of Shantung, that the true pronunciation of the characters and their right interpretation remained. So the Emperor Hsüan Ti (B.C. 73 to 48) issued an order that the system of those scholars should be adopted. It was learned from these men by Chang Ch'ang (長敞), the famous official who at home penciled his wife's eyebrows, and abroad crushed all rebellion. He was Prefect of Ching-chao, in Shensi, B.C. 60, and ten years afterwards of Chi-chow (冀州), in Chihli. Chang Ch'ang communicated his learning to his children, from whom it passed to his daughter's son. This last taught it to his son, Tu Lin (杜林), who committed it to writing and composed two treatises on the "Ts'ang-chie-pien." Tu Lin was a native of Mou-ling (茂陵) in Shensi, and held office under Kuang Wu Ti, A.D. 25 to 58.[1]
Nearly all the works just mentioned have ceased to exist, and some of them lived only a short time. But it has fared otherwise with a famous treatise supposed to have been composed about this time, the "Fang-yen," to wit. This work is ascribed to Yang Hsiung (楊 (or 揚) 雄), known also as Yang Tzŭ-yun (子雲), a native of Ch'êng-tu, in Ssŭchuan, who lived from B.C. 52 to A.D. 18. In childhood, Yang, who was a quiet, thoughtful boy, was troubled with an impediment in his speech. He had a strong love for learning and was specially fond of the writings of Ch'ü Yuan (屈原) and Ssŭ-ma Hsiang-ju. In addition to his better known works on philosophy he compiled a treatise usually cited by its short title "Hsün-tsuan;" in full, "Ts'ang-chie-hsüan-tsuan" (蒼頡訓纂). In this Yang made Li Ssŭ's work the basis, but he made many additions and corrections, the result of wide reading and of a comparison of terms culled from all parts of the empire. In A.D. 5, above a hundred scholars, under the presidency of Yuan Li (爰禮), were assembled in the Imperial palace at Ch'ang-an to "explain the symbolic and phonetic writings" (說文字). The results of their discussions were used by Yang, as were also the works of
- ↑ "Han-shu," chap. xxx.; " Wên-hsien-t'ung-k'ao," chap. clxxxix.; "Shuo-wên," Pref. Some take the "Ch'i-jen" (齊人) as referring to an unknown individual — see Tuan Yü-tsai's Commentary in S. W., chap. xv.; 尚友錄, chap. xv.
