Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/846

Rh After this his arrogance and vile conduct knew no bounds. Canonised as ^ the Blackguard.

Wang Kuei ^ ^ (T. ^ ^). A.D. 551-604. A native of 2190 T'ai-yuan in Shansi, who spent his youth in roaming about, and reached the age of 20 without learning to read. Then he set to work, and with the aid of a powerful memory soon became a proficient scholar and learnt in addition something of the art of war. In 585 he vanquished a Libationer of the Imperial Academy in an argument held before the Emperor on the Classic of Filial Piety ^ and was made a Doctor of the Academy. Later on he lost ofiBce, and was forced to serve for several years on the southern frontier. He encouraged g^ Liang, Prince of Han, in his rebellious designs; and on the defeat of the latter by Yang Su he sought refuge in flight, accompanied by his son. At length, driven to extremities, he committed suicide and his body was buried in a cave. The son, after wandering for some days without food, fell into the hands of the enemy. His father's body was recovered and publicly decapitated, and the head was exhibited at the gates of T'ai-yHan. Author of the ^ jj^ ^^C ^ » * treatise on the Five Classics^ and of some miscellanies, the manuscripts of which disappeared in the confusion of the times.

Wang Kung ^ 1^: (T. :^ ^j^ ). 4th cent. A.D. Son of Wang 2191 Yiin, and elder brother of ^ ^ the Empress Ting, consort of the Emperor Hsiao Wu Ti. He was a very handsome and able young man, with such a good opinion of his own talents that he declined a secretaryship in the Grand Council on the ground that he would be nothing less than a Minister of State. He was compared by one to a spray of willow in spring, and attracted much attention by roaming about in snowy weather covered from head to foot with a robe of swans'-down. He subsequently rose to high rank, and was responsible for the death of Wang Euo-pao; not long