1
古之君子，負經世之術，度時不可為，故高蹈以全其志。 使得其時，未嘗不欲仕，仕而行所學，及物之功豈少哉。 後世之士，其所蘊蓄或未至，而好以跡為高，當邦有道之時，且遁世離群，謂之隱士。 世主亦苟取其名而強起之，及考其實，不如所聞，則曰「是欺世釣譽者也」，上下豈不兩失也哉！
Men of old who mastered the arts of governing the realm, when they judged that the times forbade action, would withdraw to lofty seclusion to keep their purpose intact. Given the right moment, they were always ready to serve; and once in office they applied their learning—the good they did for the world was by no means small. Scholars of later times, whose learning often fell short of the mark, nonetheless prided themselves on lofty withdrawal; even when the realm was well governed they would flee society and call themselves recluses. Rulers too would seize on their reputations and compel them to office; when scrutiny showed them less than their fame, the verdict was "mere deceivers of the age fishing for praise"—a loss for ruler and subject alike.
2
The Yuan had many men called recluses, yet figures such as Du Ying, who sent memorials to the chief ministers, and Zhang Teli, who governed ably in office, were not recluses in name only: they served when the moment allowed and withdrew when withdrawal was fitting—very much in the spirit of the ancients. Nor did the rulers force such men to serve—so both sides gained their due. From then on men famed for reclusion were not uncommon; here we collect those whose stories merit transmission and compose this "Biography of Recluses."
3
Du Ying, courtesy name Wenyu, came from a family originally of Xin'an in Bazhou. His father Shi Sheng is recorded in the History of Jin. Ying stood seven feet in height, with a fine beard and whiskers and a commanding, imposing presence. As the Jin dynasty neared its end, scholars still courted advancement through polished writing; Ying alone withdrew to the Goushi Mountains in Henan. In the aftermath of war, learning lay in ruins; Ying sought out every book he could find and read them all, retaining whatever he read and probing their meaning until the rights and wrongs of past and present lay clear in his hand. After many hardships and wanderings, he taught in the Fen and Jin regions. When Ahekan Gui of the Central Secretariat established his headquarters at Xiangzhou, Ying accepted his invitation and settled there. He was offered a thousand mu of fertile land but refused it. A geomancer said gold was buried beneath his dwelling; when his family wanted to dig, he always forbade it. Later occupants did in fact find a hundred jin of gold there—such was his refusal to take what was not rightfully his.
4
歲己未，世祖南伐至相，召見問計，瑛從容對曰：「漢、唐以還，人君所恃以為國者，法與兵、食三事而已。 國無法不立，人無食不生，亂無兵不守。 今宋皆蔑之，殆將亡矣，興之在聖主。 若控襄樊之師，委戈下流，以搗其背，大業可定矣。」 帝悅，曰：「儒者中乃有此人乎！」 瑛复勸帝數事，以謂事不如此，後當如彼。 帝納之，心賢瑛，謂可大用，命從行，以疾弗果。 中統初，詔徵瑛。 時王文統方用事，辭不就。 左丞張文謙宣撫河北，奏為懷孟、彰德、大名等路提舉學校官，又辭，遺執政書，其略曰：「先王之道不明，異端邪說害之也，橫流奔放，天理不絕如線。 今天子神聖，俊乂輻輳，言納計用，先王之禮樂教化，興明修復，維其時矣。 若夫簿書期會，文法末節，漢、唐猶不屑也，執事者因陋就簡，此焉是務，良可惜哉！ 夫善始者未必善終，今不能溯流求源，明法正俗，育材興化，以拯數百千年之禍，僕恐後日之弊，將有不可勝言者矣。」 人或勉之仕，則曰：「後世去古雖遠，而先王之所設施，本末先後，猶可考見，故為政者莫先於復古。 苟因習舊弊，以求合乎先王之意，不亦難乎！ 吾又不能隨時俯仰以赴機會，將焉用仕！」 於是杜門著書，一不以窮通得喪動其志，優游道藝，以終其身。 年七十，遺命其子處立、處願曰：「吾即死，當表吾墓曰'緱山杜處士'。」 天歷中，贈資德大夫、翰林學士、上護軍，追封魏郡公，諡文獻。
In the jiwei year, Kublai Khan on his southern campaign reached Xiangzhou and summoned Ying to ask his counsel. Ying replied calmly: "Since Han and Tang, what rulers have relied on to sustain a state are only three things: law, arms, and grain. Without law a state cannot stand; without food the people cannot live; in chaos without arms nothing can be held. Song now scorns all three—it is near ruin; renewal rests with Your Sagely Majesty. Hold your forces at Xiangyang and Fancheng, then send troops down the river to strike Song from behind, and the great enterprise will be assured." The Emperor was pleased and said, "Among scholars there is actually such a man as this!" Ying went on to counsel the Emperor on several points, warning that if matters were not handled one way now, they would turn out another way later. The Emperor accepted his advice, came to esteem Ying highly, and judged him fit for great office; he ordered Ying to accompany the campaign, but illness prevented it. Early in the Zhongtong era, an imperial summons called for Ying. Wang Wentong was then in power at court; Ying declined and did not accept office. Left Assistant Zhang Wenqian, pacification commissioner of Hebei, recommended him as supervisor of schools for the Huaimeng, Zhangde, Daming, and other circuits; Ying declined again and sent the chief ministers a letter that read in part: "The Way of the ancient kings is obscured, harmed by heterodox teachings; doctrines run wild, and the moral order hangs by a thread. Today the Son of Heaven is sage, the worthy gather at court, and counsel is heeded—this is the moment to revive and restore the rites, music, and civilizing teachings of the ancient kings. Yet ledgers, deadlines, and petty legal formalities—even Han and Tang scorned such things—while those in office cling to the shabby and the expedient. How regrettable! A good beginning does not guarantee a good end. If we cannot trace the stream to its source—clarify law, rectify custom, nurture talent, and revive civilization—to redeem centuries of ruin, I fear the evils of later days will be beyond telling." When others urged him to serve, he said: "Though our age is far from antiquity, what the ancient kings instituted—its sequence and structure—can still be studied; for anyone who would govern, nothing comes before restoring the ancient ways. Yet to cling to entrenched abuses and still hope to match the intent of the ancient kings—is that not impossible? Nor can I bend with the times to seize opportunity—what use would office be to me!" He then shut his doors and devoted himself to writing, never letting fortune or misfortune sway his purpose, and passed his days at ease in learning and the arts until he died. At seventy he instructed his sons Chuli and Chuyuan: "When I die, let my tombstone read 'Gentleman Du of Goushi Mountain.'" In the Tianli reign he was posthumously honored as Grand Master of Virtuous Talent, Hanlin Academician, and Senior Guardian of the Army, enfeoffed as Duke of Wei Commandery, with the posthumous name Wenxian.
5
所著書曰《春秋地理原委》十卷、《語孟旁通》八卷、《皇極引用》八卷、《皇極疑事》四卷、《極學》十卷、《律呂律曆禮樂雜志》三十卷、文集十卷。 其於律，則究其始，研其義，長短清濁，周徑積實，各以類分，取經史之說以實之，而折衷其是非。 其於歷，則謂造歷者皆從十一月甲子朔夜半冬至為曆元，獨邵子以為天開於子，取日甲月子、星甲辰子，為元會運世之數，無朔虛，無閏餘，率以三百六十為歲，而天地之盈虛，百物之消長，不能出乎其中矣。 論閉物開物，則曰開於己，閉於戊； 五，天之中也； 六，地之中也； 戊己，月之中星也。 又分卦配之紀年，金之大定庚寅，交小過之初六； 國朝之甲寅三月二十有三日寅時，交小過之九四。 多先儒所未發，掇其要著於篇云。
His works included Origins of Spring and Autumn Geography (10 juan), Collateral Passages to the Analects and Mencius (8 juan), Supreme Ultimate Citations (8 juan), Supreme Ultimate Doubtful Matters (4 juan), Ultimate Learning (10 juan), Miscellaneous Records of Pitch Pipes, Calendars, Rites, and Music (30 juan), and collected writings (10 juan). On pitch pipes he traced their origins and probed their principles—length, pitch, circumference, diameter, and volume—classifying each type and testing classical and historical accounts to judge what was right and wrong. On calendrics he noted that calendar-makers generally took the winter solstice at midnight on the jiazi day of the eleventh month's new moon as the epoch, whereas Master Shao Yong held that Heaven opens at zi and used jiazi for day, month, and star to derive the cycles of origin, meeting, movement, and age—without intercalary gaps, treating 360 as a standard year—yet the waxing and waning of heaven, earth, and all things could not escape this framework. On the closing and opening of things, he held that they open at ji and close at wu; five is the center of Heaven; six is the center of Earth; wu and ji are the central stars of the Moon. He also matched hexagrams to years: the Jin Dading gengyin year corresponded to the initial six line of Xiao Guo (Small Exceeding); and our dynasty's jiayin year, on the twenty-third day of the third month at the yin hour, corresponded to the nine-four line of Xiao Guo. Much of this earlier scholars had not articulated; here the essentials are gathered for this account.
6
張特立，字文舉，東明人。 初名永，避金衛紹王諱，易今名。 中泰和進士，為偃師主簿。 改宣德州司候。 州多金國戚，號難治，特立至官，俱往謁之。 有五將軍率家奴劫民群羊，特立命大索閭里，遂過將軍家，溫言誘之曰：「將軍宅寧有盜羊者邪，聊視之以杜眾口。」 潛使人索其後庭，得羊數十。 遂縛其奴繫獄，其子匿他舍，捕得之，以近族得減死論。 豪貴由是遵法，民賴以全。 正大初，遷洛陽令。 時軍旅數起，郡縣窘迫，東帥紇石烈牙兀䚟又侮慢儒士。 會移鎮陝右，道經洛陽，見特立淳古，不禮之，遽責令治糗具，期三日足，後期如軍法。 縣民素賢特立，爭輸於庭，帥大奇之。 既而拜監察御史，首言世宗諸孫不宜幽囚； 尚書右丞顏盞石魯與細民爭田，參知政事徒單兀典諂事近習，皆當罷黜。 執政者忌之。 會平章政事白撒犒軍陝西，特立又劾其掾不法。 白撒訴於世宗，言特立所言事失實，世宗宥之，遂歸田裡。
Zhang Teli, courtesy name Wenju, was from Dongming. His original name was Yong; to avoid the taboo name of the Jin Prince Shao of Wei, he adopted his present name. He passed the jinshi examination in the Taihe era and became chief clerk of Yanshi. He was later appointed judicial officer of Xuande Prefecture. The prefecture had many Jin imperial kinsmen and was notoriously hard to govern; when Teli took office, they all came to pay their respects. A general known as the Fifth General had his household slaves seize villagers' flocks; Teli ordered a thorough search of the neighborhood and then called at the general's house, saying mildly, "Surely there are no sheep thieves in your residence, General—but let us have a look to silence gossip." He secretly had the rear courtyard searched and found several dozen sheep. He bound the slaves and jailed them; the son, hiding elsewhere, was captured and, because of near kinship, received a reduced sentence short of death. The powerful henceforth obeyed the law, and the people were protected. Early in the Zhengda era he was appointed magistrate of Luoyang. Armies marched repeatedly, counties were strapped for resources, and the eastern commander He-shilie Yarucha treated scholars with contempt. When he was transferred to garrison western Shaanxi and passed through Luoyang, he found Teli plain and unassuming, showed him no courtesy, and abruptly ordered him to supply army rations within three days on pain of military law. The people of the county, who had long admired Teli, rushed to deliver supplies to the magistrate's court, and the commander was astonished. He was soon appointed investigating censor and first memorialized that Emperor Shizong's grandsons should not be kept in confinement; that Right Assistant Minister Yanzhan Shilu was wrangling over land with commoners, and Participating Administrator Tushan Wudian was currying favor with the emperor's intimates—all should be removed from office. The chief ministers resented him. When Grand Councilor Bai Sa went to reward the troops in Shaanxi, Teli again impeached his staff for misconduct. Bai Sa complained to Emperor Shizong that Teli's charges were false; the emperor pardoned Teli, who then retired to the countryside.
7
Teli mastered the Cheng school interpretation of the Changes; in later years he taught students, and Yan Shi of Dongping always treated him with respect. In the bingwu year, when Kublai received the princely seal in his residence, he first sent word to Teli: "The former censor Zhang Teli has lived in rustic seclusion through the change of dynasties unchanged; he is nearly seventy and devoted to the classics. Let an honorable title glorify his hidden virtue: grant him specially the name Master of the Mean (Zhongyong)." He added: "The Master is aged and his eyes are failing and cannot travel; Zhao Baochen is therefore sent to convey my wishes and to name his study the Hall of Beautiful Marsh (Lize)." In the renzi year another imperial letter reached him: "White-haired, you exhaust the classics and teach without weariness, neither exceeding nor falling short—scholars look to you as their model. An honorable name was granted before; I send my regards again." In guichou Teli died at the age of seventy-five. In the second year of Zhongtong an edict read: "Master of the Mean—his learning ran deep, his conduct without blemish; though he lived through chaos he did not change his ways; he had not yet received the full honor due a recluse when suddenly the grief of burial arose. Let his former title be granted again to display imperial favor." Teli's works included Collected Explanations of the Changes and Annals of Events by Year.
8
Du Ben, courtesy name Boyuan, came from a family that had lived in Jingzhao, later moved to Tiantai, and then to Qingjiang in Linjiang; he was now regarded as a native of Qingjiang. Ben was widely learned and a skilled writer. Grand Councilor Hulashu of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat was greatly impressed by Ben's "Policy for Relieving Famine"; when Hulashu became censor-in-chief, he strongly recommended Ben to Emperor Wuzong. He was once summoned to the capital but soon withdrew to seclusion in the Wuyi Mountains. When Wenzong was in the south he heard of Ben; after his accession he sent gifts to summon him, but Ben did not accept. In Zhizheng 3, Right Grand Councilor Toghto recommended him as a recluse; the court sent envoys with brocade and fine wine and summoned him as Hanlin awaiting edict, Gentleman for Discussion, and compiler at the History Office. The envoys conveyed the emperor's and the minister's wishes and pressed him to depart. At Hangzhou he pleaded illness and firmly declined, writing to the grand councilor: "When the myriad affairs are united in one principle, the myriad people in one heart, a thousand years in a single day, and the four seas in one household—then one may speak of making rites and music and attaining the glory of the Five Emperors and Three Kings." He did not go.
9
本湛靜寡欲，無疾言遽色。 與人交尤篤於義，有貧無以養親、無貲以為學者，皆濟之。 平居書冊未嘗釋手。 天文、地理、律曆、度數，靡不通究，尤工於篆隸。 所著有《四經表義》、《六書通編》、《十原》等書，學者稱為清碧先生。 至正十年卒，年七十有五。
Ben was calm and abstemious, never speaking harshly or showing sudden anger. In friendship he was especially devoted to duty; he helped all who were too poor to support their parents or pay for their studies. In daily life he never put his books down. He mastered astronomy, geography, calendrics, and mathematics, and was especially accomplished in seal and clerical calligraphy. His works included Expositions of the Four Classics, Comprehensive Compilation of the Six Scripts, and Ten Origins; scholars called him Master Clear Jade (Qingbi). He died in Zhizheng 10 at the age of seventy-five.
10
時有張樞子長者，婺之金華人，亦屢徵不起。 樞幼聰慧，外家潘氏蓄書數万卷，樞盡取而讀之，過目輒不忘。 既長，肆筆成章，頃刻數千言。 有問以古今沿革、政治得失、宇宙之分合、禮樂之廢興，以至帝號官名、歲月先後，歷歷如指諸掌。 其為文，務推明經史，以扶翼教道，尤長於敘事。 嘗取三國時事撰《漢本紀列傳》，附以《魏吳載記》，為《續後漢書》七十三卷。 臨川危素稱其立義精密，可備勸講，朝廷取其書置宣文閣。 浙東部使者交薦之，前後章凡九上。 至正三年，命儒臣纂修遼、金、宋三史，右丞相脫脫以監修國史領都總裁，辟樞本府長史，力辭不拜。 七年，申命史臣纂修本朝后妃、功臣傳，復以翰林修撰、儒林郎、同知制誥兼國史院編修官召樞，俾與討論，复避不就。 使者強之行，至杭州，固辭而歸。 嘗著《春秋三傳歸一義》三十卷，《刊定三國志》六十五卷，《林下竊議》、《曲江張公年譜》各一卷，《敝帚編》若干卷。 至正八年卒，年五十有七。
At the time there was Zhang Shu, courtesy name Zichang, a man of Jinhua in Wu prefecture, who likewise refused repeated summons. Shu was clever as a boy; his mother's Pan family kept tens of thousands of volumes, which he read through entirely, forgetting nothing he saw. When grown he could take up the brush and compose essays of several thousand words in moments. Asked about historical change, political success and failure, cosmic cycles, the rise and fall of rites and music, or even imperial titles, offices, and chronology, he answered with the clarity of facts held in his palm. In his writing he sought to illuminate the classics and histories to uphold the Way, and was especially gifted at narrative. He once compiled Han Basic Annals and Biographies from Three Kingdoms materials, with Wei and Wu Records appended, as a Continued History of Later Han in seventy-three juan. Wei Su of Linchuan praised its arguments as precise and fit for imperial lectures; the court placed the work in the Xuanwen Pavilion. The Zhedong circuit envoy recommended him repeatedly, with nine memorials in all. In Zhizheng 3 the court ordered the compilation of the Liao, Jin, and Song histories; Toghto, as chief compiler, invited Shu to serve as his chief clerk, but Shu firmly declined. In the seventh year the court again ordered biographies of empresses and meritorious subjects of the dynasty; Shu was again summoned as Hanlin compiler and History Office editor to join the work, but again he declined. Envoys pressed him to go; at Hangzhou he firmly refused and returned home. His works included Unified Meanings of the Three Spring and Autumn Commentaries (30 juan), Collated Records of the Three Kingdoms (65 juan), Private Discussions under the Forest and Annual Biography of Lord Zhang of Qujiang (1 juan each), and Broom-Ends Collection (several juan). He died in Zhizheng 8 at the age of fifty-seven.
11
Sun Che, courtesy name Lüchang, came from a family that had moved from Jinling to Linchuan. Che lost his father young; his mother, Lady Cai, raised him, and he learned early to discipline himself and stand on his own. When grown, his learning and conduct were pure and steadfast, and he was deeply filial toward his mother. He taught at home in modest circumstances, yet students seeking moral instruction and learning grew daily. The county's most promising scholars all came from his school. In conversation Che always grounded his words in filial piety, fraternity, loyalty, and trust; his tone was gentle and harmonious, and listeners were invariably moved. He treated relatives and neighbors with full courtesy and never spoke, even in passing, of others' faults. Scholars passing through the prefecture always called on him, as did circuit envoys and local officials who were humane and worthy. Che was affable yet dignified, received guests with proper courtesy, and never spoke of official affairs. The surveillance commission repeatedly invited him to office, but he always declined. The Jiangxi Branch Secretariat specially nominated Che as a recluse. Che was a fine writer; Wu Cheng once wrote in the preface to his collected works: "'The man of benevolence and righteousness—his words are gentle and kind.'" Such was the praise he won. In Yuantong 2 he died at home at the age of seventy-three.
12
Wu Dingweng of the same prefecture, courtesy name Zhonggu, came from a family that had moved from Jinling in early Song times. From childhood Dingweng conducted himself like an adult, never neglecting proper dress in any season; pure and refined, he was famed alongside Sun Che. He was especially gifted in poetry; Jie
13
Xisi praised his verse as secluded, lush, and spare—comparable to Lu Zhi. Censors and Jiangxi officials repeatedly recommended him, but he never wavered through his life. Cheng Jufu once wrote to him: "Scholar friends in Linchuan and students at my gate come in endless succession—why is it that one so pure as jade as yourself remains beyond my sight!" Dingweng once said: "A scholar should not seek to be employed by the world, only to have no shame before it." People regarded this as a memorable maxim.
14
He Zhong, courtesy name Taixu, was from Le'an in Fu prefecture. Bright and precocious in youth, he devoted himself to classical learning; his family owned ten thousand volumes, which he collated with his own hand. His learning was broad and profound; Cheng Jufu of Guangping, Yuan Mingshan of Qinghe, Yao Sui of Liucheng, Wang Gou of Dongping, and his fellow townsman Wu Cheng and Jie Xisi all held him in esteem. In Zhishun 2, Grand Councilor Quan Yuezhu of the Jiangxi Branch Secretariat appointed him teacher at the Longxing prefectural school. He died of illness the following sixth month. His works included Images of the Changes Categories (2 juan), Supplementary Remnants of the Documents Tradition (10 juan), Fathoming the Sea of the Comprehensive Mirror Outline (3 juan), and Drafts from the Hall of Knowing Error (17 juan).
15
Wei Fuzhi of the same prefecture, courtesy name Jianxin. At the end of the Song he was an Imperial University student under Tang Han, read widely, loved the Changes, and was especially accomplished in poetry. Early in the Zhiyuan era Marshal Guo Ang repeatedly recommended him for a Confucian office, but he declined. During Zhiyuan the court repeatedly sent Palace Attendant Chahan and Hanlin Attendant Zhan Yu with gifts to summon him, but he never accepted. He lived in seclusion on Purple Clouds Mountain; friends privately styled him Master Pure White (Zhenbai).
16
Wu Ke, courtesy name Bowei, was from Xuande Prefecture. Known early as a child prodigy, he studied in the south; Wu Cheng, as Jiangxi vice commissioner for Confucian learning, recommended him to the National University. While Mingzong was still in his princely residence he chose Ke as lecturing scholar; when Mingzong went to govern Yunnan, Ke accompanied him. When Mingzong planned to raise troops in Shaanxi, Ke admonished him: "The crown prince travels north with the emperor's command and his uncle's authority; if you now loose a single arrow toward the capital, the historians will record that the crown prince rebelled." His attendants, resenting Ke's counsel, said, "Scholar Wu has a mother in the capital and should be sent home." Ke returned to the capital, lived in a humble lane, and taught his sons and disciples. Wenzong knew his reputation and appointed him registrar of the Secretariat Directorate. When his term ended he mourned his mother; he was again offered registrar of the Central Auspicious Office and then magistrate of Fenxi County, but accepted neither. When others urged him to serve, Ke said, "I took office before only for my parent's sake; now that my parent is dead, I will not serve again." Some years later, when the court was selecting local officials, Tai Buhua recommended him as magistrate of Qinshui in Pingyang, but he again declined. A court intimate again recommended him as Classics Lecturer; Ke then feigned muteness and refused.
17
Ke loved the Zhou Changes and sat in daily meditation. Someone asked him, "Master, what is the foundation of your learning?" He answered, "Reverence." His works included Water and Clouds Collection in several juan. Many of his students attained distinction: Fo Jianu became Grand Marshal and Wan Zhebu Hua became associate administrator of the Privy Council—men of worthy reputation.