Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/576

 himself afflicted with rheumatism, he retired to Hangchow.

Mao Ch'i-ling was a man of wide learning who wrote not only on the Classics, but also on phonetics, music, history, geography and philosophy. He was skilled in various types of literature, and was known as a calligrapher, a painter, and an apt player of the flute (簫). A prolific writer, he left a collection of his works, entitled 西河合集 Hsi-ho ho-chi, comprising 117 items in 493 chüan. This collection was first printed about 1699, but was revised and expanded in a second edition in 1720 which was reprinted in 1770 and again in 1796. The Ssŭ-k'u Catalogue lists sixty-three of his works, of which twentyeight were copied into the Imperial Manuscript Library (for both see under ). A man of outstanding ability, but tenacious and dogmatic in his opinions, he was often subjected to severe criticism when he engaged in controversy with the scholars of his time. In phonology he took issue with, and on the question of the authenticity of the "ancient text" of the Classic of History he took issue with. In reply to Yen's famous Ku-wên shang-shu shu-chêng, proving the "ancient text" to be a forgery, he brought out two works, 古文尚書冤詞 Ku-wên shang-shu yüan-tzŭ (8 chüan) and 尚書廣聽錄 Shang-shu kuang-t'ing lu (5 chüan), written, as the first title states, "to right an injustice". During his sojourn in Peking he composed a work of 4 chüan on music, which he credited to his father, under the title 竟山樂錄 Ching-shan yüeh-lu, Ching-shan being his father's tzŭ or courtesy name. In 1699, when Emperor Shêng-tsu made his third tour of South China, Mao, then retired, presented to the Emperor a work on Music, entitled 樂本解說 Yüeh-pên chieh-shuo, in 2 chüan. A book on the Classic of Changes, entitled 仲氏易 Chung-shih i in 30 chüan, written after he had retired to Hangchow, he credited to his second eldest brother, Mao Hsi-ling—the words Chung-shih in the title meaning "Second in the Family”. In connection with his activity in the Historiographical Board Mao Ch'i-ling wrote the following works all of which are included in the Hsi-ho ho-chi: 武宗外紀 Wu-tsung wai-chi, 1 chüan, an unofficial biography of EmperiorEmperor [sic] Wu-tsung who ruled during the years 1506–1522; 後鑒錄 Hou-chien lu, 7 chüan, a record of the freebooters of the Ming dynasty; 王文成傳本 Wang Wên-chêng chuan pên, 2 chüan, a biography of the well-known Ming philosopher, Wang Shou-jên (see under ); 勝朝彤史拾遺記 Shêng-ch'ao t'ung-shih shih-i chi, 6 chüan, biographies of empresses and imperial consorts of the Ming dynasty; and 蠻司合傳 Man-ssŭ ho-chuan in 15 chüan, a history of the aboriginal tribes of southwest China during the Ming period. He wrote comments to the well-known drama, Hsi-hsiang chi (see under )—his annotated edition having been reprinted by Tung K'ang (see under ) in recent years. In literary circles he was known as one of the "Three Maos of Chekiang" (文中三豪 浙中三毛), the others being Mao Hsien-shu 毛先舒 (also ming 騤, T. 稚黃, 馳黃, 1620–1688) and Mao Chi-k'o (see under ).

Mao Ch'i-ling had many pupils, the most noted perhaps being who made the journey from North China to Hangchow and studied music with him in the period 1697–99. Li wrote a preface to Mao's collected works, as well as introductory remarks to some individual works such as the Ku-wên shang-shu yüan-tz'ŭ. Other pupils of note were, and a well-known woman poet, Hsü Chao-hua 徐昭華 , daughter of Hsü Hsien-ch'ing 徐咸清 and wife of Lo Hsiang-chin 駱襄錦. She was skilled not only in poetry but also in painting and calligraphy. One chüan of her poems was printed as a supplement to Mao Ch'i-ling's Hsi-ho ho-chi. Her mother, Shang Ching-hui 商景徽, and her mother's elder sister, Shang Ching-lan (see under , achieved distinction in poetry—they being commonly referred to as the "Two Mesdames Shang" (二商夫人).

Having no son of his own, Mao Ch'i-ling adopted a nephew, Mao Yüan-tsung 毛遠宗. Mao Ch'i-ling's reputation for polemics and for disregard of others did not die down until long after his death. A later scholar and fellow-provincial,, wrote a very unfavorable account of his life. It should be added, however, that a still later scholar,, also of Chekiang, wrote in 1862 an essay in Mao's defense in which he takes exception to the criticisms of Ch'üan Tsu-wang.

[1/487/6b; 3/119/21a; 20/1/00 (portrait); 26/1/33a; 32/3/20a; Shao-hsing-fu chih (1792) 53/57b; Ssŭ-k'u, passim; Li Tz'ŭ-ming 李慈銘, 越縵堂文集 Yüeh-man t'ang wên-chi (1929) 6/15a; 564