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 1337. A natire of C!hin-haa in Ghehkiang. Left an orphan at a early age, he devoted himself assidaonsly to the study of philosophy, and became famous among the scholars of his age. Sat he refosed to take office under the Mongol dynasty, and woold not even prepare his students for the public examinations. Author of the ^ ^i^ ^ 4^ ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^P^^ ^® Odesj and of several commentaries upon various portions of the Confucian Canon, etc. etc He was canonised as ^^9 and in 1734 his ^blet was placed in the Confucian Temple.

Hsü Ch'ien-hsüeh (T. ^^). A.D. 1681-1694. Oradnated as third chin shih in 1670| and entered the Han-lin CSoll^e. Five years later he published the ^ j|S ^ ^ « an examination of the Book of Sites^ and put his learning into j>ractice by burying his mother according to the ancient ritual. In 1688 he was President of the Board of Punishments, an office he soon relinquished in order to confine his energies to the jpreparation of those works which render illustrious the reign of S^ang Hsi. The Emperor had a very high opinion of him, and employed him Ibo edit his essays, the ^ M ^ ^' ^^' ^™® ^ a patron of literature attracted scholars firom long distances, in consequence of which he was often denounced for harbouring seditious talkers. E'ang Hsi however stood by him throughout his life, even when his sons were proved to hare corruptly obtained the chU jen degree; and when denunciations followed him after his retirement in 1690, the Emperor published a Decree deprecating attacks due to personal spite. He was recalled shortly before his death, but did not hear of the Decree. He was a great bibliophile and decipherer of ancient inscriptions. See Hail YUaU'win,

Hsü Chih  (T. ^•^). A.D. 97-168. A native of Nan-ch'ang in Saangsi, famous for his friendship with Ch'An Fan who always kept a special bed for him. His family was poor, and