(GXSGC, #114. 385; TPYL, 519. 2360a)
228. THE DAOIST PRIEST XU XUN (2)
Huan Wen (312–373) went northward to attack Yao Xiang (331–357) across the Yi River.70 Xu Xun told him, “I didn’t see the sign that you will catch Xiang, yet you will still achieve great deeds. I saw Xiang walking into the Great Subtlety.”
Huan Wen asked, “What is the Great Subtlety?”
Xun Replied, “The south is the Red Wild, and the north is the Great Subtlety. He will certainly go northwest.”
It happened just as Xu Xun said.
(GXSGC, #105, 384; YWLJ, 6. 102)
229. AUNT JIANG
Liu Cong was good at playing the zither. Suddenly he contracted an illness of fatigue. Xu Xun said, “Recently I saw the female ghost of the Jiang family seize you among the mountain stones and specially ask you to play the zither to entertain her. I’m afraid this will give rise to disasters.”
Cong said, “I often dreamed of a girl who took me to a feast to play; I’m afraid I cannot avoid it.”
Xun laughed and said, “Aunt Jiang adores you so much, I am afraid she won’t release you. I have presented a dirge to her on your behalf. When you go there today, there should be no disaster.”
Gradually, Cong healed.
(GXSGC, #112, 385; TPYL, 577; BTSC, 109. 104b)
230. A DRAGON CARRIES A BOAT ON ITS BACK
Wang Dun (266–324) sat next to Wu Meng,71 and in his seat Wang showed his detestation of Wu. Thus Wu suddenly disappeared, and he took a boat and traveled one thousand li in one night. The travelers who went with him saw that there were two dragons carrying the boat on their backs, and the whole boat did not touch the water at all.
(GXSGC, #72, 373; BTSC, 137. 257b)
231. WALKING ON WATER
Wang Dun summoned Wu Meng. Meng arrived at the mouth of the river, entered the water, and ordered the boatmen to go forward together with him.
When the boat arrived at Dalei, they saw Wu Meng walking on the water, returning from the northeast to welcome the boat. When his disciple asked him why he was there, Meng replied, “The river deity raised the waves several times to harm travelers. I sent him an order and have just come back.” He showed them a pearl as verification.
(GXSGC, #71, 373; YWLJ, 84. 1438; TPYL, 803. 3567b)
232. THE FIVE-COLORED EGG
Luo Junzhang (303–380) of Guiyang had no intention [of learning] even when he was about twenty years old. He had no interest in scholarship.
Once, while he was sleeping during the day, he dreamed of a bird egg glittering with five colors, unlike any object in the human world. In the dream he fetched and swallowed it.
Thereupon he gradually had aspirations. He studied diligently, read the nine classics, and thereby was known for his “pure talent.”72
(GXSGC, #115. 386; TPYL, 928. 4127a)
233. XU XIANZHI’S DREAM
When Xu Xianzhi (364–426) was the Recorder of Wang Ya (334–400),73 the Junior Mentor, he dreamed of his father, Zuozhi,74 who told him, “From now on please don’t cross the scarlet Bird Floating Bridge. Then you should become noble.”
When Xianzhi was halfway across the floating bridge later, he thought of the dream in which his father cautioned him and turned the head of his horse back. A moment later, the bridge collapsed behind him.75 Because of this, he was able to be appointed the recorder, and eventually, he really became the Chief Overseer of the Department of State Affairs.76
(GXSGC, #238. 422; TPGJ, 276. 2185)
234. A FOREIGN MONK
When Yao Hong’s (r. 415–417) uncle Shao,77 the General-in-Chief, was in charge of all military affairs, he summoned a foreign Buddhist monk and inquired whether [his future] would be auspicious.
Thus the monk made [something] from flour shaped like a large pancake, ten feet in diameter. The monk sat on it, ate the western side first, then the northern side, then the southern side, and then rolled up the rest and swallowed it. When he finished the monk got up and left without a single word.
In the fifth month of that year, Yang Sheng (r. 395–425) defeated Yao’s troops at Qingshui.78 In the ninth month, Jin troops launched an expedition northward and recovered and pacified Ying and Luo.79 Finally they swept the Feng and Gao,80 and captured Yao Hong alive there.
(GXSGC, #152. 397; TPYL, 860. 3819b)
____________
1. Sweet Spring Palace (甘泉宮), located in Mount Ganquan at Chunhua 淳化 County, Shanxi, was built under Emperor Wu of Han.
2. Dong Zhongshu 董仲舒, a scholar instrumental to Emperor Wu of Han (r. 140–87 BCE) in proscribing non-Confucian schools of thought and espousing Confucianism as the orthodox state ideology, which lasted for around two thousand years. It is said that when he was a diligent young scholar during the time of Emperor Jing (r. 157–141 BCE), he did not find time to look at the garden outside for three years.
3. TPGJ (442. 3611–12) does not include these five characters: 客又曰： “欲雨。”
4. Since the Zhengshi reign of Cao Wei (240–248), discussing metaphysics had become a fad among scholars of Wei and Jin. It seems this tale is a satire on this phenomenon (see Zhang Wanqing, YML, 3. 64).
5. Song Dai 宋岱, styled Chuzong 處宗, was Governor of Jingzhou of the Jin and author of On the Classic of Changes.
6. For xuanzhi 玄致 (GXSGC quotes from SLFZ), YWLJ reads yanzhi 言智, while both TPYL and SLFZ read yanzhi 言致. It seems that Lu Xun saw a different version of SLFZ.
7. Wang Fusi 王輔嗣, named Bi 弼, was the founder of metaphysics of Wei and Jin. His synthesis of Confucian and philosophical Daoist thought, epitomized in his commentaries on Laozi and the Book of Changes, has colored all subsequent interpretations of these works (see Mather, SSXY, 593).
8. Zheng Xuan 鄭玄, a great master of Confucian classics of the Eastern Han.
9. Another interpretation of his death is that he was executed in 249 in his twenty-fourth year because of his involvement with the clique of Cao Shuang 曹爽 (d. 249) (see Mather, SSXY, 593). In fact, Wang Bi only lost his position in the incident of Cao Shuang, but soon afterward died of pestilence.
10. Wen Weng 文翁, named Dang 黨 and styled Zhongweng 仲翁, was the Governor of Shu 蜀 Commandery (the area around present-day Chengdu 成都, Sichuan) under Emperor Jing 景 of Han (r. 188–141 BCE).
11. The salary of the governor of a commandery, jun 郡.
12. The “Wen weng” in TPGJ (137. 982; credited to Xiaoshuo 小說) reads 後果為蜀郡守, “Later, he truly became the governor of Shu Commandery.”
13. He Bigan 何比干, styled Shaoqing 少卿, was Supervisor of Law Enforcement (廷尉正) under Emperor Wu of Han.
14. Yuan An 袁安 (styled Shaogong 邵公), a native of Ruyang 汝陽 (modern Shangshui 商水, Henan), was the Minister of Works and Minister of Education of Eastern Han.
15. For bugong 卜工, TPGJ (389. 3101) reads bugong 卜貢.
16. These four characters, 當葬此地, are added from TPGJ (389. 3101).
17. Zhang Hao 張顥, styled Zhiming 智明, was the younger brother of Zhang Feng 張奉, the Palace Attendant-in-Ordinary (中常侍) of Eastern Han. He was promoted from Chamberlain for Ceremonials (太常) to Grand Commandant (太尉) in the first year of Guanghe 光和 (178) under Emperor Ling 靈帝 (r. 168–189) but was deposed within half a year.
18. Changshan 常山 Commandery; its administrative seat was in modern Yuanshi 元氏 County, Hebei.
19. State of Liang 梁, capital Xiayi 下邑, modern Dangshan 碭山 County, Anhui.
20. This happened in the first year of Guanghe (178).
21. For Sun Wu zhi hou 孫武之後, TPYL (978. 4335b) reads 堅之父也，與母居，至孝篤信.
Fuchun 富春, modern Fuya
ng 富陽 County in Zhejiang, which belonged to Wu Commandery during the Han and Jin.
Sun Wu 孫武, styled Changqing 长卿, also known as Zunzi 孫子, was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE) and the author of Sunzi bingfa 孫子兵法 [The art of war].
22. For sanren laijiu 三人來就, TPYL (978. 4335b) reads 三少年容服妍麗，詣鐘.
23. For 設飯摭瓜以食之, TPYL (978. 4335b) reads 為設食出瓜，禮敬殷勤.
24. Sun Jian 孫堅, styled Wentai 文臺, was General Who Eliminates Barbarians (破虜將軍) and Governor of Changsha 長沙 of the Eastern Han.
25. Sun Quan 孫權 (r. 222–252), see footnote 1 in Chapter 2.
26. Sun Liang 孫亮, Prince of Guiji (r. 252–258).
27. Sun Xiu 孫休, Emperor Jing 景帝 (r. 258–264).
28. Sun Hao 孫皓, Emperor Mo 末帝 (r. 264–280).
29. Emperor Wu 武帝 of Jin, Sima Yan, 司馬炎 (r. 265–290).
30. Instead of following Lu Xun’s new version of this story (based on TPYL 559 & 978, SLFZ 27, CXJ 8, and YWLJ 86), this translation is based on the more informative and complete one from LLZS (7. 332b), which Lu Xun puts in his note in GXSGC, #48. 366.
31. Lu Su, see footnote 51 in chapter 4.
32. Yang Shuzi 羊叔子, see footnote 26 in chapter 2.
33. The three sentences above are added from TPYL (369. 1701b). The last sentence reads 由（猶）當出折臂三公 instead of 尚當出折臂三公 (GXSGC ＃61. 61).
34. This story is also found in Yang Hu’s biography in Jin shu (34. 1024).
35. Xindu 新都 Commandery was renamed Xin’an 新安 in the first year of Taikang 太康 (280) of Jin. Its seat was west of modern Chun’an 淳安 County, Zhejiang.
36. Prince Huan of Changsha 長沙桓王 is the posthumous title of Sun Ce 孫策 (175–200), the elder brother of Sun Quan (182–252), the founder of Wu.
Sunzhou 孫洲, present-day Wangzhou 王洲, is in the middle of the Fuchun 富春 River in Fuyang 富陽 County, Zhejiang.
37. Jiaozhou 交州 covered modern Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam during the Han. During the Three Kingdoms period it was divided into Guangzhou and Jiaozhou, which covered Leizhou 雷州 peninsula in Guangdong, southern Guangxi, and northern Vietnam with administrative seat Longbian 龍編 (in present-day Vietnam).
38. Dong Zhuo 董卓, the usurper of the throne of Eastern Han. He seized control of the capital Luoyang in 189 after the death of Emperor Ling, yet was killed later by his foster son, Lü Bu 呂布.
39. Two kou 口, mouth, forms Lü 呂 in Chinese writing.
40. Emperor Wu of Wei 魏武, posthumous imperial title of Cao Cao 曹操, a powerful warlord at the end of the Eastern Han (25–220) and the father of Cao Pi 曹丕, the founder of Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280).
Emperor Xuan 宣 of Jin, posthumous imperial title of Sima Yi 司馬懿, a general of Cao Wei and grandfather of Sima Rui 司馬睿, the founder of Jin.
41. Guiji, see footnote 21 in chapter 3.
42. Xi Zhongsan 稽中散 refers to Xi Kang 嵇康 (223–262), styled Shuye 叔夜, the Zhongsan dafu 中散大夫 (Grand Master of Palace Leisure) of Jin. He was a famous philosopher, musician, and poet, as well as one of the noted “Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove” (竹林七賢). His unbending personality and uncooperative attitude toward Sima Zhao 司馬昭 (211–265), the posthumous Emperor Wen of Jin, brought him disaster—being sentenced to death. Cf. Jin shu, 49. 1369–74.
43. This piece was not included in GXSGC. It is found in Zeng Zao (1091–1155), Lei shuo, 11. 189a.
44. Fazu 法祖, named Boyuan 帛遠, a native of Henei 河內 (Qin 沁 County of Henan) and a famous Buddhist monk in the reign of Emperor Hui 惠 (r. 290–306) of Jin. Emperor Hui treated him as both a mentor and a friend. His biography is found in the Liang gaozeng zhuan. See Huijiao 慧皎 (497–554), Gaoseng zhuan heji 高僧傳合集, 327a.
Wang Fu 王浮 was a Daoist priest and a contemporary of Fazu, noted for writing the anti-Buddhist treatise Huahu jing 化胡經 [On the conversion of the barbarians], in which he says that Buddha was an incarnation of the founder of Taoism, Laozi. This story exposes the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism in early medieval China.
45. Pucheng 蒲城, the modern city of Changyuan 長垣 in Henan. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 3. 37.
46. This tale describes the three lives of the Prince of Anxi 安息. It is the earliest literary work in China to express the Buddhist idea of rebirth and transmigration. It also gave rise to a new popular motif in Chinese literature.
An Shigao 安世高, also known as An Qing 安清 (fl. 148–171), was a productive Buddhist sutra translator and a great master of Buddhism in the late Han period. According to the conventional viewpoint, he was a crown prince of Parthia who abandoned his right to the throne in order to devote himself to religious life. His biography is found in Huijiao’s (497–554) Gao seng zhuan [Biographies of eminent monks], included in Huijiao et al., Gaoseng zhuan heji, 1–4, which follows mainly the story we are reading. For a comparison of the two works, see Zhenjun Zhang, “Buddhist Impact on the Creation of New Fictional Figures and Images in the Youming lu.” An English account of An Qing can also be found in Zürcher’s The Buddhist Conquest of China, 32–33.
47. Shewei 舍衛, an old state in India.
48. Guiji, see footnote 21 in chapter 3.
49. Mount Lu 廬山, a noted mountain located south of Jiujiang 九江, Jiangxi. It is also a famous Buddhist holy site.
50. Originally Guangzhou ke 廣州客 (the man from Guangzhou), it is corrected here according to a hand-copied edition of the Ming.
51. For shifo jingjin 事佛精進, “worshiped Buddha more diligently,” a Ming dynasty hand-copied version of TPGJ reads yizhi yu foshe 瘞之於佛舍, “buried him in the Buddhist monastary” (TPGJ, 295. 2347).
52. Shi Le 石勒 was the founder of the Later Zhao 後趙 (319–351) in the Sixteen States period (303–436). His biography is found in the Jin shu, 104. 2707–33, 105. 2735–59.
Fotu Cheng 佛圖澄 (232–348) was a famous Indian monk of the Jin, noted for his magical arts. He came to Luoyang in the fourth year of Yongjia 永嘉 (307–312) of the Jin and was trusted by Shi Le, emperor of the Later Zhao. Fotu Cheng had a large number of disciples who were devoted to the Buddhist dharma. Owing to him and Shi Le, Buddhism flourished in Luoyang, and 893 Buddhist monasteries were built. His biography is found in Jin shu, 95. 2484.
53. Liu Yao 劉曜 was the founder of the Former Zhao (318–329) in the Sixteen States period.
54. Emperor Xiaowu 孝武, named Sima Yao 司馬曜, was the ninth emperor of Eastern Jin.
55. This happened when Emperor Jianwen 簡文帝, Sima Yu 昱, was still the Prince of Guiji, a long time before he was enthroned in 371.
56. Sima Daozi 司馬道子 served as regent during his nephew Emperor An’s 安 reign period (397–418).
57. Counselor-in-Chief Wang here refers to Wang Dao 王導, styled Maohong 茂弘, one of the most famous figures in the Eastern Jin. He was originally the Prince of Langye under Emperor Yuan 元 (317–322), and later he became the Counselor-in-Chief of Emperor Yuan, Emperor Ming 明 (323–325), and Emperor Cheng 成 (326–342). His power overwhelmed almost all the powerful ministers at the time, and the Wang clan became one of the two most distinguished clans, Wang and Xie, in southern China. See his biography in Song shu, 42.1311–27; Nan shi, 21.569–72.
58. Marquis Jiang 蔣侯 was a historical figure who became a deity after his death. Based on Gan Bao’s SSJ, “Jiang Ziwen 蔣子文 was a
man from Guangling given to wine and lust, as well as being frivolous and dissipated. However, he would often say of himself, ‘My bones are pure; I shall be a god when I die.’ Toward the end of Han, he was made Commander of Moling (Modern Nanjing). In this capacity one day he pursued bandits to Mount Zhong, where they smote him and wounded him on the brow. He took off his seal and bound himself up with its ribbon. Notwithstanding, he died soon after. When the First Ruler of Wu (Sun Quan) took the throne, one of Wen’s former officers met Wen on the road riding a white horse, carrying a white feather fan, and followed by the retinue he always had.” Later Sun Quan offered Jiang the posthumous title of Marquis of Zhongdu 中都侯 (see SSJ, 5. 57; DeWorskin and Crump, In Search of the Supernatural, 5. 53–54). Jiang was worshiped widely from then on.
59. Ancheng 安城 Commandery belonged to Jiangzhou during Eastern Jin. Its seat was in modern Anfu 安福, Jiangxi.
60. Also known as the three sacrifices: ox, goat, and pig.
61. Wang Ningzhi 王凝之, styled Shuping 叔平, was the second son of Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303–361), the most famous calligrapher in the history of China. His biography can be seen in Jin shu, 80.2102–03.
Jiangzhou, see footnote 8 in chapter 4.
62. Wang Ningzhi’s wife, Xie Daoyun 謝道蘊, was the granddaughter of Xie An 謝安 (320–385), another bigwig comparable to Wang Dao in the Eastern Jin. She has long been considered one of the most famous talented women in the history of China. Stories about her talents in literary critique and writing have been passed down by word of mouth as approbation. Yet her life in her later years was miserable. Her sons, as well as her husband, were killed during the Sun En 孫恩 rebellion (399–402); after that she lived as a widow. See her biography in Jin shu, 96.2516; SSXY, 2. 131; and Mather, SSXY, 2. 64.
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