i ^^ Wang Nieu-8un, are notable for having recognised the
frequent use in the Classics and ancient writings of characters
employed for others on the strength of similarity of sound, and
for having advocated recourse to the Han as well as the Sung
commentators in order to elucidate .the canonical texts. Canonised
WangTiag-Un ^^^^ (T. ^|&^). A.D. 1223-1296. A 2263 native of the Ningpo Prefecture in Chehkiang. At nine years of age he possessed a good knowledge of the Classics, and in 1241 he graduated as chin shih. After holding several posts, he was« summoned by the Emperor in 1256 to examine the papers of the candidates for the final degree. Upon completion of this task, his Majesty, who looked over the essays, was so struck by that of the seventh man on the list that he wished to place him first. Wang reconsidered his decision, and readily admitted the justice of the Emperor's suggestion; and when the name of the Senior Wrangler was read out, it was that of W6n T4en-hsiang. Later on he got into trouble from using too great freedom of speech , especially in connection with the appearance of a comet in 1264. He rose however under the Emperor Tu Tsung to be President of the Board of Rites, retiring, disheartened, in 1276. A voluminous writer, he produced over 20 works .on classical and educational subjects. The most important of these is an extensive and valuable encyclopedia, known as the 3E j^ • The authorship of the ^ ^ j|^ Trimetrical Classic J a famous primer for schoolboys, has also been attributed to him, but this claim has been disputed. Some maintain that the book was written by ^ ]|§ ^ Liang Ying-shfing of the Ming dynasty, inasmuch as a copy was discovered bearing his name as the author and containing a preface by ^ -^ ^ Fu Euang-ts£. In this there are 8 lines not found in other editions, and 19
