2
【序】
Preface
3
昔八卦兆而天人之理著，九疇序而帝王之應明。 雖可以知從德獲自天之祐，違道陷神聽之罪，然未詳舉徵效，備考幽明，雖時列鼎雉庭穀之異，然而未究者眾矣。 至於鑑悟後王，多有所闕。 故仲尼作春秋，具書祥眚，以驗行事。 是則九疇陳其義於前，春秋列其效於後也。 逮至伏生創紀大傳，五行之體始詳； 劉向廣演洪範，休咎之文益備。 故班固斟酌經、傳，詳紀條流，誠以一王之典，不可獨闕故也。 夫天道雖無聲無臭，然而應若影響，天人之驗，理不可誣。 司馬彪纂集光武以來，以究漢事； 王沈魏書志篇闕，凡厥災異，但編帝紀而已。 自黃初以降，二百餘年，覽其災妖，以考之事，常若重規沓矩，不謬前說。 又高堂隆、郭景純等，據經立辭，終皆顯應。 闕而不序，史體將虧。 今自司馬彪以後，皆撰次論序，斯亦班固遠采春秋，舉遠明近之例也。 又按言之不從，有介蟲之孽，劉歆以為毛蟲； 視之不明，有蠃蟲之孽，劉歆以為羽蟲。 按月令，夏蟲羽，秋蟲毛，宜如歆說，是以舊史從之。 五行精微，非末學所究。 凡已經前議者，並即其言以釋之； 未有舊說者，推準事理，以俟來哲。
Long ago, when the Eight Trigrams first appeared as portents, the correspondence between Heaven and man became clear; once the Nine Categories were set in order, the way sovereigns answered to cosmic signs was likewise plain. One could already see that virtue brings Heaven's favor and transgression invites divine judgment, yet the records still lacked full catalogues of portents and proofs linking the unseen to the visible. Striking omens—tripods, pheasants, grain sprouting in the court—were sometimes noted, but vast stretches of such phenomena went unexplained. When it came to instructing later rulers, the existing accounts left much to be desired. That is why Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, recording omens and disasters in full so that deeds in government might be tested against them. The Nine Categories laid out the theory in advance; the Spring and Autumn then displayed how those principles worked out in events. By the time Fu Sheng compiled the Great Tradition, the framework of the Five Elements had finally been spelled out in detail. Liu Xiang developed the Hong Fan at length, so that writings on blessing and calamity became increasingly thorough. Ban Gu therefore sifted the classics and their commentaries and set down the full sequence of categories, for the institutional record of any dynasty cannot rightly leave this matter out. Heaven's Way is silent and scentless, yet it answers events as a shadow answers a body; the correspondence between Heaven and humanity is a principle that reason cannot deny. Sima Biao collected records from the reign of Emperor Guangwu onward in order to examine Han history. In Wang Shen's Book of Wei the treatise sections were missing, so every disaster and prodigy was relegated to the imperial annals alone. From the Huangchu reign onward, across more than two hundred years, a review of disasters and portents against the events they accompanied shows the pattern repeating like one ruler laid upon another, never contradicting earlier doctrine. Gao Tanglong, Guo Jingchun, and others likewise argued from the classics, and in the end their warnings all proved visibly true. To leave such material out and untreatised would cripple the proper form of history writing. From Sima Biao onward everything is arranged and discussed in order—following Ban Gu's precedent of taking the remote Spring and Autumn as a model to clarify the recent past. Again, where "speech goes unheeded," the omen is shelled creatures; Liu Xin classified these as hairy creatures. Where "vision is unclear," the omen is naked creatures; Liu Xin classified these as feathered creatures. The Monthly Ordinances say that summer insects are feathered and autumn insects hairy, which supports Xin's view; the older histories therefore follow him. The fine points of the Five Elements lie beyond what superficial scholarship can master. Whenever earlier scholars have already spoken on a point, I explain it in their terms. Where no earlier interpretation exists, I reason from principle and circumstance and leave the matter for wiser men to come.
4
五行傳曰：「田獵不宿，飲食不享，出入不節，奪民農時，及有姦謀，則木不曲直，謂木失其性而為災也。」 又曰：「貌之不恭，是謂不肅。 厥咎狂，厥罰恒雨，厥極惡。 時則有服妖，時則有龜孽，時則有雞禍，時則有下體生上之痾，時則有青眚、青祥。 惟金沴木。」 班固曰：「蓋工匠為輪矢者多傷敗，及木為變怪。」 皆為不曲直也。
The Tradition of the Five Elements states: "When the ruler hunts without staying the night, fails to present offerings at meals, is unrestrained in comings and goings, steals the people's farming seasons, or harbors treacherous designs, wood loses its power to be straight or bent"—that is, wood abandons its proper nature and disaster follows." It further says: "When deportment lacks respect, this is called irreverence. The fault is frenzy, the punishment incessant rain, the extreme outcome ruin. Then come outlandish dress, tortoise prodigies, chicken disasters, the deformity of lower parts sprouting above, and blue calamities and blue portents. It is metal violating wood." Ban Gu says: "Craftsmen making wheels and arrows often ruin their work, and wood itself turns into uncanny shapes." All these are instances of wood failing to be straight or bent.
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木不曲直
Wood Fails to Be Straight or Bent
6
魏文帝黃初六年正月，雨，木冰。 接劉歆說，木不曲直也。 劉向曰：「冰者陰之盛，木者少陽，貴臣象也。 此人將有害，則陰氣脅木，木先寒，故得雨而冰也。」 是年六月，利成郡兵蔡方等殺太守徐質，據郡反，多所脅略，并聚亡命。 遣二校尉與青州刺史共討平之。 太守，古之諸侯，貴臣有害之應也。 一說以木冰為甲兵之象。 是歲，既討蔡方，又八月，天子自將以舟師征吳，戎卒十餘萬，連旍數百里，臨江觀兵。
In the first month of the sixth year of Huangchu, Emperor Wen of Wei's reign, rain fell and ice formed on the trees. Following Liu Xin's interpretation, this is a case of wood failing to be straight or bent. Liu Xiang said: "Ice represents the dominance of yin; wood represents lesser yang and symbolizes high ministers. When such a man is about to bring harm, yin force presses upon wood; the wood chills first, and so rain turns to ice upon it." In the sixth month of that year, Cai Fang and other troops of Licheng commandery killed Prefect Xu Zhi, rebelled and held the commandery, forced many into their service, and rallied fugitives. The court dispatched two commandants, who together with the Inspector of Qing Province put down the revolt. A prefect corresponded to the feudal lords of old; the killing of such a minister was the fulfillment of the omen. Another view takes ice on wood as a sign of arms and warfare. That same year, once Cai Fang had been crushed, the emperor in the eighth month led a naval expedition against Wu in person; over a hundred thousand troops advanced, their banners lining the riverbank for hundreds of li as he inspected the army.
7
晉元帝太興三年二月辛未，雨，木冰。 後二年，周顗、戴淵、刁協、劉隗皆遇害，與春秋同事，是其應也。 一曰，是後王敦攻京師，又其象也。
On the xinwei day of the second month of the third year of Taixing, Emperor Yuan of Jin's reign, rain fell and ice formed on the trees. Two years later Zhou Yi, Dai Yuan, Diao Xie, and Liu Wei all met violent deaths—the same pattern recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the omen's fulfillment. Another account says that afterward Wang Dun attacked the capital—that too was foreshadowed.
8
晉穆帝永和八年正月乙巳，雨，木冰。 是年，殷浩北伐，明年，軍敗，十年，廢黜。 又曰，荀羨、殷浩北伐，桓溫入關之象也。
On the yisi day of the first month of the eighth year of Yonghe, Emperor Mu of Jin's reign, rain fell and ice formed on the trees. That year Yin Hao marched north; the next year his army was routed, and in the tenth year he was removed from office. Another reading says it foreshadowed the northern expeditions of Xun Xian and Yin Hao and Huan Wen's advance into the passes.
9
晉孝武帝太元十四年十二月乙巳，雨，木冰。 明年二月，王恭為北蕃； 八月，庾楷為西蕃； 九月，王國寶為中書令，尋加領軍將軍； 十七年殷仲堪為荊州。 雖邪正異規，而終同摧滅，是其應也。 一曰，苻堅雖敗，關、河未一，丁零鮮卑，侵略司、兗，竇揚勝扇逼梁、雍，兵役不已，又其象也。
On the yisi day of the twelfth month of the fourteenth year of Taiyuan, Emperor Xiaowu of Jin's reign, rain fell and ice formed on the trees. In the second month of the next year Wang Gong was posted to the northern frontier; in the eighth month Yu Kai took the western frontier; in the ninth month Wang Guobao was appointed Director of the Secretariat and shortly thereafter made General Who Leads the Army; in the seventeenth year Yin Zhongkan became Inspector of Jing Province. Though loyalists and schemers pursued different paths, all were ultimately swept away—the omen's fulfillment. One account adds that even after Fu Jian's defeat the heartland remained divided, Dingling and Xianbei bands harried Si and Yan, Dou Yang and Yang Sheng stirred rebellion in Liang and Yong, and levies never ended—signs of the same kind.
10
吳孫亮建興二年，諸葛恪征淮南，行後，所坐聽事棟中折。 恪妄興徵役，奪民農時，作為邪謀，傷國財力，故木失其性，致毀折也。 及旋師而誅滅，於周易又為棟橈之凶也。
In the second year of Jianxing, Sun Liang of Wu's reign, Zhuge Ke marched against Huainan; after he departed, the main beam of his audience hall snapped. Ke had recklessly imposed corvée, stolen the farming season, pursued treacherous designs, and drained the treasury; wood therefore lost its nature and the beam broke. On his return he was put to death—the Book of Changes calls such a fate "the ridgepole bent to breaking."
11
晉武帝太康五年五月，宣帝廟地陷梁折。 八年正月，太廟殿又陷，改作廟，築基及泉。 其年九月，遂更營新廟，遠致名材，雜以銅柱。 陳勰為匠，作者六萬人。 十年四月，乃成。 十一月庚寅，梁又折。 按地陷者，分離之象，梁折者，木不曲直也。 孫盛曰：于時後宮殿有孽火，又廟梁無故自折。 先是帝多不豫，益惡之。 明年，帝崩，而王室頻亂，遂亡天下。
In the fifth month of the fifth year of Taikang, Emperor Wu of Jin's reign, the ground of Emperor Xuan's temple subsided and a beam snapped. In the first month of the eighth year the Grand Temple hall collapsed again; the temple was rebuilt and the foundations dug until they reached groundwater. That ninth month work began on a new temple, with prized timber fetched from distant regions and bronze pillars set among the timbers. Chen Shao directed the construction, and sixty thousand workers were employed. In the fourth month of the tenth year the work was finished. On the gengyin day of the eleventh month another beam snapped. Where the ground sinks, the sign is separation; where beams break, wood has failed to be straight or bent. Sun Sheng wrote: About then uncanny fires broke out in the rear palaces, and temple beams snapped without cause. The emperor had long been in poor health and took these signs as still worse omens. The following year the emperor died; the house of Jin convulsed again and again until the dynasty was gone.
12
晉惠帝太安二年，成都王穎使陸機率眾向京師，擊長沙王乂。 軍始引而牙竿折，俄而戰敗，機被誅。 穎尋奔潰，卒賜死。 初，河間王顒謀先誅長沙，廢太子，立穎。 長沙知之，誅其黨卞粹等，故穎來伐。 機又以穎得遐邇心，將為漢之代王，遂委質於穎，為犯從之將。 此皆姦謀之罰，木不曲直也。
In the second year of Tai'an, Emperor Hui of Jin's reign, the Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying, ordered Lu Ji to march on the capital and strike the Prince of Changsha, Sima Ai. The army had barely moved when the command pennant pole broke; shortly afterward the force was routed and Lu Ji was put to death. Ying soon fled in defeat and was eventually compelled to commit suicide. Earlier the Prince of Hejian, Sima Yong, had planned to kill the Prince of Changsha first, depose the crown prince, and set up Ying in his place. The Prince of Changsha uncovered the plot and executed Yong's allies Bian Cui and the rest, which brought Ying's invasion. Lu Ji likewise believed Ying had won universal support and would replace the Han house as king; he therefore pledged himself to Ying and served as a general in the rebel host. All of this fell under the penalty for treacherous designs—wood failing to be straight or bent.
13
王敦在武昌，鈴下儀仗生華如蓮花狀，五六日而萎落。 此木失其性而為變也。 干寶曰：「鈴閤，尊貴者之儀； 鈴下，主威儀之官。 今狂花生於枯木，又在鈴閤之間，言威儀之富，榮華之盛，皆如狂花之發，不可久也。」 其後終以逆命，沒又加戮，是其應也。 一說此花孽也，於周易為「枯楊生華」。
While Wang Dun held Wuchang, the ceremonial gear beneath the bells put forth lotus-like blossoms that faded within five or six days. Wood had lost its proper nature and produced this uncanny change. Gan Bao said: "The bell pavilion houses the regalia of the great; the attendants beneath the bells are officers charged with upholding royal dignity. Wild blossoms now spring from dead wood inside the bell pavilion itself—a sign that pomp and glory flourish like freak blooms and cannot last." In the end he died in rebellion against his mandate and was disgraced even after death—the omen fulfilled. Another account calls the blossoms a portent of ruin; in the Book of Changes the image is "the withered poplar blooms."
14
桓玄始篡，龍旂竿折。 玄田獵出入，不絕昏夜，飲食恣奢，土水妨農，又多姦謀，故木失其性也。 夫旂所以擬三辰，章著明也。 旂竿之折，高明去矣。 在位八十日而敗。
When Huan Xuan first seized power, the dragon-banner staff broke. Xuan hunted day and night without pause, feasted without restraint, let irrigation works steal the farming season, and pursued endless treachery—wood therefore lost its nature. Banners image the three luminaries and proclaim radiance for all to see. When the pole snaps, height and clarity are gone. He ruled for eighty days and fell.
15
宋明帝泰始二年五月丙午，南琅邪臨沂黃城山道士盛道度堂屋一柱自然，夜光照室內。 此木失其性也。 或云木腐自光。
On the bingwu day of the fifth month of the second year of Taishi, Emperor Ming of Song's reign, a hall pillar at Huangcheng Mountain in Linyi, Nanlangya, belonging to the Daoist priest Sheng Daodu glowed of itself, lighting the room through the night. Wood had lost its proper nature. Some explain it as rotten timber emitting light on its own.
16
廢帝昇明元年，吳興餘杭舍亭禾蕈樹生李實。 禾蕈樹，民間所謂胡頹樹。
In the first year of Shengming, the deposed emperor's reign, at Sheting in Yuhang, Wuxing, a hawthorn grafted on a straw-mushroom tree produced plum fruit. The straw-mushroom tree is the species folk call the "barbarian tumble" tree.
17
貌不恭
Appearance Lacks Respect
18
魏文帝居諒闇之始，便數出遊獵體，貌不重，風尚通脫。 故戴凌以直諫抵罪，鮑勛以迕旨極刑。 天下化之，咸賤守節，此貌之不恭也。 是以享國不永，後祚短促。 春秋魯君居喪不哀，在慼而有嘉容，穆叔謂之不度，後終出奔。 蓋同事也。
From the very start of his mourning seclusion Emperor Wen of Wei went out again and again to hunt and roam; he carried himself without gravity and set a fashion of license. Dai Ling was punished for blunt remonstrance and Bao Xun was put to death for crossing the throne's will. The empire followed his example and learned to scorn constancy—appearance lacking respect. Hence his own reign did not last, and his line's fortune proved short. The Spring and Autumn records a ruler of Lu who, while in mourning, showed no grief yet wore a pleasant face; Muzhong called this want of propriety, and the man ended in exile. The cases are essentially the same.
19
魏尚書鄧颺，行步弛縱，筋不束體，坐起傾倚，若無手足。 此貌之不恭也。 管輅謂之鬼躁。 鬼躁者，凶終之徵。 後卒誅死。
Deng Yang, Director of the Secretariat under Wei, walked with a loose, sprawling gait, his sinews seeming not to hold his frame together; whether sitting or rising he lolled and leaned as though he lacked hands and feet. This too was appearance lacking respect. Guan Luo named it "demon restlessness." "Demon restlessness" foretells a violent death. He was eventually put to death.
20
晉惠帝元康中，貴遊子弟相與為散髮倮身之飲，對弄婢妾。 逆之者傷好，非之者負譏。 希世之士，恥不與焉。 蓋胡、翟侵中國之萌也。 豈徒伊川之民，一被髮而祭者乎。
During Emperor Hui of Jin's Yuankang era, scions of the elite held drinking parties with hair unbound and bodies bare, dallying with maids and concubines. Anyone who refused was ostracized; anyone who criticized was mocked. Men who prided themselves on keeping up with the times were ashamed to stay away. It was the first sign that the northern tribes would overrun the heartland. Had it come to nothing more than the people of Yichuan letting down their hair for sacrifice?
21
晉惠帝元康中，賈謐親貴，數入二宮，與儲君遊戲，无降下心。 又嘗同弈棊爭道，成都王穎厲色曰：「皇太子，國之儲貳。 賈謐何敢無禮！」 謐猶不悛，故及於禍。
During Yuankang, Jia Mi, riding on intimate favor, entered the inner palaces again and again to sport with the crown prince and showed no deference. Once, disputing a game of go, the Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying, said sharply: "The crown prince is the heir of the realm. How dare Jia Mi behave without courtesy!" Mi still would not mend his ways, and so brought disaster on himself.
22
齊王冏既誅趙倫，因留輔政，坐拜百官，符敕臺府，淫醟專驕，不一朝覲。 此狂恣不肅之容也。 天下莫不高其功，而慮其亡也。 冏終弗改，遂至夷滅。
After Sima Jiong of Qi had killed Zhao Lun he stayed on as regent, accepted officials' bows while seated, issued Secretariat orders at will, and grew drunken, arrogant, and aloof—never attending court. This was the deportment of reckless insolence without respect. The empire applauded his success yet dreaded his fall. Jiong never reformed and was destroyed in the end.
23
太元中，人不復著帩頭。 頭者，元首，帩者，令髮不垂，助元首為儀飾者也。 今忽廢之，若人君獨立無輔，以至危亡也。 其後桓玄篡位。
During the Taiyuan era people ceased to wear the kerchief that bound the head. The head is the sovereign part of the body; the kerchief keeps the hair in place and helps complete the ritual appearance of the head. To cast it off suddenly was as if a ruler stood without ministers—an omen of peril and collapse. Soon afterward Huan Xuan seized the throne.
24
舊為屐者，齒皆達楄上，名曰「露卯」。 太元中，忽不徹，名曰「陰卯」。 其後多陰謀，遂致大亂。
Formerly clogs were made with teeth reaching the upper frame, called "exposed mortise." In the Taiyuan era people suddenly left the teeth uncut, calling them "hidden mortise." Afterward secret intrigues multiplied until the realm fell into great chaos.
25
晉安帝義熙七年，晉朝拜授劉毅世子。 毅以王命之重，當設饗宴親，請吏佐臨視。 至日，國僚不重白，默拜於廄中。 王人將反命，毅方知，大以為恨，免郎中令劉敬叔官。 識者怪焉。 此墮略嘉禮，不肅之妖也。
In the seventh year of Yixi, Emperor An of Jin's reign, the court bestowed investiture on Liu Yi's heir. Liu Yi regarded the royal mandate as weighty and should have held a feast for his kin and asked his officers to witness it. On the day appointed the state staff failed to announce the ceremony and performed a silent obeisance in the stable. When the imperial envoy was about to report back, Yi learned what had happened, was deeply offended, and dismissed Director of Gentlemen Liu Jingshu. Onlookers regarded the affair as uncanny. This was the omen of scorning proper ceremony—conduct lacking reverence.
26
陳郡謝靈運有逸才，每出入，自扶接者常數人。 民間謠曰「四人挈衣裙，三人捉坐席」是也。 此蓋不肅之咎，後坐誅。
Xie Lingyun of Chen commandery possessed outstanding talent; whenever he went abroad, several men steadied him. A popular rhyme runs, "Four men hold skirt and robe, three men seize mat and seat"—exactly this. This too was irreverence; he was later executed.
27
宋明帝泰始中，幸臣阮佃夫勢傾朝廷，室宇豪麗，車服鮮明，乘車常偏向一邊，違正立執綏之體。 時人多慕效。 此亦貌不恭之失也。 時偏左之化行，方正之道廢矣。
During Taishi, Emperor Ming of Song's reign, the favorite Ruan Tianfu dominated the court; his halls were lavish and his equipage splendid; his carriage often tilted to one side, breaking the proper stance of holding the reins. Many at the time copied him. This was another lapse of deportment without respect. A bias toward the left took hold, and upright propriety was cast aside.
28
後廢帝常單騎遊遨，出入市里營寺，未嘗御輦。 終以殞滅。
Later the deposed emperor often rode out alone, wandering through markets and monasteries, never taking the imperial carriage. He was destroyed in the end.
29
恒雨
Unending Rain
30
魏明帝太和元年秋，數大雨，多暴雷電，非常，至殺鳥雀。 案楊阜上蔬，此桓雨之罰也。 時帝居喪不哀，出入弋獵無度，奢侈繁興，奪民農時，故木失其性而恒雨為災也。
In the autumn of the first year of Taihe, Emperor Ming of Wei's reign, rain fell repeatedly with thunder and lightning so violent that birds were killed. Yang Fu's memorial identifies this as the penalty of unending rain. The emperor observed mourning without grief, hunted without restraint, indulged luxury, and stole the people's farming seasons; wood lost its nature and unending rain followed.
31
太和四年八月，大雨霖三十餘日，伊、洛、河、漢皆溢，歲以凶饑。
In the eighth month of the fourth year of Taihe rain poured for more than thirty days; the Yi, Luo, Yellow, and Han all burst their banks, and famine followed.
32
孫亮太平二年二月甲寅，大雨震電； 乙卯，雪，大寒。 案劉歆說，此時當雨而不當大，大雨，恒雨之罰也。 於始震電之明日而雪大寒，又恒寒之罰也。 劉向以為既已震電，則雪不當復降，皆失時之異也。 天戒若曰，為君失時，賊臣將起。 先震電而後雪者，陰見間隙，起而勝陽。 逆殺之禍將及也。 亮不悟，尋見廢。 此與春秋魯隱同也。
On the jiayin day of the second month of the second year of Taiping, Sun Liang of Wu's reign, torrential rain fell with thunder; on the yimao day snow fell in bitter cold. Liu Xin explains that rain was due then but not in such excess; excessive rain is the penalty called unending rain. Snow and bitter cold the day after thunder was likewise the penalty of unending cold. Liu Xiang argued that after thunder snow should not return—both were violations of season. Heaven's warning said, as it were: the ruler has lost proper timing and rebel ministers will arise. Thunder first and snow after means yin seizes an opening, rises, and conquers yang. The disaster of treason and murder was approaching. Liang took no warning and was soon removed. The case matches Duke Yin of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Annals.
33
晉武帝泰始六年六月，大雨霖，甲辰，河、洛、沁水同時並溢，流四千九百餘家，殺二百餘人，沒秋稼千三百六十餘頃。 晉武太康五年七月，任城、梁國暴雨，害豆麥。 太康五年九月，南安霖雨暴雪，折樹木，害秋稼； 魏郡、淮南、平原雨水，傷秋稼。 是秋，魏郡、西平郡九縣霖雨暴水，霜傷秋稼。
In the sixth month of the sixth year of Taishi, Emperor Wu of Jin's reign, rain poured without cease; on the jiachen day the Yellow, Luo, and Qin rivers burst together, drowning 4,900-odd households, killing more than 200 people, and ruining 1,360-odd qing of autumn grain. In the seventh month of the fifth year of Taikang, Rencheng and Liang were struck by violent rain that ruined beans and wheat. In the ninth month of the fifth year of Taikang, Nan'an suffered torrential rain and blizzard that snapped trees and ruined the autumn crop; Wei, Huainan, and Pingyuan were flooded and their autumn grain damaged. That autumn nine counties in Wei and Xiping were deluged and sudden floods followed; frost then ruined the autumn harvest.
34
晉惠帝永寧元年十月，義陽、南陽、東海霖雨，淹害秋麥。
In the tenth month of the first year of Yongning, Yiyang, Nanyang, and Donghai were inundated and their autumn wheat destroyed.
35
晉成帝咸康元年八月乙丑，荊州之長沙攸、醴陵、武陵之龍陽三縣，雨水浮漂屋室，殺人，傷損秋稼。
On the yichou day of the eighth month of the first year of Xian'kang, rain in Changsha, You, and Longyang of Jing Province floated houses off their foundations, killed people, and ruined the autumn crop.
36
宋文帝元嘉二十一年六月，京邑連雨百餘日，大水。
In the sixth month of the twenty-first year of Yuanjia, the capital rained for more than a hundred days and suffered great flooding.
37
孝武帝大明元年正月，京邑雨水。
In the first month of the first year of Daming, the capital was deluged.
38
大明五年七月，京邑雨水。
In the seventh month of the fifth year of Daming, the capital was deluged again.
39
大明八年八月，京邑雨水。
In the eighth month of the eighth year of Daming, the capital was deluged again.
40
明帝太始二年六月，京邑雨水。
In the sixth month of the second year of Taishi, Emperor Ming of Song's reign, the capital was deluged.
41
順帝昇明三年四月乙亥，吳郡桐廬縣暴風雷電，揚砂折木，水平地二丈，流漂居民。
On the yihai day of the fourth month of the third year of Shengming, Tonglu in Wu commandery was struck by wind, thunder, and lightning; sandstorms snapped trees and water rose two zhang above the plain, sweeping away the people.
42
服妖
Strange Garments
43
魏武帝以天下凶荒，資財乏匱，始擬古皮弁，裁縑帛為白帢，以易舊服。 傅玄曰：「白乃軍容，非國容也。」 干寶以為縞素，凶喪之象，帢，毀辱之言也。 蓋革代之後，攻殺之妖也。 初為白帢，橫縫其前以別後，名之曰「顏」，俗傳行之。 至晉永嘉之間，稍去其縫，名「無顏帢」。 而婦人束髮，其緩彌甚，紒之堅不能自立，髮被于額，目出而已。 無顏者，愧之言也； 覆額者，慚之貌； 其緩彌甚，言天下忘禮與義，放縱情性，及其終極，至乎大恥也。 永嘉之後，二帝不反，天下愧焉。 魏明帝著繡帽，被縹紈半袖，嘗以見直臣楊阜。 阜諫曰：「此於禮何法服邪？」 帝默然。 近服妖也。 縹，非禮之色，褻服不貳。 今之人主，親御非法之章，所謂自作孽不可禳也。 帝既不享永年，身沒而祿去王室，後嗣不終，遂亡天下。
Emperor Wu of Wei, finding the realm famine-stricken and the treasury empty, modeled the ancient leather cap and cut silk into white kerchiefs to replace the old court dress. Fu Xuan said: "White belongs to military garb, not to the rites of state." Gan Bao held that undyed silk symbolizes mourning and the kerchief speaks of shame. After every dynastic overturn such dress marks the omen of war and slaughter. At first the white kerchief bore a cross-seam in front to mark back from front, called "face," and the custom spread. By the Yongjia era the seam was abandoned and the cap was called "faceless." Women bound their hair more and more loosely until, though twisted tight, it would not hold; hair covered the forehead and only the eyes remained visible. "Faceless" is the language of shame; covering the forehead is the look of humiliation; ever looser binding means the empire forgot ritual and duty, indulged appetite and passion, and at last reached utter disgrace. After Yongjia the two emperors never came home and the world hung its head in shame. Emperor Ming of Wei wore an embroidered cap and a gauze half-sleeve and once received the blunt minister Yang Fu in that dress. Fu remonstrated: "What rite sanctions such clothing?" The emperor said nothing. This was a recent instance of strange garments. Pale blue is no color of ritual, and private dress must not be duplicated for display. When the sovereign himself dons unlawful regalia, it is the proverb: "He who brings calamity on himself cannot pray it away." He did not reign long; after his death stipends left the imperial house, his line failed, and the dynasty fell.
44
魏明帝景初元年，發銅鑄為巨人二，號曰「翁仲」。 置之司馬門外。 案古長人見，為國亡； 長狄見臨洮，為秦亡之禍。 始皇不悟，反以為嘉祥，鑄銅人以象之。 魏法亡國之器，而於義竟無取焉。 蓋服妖也。
In the first year of Jingchu, Emperor Ming of Wei cast copper into two giant figures called "Wengzhong." They were set outside the Sima Gate. Antiquity records that when giants appeared states fell; when the Long Di appeared at Lintao it foretold Qin's ruin. The First Emperor failed to understand and treated the omen as good fortune, casting bronze men in imitation. Wei adopted the implements of doomed states—nothing righteous could come of it. In sum it was another case of strange garments.
45
魏尚書何晏，好服婦人之服。 傅玄曰：「此服妖也。」 夫衣裳之制，所以定上下，殊內外也。 大雅云：「玄袞赤舄，鉤膺鏤鍚。」 歌其文也。 小雅云：「有嚴有翼，共武之服。」 詠其武也。 若內外不殊，王制失敍，服妖既作，身隨之亡。 末嬉冠男子之冠，桀亡天下； 何晏服婦人之服，亦亡其家。 其咎均也。
He Yan, Director of the Secretariat under Wei, delighted in wearing women's clothing. Fu Xuan said: "This is strange garments." Robes exist to fix rank above and below and to separate inner from outer. The Greater Odes sing: "Dark robes and red shoes, hooked breastplate and carved shin-guards." —they praise its pattern. The Lesser Odes say: "Grave and majestic is the martial king's garb." —they hymn its martial spirit. When inner and outer are not distinguished, royal order collapses; when strange garments appear, ruin follows the wearer. Mo Xi put on a man's cap and Jie lost the empire; He Yan wore women's clothing and his house was destroyed as well. Their offenses were the same.
46
吳婦人之修容者，急束其髮，而劘角過于耳。 蓋其俗自操束大急，而廉隅失中之謂也。 故吳之風俗，相驅以急，言論彈射，以刻薄相尚。 居三年之喪者，往往有致毀以死。 諸葛患之，著正交論，雖不可以經訓整亂，蓋亦救時之作也。 孫休後，衣服之制，上長下短，又積領五六而裳居一二。 干寶曰：「上饒奢，下儉逼，上有餘下不足之妖也。」 至孫晧，果奢暴恣情於上，而百姓彫困於下，卒以亡國。 是其應也。
Wu women who dressed their hair bound it fiercely and trimmed the corners past the ears. Their custom of tight self-restraint overshot the mean of proper conduct. Wu folk drove one another to urgency, shot verbal barbs in debate, and prized harshness. Mourners in the three-year rites often starved themselves to death. Zhuge Liang, troubled by this, wrote the Discourse on Correct Friendship—not enough to restore order by the classics, yet a timely remedy. After Sun Xiu, garments grew long above and short below; collars piled five or six deep while the skirt shrank to a fraction. Gan Bao said: "Extravagance above and meanness below—an omen of plenty on top and want underneath." Under Sun Hao the ruler grew wanton and cruel while the people were ground down, and the state fell. This was the omen fulfilled.
47
晉興後，衣服上儉下豐，著衣者皆厭䙅蓋裙。 君衰弱，臣放縱，下掩上之象也。 陵遲至元康末，婦人出兩襠，加乎脛之上，此內出外也。 為車乘者，苟貴輕細，又數變易其形，皆以白篾為純，古喪車之遺象。 乘者，君子之器，蓋君子立心無恒，事不崇實也。 干寶曰：「及晉之禍，天子失柄，權制寵臣，下掩上之應也。 永嘉末，六宮才人，流徙戎、翟，內出外之應也。 及天下亂擾，宰輔方伯，多負其任，又數改易，不崇實之應也。」
After the Jin rose, the upper garment grew plain and the lower heavy; dressers wore layered skirts over their robes. The sovereign weakened and ministers ran wild—the lower masking the upper. By late Yuankang women bared both trouser legs above the calf—inner turned outward. Carriage owners prized light, delicate coaches and changed their style often, trimming everything in white bamboo like funeral carts. The carriage is the gentleman's tool; when the gentleman's heart lacks constancy, affairs cease to rest on substance. Gan Bao said: "When Jin's calamity came the emperor lost the scepter, power sat with favorites, and the lower covered the upper. At Yongjia's end palace women were swept to the northern tribes—inner cast outward again. When chaos spread, ministers and governors shirked duty and shifted posts endlessly—again the omen of hollow substance."
48
晉武帝泰始後，中國相尚用胡牀、貊盤，及為羌煑、貊炙。 貴人富室，必置其器，吉享嘉會，皆此為先。 太康中，天下又以氈為絈頭及絡帶、衿口。 百姓相戲曰，中國必為胡所破也。 氈產於胡，而天下以為絈頭、帶身、衿口，胡既三制之矣，能无敗乎。 干寶曰：「元康中，氐、羌反，至于永嘉，劉淵、石勒遂有中都。 自後四夷迭據華土，是其應也。」
After Taishi, the heartland took to barbarian couches, Mo platters, and Qiang boiled meat and Mo roasts. Rich households kept such wares; at every feast they took pride of place. In Taikang felt was used for head-wraps, belts, and collar bands. People joked that the heartland would be overrun by the Hu. Felt is a Hu product, yet the empire wore it on head, belt, and collar—three Hu marks on the body; how could it not fall? Gan Bao wrote: "In Yuankang the Di and Qiang rose; by Yongjia Liu Yuan and Shi Le seized the central capital. Then the four tribes held the heartland in turn—the omen fulfilled."
49
晉武帝太康後，天下為家者，移婦人於東方，空萊北庭，以為園囿。 干寶曰：「夫王朝南向，正陽也； 后北宮，位太陰也； 世子居東宮，位少陽也。 今居內於東，是與外俱南面也。 亢陽无陰，婦人失位而干少陽之象也。 賈后讒戮愍懷，俄而禍敗亦及。」
After Taikang, builders moved women's quarters eastward and turned the northern court into gardens. Gan Bao said: "The court faces south, the seat of true yang; the empress holds the northern palace, the seat of great yin; the heir dwells in the eastern palace, the seat of lesser yang. Now lodging the inner quarters in the east makes them face south like the outer court. Yang overwhelms yin—women leave their station and usurp lesser yang. Empress Jia destroyed the heir of Emperor Huai; soon ruin overtook her too."
50
昔初作履者，婦人圓頭，男子方頭。 圓者，順從之義，所以別男女也。 晉太康初，婦人皆履方頭，此去其圓從，與男無別也。
When shoes were first fashioned, women wore round toes and men square. Round signified yielding obedience and marked the sexes apart. Early in Taikang every woman wore square toes—abandoning round obedience and matching men.
51
太康之中，天下為晉世寧之舞，手接杯槃反覆之，歌曰：「晉世寧，舞杯槃。」 夫樂生人心，所以觀事。 故記曰：「總干山立，武王之事也； 發揚蹈厲，太公之志也； 武亂皆坐，周、召之治也。」 又曰：「其治民勞者，舞行綴遠； 其治民逸者，舞行綴近。 今接杯槃於手上而反覆之，至危也。 杯槃者，酒食之器也，而名曰晉世寧者，言晉世之士，偷苟於酒食之間，而其知不及遠，晉世之寧，猶杯槃之在手也。」
Mid-Taikang produced the "Jin World at Peace" dance, tossing cups and platters hand to hand, with the song: "Jin world at peace—dance the cups and platters." Music springs from the heart and reveals the age. The Record says: "Banners stand like mountains—that was King Wu's deed; to brandish and stamp hard was the Grand Duke Jiang's will; martial frenzy all seated—that was Zhou and Shao's order." Where rule wearies the people, dance rows stand far apart; where rule rests the people, dance rows stand close. Now to catch cups and platters in the hand and flip them is peril itself. Cups and platters are for food and drink, yet the name says "Jin World at Peace"—Jin gentlemen snatch comfort at table, their vision no farther than the rim; Jin's peace is only what cups hold in the palm."
52
晉惠帝元康中，婦人之飾有五兵佩，又以金、銀、瑇瑁之屬為斧、鉞、戈、戟，以當笄□。 干寶曰：「男女之別，國之大節，故服物異等，贄幣不同。 今婦人而以兵器為飾，又妖之大也。 遂有賈后之事，終以兵亡天下。」
In Yuankang, women wore Five Weapons pendants; gold, silver, and tortoise shell were shaped into axes, halberds, spears, and ji for hairpins. Gan Bao said: "Male and female are the state's great boundary; dress and gifts must differ. When women arm themselves for ornament, the omen is grave. Soon came Empress Jia's plot, and arms lost the empire."
53
元康中，婦人結髮者，既成，以繒急束其環，名曰擷子紒。 始自中宮，天下化之。 其後賈后果害太子。
In Yuankang women, once the hair was bound, cinched the ring tight with silk—the "pinching knot." It began in the inner palace and the world copied it. Later Empress Jia destroyed the crown prince.
54
元康中，天下始相倣為㮧杖，以柱掖其後，稍施其錞，住則植之。 夫木，東方之行，金之臣也。 扶者，杖體之器，㮧其頭者，尤便用也。 必傍柱掖者，傍救之象也。 王室多故，而元帝以蕃臣樹德東方，維持天下，柱掖之應也。 至社稷無主，海內歸之，遂承天命，建都江外，獨立之應也。
In Yuankang people copied zhu staffs to brace the armpit, added metal caps, and planted them when they halted. Wood is the eastern agent, servant to metal. The staff supports the body; a zhu head makes it handier. Leaning on a side prop images rescue from the flank. The house had many woes; Emperor Yuan as a prince rooted virtue in the east and held the realm up—the prop omen. When the throne stood empty the realm turned to him; he took the Mandate, built the capital south of the Yangtze, and stood alone—the solitary omen.
55
元康末至太安間，江、淮之域，有敗編自聚于道，多者或至四五十量。 干寶嘗使人散而去之，或投林草，或投坑谷。 明日視之，悉復如故。 民或云見狸銜而聚之，亦未察也。 寶說曰：「夫編者，人之賤服，最處于下，而當勞辱，下民之象也。 敗者，疲斃之象也。 道者，地理四方，所以交通王命所由往來也。 故今敗編聚於道者，象下民罷病，將相聚為亂，絕四方而壅王命之象也。 在位者莫察。 太安中，發壬午兵，百姓嗟怨。 江夏男子張昌遂首亂荊楚，從之者如流。 於是兵革歲起，天下因之，遂大破壞。 此近服妖也。」
From late Yuankang through Tai'an, tattered hemp piled itself on Jiang-Huai roads, sometimes forty or fifty bundles. Gan Bao once had men scatter the piles into woods or ravines. The next day everything had returned as before. Some said raccoon dogs gathered it; no one verified the tale. Bao explained: "Hemp is the poor man's cloth, lowest and worn with toil—the image of commoners. "Tattered" images exhaustion. "The road" is the land of four directions where royal commands pass. Tattered hemp on the roads means commoners broken and about to rebel, severing the realm from royal command. Those in power never looked into it. In Tai'an the renwu army was raised and the people groaned. Zhang Chang of Jiangxia first rebelled in Jing-Chu; followers poured in. War followed year after year until the realm lay in ruins. This too was recent strange garments."
56
晉孝懷永嘉以來，士大夫竟服生箋單衣。 遠識者怪之，竊指擿曰：「此則古者繐衰之布，諸侯大夫所以服天子也。 今無故畢服之，殆有應乎？」 其後愍、懷晏駕，不獲厥所。
From Yongjia onward gentlemen wore unbleached hemp single robes. The far-sighted whispered: "This is the hemp of ancient fringed mourning in which lords served the Son of Heaven. To wear it now without cause—will not the omen answer?" Soon Emperors Min and Huai died on the road without proper burial.
57
晉元帝太興以來，兵士以絳囊縛紒。 紒在首，莫上焉。 周易乾為首，坤為囊。 坤，臣道也。 晉金行，赤火色，金之賊也。 以朱囊縛紒，臣道上侵之象也。 到永昌元年，大將軍王敦舉兵內攻，六軍散潰。
From Taixing onward soldiers bound their topknots in crimson pouches. The topknot sits on the head—nothing stands above. The Book of Changes makes Qian the head and Kun the pouch. Kun is the minister's way. Jin belongs to metal; red is fire, metal's destroyer. Crimson pouches on the topknot image ministers pressing upward. In the first year of Yongchang Grand General Wang Dun marched on the capital and the six armies broke.
58
舊為羽扇，柄刻木，象其骨形，羽用十，取全數也。 晉中興初，王敦南征，始改為長柄下出，可捉，而減其羽用八。 識者尤之曰：「夫羽扇，翼之名也。 創為長柄者，執其柄制羽翼也。 以十改八者，將以未備奪已備也。」 是時為衣者，又上短，帶至于掖； 著帽者，以帶縛項。 下逼上，上無地也。 下袴者，直幅為口無殺，下大失裁也。 尋有兵亂，三年而再攻京師。
Feather fans once had wooden handles carved like bone and used ten feathers for the full count. Early in Zhongxing, when Wang Dun marched south, he lengthened the handle below for a grip and cut the feathers to eight. Critics said: "The feather fan is named for wings. A long handle means seizing the shaft to command the wings. Cutting ten to eight lets the unprepared seize the prepared." Then dressers shortened the upper garment until belts reached only the armpit; cap-wearers bound the band around the neck. Below pressing above—nothing remains overhead. Trousers were cut straight without shaping—the lower garment lost all fit. War followed; within three years the capital was attacked twice.
59
晉海西初嗣位，迎官忘設豹尾。 識者以為不終之象，近服妖也。
When Emperor Hai of Jin first took the throne, the welcoming party forgot the leopard-tail insignia. Observers called it an omen of no completion—recent strange garments.
60
晉司馬道子於府北園內為酒鑪列肆，使姬人酤鬻酒肴，如裨販者，數遊其中，身自買易，因醉寓寢，動連日夜。 漢靈帝嘗若此。 干寶以為：「君將失位，降在皁隸之象也。」 道子卒見廢徙，以庶人終。
Sima Daozi opened wine stalls in his north garden, had concubines hawk food like hucksters, wandered among them buying and selling, and slept there drunk for days. Emperor Ling of Han had done likewise. Gan Bao read it as "the ruler about to fall to the status of a servant." Daozi was deposed, exiled, and died a commoner.
61
桓玄篡立，殿上施絳綾帳，鏤黃金為顏，四角金龍，銜五色羽葆流蘇。 羣下竊相謂曰：「頗類輀車。」 此服妖也。
When Huan Xuan usurped, crimson silk curtains hung in the hall, gold faces carved on them, golden dragons at the corners bearing five-colored feather streamers. Courtiers whispered: "It looks much like a funeral carriage." This too was strange garments.
62
晉末皆冠小冠，而衣裳博大，風流相倣，輿臺成俗。 識者曰：「此禪代之象也。」 永初以後，冠還大云。
Late Jin gentlemen wore small caps with billowing robes; the fashion spread even to servants. Observers said: "This foretells the transfer of the Mandate." After Yongchu caps grew large again.
63
宋文帝元嘉六年，民間婦人結髮者，三分髮，抽其鬟直向上，謂之「飛天紒」。 始自東府，流被民庶。 時司徒彭城王義康居東府，其後卒以陵上徙廢。
In the sixth year of Yuanjia, women divided their hair in three parts and drew the bun straight up, calling it the "flying-heaven knot." It began in the Eastern Mansion and spread to the populace. Then Director Liu Yikang of Pengcheng lived in the Eastern Mansion; he was later removed for arrogance.
64
孝武帝世，豫州刺史劉德願善御車，世祖嘗使之御畫輪，幸太宰江夏王義恭第。 德願挾牛杖催世祖云：「日暮宜歸！」 又求益僦車。 世祖甚歡。 此事與漢靈帝西園蓄私錢同也。
In Emperor Xiaowu's era Liu Deyuan of Yu Province was a skilled driver; the emperor had him drive the painted carriage to visit Grand Tutor Liu Yigong of Jiangxia. Deyuan, ox-goad in hand, urged him: "The sun is low—it is time to go home!" He also asked for a higher carriage fee. The emperor was delighted. The episode matches Emperor Ling of Han hoarding private money in the Western Garden.
65
孝武世，幸臣戴法興權亞人主，造圓頭履，世人莫不效之。 其時圓進之俗大行，方格之風盡矣。
In Emperor Xiaowu's era the favorite Dai Faxing rivaled the throne; he devised round-toed shoes and the world copied them. Round fashion triumphed and square propriety vanished.
66
明帝初，司徒建安王休仁統軍赭圻，制烏紗帽，反抽帽裙，民間謂之「司徒狀」，京邑翕然相尚。 休仁後果以疑逼致禍。
Early in Ming, Liu Xiuren of Jian'an at Zheqi devised black gauze caps with the skirt reversed—"Director's style," which the capital imitated. Xiuren later fell to suspicion and was destroyed.
67
龜孽
Tortoise Portents
68
晉惠帝永熙初，衛瓘家人炊飯，墮地，盡化為螺，出足起行。 螺，龜類，近龜孽也。 干寶曰：「螺被甲，兵象也。 於周易為離，離為戈兵。」 明年，瓘誅。
Early in Yongxi, rice in Wei Guan's kitchen fell to the floor and turned into snails that sprouted feet and crawled away. Snails belong to the tortoise family and count as near tortoise omens. Gan Bao said: "Snails wear armor—the sign of war. In the Book of Changes this is Li, the trigram of weapons." The next year Guan was executed.
69
雞禍
Chicken Calamities
70
魏明帝景初二年，廷尉府中有雌雞變為雄，不鳴不將。 干寶曰：「是歲，晉宣帝平遼東，百姓始有與能之議，此其象也。」 然晉三后並以人臣終，不鳴不將，又天意也。
In the second year of Jingchu a hen in the Ministry of Justice turned into a cock that neither crowed nor led the flock. Gan Bao said: "That year Emperor Xuan of Jin pacified Liaodong and people first spoke of replacing the house of Cao—its sign." Yet Jin's three empresses all died as subjects without crowing or leading—Heaven's intent as well.
71
晉惠帝元康六年，陳國有雞生雄雞無翅，既大，墜坑而死。 王隱曰：「雄，胤嗣象，坑地事為母象，賈后誣殺愍懷，殆其應也。」
In the sixth year of Yuankang a hen in Chen bore a wingless cock that later fell into a pit and died. Wang Yin said: "The cock images the heir; the pit images the mother—Empress Jia destroyed Emperor Huai's son; likely the fulfillment."
72
晉惠帝太安中，周玘家有雌雞逃承霤中，六七日而下，奮翼鳴將，獨毛羽不變。 其後有陳敏之事。 敏雖控制江表，終無綱紀文章，殆其象也。 卒為玘所滅。 雞禍見玘家，又天意也。
In Tai'an a hen in Zhou Ji's house fled into the eaves, then descended days later crowing like a cock while its feathers stayed unchanged. Afterward came Chen Min's rebellion. Min held the lower Yangtze yet never established proper rule—the omen's meaning. Ji destroyed him in the end. The chicken omen appeared in Ji's house—again Heaven's will.
73
晉元帝太興中，王敦鎮武昌，有雌雞化為雄。 天戒若曰：「雌化為雄，臣陵其上。」 其後王敦再攻京師。
During Taixing, while Wang Dun held Wuchang, a hen turned into a cock. Heaven warned: "Female becomes male—the minister overtops his lord." Wang Dun attacked the capital again.
74
晉孝武太元十三年四月，廣陵高平閻嵩家雄雞，生無右翅； 彭城到象之家雞，無右足。 京房易傳曰：「君用婦人言，則雞生妖。」
In the fourth month of the thirteenth year of Taiyuan, a cock at Yan Song's house in Gaoping, Guangling, was born without its right wing; at Dao Xiang's house in Pengcheng a chicken lacked its right foot. Jing Fang's Tradition of Changes says: "When a ruler listens to women, chickens grow strange."
75
晉安帝隆安元年八月，琅邪王道子家青雌雞化為赤雄，不鳴不將。 後有桓玄之事，具如其象。
In the eighth month of the first year of Long'an, a blue hen at Sima Daozi's house turned into a red cock that neither crowed nor led. Huan Xuan's usurpation followed, matching the sign completely.
76
隆安四年，荊州有雞生角，角尋墮落。 是時桓玄始擅西夏，狂慢不肅，故有雞禍。 角，兵象； 尋墮落者，暫起不終之妖也。
In the fourth year of Long'an a chicken in Jing Province grew horns that soon dropped off. Then Huan Xuan dominated the west, arrogant and unrestrained—hence the chicken omen. Horns image weapons; their quick fall images a rise that cannot last.
77
晉安帝元興二年，衡陽有雌雞化為雄，八十日而冠萎。 衡陽，桓玄楚國封略也。 後篡位八十日而敗，徐廣以為玄之象也。
In the second year of Yuanxing, in Hengyang a hen became a cock; after eighty days its comb wilted. Hengyang lay within Huan Xuan's Chu domain. He usurped for eighty days and fell; Xu Guang took it as Xuan's omen.
78
宋文帝元嘉十二年，華林園雌雞漸化為雄。 後孝武即位，皇太后令行于外，亦猶漢宣帝時，雌雞為雄，至哀帝時，元后與政也。
In the twelfth year of Yuanjia a hen in the Hualin Garden slowly turned into a cock. Later Emperor Xiaowu reigned and the empress dowager governed abroad—as under Emperor Xuan of Han, when hens turned cock until Emperor Ai, when the Grand Empress Dowager ruled.
79
明帝泰始中，吳興東遷沈法符家雞有四距。
In Taishi, a chicken at Shen Fafu's house in Dongqian, Wuxing, bore four spurs.
80
青眚青祥
Blue Calamities and Blue Omens
81
晉武帝咸寧元年八月丁酉，大風折太社樹，有青氣出焉。 此青祥也。 占曰：「東莞當有帝者。」 明年，元帝生。 是時帝大父武王封東莞，由是徙封琅邪。 孫盛以為中興之表。 晉室之亂，武帝子孫無孑遺，社樹折之應，又恒風之罰也。
On the dingyou day of the eighth month of the first year of Xianning, a great wind snapped the Grand Altar tree and blue vapor rose from it. This was a blue portent. Divination read: "Dongguan will produce an emperor." The next year Emperor Yuan was born. Then the emperor's great-grandfather, Prince of Wu, held Dongguan; the fief was later moved to Langya. Sun Sheng took it as the sign of Jin's restoration. When Jin fell into chaos, Emperor Wu's line perished to the last man—the broken altar tree and unending wind were its omens.
82
晉惠帝元康中，洛陽南山有䖟作聲曰：「韓屍屍。」 識者曰：「韓氏將死也。 言屍屍者，盡死意也。」 其後韓謐誅而韓族殲焉。 此青祥也。
In Yuankang, flies on Luoyang's southern mountain buzzed “Han corpses, corpses.” Observers said: "The Han clan will perish. Corpse corpse means all are dead." Soon Han Mi was executed and the Han clan wiped out. This was a blue portent.
83
金沴木
Metal Harms Wood
84
魏文帝初七年正月，幸許昌。 許昌城南門無故自崩，帝心惡之，遂不入，還洛陽。 此金沴木，木動也。 五月，宮車晏駕。 京房易傳曰：「上下咸悖，厥妖城門壞。」
In the first month of the seventh year of his reign, Emperor Wen of Wei visited Xuchang. Xuchang's southern gate collapsed without cause; the emperor took it ill, did not enter, and returned to Luoyang. This was metal harming wood—wood stirred. In the fifth month the palace carriage stopped at dusk—the emperor died. Jing Fang's Tradition of Changes says: "When high and low alike rebel, city gates break."
85
晉元帝太興二年六月，吳郡米廩無故自壞。 是歲大饑，死者數千。
In the sixth month of the second year of Taixing, Wu commandery's grain storehouse collapsed on its own. That year famine killed thousands.
86
晉明帝太寧元年，周筵自歸王敦，既立宅宇，而所起五間六架，一時躍出墮地，餘桁猶亘柱頭。 此金沴木也。 明年五月，錢鳳謀亂，遂族滅筵，而湖熟尋亦為墟矣。
In the first year of Taining, Zhou Yan joined Wang Dun; the five-bay, six-frame hall he built leaped from its site, rafters still caught on the pillars. This was metal harming wood. The next fifth month Qian Feng rebelled; Yan's clan was destroyed and Hushu soon lay in ruins.
87
晉安帝元興元年正月丙子，司馬元顯將西討桓玄，建牙揚州南門，其東者難立，良久乃正。 近沴妖也。 尋為桓玄所禽。
On the bingzi day of the first month of the first year of Yuanxing, Sima Yuanxian marched against Huan Xuan and raised his pennant at Yangzhou's south gate; the eastern staff was hard to set and long in straightening. A recent omen of cosmic violation. Huan Xuan soon captured him.
88
元興三年五月，樂賢堂壞。 天意若曰，安帝嚚眊，不及有樂賢之心，故此堂見沴也。
In the fifth month of the third year of Yuanxing the Hall of Cherishing the Worthy collapsed. Heaven meant: Emperor An was dull and never cherished worthies—so the hall was struck.
89
晉安帝義熙九年五月乙酉，國子聖堂壞。
On the yiyou day of the fifth month of the ninth year of Yixi, the Imperial Academy's Hall of the Sage collapsed.
90
宋文帝元嘉十七年，劉斌為吳郡，郡堂屋西頭鴟尾無故落地，治之未畢，東頭鴟尾復落。 頃之，斌誅。
In the seventeenth year of Yuanjia, while Liu Bin governed Wu, the western owl-tail of the hall fell; before repairs ended the eastern owl-tail fell too. Soon Bin was executed.