Volume 443 Biographies 202: Literature 5 - Mei Yaochen, Jiang Xiufu, Su Xun, Zhang Wangzhi, Wang Feng, Suntang Qinghuangxiang, Yang Zhi, Tang Geng and elder brother: Bohu, Wen Tong, Yang Jie, He Zhu, Liu Jing, Bao You, Huang Bosi

列傳第二百二文苑五

Biographies 202: The Literary Garden, Part 5

梅堯臣江休復蘇洵章望之王逢孫唐卿黃庠楊寘附唐庚史伯虎附文同楊傑賀鑄劉涇鮑由黃伯思

Mei Yaochen, Jiang Xiufu, Su Xun, Zhang Wangzhi, Wang Feng, Sun Tangqing, Huang Xiang, and Yang Zhi; appended biographies: Tang Geng, Shi Bohu, Wen Tong, Yang Jie, He Zhu, Liu Jing, Bao You, and Huang Bosi.

梅堯臣，字聖俞，宣州宣城人，侍讀學士詢從子也。工為詩，以深遠古淡為意，間出奇巧，初未為人所知。用詢陰為河南主簿，錢惟演留守西京，特嗟賞之，為忘年交，引與酬倡，一府盡傾。歐陽修與為詩友，自以為不及。堯臣益刻厲，精思苦學，繇是知名於時。宋興，以詩名家為世所傳如堯臣者，蓋少也。嘗語人曰：「凡詩，意新語工，得前人所未道者，斯為善矣。必能狀難寫之景如在目前，含不盡之意見於言外，然後為至也。」世以為知言。歷德興縣令，知建德、襄城縣，監湖州稅，簽書忠武、鎮安判官，監永豐倉。大臣屢薦宜在館閣，召試，賜進士出身，為國子監直講，累遷尚書都官員外郎。預修《唐書》，成，未奏而卒，錄其子一人。

Mei Yaochen, courtesy name Shengyu, was from Xuancheng in Xuanzhou and was a nephew of the Academician Reader Mei Xun. He excelled at poetry, aiming for depth, remoteness, antiquity, and restraint, with occasional flashes of striking originality; at first he was little known. Through Xun's quiet recommendation he was appointed Registrar of Henan. Qian Weiyan, who was holding the western capital, took a special liking to him, became his friend despite the age gap, brought him into literary exchange, and won over the entire prefectural staff. Ouyang Xiu became his poetic companion and considered himself inferior to him. Yaochen redoubled his discipline, thinking deeply and studying hard, and thereby made a name for himself. Since the founding of the Song, few poets of Yaochen's stature have been so widely read. He once said to others, "In poetry, what is good is an idea that is fresh and language that is finely wrought, expressing what no predecessor has yet said. One must be able to render scenes that are hard to capture as if they were before one's eyes, and to suggest inexhaustible meaning beyond the words — only then has one reached the highest level." The world regarded this as the speech of one who truly understood the art. He served as magistrate of Dexing, as prefect of Jiande and Xiangcheng, as supervisor of Huzhou tax collection, as signing judicial administrator for Zhongwu and Zhen'an, and as supervisor of the Yongfeng granary. Senior ministers repeatedly recommended him for service in the academies. Summoned for examination, he was granted jinshi standing, appointed Direct Lecturer of the Directorate of Education, and eventually promoted to Vice Director in the Ministry of Works. He took part in compiling the History of Tang. When the work was finished he died before it could be submitted to the throne, and one of his sons was granted an official appointment.

寶元、嘉祐中，仁宗有事郊廟，堯臣預祭，輒獻歌詩，又嘗上書言兵。注《孫子》十三篇，撰《唐載記》二十六卷、《毛詩小傳》二十卷、《宛陵集》四十卷。

During the Baoyuan and Jiayou reign periods, whenever Emperor Renzong performed suburban sacrifices, Yaochen took part in the rites and presented celebratory poems. He also once submitted a memorial on military affairs. He annotated the thirteen chapters of Sunzi and wrote Records of Tang in twenty-six juan, a Small Commentary on the Mao Odes in twenty juan, and the Wanling Collection in forty juan.

堯臣家貧，喜飲酒，賢士大夫多從之遊，時載酒過門。善談笑，與物無忤，詼嘲刺譏托於詩，晚益工。有人得西南夷布弓衣，其織文乃堯臣詩也，名重於時如此。

Yaochen's family was poor. He loved wine, and many worthy scholar-officials sought his company, often arriving at his door with wine in hand. He was witty and easygoing, offended no one, and embedded humor and satire in his verse, which grew more accomplished in his later years. Someone obtained a bowman's jacket of southwestern tribal cloth whose woven pattern turned out to be one of Yaochen's poems — such was his renown.

江休復，字鄰幾，開封陳留人。少強學博覽，為文淳雅，尤善於詩。喜琴、弈、飲酒，不以聲利為意。進士起家，為桂陽監藍山尉，騎驢之官，每據鞍讀書至迷失道，家人求得之。舉書判拔萃，改大理寺丞，遷殿中丞。獻其所著書，召試，為集賢校理，判尚書刑部。與蘇舜欽遊，坐預進奏院祠神會落職，監蔡州商稅。久之，知奉符縣，通判睦州，徙廬州，復集賢校理，判吏部南曹、登聞鼓院，為群牧判官，出知同州，提點陝西路刑獄，入判三司鹽鐵勾院，修起居注，累遷尚書刑部郎中，卒。

Jiang Xiufu, courtesy name Linji, was from Chenliu in Kaifeng. From youth he studied hard and read widely. His prose was pure and elegant, and he was especially accomplished in poetry. He loved the zither, chess, and wine, and cared nothing for fame or gain. Having entered office through the jinshi examination, he was appointed Assistant Magistrate of Lanshan under the Guiyang salt monopoly. He rode a donkey to his post, often reading in the saddle until he lost his way and had to be fetched home by his family. Nominated for outstanding performance in legal judgments, he was promoted to Assistant Director of the Court of Judicial Review and then to Director in the Palace. After presenting his writings and passing a palace examination, he was appointed Collator in the Hall of Assembled Talents with concurrent duty in the Ministry of Justice. Because he had associated with Su Shunqin and took part in the Spirit Sacrifice gathering at the Memorial Submission Court, he was dismissed from office and appointed supervisor of commercial tax in Caizhou. After some years he served as magistrate of Fengfu, as deputy prefect of Muzhou, and then of Luzhou. He was reappointed Collator in the Hall of Assembled Talents, served in the Southern Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel and the Court of Complaints and Appeals, and as judicial administrator of the Pasturage Commission. He later governed Tongzhou, served as Investigating Commissioner for criminal justice on the Shaanxi circuit, and entered the capital to judge the Salt and Iron Commission's audit office and compile the Imperial Diary. He rose to Director in the Ministry of Justice and died in office.

休復外簡曠而內行甚飾，事孀姑如母，所與遊皆一時豪俊。為政簡易。嘗著《神告》一篇，言皇嗣未立，假神告祖宗之意，冀以感悟。又嘗言昭憲太后子孫多流落民間，宜甄錄之。著《唐宜鑒》十五卷、《春秋世論》三十卷、文集二十卷。

Outwardly Xiufu was plain and unassuming, yet inwardly his conduct was meticulous. He treated his widowed aunt as his own mother, and his companions were the leading talents of the day. In office his administration was simple and unobtrusive. He once wrote a piece called Divine Admonition, arguing that no heir apparent had been named and invoking, through a supposed divine message to the imperial ancestors, the hope of moving the court to act. He also urged that many descendants of Empress Dowager Zhaoxian had been scattered among the people and ought to be identified and given official recognition. His works included Mirror of Tang Institutions in fifteen juan, Discussions of the Ages in the Spring and Autumn Annals in thirty juan, and a collected works in twenty juan.

蘇洵，字明允，眉州眉山人。年二十七始發憤為學，歲餘舉進士，又舉茂才異等，皆不中。悉焚常所為文，閉戶益讀書，遂通《六經》、百家之說，下筆頃刻數千言。至和、嘉祐間，與其二子軾、轍皆至京師，翰林學士歐陽修上其所著書二十二篇，既出，士大夫爭傳之，一時學者競效蘇氏為文章。所著《權書》、《衡論》、《機策》，文多不可悉錄，錄其《心術》、《遠慮》二篇。

Su Xun, courtesy name Mingyun, was from Meishan in Meizhou. Not until he was twenty-seven did he throw himself into study with fierce resolve. A little more than a year later he took the jinshi examination and also presented himself for Outstanding Talent with Special Qualifications, but failed both. He burned all his earlier writings, shut himself in, and read still harder until he had mastered the Six Classics and the teachings of the hundred schools. When he wrote, thousands of words flowed from his brush in moments. During the Zhihe and Jiayou reign periods he and his two sons Shi and Zhe all came to the capital. Hanlin Academician Ouyang Xiu presented twenty-two of his essays to the throne. Once they circulated, scholar-officials passed them around eagerly, and students everywhere rushed to imitate the Su style. Among his works, The Book of Expediency, Discourses on Balance, and Stratagems contain far more than can be quoted in full. Two essays are recorded here: Heart Technique and Far-Sighted Counsel.

《心術》曰：

Heart Technique reads:

為將之道，當先治心，太山覆於前而色不變，麋鹿興於左而目不瞬，然後可以待敵。凡兵上義，不義雖利不動。夫惟義可以怒士，士以義怒，可與百戰。凡戰之道，未戰養其財，將戰養其力，既戰養其氣，既勝養其心。謹烽燧，嚴斥堠，使耕者無所顧忌，所以養其財，豐犒而優遊之，所以養其力。小勝益急，小挫益厲，所以養其氣。用人不盡其所為，所以養其心。故士當蓄其怒、懷其欲而不盡。怒不盡則有餘勇，欲不盡則有餘貪，故雖並天下而士不厭兵，此黃帝所以七十戰而兵不殆也。

The way of command is to master the mind first: let Mount Tai collapse before you without a change of expression, let a stag spring up at your left without a blink of the eye — only then are you fit to face the enemy. In warfare righteousness comes first: if a cause is unjust, do not act even when gain is at hand. Only righteousness can stir soldiers to fury; soldiers roused by righteousness will fight through a hundred battles. The art of war is this: before battle, nurture your resources; as battle approaches, nurture your strength; once fighting has begun, nurture your morale; after victory, nurture your men's resolve. Keep beacon fires and watch-towers in good order so farmers may work without fear — that is how you nurture your resources. Reward your men generously and let them rest at ease — that is how you nurture their strength. Small victories should spur them on; small setbacks should steel them — that is how you nurture their fighting spirit. Do not use your men to the limit of what they can give — that is how you nurture their hearts. Soldiers should therefore keep anger banked and desire held in reserve, never fully spent. Unspent anger leaves courage in reserve; unspent desire leaves hunger for more. Thus even after conquering the realm, soldiers do not tire of war. That is why the Yellow Emperor fought seventy battles without his army wearing out.

凡將欲智而嚴，凡士欲愚。智則不可測，嚴則不可犯，故士皆委己而聽命，夫安得不愚？夫惟士愚而後可與之皆死。凡兵之動，知敵之主，知敵之將，而後可以動於嶮。鄧艾縋兵於穴中，非劉禪之庸，則百萬之師可以坐縛，彼固有所侮而動也。故古之賢將，能以兵嘗敵，而又以敵自嘗，故去就可以決。

Generals must be wise and stern; soldiers must be kept simple. If a commander is wise he cannot be fathomed; if he is stern he cannot be defied. Soldiers therefore surrender themselves to his orders — how could they not seem foolish? Only when soldiers are kept simple can a commander ask them all to die together with him. Before moving troops into peril, know the enemy's sovereign and know the enemy's commander. When Deng Ai lowered his men into the mountain passes by rope, had Liu Shan not been so inept, a million-man army could have been captured without a fight. He moved because he knew precisely whom he could despise. Ancient worthy commanders therefore tested the enemy with their troops and tested themselves against the enemy, so that advance and retreat could be decided with confidence.

凡主將之道，知理而後可以舉兵，知勢而後可以加兵，知節而後可以用兵。知理則不屈，知勢則不沮，知節則不窮。見小利不動，見小患不遷，小利小患不足以辱吾技也，夫然後有以支大利大患。夫惟養技而自愛者無敵於天下，故一忍可以支百勇，一靜可以制百動。

The commander-in-chief must understand principle before he may raise an army, understand momentum before he may reinforce it, and understand measure before he may deploy it. Understanding principle, he will not be broken; understanding momentum, he will not lose heart; understanding measure, he will not be spent. He does not stir at small gains or shift at small troubles, for petty stakes are unworthy of his skill. Only then can he bear up under great stakes and great crises. Only one who cultivates his skill and guards his strength is unmatched under Heaven. One act of forbearance can withstand a hundred displays of courage; one stillness can master a hundred movements.

兵有長短，敵我一也。敢問：「吾之所長，吾出而用之，彼將不與吾校；吾之所短，吾斂而置之，彼將強與吾角。奈何？」曰：「吾之所短，吾抗而暴之，使之疑而卻；吾之所長，吾陰而養之，使之狎而墮其中。此用長短之術也。」

Armies have strengths and weaknesses on both sides alike. One may ask: "Where we are strong, if we bring our strength out and use it, the enemy will not contest us; but where we are weak, if we gather our weakness in and set it aside, they will press hard to fight us on that ground. What is to be done?" The answer: "Where we are weak, we confront it openly and display it boldly, making the enemy doubtful and causing him to pull back; where we are strong, we hide and cultivate it, until the enemy grows familiar with us and falls into the trap. That is the art of turning strength and weakness to account."

善用兵者使之無所顧，有所恃。無所顧則知死之不足惜，有所恃則知不至於必敗。尺箠當猛虎，奮呼而操擊，徒手遇蜥蜴，變色而卻步，人之情也，知此者可以將矣。袒裼而按劍，則烏獲不敢逼；冠冑衣甲據兵而寢，則童子彎弓殺之矣。故善用兵者以形固，夫能以形固，則力有餘矣。

A skilled commander leaves his men with nothing to fall back on, yet something to rely upon. With nothing to fall back on, they know death is not too dear; with something to rely on, they know defeat is not inevitable. A man will shout and strike with a foot-rule whip at a tiger, yet blanch and step back when he meets a lizard bare-handed — such is human nature. One who understands this may command armies. Bare-chested with hand on the sword, even Wuyou would not dare approach; but crowned, armored, and sleeping with weapons in hand, a child bending a bow could kill him. Therefore the skilled commander fixes his men's strength through posture and bearing. When form is firm, force remains in reserve.

《遠慮》曰：

Far-Sighted Counsel reads:

聖人之道，有經、有權、有機，是以有民、有群臣而又有腹心之臣。曰經者，天下之民舉知之可也；曰權者，民不可得而知矣，群臣知之可也；曰機者，雖群臣亦不得而知之矣，腹心之臣知之可也。夫使聖人無權，則無以成天下之務，無機，則無以濟萬世之功，然皆非天下之民所宜知；而機者又群臣所不得聞，群臣不得聞，則誰與議？不議不濟，然則所謂腹心之臣者，不可一日無也。後世見三代取天下以仁義，而守之以禮樂也，則曰「聖人無機」。夫取天下與守天下，無機不能。顧三代聖人之機，不若後世之詐，故後世不得見。

The way of the sage rests on constants, expedients, and secret stratagems. Hence there are the people, the many ministers, and also ministers of the innermost counsel. What is constant may be known to all the people under Heaven; what is expedient cannot be known to the people, though the many ministers may know it; what is stratagem cannot be known even to the many ministers — only ministers of the innermost counsel may know it. Without expedients the sage could not accomplish the affairs of the realm; without stratagems he could not secure achievements for ten thousand generations — yet neither is fit knowledge for the people. Stratagems, moreover, are what the many ministers must not hear. If ministers cannot hear them, with whom shall the sage deliberate? Without deliberation nothing is accomplished. Ministers of the innermost counsel therefore cannot be dispensed with even for a day. Later ages, seeing that the Three Dynasties won the realm through benevolence and righteousness and kept it through rites and music, concluded that "the sage has no stratagems." Neither winning the realm nor keeping it can be done without stratagems. But the stratagems of the Three Dynasties sages were unlike the deceit of later ages, and so later ages never perceived them.

其有機也，是以有腹心之臣。禹有益，湯有伊尹，武王有太公望，是三臣者，聞天下之所不聞，知群臣之所不知。禹與湯武倡其機於上，而三臣者和之於下，以成萬世之功。下而至於桓、文，有管仲、狐偃為之謀主，闔廬有伍員，勾踐有范蠡、大夫種。高祖之起也，大將任韓信、黥布、彭越，裨將任曹參、樊噲、滕公、灌嬰，遊說諸侯任酈生、陸賈、樅公，至於奇機密謀，君臣所不與者，唯留侯、酇侯二人。唐太宗之臣多奇才，而委之深、任之密者，亦不過曰房、杜。夫君子為善之心與小人為惡之心一也，君子有機以成其善，小人有機以成其惡。有機也，雖惡亦或濟，無機也，雖善亦不克，是故腹心之臣不可以一日無也。司馬氏，魏之賊也，有賈充之徒為之腹心之臣以濟，陳勝、吳廣，秦民之湯、武也，無腹心之臣以不克。何則？無腹心之臣，無機也，有機而洩也。夫無機與有機而洩者，譬如虎豹食人而不知設陷阱，設陷阱而不知以物覆其上者也。

Because they had stratagems, they needed ministers of the innermost counsel. Yu had Yi, Tang had Yi Yin, and King Wu had Taigong Wang. These three ministers heard what the world did not hear and knew what the many ministers did not know. Yu, Tang, and Wu proclaimed their stratagems from above, and the three ministers harmonized them below, thereby securing achievements for ten thousand generations. Later came Duke Huan and Duke Wen, with Guan Zhong and Hu Yan as their chief strategists; King Helü had Wu Zixu; King Goujian had Fan Li and Grandee Zhong. When Gaozu rose, he entrusted his great generals to Han Xin, Qing Bu, and Peng Yue; his lieutenant generals to Cao Shen, Fan Kuai, the Lord of Teng, and Guan Ying; and his envoys to the feudal lords to Li Yiji, Lu Jia, and the Lord of Zong. But for marvelous stratagems and secret plots shared only between sovereign and minister, there were only the Marquis of Liu and the Marquis of Zan. Emperor Taizong of Tang had many extraordinary ministers, yet those he entrusted most deeply were none other than Fang and Du. The gentleman's desire to do good and the petty man's desire to do evil spring from the same impulse. The gentleman uses stratagems to accomplish good; the petty man uses stratagems to accomplish evil. With stratagems, even evil may sometimes succeed; without stratagems, even good may fail. Ministers of the innermost counsel therefore cannot be dispensed with even for a day. The Sima clan were usurpers of Wei, yet with Jia Chong and his like as ministers of innermost counsel they succeeded. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were the Tang and Wu of the Qin people, yet without such ministers they failed. Why? Without ministers of innermost counsel there are no stratagems; with stratagems that leak, there is failure. To lack stratagems or to have stratagems that leak is like a tiger that devours men yet does not know how to set a trap, or sets a trap yet does not know to cover it.

或曰：「機者，創業之君所假以濟耳，守成之世，其奚事機而安用夫腹心之臣？」嗚呼！守成之世，能遂熙然如太古之世矣乎？未也，吾未見機之可去也。且夫天下之變，常伏於安，田文所謂「子少國危，大臣未附」，當是之時，而無腹心之臣，可為寒心哉！昔者高祖之末，天下既定矣，而又以周勃遺孝惠、孝文；武帝之末，天下既治矣，而又以霍光遺孝昭、孝宣。蓋天下雖有泰山之勢，而聖人常以累卵為心，故雖守成之世，而腹心之臣不可去也。

Someone objected: "Stratagems are tools for founding rulers alone. In an age that merely preserves what has been won, what need is there for stratagems or for ministers of innermost counsel?" Alas! Can an age that merely preserves order truly be as tranquil as the age of utmost antiquity? It is not so. I have never seen a time when stratagems could be dispensed with. Moreover, upheavals in the realm often lurk beneath apparent security. As Tian Wen said, "The heir is young, the state is in peril, and great ministers are not yet loyal." At such a moment, to lack ministers of innermost counsel is cause for dread. In former times, at the end of Gaozu's reign, when the realm was already settled, he still left Zhou Bo to Emperor Xiaohui and Emperor Xiaowen; and at the end of Emperor Wu's reign, when the realm was already well governed, he still left Huo Guang to Emperor Xiaozhao and Emperor Xiaoxuan. Though the realm may stand firm as Mount Tai, the sage always treats it as fragile as a pile of eggs. That is why ministers of innermost counsel cannot be dispensed with even in an age of settled order.

《傳》曰：「百官總己以聽於塚宰。」彼塚宰者，非腹心之臣，天子安能舉天下之事委之，三年不置疑於其間邪？又曰：「五載一巡狩。」彼無腹心之臣，五載一出，捐千里之畿，而誰與守邪？今夫一家之中必有宗老，一介之士必有密友，以開心胸，以濟緩急，奈何天子而無腹心之臣乎？近世之君抗然於上，而使宰相眇然於下，上下不接，而其志不通矣。臣視君如天之遼然而不可親，而君亦如天之視人，泊然無愛之之心也。是以社稷之憂，彼不以為憂，君憂不辱，君辱不死。一人譽之則用之，一人毀之則捨之。宰相避嫌畏譏且不暇，何暇盡心以憂社稷？數遷數易，視相府如傳捨。百官泛泛於下，而天子惸惸於上，一旦有卒然之憂，吾未見其不顛沛而殞越也。聖人之任腹心之臣也，尊之如父師，愛之如兄弟，執手入臥內，同起居寢食，知無不言，言無不盡。百人譽之不加密，百人毀之不加疏，尊其爵，厚其祿，重其權，而後可與議天下之機，慮天下之變。

The Documents say, "The hundred officials gather themselves to heed the Grand Steward." That Grand Steward — if he were not a minister of innermost counsel, how could the Son of Heaven entrust him with all the affairs of the realm and go three years without a flicker of doubt? It also says, "Every five years the ruler makes a tour of inspection." Without ministers of innermost counsel, the ruler goes abroad every five years and leaves the thousand-li capital region behind — who would guard it then? Every household has its elder; every scholar has his confidant — to open the heart and meet urgent need. How then can the Son of Heaven lack ministers of innermost counsel? Rulers of recent times hold themselves aloof above while keeping their chief ministers small below. Upper and lower no longer connect, and their minds no longer meet. Ministers see the ruler as remote as Heaven and beyond approach; the ruler sees his subjects as Heaven sees mankind — detached, without warmth. The peril of state and altar does not trouble them; their only concern is that the ruler not be disgraced, and that he not die in disgrace. If one man praises an official, he is appointed; if one man slanders him, he is dismissed. The chief minister, busy avoiding suspicion and ridicule, has no time left to devote himself to the welfare of the state. Transferred and replaced again and again, they treat the chief minister's office like a roadside inn. The hundred officials drift below while the Son of Heaven stands alone above. When sudden crisis strikes, I do not see how the dynasty could avoid collapse. When the sage employs ministers of innermost counsel, he honors them as father and teacher, loves them as brothers, takes their hand into the inner chamber, and shares his daily life with them. Nothing known is left unsaid; nothing said is held back. Let a hundred men praise him without drawing him closer, or slander him without pushing him away. Honor his rank, enrich his salary, and weight his authority — only then may one deliberate on the realm's stratagems and foresee its changes.

宰相韓琦見其書，善之，奏於朝，召試舍人院，辭疾不至，遂除秘書省校書郎。會太常修纂建隆以來禮書，乃以為霸州文安縣主簿，與陳州項城令姚辟同修禮書，為《太常因革禮》一百卷。書成，方奏未報，卒。賜其家縑、銀二百，子軾辭所賜，求贈官，特贈光祿寺丞，敕有司具舟載其喪歸蜀。有文集二十卷、《謚法》三卷。

Chief Minister Han Qi read his work, admired it, and presented it at court. He was summoned for examination at the Academy of Scholarly Worthies but declined on grounds of illness and was instead appointed Collator of the Secretariat. When the Court of Imperial Sacrifices set about compiling ritual texts from the Jianlong reign onward, he was appointed Registrar of Wen'an County in Bazhou. Working with Yao Pi, magistrate of Xiangcheng in Chenzhou, he helped compile the Court of Imperial Sacrifices: Rites of Reform in one hundred juan. When the work was finished it had just been submitted to the throne but no response had yet come when he died. The court granted his family two hundred bolts of silk and silver. His son Shi declined the gifts and asked for a posthumous office for his father, who was specially granted Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The authorities were ordered to provide a boat to carry his coffin back to Shu. His writings included a collected works in twenty juan and Methods of Posthumous Titles in three juan.

章望之，字表民，建州浦城人。少孤，喜問學，志氣宏放。為文辯博，長於議論。初由伯父得像蔭為秘書省校書郎，監杭州茶庫。逾年辭疾去，求舉賢有方正，得像在相位，以嫌扼之，乃上書論時政凡萬餘言，不報。丁母憂，毀瘠過制。服除，浮游江、淮間，犯艱苦，汲汲以營衣食，不自悔，人勸之仕，不應也。其兄拱之知晉江縣，忤其守蔡襄，襄怒，誣以贓，貶。望之號泣，力訴於朝。時襄方貴顯，事久不得直。望之訴不已，章十餘上，起獄數年，朝廷為再劾，卒脫拱之冤，復官如初，望之遂不復仕。覃恩遷太常寺太祝、大理評事。翰林學士歐陽修、韓絳、知制誥吳奎劉敞、范鎮同薦其才，宰相欲稍用之，除簽書建康軍節度判官，不赴。又除知烏程縣，趣令受命，固辭，遂以光祿寺丞致仕，卒。

Zhang Wangzhi, courtesy name Biaomin, was from Pucheng in Jianzhou. Orphaned young, he loved learning and possessed a bold and expansive spirit. His writing was eloquent and learned, and he excelled at argument. He first entered office through his uncle Zhang De Xiang's hereditary privilege as Collator of the Secretariat and supervisor of the Hangzhou tea warehouse. After a year he resigned on grounds of illness and sought nomination as Worthy with Upright Conduct. Because De Xiang was chief minister and blocked him on grounds of kinship, he submitted a memorial of more than ten thousand words on current affairs, but received no response. When his mother died he mourned until he was emaciated beyond what the regulations allowed. After mourning he wandered between the Yangzi and Huai, enduring hardship and scrambling to earn a living without regret. When others urged him to take office, he refused. His elder brother Gongzhi served as magistrate of Jinjiang County and offended his superior Cai Xiang, who in anger falsely accused him of corruption and had him demoted. Wangzhi wept and appealed strenuously to the court. At the time Cai Xiang was powerful and influential, and for a long time justice was not done. Wangzhi kept appealing, submitting more than ten memorials and setting a case in motion that lasted several years. The court conducted a second investigation, finally cleared Gongzhi's name, and restored his office. Wangzhi never took office again. Through a general amnesty he was promoted to Sacrificer of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Assessor of the Court of Judicial Review. Hanlin Academicians Ouyang Xiu and Han Jiang, together with Drafters of Edicts Wu Kui, Liu Chang, and Fan Zhen, jointly recommended his talent. The chief minister wished to employ him and appointed him Signing Judicial Administrator of the Jiankang Military Commission, but he did not take up the post. He was again appointed magistrate of Wucheng County and urged to accept, but firmly declined. He then retired as Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and died.

望之喜議論，宗孟軻言性善，排荀卿、揚雄、韓愈、李翱之說，著《救性》七篇。歐陽修論魏、梁為正統，望之以為非，著《明統》三篇。江南人李覯著《禮論》，謂仁、義、智、信、樂、刑、政皆出於禮，望之訂其說，著《禮論》一篇。其議論多有過人者。嘗北遊齊、趙，南泛湖、湘，西至汧、隴，東極吳會，山水勝處，無所不歷。有歌詩、雜文數百篇，集為三十卷。

Wangzhi loved debate, upheld Mencius's doctrine that human nature is good, rejected the views of Xunzi, Yang Xiong, Han Yu, and Li Ao, and wrote Saving Nature in seven chapters. Ouyang Xiu argued that Wei and Liang held legitimate succession. Wangzhi disagreed and wrote Clarifying Succession in three chapters. Li Gou of Jiangnan wrote a Discourse on Rites arguing that benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, faithfulness, music, punishment, and government all spring from ritual. Wangzhi revised his argument in a single chapter of his own Discourse on Rites. Many of his arguments surpassed those of his contemporaries. He traveled north to Qi and Zhao, south across the lakes and the Xiang region, west to Qian and Long, and east to Wu and Yue, visiting every celebrated landscape he could reach. He left several hundred songs, poems, and essays, collected in thirty juan.

王逢，字會之，太平州當塗人。其四世祖居巖，仕唐為驍衛長史，遭亂棄官，歸居青山。楊行密據淮南，使人以兵迫起之。居巖散遣其家人，而以一身歸行密，授以湖州別駕，不遣。一日，行密大會，失居巖，亟使人掩其家，無一人在者。其後有人於嵩山見空石室，詢其旁，或云有道人王居巖居此，去而莫知其所終。子孫仕無顯者，至逢，博學能屬文，尤長於講說。

Wang Feng, courtesy name Huizhi, was from Dangtu in Taiping Prefecture. His fourth-generation ancestor Wang Ju Yan had served the Tang as Chief Clerk of the Valiant Guards. When turmoil came he abandoned office and retired to Qingshan. When Yang Xingmi seized Huainan, he sent troops to force Ju Yan back into service. Ju Yan sent his family away and returned to Yang Xingmi alone. He was granted the post of Vice Prefect of Huzhou but was not allowed to leave. One day at a great gathering Yang Xingmi found Ju Yan missing and hurriedly sent men to search his house, but not a soul was there. Later someone at Mount Song saw an empty stone chamber. When he asked nearby, some said the Daoist Wang Ju Yan had lived there, but he had gone and no one knew where he ended his days. None of his descendants rose to prominence until Feng, who was broadly learned, skilled at composition, and especially gifted at lecturing.

少舉進士不中，去，教授蘇州，學者嘗數百人。晚始登第，補南雄州軍事判官，歸為國子監直講兼隴西郡王宅教授，李瑋從學，事之甚謹。岐國公主既降，瑋為逢求遷官，且有命，逢辭不受。久之，以太常博士通判徐州，卒。逢為人樂易，篤於朋友，與胡瑗最善。喜著書，有《易傳》十卷、《乾德指說》一卷、《復書》七卷。妻陳氏亦有賢行，無子。

He failed the jinshi examination in his youth, withdrew, and taught in Suzhou, where his students sometimes numbered several hundred. He passed the examination only late in life and was appointed Military Judicial Administrator of Nanxiong Prefecture. He then returned to serve as Direct Lecturer of the Directorate of Education and instructor at the residence of the Prince of Longxi. Li Wei studied under him and treated him with great respect. After the Princess of Qiguo was married, Wei sought a promotion for Feng and an order was even issued, but Feng declined to accept it. After some years he served as Doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and deputy prefect of Xuzhou, and died in office. Feng was cheerful and easygoing, devoted to his friends, and closest to Hu Yuan. He loved to write and left a Commentary on the Changes in ten juan, Explanatory Points of Qiande in one juan, and Letters in Reply in seven juan. His wife, née Chen, was also a woman of virtue. They had no sons.

孫唐卿，字希元，青州人。少有學行，年十七，以書謁韓琦，琦甚器之。與黃庠、楊寘自景祐以來俱以進士為舉首，有名一時。唐卿初中第，通判陝州，於吏事若素習。民有母再適人而死，及葬其父，恨母之不得祔，乃盜母之喪而同葬之。有司論以法，唐卿時權府事，乃曰：「是知有孝而不知有法爾。」乃釋之以聞。未幾，丁父憂，毀瘠嘔血而卒。詔賻其家。

Sun Tangqing, courtesy name Xiyuan, was from Qingzhou. He showed learning and integrity from youth. At seventeen he presented a letter to Han Qi, who thought highly of him. He, Huang Xiang, and Yang Zhi had all headed the jinshi lists since the Jingyou period and were celebrated in their day. When Tangqing first passed the examination and served as deputy prefect of Shanzhou, he handled official business as if he had long been practiced in it. A commoner whose mother had remarried and died later buried his father. Angry that his mother could not be enshrined beside his father, he stole her coffin and buried her with him. The authorities prosecuted the case according to law. Tangqing was then acting in prefectural affairs and said, "This man knows filial duty but does not know there is law." He then released the man and reported the matter upward. Before long, when his father died, he mourned until he was emaciated, vomited blood, and died. The court ordered funeral gifts for his family.

黃庠字長善，洪州分寧人。博學強記，超敏過人。初至京師，就舉國子監、開封府、禮部，皆為第一。比引試崇政殿，以疾不得入，天子遣內侍即邸捨撫問，賜以藥劑。是時庠名聲動京師，所作程文，傳誦天下，聞於外夷，近世布衣罕比也。歸江南五年，以病卒。

Huang Xiang, courtesy name Changshan, was from Fenning in Hong Prefecture. He was broadly learned, possessed a formidable memory, and was extraordinarily quick-witted. When he first came to the capital and took the examinations at the Directorate of Education, Kaifeng Prefecture, and the Ministry of Rites, he ranked first in every one. When the palace examination at the Chongzheng Hall was held, illness kept him from attending. The emperor sent a palace attendant to his lodging to inquire after him and granted him medicine. At that time Xiang's fame shook the capital. His examination essays were read throughout the realm and even reached foreign lands — among commoners of recent times, few could compare with him. He returned to Jiangnan for five years and died of illness.

楊寘字審賢，察之弟。少有雋才，慶歷二年舉進士京師，試國子監、禮部皆第一。既試崇政殿，帝臨軒啟封，見名，喜動於色，謂輔臣曰：「楊寘也。」遂擢第一，公卿相賀為得人。授將作監丞、通判穎州。未至官，持母喪，病羸卒，特詔賻恤其家。先是，其友夢寘作龍首山人，寘自謂：「龍首，我四冠多士；山人，無祿位之稱。我其終是乎！」已而果然。

Yang Zhi, courtesy name Shenxian, was the younger brother of Yang Cha. He showed outstanding talent from youth. In the second year of Qingli he took the jinshi examination in the capital and ranked first in both the Directorate of Education and Ministry of Rites examinations. At the Chongzheng Hall examination the emperor personally opened the sealed list, saw the name, and delight showed on his face. He said to his ministers, "It is Yang Zhi. He was placed first, and the high officials congratulated one another that the court had found a true talent. He was appointed Vice Director of the Directorate of Palace Construction and deputy prefect of Ying Prefecture. Before he could take up his post he entered mourning for his mother, then died wasted by illness. A special edict granted funeral gifts and relief to his family. Earlier a friend dreamed that Zhi had become the Mountain Man of Dragon Head. Zhi himself said, "Dragon Head — I four times topped the scholars; mountain man is a title without rank or salary. Is that how my life will end?" Before long it proved true.

唐庚，字子西，眉州丹稜人也。善屬文，舉進士，稍為宗子博士，張商英薦其才，除提舉京畿常平。商英罷相，庚亦坐貶，安置惠州。會赦，復官承議郎，提舉上清太平宮。歸蜀，道病卒。年五十一。庚為文精密，通於世務，作《名治》、《察言》、《閔俗》、《存舊》、《內前行》諸篇，時人稱之。有文集二十卷。子文若，自有傳。

Tang Geng, courtesy name Zixi, was from Danleng in Meizhou. Skilled at composition, he passed the jinshi examination and was gradually appointed Doctor for the Imperial Clan. Zhang Shangying recommended his talent, and he was appointed Commissioner for the Metropolitan Ever-Normal Granaries. When Shangying was dismissed as chief minister, Geng was also demoted and exiled to Huizhou. At an amnesty he was restored to office as Gentleman for Discussion and appointed Commissioner for the Upper Clarity and Great Peace Palace. On his way back to Shu he fell ill on the road and died. He was fifty-one years old. Geng wrote with precision and understood practical affairs. He composed such works as Naming Good Government, Examining Words, Pitying Custom, Preserving the Old, and Within the Palace Advance, which his contemporaries praised. He left a collected works in twenty juan. His son Wenruo has his own biography.

庚兄弟五人，長兄瞻，字望之，後改名伯虎，字長孺。治《易》、《春秋》，皆有家法。元祐三年，其父游瀘南，伯虎兄弟居母喪於丹山，伯虎夜半蹴庚曰：「吾夢收父書，發之，得『亟來』二字，吾父得無他乎？吾心動矣。汝奉母奠朝夕，吾趨瀘南。」庚未及應，伯虎奮曰：「吾決矣！」起裹糧，黎明走洪川僦舟，遇江漲，聲搖數十里，客舟皆艤岸不敢動，伯虎彷徨堤上，有漁者持小艇系港中，啖以厚利，不許。伯虎超入艇中，叱僕夫解維，漁者不得已，從之。二日半至瀘南，父果病甚，見伯虎，大驚，問其故，具告之。父歎曰：「天告汝也！」是日，疾少間，伯虎具舟侍父以歸。居數日，疾復作，遂卒。

Geng had five brothers. The eldest, Zhan, courtesy name Wangzhi, later changed his name to Bohu and took the courtesy name Changru. He studied the Changes and the Spring and Autumn Annals, each according to his family's scholarly tradition. In the third year of Yuanyou their father was traveling in southern Lu while Bohu and his brothers were mourning their mother at Danshan. At midnight Bohu kicked Geng awake and said, "I dreamed I received a letter from Father. When I opened it I found only two words: 'Come quickly.' Could something be wrong with him? My heart is troubled. You tend Mother's grave morning and evening. I will hurry to southern Lu." Before Geng could answer, Bohu cried out, "My mind is made up!" He packed food at once and at dawn ran to Hongchuan to hire a boat. The river was in flood and its roar shook the shore for miles. Passenger boats all lay at anchor and dared not move. Bohu paced the embankment until he found a fisherman with a small skiff moored in the harbor. He offered a large reward, but the man refused. Bohu leaped into the skiff and ordered his servant to cast off. The fisherman had no choice but to go with him. In two and a half days he reached southern Lu. His father was indeed gravely ill. Seeing Bohu, he was greatly startled and asked the reason. Bohu told him everything. His father sighed and said, "Heaven told you!" That day his illness eased somewhat. Bohu prepared a boat and escorted his father home. After several days the illness returned, and he died.

元符二年，庚以貢舉事系獄臨邛，語連伯虎，臨邛並械之。凡對吏逾年，掠治無完膚，其詞確然，一不及庚，以故獄久不具，卒會赦，除之。伯虎性真率，無威儀，人多易之，至是皆大服，以為不可及。伯虎仕於四方，每數年一歸，不過旬日復去。後卒於家，有子二人。

In the second year of Yuanfu, Tang Geng was imprisoned at Linqiong on charges related to the civil service examinations. His testimony implicated Shi Bohu, and the authorities shackled them both. Interrogated for more than a year, he was tortured until not a patch of skin was left whole. His testimony was clear and firm, yet not a single word implicated Geng. The case therefore dragged on without conclusion until, by chance, an amnesty was declared and the charges were dropped. Bohu was honest and unpretentious, with none of the bearing that commands respect, and many people had taken him lightly. Now they were all deeply impressed and regarded him as beyond comparison. Bohu held office in various regions. Every few years he would return home once, stay no more than ten days, and then leave again. He later died at home. He left two sons.

文同，字與可，梓州梓潼人，漢文翁之後，蜀人猶以「石室」名其家。同方口秀眉，以學名世，操韻高潔，自號笑笑先生。善詩、文、篆、隸、行、草、飛白。文彥博守成都，奇之，致書同曰：「與可襟韻灑落，如晴雲秋月，塵埃不到。」司馬光、蘇軾尤敬重之。軾，同之從表弟也。同又善畫竹，初不自貴重，四方之人持縑素請者，足相躡於門。同厭之，投縑於地，罵曰：「吾將以為襪。」好事者傳之以為口實。初舉進士，稍遷太常博士、集賢校理，知陵州，又知洋州。元豐初，知湖州，明年，至陳州宛丘驛，忽留不行，沐浴衣冠，正坐而卒。

Wen Tong, styled Yu Ke, was a native of Zitong in Zizhou and a descendant of Wen Weng of Han. People in Shu still called his family the "Stone Chamber." Tong had a square mouth and fine brows. He was renowned in his time for scholarship, his character lofty and refined, and he styled himself Master Smiling Smiling. He excelled at poetry, prose, seal script, clerical script, running script, cursive script, and flying-white calligraphy. When Wen Yanbo was prefect of Chengdu, he was struck by Tong's talent and wrote to him: "Yu Ke's bearing and spirit are free and unburdened, like bright clouds on a clear day or the autumn moon — no dust ever settles on them. Sima Guang and Su Shi held him in especially high regard. Su Shi was Tong's younger cousin on the mother's side. Tong was also skilled at painting bamboo. At first he did not think much of his own work, yet people from all directions came with silk scrolls to request paintings, their feet crowding one another at his gate. Tong grew tired of it. He threw the silk on the ground and cursed, "I'll use this for socks. Lovers of gossip spread the story and made it a standing joke. He first passed the jinshi examination and was gradually promoted to Erudite of the Grand Secretariat of Rites and collating editor of the Hall for Veneration of Worthies. He served as prefect of Lingzhou and later of Yang Prefecture. At the beginning of the Yuanfeng era he was appointed prefect of Huzhou. The following year, when he reached Wanshou Post Station in Chen Prefecture, he suddenly stopped and would not go on. He bathed, put on proper dress, sat upright, and died.

崔公度嘗與同同為館職，見同京南，殊無言，及將別，但云：「明日復來乎？與子話。」公度意以「話」為「畫」，明日再往，同曰：「與公話。」則左右顧，恐有聽者。公度方知同將有言，非畫也。同曰：「吾聞人不妄語者，舌可過鼻。」即吐其舌，三疊之如餅狀，引之至眉間，公度大驚。及京中傳同死，公度乃悟所見非生者。有《丹淵集》四十卷行於世。

Cui Gongdu had once held the same palace editorial post as Tong. He saw Tong south of the capital. Tong said almost nothing, and as they were about to part he only asked, "Will you come again tomorrow? To talk with you?" Gongdu took "talk" to mean "paint." The next day he went again, and Tong said, "To talk with you. Then he looked left and right, afraid someone might be listening. Gongdu then realized that Tong meant to speak with him, not to paint for him. Tong said, "I have heard that a man who never speaks rashly can touch his tongue to his nose. Then he thrust out his tongue, folded it three times like a flat cake, and drew it up to his brow. Gongdu was deeply alarmed. When word spread in the capital that Tong had died, Gongdu realized that what he had seen was not a living man. His Danyuan Collection in forty scrolls circulated in the world.

楊傑，字次公，無為人。少有名於時，舉進士。元豐中，官太常者數任，一時禮樂之事，皆預討論。嘗議玉牒帝系自僖祖而上，世次莫知，則僖祖為始祖無疑，宜以僖祖配感生帝。又請孝惠賀後、淑德尹後、章懷潘後皆祖宗首納之後，孝章宋後嘗母儀天下，升祔之禮，久而未講，宜因慈聖光獻崇配之日，升四後神主祔於祖宗祏室，斷天下之大疑，正宗廟之大法。由是四後始得升祔。

Yang Jie, styled Cigong, was a native of Wuwei. He won early renown and passed the jinshi examination. During the Yuanfeng era he held several posts in the Grand Secretariat of Rites and took part in deliberations on all the ritual and music issues of the day. He once argued that in the imperial genealogy recorded in the jade registers, the generations above Emperor Xizu were unknown, so there could be no doubt that Xizu was the founding ancestor and that he should be paired with the Spirit-Engendering Emperor in sacrifice. He also petitioned that Empress Xiaohui He, Empress Shude Yin, and Empress Zhanghuai Pan had all been the first consorts taken into the imperial household by the founding ancestors, and that Empress Xiaozhang Song had once held the motherly model for all under Heaven, yet the rite of elevating their spirit tablets for joint enshrinement had long gone undiscussed. On the day when Empress Dowager Cisheng Guangxian received exalted pairing in sacrifice, the spirit tablets of the four empresses should be elevated and enshrined in the ancestral shrine chamber, thereby settling a great doubt throughout the empire and establishing the fundamental law of the ancestral temple. Because of this, the four empresses were at last able to be elevated for joint enshrinement.

神宗詔秘書監劉幾、禮部侍郎范鎮議樂，幾請命傑同議。傑言大樂七失，併圖上之。神宗下幾、鎮參定，鎮不用傑議，自制。樂成，詔褒之。元豐末，晉州教授陸長愈言：「近封孟軻鄒國公，宜春秋釋奠，與顏子並配。」下太常議，傑與少卿葉均、博士盛陶、王古、辛公佐以謂凡配享從祀，皆孔子同時之人，今以孟軻並配非是。禮部復言：「自唐至今，以伏勝、高堂生等二十一賢從祀，豈必同時人？」詔從禮部議。

Emperor Shenzong ordered Vice Director of the Secretariat Liu Ji and Vice Minister of Rites Fan Zhen to deliberate on music, and Ji requested that Jie join the discussion. Jie identified seven flaws in the grand music and submitted his findings together with diagrams. The emperor ordered Ji and Zhen to examine and revise the system. Zhen did not adopt Jie's proposals and devised his own. When the music was completed, an edict praised Fan Zhen. Late in the Yuanfeng era, Instructor Lu Changyu of Jin Prefecture said, "Meng Ke was recently enfeoffed as Duke of Zou. In the spring and autumn sacrificial rites to Confucius, he should be paired equally with Yan Hui. The matter was referred to the Grand Secretariat of Rites for deliberation. Jie, Vice Director Ye Jun, and Erudites Sheng Tao, Wang Gu, and Xin Gongzuo argued that all those who received paired sacrifice or secondary enshrinement had been contemporaries of Confucius, and that pairing Meng Ke equally with Yan Hui would be improper. The Ministry of Rites replied, "From the Tang dynasty to the present, twenty-one worthies including Fu Sheng and Master Gaotang have received secondary enshrinement. Were they all contemporaries of Confucius? An edict followed the Ministry of Rites' proposal.

哲宗即位，議樂，又用范鎮說。傑復破鎮樂章曲名、宮架加磬、十六鐘磬之非。又論鎮以黑黍用秠制律、銅量，叩之不合黃鐘，以世無真黍，用太府尺為樂尺，下舊樂三律。詳具《樂志》。傑在神宗時與鎮異議，至是復攻之，鎮之樂律卒不用。元祐中，為禮部員外郎，出知潤州，除兩浙提點刑獄，卒，年七十。自號無為子，有文集二十餘卷，《樂記》五卷。

When Emperor Zhezong ascended the throne, music was discussed again and Fan Zhen's views were adopted once more. Jie again refuted Zhen's errors regarding the names of music sections, the addition of chime stones to the palace frame, and the use of sixteen bells and chime stones. He further argued that Zhen had used black millet of the finest grade to establish pitch pipes and a copper measure, yet when struck they did not match the Yellow Bell. Because genuine millet could not be found in the age, Zhen used the Grand Treasury foot-ruler as the music ruler and lowered the old music by three pitch standards. The details are fully set forth in the Treatise on Music. Jie had differed from Zhen during Shenzong's reign, and now he attacked him again. Zhen's pitch system was ultimately not adopted. During the Yuanyou era he served as Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites, then went out as prefect of Runzhou and was appointed judicial intendant of the Two Zhe circuits. He died at the age of seventy. He styled himself Master of Nonaction. He left a collected writings of more than twenty scrolls and a Record of Music in five scrolls.

賀鑄，字方回，衛州人，孝惠皇后之族孫。長七尺，面鐵色，眉目聳拔。喜談當世事，可否不少假借，雖貴要權傾一時，小不中意，極口詆之無遺辭，人以為近俠。博學強記，工語言，深婉麗密，如次組繡。尤長於度曲，掇拾人所棄遺，少加隱括，皆為新奇。嘗言：「吾筆端驅使李商隱、溫庭筠常奔命不暇。」諸公貴人多客致之，鑄或從或不從，其所不欲見，終不貶也。

He Zhu, styled Fanghui, was a native of Weizhou and a descendant of Empress Xiaohui on the maternal line. He stood seven feet tall, with an iron-dark face and lofty, striking brows and eyes. He loved to discuss current affairs and would concede nothing on right or wrong. Even when a powerful noble who dominated the age displeased him in the slightest, he would denounce him without restraint. People regarded him as nearly a knight-errant. He was broadly learned and had a powerful memory, and he was skilled with language — deep, graceful, dense, and fine, like layered embroidery. He was especially adept at composing tunes. He would gather what others had cast aside, reshape it slightly, and turn it into something wholly new. He once said, "At my brush I drive Li Shangyin and Wen Tingyun as though they were constantly racing on urgent orders without a moment to spare. Many lords and nobles sent clients to invite him. Zhu sometimes accepted and sometimes refused. As for those he did not wish to see, he never humbled himself to visit them.

初，娶宗女，隸籍右選，監太原工作，有貴人子同事，驕倨不相下。鑄廉得盜工作物，屏侍吏，閉之密室，以杖數曰：「來，若某時盜某物為某用，某時盜某物入於家，然乎？」貴人子惶駭謝「有之」。鑄曰：「能從吾治，免白髮。」即起自袒其膚，杖之數下，貴人子叩頭祈哀，即大笑釋去。自是諸挾氣力頡頏者，皆側目不敢仰視。是時，江、淮間有米芾以魁岸奇譎知名，鑄以氣俠雄爽適相先後，二人每相遇，瞋目抵掌，論辯鋒起，終日各不能屈，談者爭傳為口實。

At first he married an imperial clanswoman and was listed in the right branch of the selection rolls. He supervised construction work at Taiyuan, where a nobleman's son served alongside him. Both were proud and haughty, and neither would yield to the other. Zhu discovered through investigation that the nobleman's son had stolen work materials. He dismissed the attendants, shut him in a private room, and with a stick in hand counted off each offense: "Come — didn't you steal such-and-such thing at such-and-such time for such-and-such use, and steal such-and-such thing at such-and-such time and bring it home? Is it so? The nobleman's son, terrified, apologized and admitted, "It is so." Zhu said, "If you can submit to my punishment, I'll spare reporting you. Then he rose, bared the youth's back, and struck him several blows with the stick. The nobleman's son kowtowed and begged for mercy, and Zhu immediately laughed and let him go. From then on, all who relied on force and contended for superiority looked askance at him and did not dare meet his gaze. At that time Mi Fu of the Jiang-Huai region was famed for his imposing stature and strange brilliance, while Zhu, with his chivalrous boldness and heroic openness, matched him in spirit. Whenever the two met, they would glare and slap their palms together, sharp debate flaring up, and all day neither could prevail over the other. Onlookers competed to spread the stories as standing anecdotes.

元祐中，李清臣執政，奏換通直郎、通判泗州，又倅太平州。竟以尚氣使酒，不得美官，悒悒不得志，食宮祠祿，退居吳下，稍務引遠世故，亦無復軒輊如平日。家藏書萬餘卷，手自校讎，無一字誤，以是杜門將遂其老。家貧，貸子錢自給，有負者，輒折券與之，秋毫不以丐人。

During the Yuanyou era, with Li Qingchen in power, he memorialized for Zhu's appointment as Gentleman for Direct Remonstrance and auxiliary prefect of Sizhou, and later as deputy prefect of Taiping Prefecture. In the end, because he was proud and given to drink, he never obtained a fine office. Gloomy and unfulfilled, he lived on stipends from a sinecure post and retired to the Wu region. He gradually sought to keep worldly affairs at a distance and no longer passed judgment as sharply as he had in former days. His household held more than ten thousand scrolls of books, which he personally collated without a single erroneous character. He closed his doors and intended to spend his old age in that way. His family was poor, and he supported himself by lending money at interest. When someone owed him, he would tear up the contract and give it to them, never begging anyone for the slightest thing.

鑄所為詞章，往往傳播在人口。建中靖國時，黃庭堅自黔中還，得其「江南梅子」之句，以為似謝玄暉。其所與交，終始厚者，惟信安程俱。鑄自裒歌詞，名《東山樂府》，俱為序之。嘗自言唐諫議大夫知章之後，且推本其初，出王子慶忌，以慶為姓，居越之湖澤所謂鏡湖者，本慶湖也，避漢安帝父清河王諱，改為賀氏，慶湖亦轉為鏡。當時不知何所據。故鑄自號慶湖遺老，有《慶湖遺老集》二十卷。

Zhu's compositions often spread by word of mouth. During the Jianzhong Jingguo era, Huang Tingjian returned from Qianzhong and came upon Zhu's line about "plums of Jiangnan," which he thought resembled the poetry of Xie Xuanyu. Of those with whom he associated, the only one who remained close from beginning to end was Cheng Ju of Xin'an. Zhu himself compiled his song lyrics under the title Eastern Mountain Music Bureau, and Cheng Ju wrote the preface. He once claimed to be a descendant of Tang Remonstrance-in-Chief He Zhizhang, and tracing the lineage back further derived it from Prince Qingji of Wu. His ancestors had taken Qing as their surname and lived at Mirror Lake in Yue — originally called Celebratory Lake. To avoid the taboo name of the Han emperor's father, the Prince of Qinghe, the clan changed its name to He, and Celebratory Lake in turn became Mirror Lake. At the time no one knew on what basis he made this claim. Therefore Zhu styled himself Old Survivor of Celebratory Lake and left an Old Survivor of Celebratory Lake Collection in twenty scrolls.

劉涇，字巨濟，簡州陽安人。舉進士，王安石薦其才，召見，除經義所檢討。久之，為太學博士，罷知咸陽縣，常州教授，通判莫州、成都府，除國子監丞，知處、虢、真、坊四州。元符末上書，召對，除職方郎中。卒，年五十八。涇為文務奇怪語，好進取，多為人排斥，屢躓不伸。

Liu Jing, styled Juji, was a native of Yang'an in Jian Prefecture. He passed the jinshi examination. Wang Anshi recommended his talent, he was summoned for an audience, and was appointed collating editor of the Institute for the Meaning of the Classics. After some time he became Erudite of the Imperial Academy. He was later dismissed and served as magistrate of Xianyang County, instructor at Changzhou, and auxiliary prefect of Mo Prefecture and Chengdu Prefecture. He was appointed Vice Director of the Directorate of Education and served as prefect of Chu, Guo, Zhen, and Fang prefectures. Late in the Yuanfu era he submitted a memorial, was summoned for a special audience, and was appointed Director in the Bureau of Military Appointments. He died at the age of fifty-eight. Jing wrote in a style that strove for strange language and loved advancement. He was often rejected by others and repeatedly stumbled without fulfilling his ambitions.

同時有鄭少微者，字明舉，成都人也，與涇俱以文知名，而仕不偶。

At the same time there was Zheng Shaowei, styled Mingju, a native of Chengdu, who like Jing was famed for his writing, yet whose official career did not prosper.

鮑由，字欽止，處州龍泉人。舉進士。嘗從王安石學，又親炙蘇軾，故其文汪洋閎肆，詩尤高妙。徽宗召對，除工部員外郎，居無何，以不合去，責監泗州轉般倉。歷河東、福建路常平、廣西、淮南轉運判官，復召為郎。以言者罷，提點元封觀。起知明州，又知海州，復奉祠。卒，年五十六。嘗注杜甫詩，有文集五十卷。

Bao You, styled Qinzhi, was a native of Longquan in Chuzhou. He passed the jinshi examination. He had studied under Wang Anshi and was also personally nurtured by Su Shi. His prose was therefore vast and expansive, and his poetry especially lofty and subtle. Emperor Huizong summoned him for an audience and appointed him Vice Director in the Ministry of Works. Before long, because he did not fit in at court, he left office and was assigned to supervise the transport depot at Sizhou. He served successively as transport intendant of Hedong and Fujian circuits and as transport vice commissioner of Guangxi and Huainan, and was again summoned back to court as an official. Because of critics he was dismissed and appointed intendant of Yuanfeng Abbey. He was reappointed prefect of Mingzhou and later prefect of Haizhou, and again received a sinecure stipend. He died at the age of fifty-six. He annotated Du Fu's poetry and left a collected writings in fifty scrolls.

黃伯思，字長睿，其遠祖自光州固始徙閩，為邵武人。祖履，資政殿大學士。父應求，饒州司錄。伯思體弱，如不勝衣，風韻灑落，飄飄有凌雲意。自幼警敏，不好弄，日誦書千餘言。每聽履講經史，退與他兒言，無遺誤者。嘗夢孔雀集於庭，覺而賦之，詞采甚麗。以履任為假承務郎。甫冠，入太學，校藝屢佔上游。履將以恩例奏增秩，伯思固辭，履益奇之。元符三年，進士高等，調磁州司法參軍，久不任，改通州司戶。丁內艱，服除，除河南府戶曹參軍，治劇不勞而辦。秩滿，留守鄧洵武辟知右軍巡院。

Huang Bosi, styled Changrui, was descended from ancestors who had moved from Gushi in Guang Prefecture to Min; his family were natives of Shaowu. His grandfather Lu was a Grand Academician of the Hall for Assistance in Governance. His father Yingqiu was Registrar of Raozhou. Bosi was frail of body, as though his frame could barely support his clothes, yet his bearing was free and lofty, with an airy sense of soaring above the clouds. From childhood he was alert and keen, disliked play, and recited more than a thousand words from his books each day. Whenever he heard Lu lecture on the classics and histories, he could afterward repeat everything to other children without a single omission or error. He once dreamed that peacocks had gathered in the courtyard. Upon waking he composed a piece on the dream, and its language was very beautiful. Through his grandfather Lu's office he received the provisional rank of Clerk for Official Affairs. Just after coming of age he entered the Imperial Academy, where in competitive examinations he repeatedly ranked at the top. Lu intended to memorialize for an increase in rank under a privilege rule, but Bosi firmly declined. Lu admired him all the more. In the third year of Yuanfu he passed the jinshi examination with high rank and was assigned as judicial aide in Cizhou. He long delayed taking up the post and was transferred to serve as revenue clerk in Tongzhou. After mourning his mother and completing the mourning period, he was appointed revenue aide in Henan Prefecture. Even in handling difficult affairs he accomplished them effortlessly. When his term expired, the acting prefect Deng Xunwu recruited him to serve as director of the Right Army Patrolling Office.

伯思好古文奇字，洛下公卿家商、周、秦、漢彝器款識，研究字畫體制，悉能辨正是非，道其本末，遂以古文名家，凡字書討論備盡。初，淳化中博求古法書，命待詔王著續正法帖，伯思病其乖偽龐雜，考引載籍，鹹有依據，作《刊誤》二卷。由是篆、隸、正、行、草、章草、飛白皆至妙絕，得其尺牘者，多藏□。

Bosi loved ancient script and unusual characters. He studied the inscriptions on Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han ritual vessels in the homes of Luoyang's nobles, mastering the forms and structures of characters until he could judge authenticity, explain origins, and became a leading authority on paleography. His discussions of character books were exhaustive. During the Chunhua reign a broad search was made for ancient model calligraphy, and Attendant Drafter Wang Zhu was ordered to continue the Correct Model Albums. Bosi found them riddled with errors, forgeries, and clutter. Citing transmitted records with solid evidence, he wrote Corrections in two juan. Thereafter his seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script, cursive script, draft cursive, and flying-white calligraphy all reached consummate mastery. Those who obtained his letters treasured them closely.

又二年，除詳定《九域圖志》所編修官兼《六典》檢閱文字，改京秩。尋監護崇恩太后園陵使司，掌管箋奏。以修書恩，升朝列，擢秘書省校書郎。未幾，遷秘書郎。縱觀冊府藏書，至忘寢食，自《六經》及歷代史書、諸子百家、天官地理、律歷卜筮之說無不精詣。凡詔講明前世典章文物、集古器考定真贗，以素學與聞，議論發明居多，館閣諸公自以為不及也。逾再考，丁外艱，宿抱羸瘵，因喪尤甚。服除，復舊職。

Two years later he was appointed compiler-reviewer for the Detailed Territorial Gazetteer in Nine Regions and concurrent text reviewer for the Six Institutions, and was promoted to capital rank. Soon afterward he supervised the office overseeing the park tomb of Empress Dowager Chong'en, managing memorials and reports. For his work on book compilation he was raised to court rank and promoted to Collator of the Secretariat. Before long he was promoted to Secretary in the Secretariat. He ranged through the imperial archives until he forgot to eat or sleep. From the Six Classics to dynastic histories, the hundred schools, astronomy, geography, music, calendrics, and divination — there was no field he did not master. Whenever the court was ordered to clarify the institutions and artifacts of earlier ages, or to assemble antiquities and judge authenticity, Bosi was consulted for his lifelong learning. His explanations usually led the discussion, and the academy's senior scholars acknowledged they could not match him. After more than two rounds of evaluation he entered mourning for his father. He had long suffered from a wasting illness, and the mourning made it far worse. When mourning ended he resumed his former post.

伯思頗好道家，自號雲林子，別字霄賓。及至京，夢人告曰：「子非久人間，上帝有命典司文翰。」覺而書之。不逾月，以政和八年卒，年四十。伯思學問慕揚雄，詩慕李白，文慕柳宗元。有文集五十卷、《翼騷》一卷。

Bosi was drawn to Daoism, styled himself Master of Cloud Forest, and took the alternative name Guest of the Azure Sky. When he reached the capital, someone told him in a dream, "You will not long remain in the world of men. The Supreme Lord has appointed you to preside over literary records." On waking he wrote it down. Within a month he died in the eighth year of Zhenghe, at the age of forty. In scholarship he admired Yang Xiong, in poetry Li Bai, and in prose Liu Zongyuan. He left a collected works in fifty juan and Wings to the Lisao in one juan.

二子：詔，右宣教郎、荊湖南路安撫司書寫機宜文字；言乃，右從事郎、福州懷安尉，裒伯思平日議論題跋為《東觀余論》三卷。

He had two sons: Zhao, Right Instructor and drafting secretary for military affairs on the Jinghu South Pacification Commission; and Yannai, Right Attendant and Assistant Magistrate of Huai'an in Fuzhou, who gathered Bosi's daily commentaries and colophons into Eastern Observatory Remaining Discussions in three juan.

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