海上，惟成就此兒能文也。」七子：籥、籍、節、笈、篳、篴、箾。

At first he supervised taxes at Taiyuan Prefecture, then governed Yancheng County in Yingchang Prefecture—both times he was dismissed for legal violations. In his later years he served as acting Vice Prefect of Zhongshan Prefecture. He left Xie Stream Collection in twenty juan. His "Rhapsody on the Terrace for Thinking of One's Son" and "Rhapsody on the Hurricane" circulated early in the world. He was called at the time "Little Slope," because Su Shi was called "Great Slope." His uncle Zhe often praised Guo's filial piety to instruct the clan. He also said: "My elder brother lives far on the sea; only in raising this boy to write well has he succeeded. He had seven sons: Yue, Ji, Jie, Ji, Bi, Di, and Shuo.

論曰：蘇軾自爲童子時，士有傳石介《慶曆聖德詩》至蜀中者，軾歷舉詩中所言韓、富、杜、范諸賢以問其師。師怪而語之，則曰：「正欲識是諸人耳。」蓋已有頡頏當世賢哲之意。弱冠，父子兄弟至京師，一日而聲名赫然，動于四方。旣而登上第，擢詞科，入掌書命，出典方州。器識之閎偉，議論之卓犖，文章之雄雋，政事之精明，四者皆能以特立之志爲之主，而以邁往之氣輔之。故意之所向，言足以達其有猷，行足以遂其有爲。至於禍患之來，節義足以固其有守，皆志與氣所爲也。仁宗初讀軾、轍制策，退而喜曰：「朕今日爲子孫得兩宰相矣。」神宗尤愛其文，宮中讀之，膳進忘食，稱爲天下奇才。二君皆有以知軾，而軾卒不得大用。一歐陽脩先識之，其名遂與之齊，豈非軾之所長不可掩抑者，天下之至公也，相不相有命焉，嗚呼！軾不得相，又豈非幸歟？或謂：「軾稍自韜戢，雖不獲柄用，亦當免禍。」雖然，假令軾以是而易其所爲，尚得爲軾哉？

Commentator's note: When Su Shi was still a child, a scholar brought Shi Jie's "Holy Virtue Poem of the Qingli Era" to Shu. Su Shi listed the worthies Han, Fu, Du, and Fan mentioned in the poem and asked his teacher about them. His teacher, surprised, asked why. He said: "I just want to know these men. Clearly he already had the intent to rival the sages of his age. At twenty, father, sons, and brothers reached the capital. In a single day their fame blazed forth and stirred the four quarters. Thereafter they passed the highest examinations, were selected for the rhyme-prose category, entered to hold drafting posts, and went out to govern provinces. The grandeur of his capacity and insight, the excellence of his discourse, the bold excellence of his writing, the clarity of his governance—in all four he had exceptional will as master and forward-moving spirit as assistant. Therefore where his intent was directed, his words sufficed to convey his designs and his actions sufficed to accomplish his deeds. When disaster came, integrity and righteousness sufficed to fortify what he upheld—all was the work of will and spirit. When Renzong first read the policy essays of Su Shi and Zhe, he withdrew and said with delight: "Today I have obtained two chancellors for my descendants. Shenzong especially loved Su Shi's writing; reading it in the palace he forgot his meal at serving time and called him the singular genius of the realm. Both rulers had the means to know Su Shi, yet Su Shi ultimately was not greatly employed. When Ouyang Xiu first recognized him, his name rose level with Xiu's—is this not proof that Su Shi's strengths could not be suppressed, the utmost fairness of the realm? Whether one becomes chancellor or not is a matter of fate—alas! That Su Shi did not become chancellor—was that not also fortune? Some say: "If Su Shi had restrained himself slightly, though he might not have wielded power, he should still have avoided disaster. Nevertheless, if Su Shi had changed what he did on that account, could he still have been Su Shi?

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