Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/125

106 warm for seven days, and for a whole month a glory played around the entrance to his tomb. A profound student of the Canon of Changes, he was never seen without a book in his hand, and gave himself the nickname of 扶搖子. Author of the 指元, a treatise on the elixir of life, and of other works. He is sometimes known as the 麻衣道人 Hemp-clad Philosopher.

  Ch'ên Tzŭ-ang 陳子昂 (T. 伯玉). A.D. 656-698. A native of 射洪 Shê-hung in Ssŭch'uan, who belonged to a wealthy family, and up to the age of 17 amused himself only with hunting and gambling. He then set himself to study, and in 684 he graduated as chin shih. Proceeding to the capital he adopted the following expedient to bring himself into notice. He purchased a very expensive guitar which had been for a long time on sale, and then let it be known that on the following day he would perform upon it in public. This attracted a large crowd; but when Ch'ên arrived he informed his auditors that he had something in his pocket worth much more than the guitar. Thereupon he dashed the instrument into a thousand pieces, and forthwith began handing round copies of his own writings. After this he soon attracted the notice of the Empress Wu Hou, and became one of her most intimate counsellors, giving her excellent advice upon great matters and at the same time flattering her pride on such points as the change of dynastic title from T'ang to Chou. His ill-health, coupled with attacks of his enemies drove him into retirement, nominally to wait upon his aged father. At the death of the latter he got into trouble with the magistrate of his District, who had an eye upon the family wealth, and was thrown into prison on a trumped-up charge and died. His poetry ranks among the most beautiful even of the poetical dynasty under which he lived.

  Ch'ên Ya 陳亞 (T. 亞之). 10th and 11th cent. A.D. A poet 