Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/826

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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary
807


political economy." He was the author of the ^ |^, a work on the written characters, with special reference to those which are formed by the combination of two or more, the meanings of which taken together determine the meaning of the compound character. In 1104 his tablet was placed in the Confucian Temple, but about one hundred and forty years later it was removed. Canonised as ^ . Wang Chang 3^ ^ (T. >fl|l ^). 1st cent. B.C. An official of 2135 the Han dynasty, who was so poor in early life that he and his wife had to sleep with only straw for bed-clothes. He rose to be a Censor, and under the Emperor Ch^dng Ti, B.C. 32 — 6, he became Governor of the Metropolitan District. Although originally brought forward by Wang F£ng, he was now opposed to that statesman; and on the occasion of an eclipse, he impeached him for malpractices and demanded his execution. His wife remonstrated with him on this ambitious step, reminding him of the days when straw had served them for bed-clothes, but in vain. The Emperor, however, could not part with Wang Fdng. Wang Chang was denounced as a traitor, and thrown into prison, where he died.

Wang Ch*ang 3^ ^B (original personal name i|^ H )• Died 2136 A.D. 939. Eldest son of Wang Lin, whom he succeeded in 935 as fourth ruler of the ^ Min Principality. In 937 he sent tribute to the reigning House of Chin, and in return was formally invested as Prince of Min. In the following year he raised to share his throne the slave-girl who had been the indirect cause of his father's death. He was a firm believer in Taoism, and besides appointing ^ ^ TC Ch'6n Shou-yflan to the office of "Pope" (see Chang Tao'ling)y he kept a magician in constant attendance and consulted a golden image of Lao Tzti on all important questions. A slight to ^ 2 ^ Lien Ch'ung-yfi, one of his generals i caused the latter to set the palace on fire. Wang Chiang fled with his family and passed the night in the open, whither they were pursued by