Page:Ch'un Ts'ew Pt I.pdf/42

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commentary of tso.

scholar and statesman in the reign of the emperor Wăn (B.C. 178–156).[1] He published a Work of his own upon it;[2] and then it passed on to his grandson Këa Këa,[3] and Kwan Kung,[4] a great scholar at the court of King Hëen of Ho-këen,[5] through whom an attempt was made to obtain for it the imperial recognition, which was defeated by the friends of the commentary of Kung-yang. This, though later in making its appearance, had already found a place in the imperial college.[6] Kwan Kung transmitted his treasure to his youngest son, named Chang-k‘ing,[7] and from him it went on to Chang Ch‘ang[8] and Chang Yu,[9] both famous men of their time. To one of them, no doubt, belonged the ‘Niceties of the Ch‘un Ts‘ëw, by Chang-she,’ mentioned in Lëw Hin’s catalogue.[10] Yu was intimate with Sëaou Wang-che,[11] perhaps the most distinguished man of the time, whom he interested in the Work of Tso, so that he called the attention to it of the emperor Seuen (B.C. 72–48), and it might now have been formally recognized but for Yu’s death. The names of Yin King-ch‘e[12] and his son Yin Hëen,[13] of Teih Fang-tsin,[14] Hoo Chang,[15] and Këa Hoo[16] lead us from Yu to Lëw Hin.[17] Hin’s connexion with Tso's Work may be considered as forming an era in its history. ‘Having found,’ we are told in his biography, ‘in the imperial library, the Ch‘un Ts‘ëw and Tso's Chuen in the ancient characters, he became very fond of them. At that time Yin Hëen, a secretary of the prime minister, being well acquainted with Tso-she, examined along with Hin the text and commentary. Hin took his opinion in some particulars, and sought to learn the correct interpretation and great aim of the Works by application to the prime minister Teih Fang-tsin. Before this, because of the many ancient characters and ancient sayings in Tso’s Chuen, students had contented themselves with simply explaining their meaning; but when Hin took it in hand, he quoted the words of the commentary to explain the text, and made

  1. 漢書,四十八,十八.
  2. 賈誼春秋左氏傳訓故.
  3. .
  4. .
  5. See the proleg. to vol. IV. p. 11.
  6. K‘ung Ying-tah, in his preface to Too Yu's edition of the Tso Chuen says:—漢武帝(B.C. 139–86),,,公羊,.
  7. .
  8. .
  9. .
  10. 張氏春秋微,.
  11. . There is a long and interesting memoir of him in the 漢書,七十八. We find him, on his first introduction to the emperor Seuen, appealing to a passage in the Ch‘un Ts‘ëw.
  12. .
  13. .
  14. .
  15. .
  16. .

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