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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary 671


based upon the Shuo Win^ and containing over 81,000 characters arranged under 544 radicals; and also of a large collection of miscellaneous writings. He was canonised as 3^ IE « ^^^ in 1267 his tablet was placed in the Confucian Temple.

Ssu-ma Lun f) i^ ji^ (T. -^ ^). Died A.D. 301. Ninth son 1757 of Ssti-ma I. He was ennobled as Prince of Chao by the first Emperor of the Chin- dynasty, and was much trusted by ^ ^ the Empress Chia, wife of iihe second Emperor and virtual ruler of the empire. In A.D. 800 he repaid her confidence by organising a plan to assassinate her, and this was duly carried out. He then proclaimed himself Emperor, surrounding himself by a motley Court in which menials held important offices, jeeringly compared, in a phrase which has become classical, to '^finishing off a sable robe with dogs' tails." But the Princes combined against him, and after some show of resistance he was overwhelmed and was forced to commit suicide.

Ssti-ma Fei fj || 3^ (T. =^%). A.D. 840-365. Eldest 1758 son of the Emperor Chafing Ti, and sixth sovereign of the E. Chin dynasty. He succeeded the childless Emperor Mu Ti in 361, and though an excellent man was too weak to cope with the growing power of Huan W6n , the result being that Honan was lost. Canonised

Ssti-ma Piao f) || ^ (T. ^^\ A.D. 240-305. Eldest 1759 son of ^ Mu, Prince of ^ ^ Eao-yang. As a youth he was very studious, but at the same time so fond of women and debauchery that his father disinherited him. Thereupon he gave up his wild habits and stuck closely to books, ultimately rising to a high post in the Imperial Library. He wrote a supplementary history of the E. Han dynasty, and other works, besides publishing an edition of Chuang Tztl with exegetical notes.

L-maShao fj l| jJS (T- ^^)- A.D. 299-325. Eldest 1760