Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/994

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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary
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study; and when in 742 the candidates at the public examination were tested in their knowledge of Taoist philosophers, he came out high in ihe list and entered upon a public career. He was advanced in oflBce by ]^ ^ ^ Miao Chin-ch4ng, chiefly on account of his intimate acquaintance with the philosophy of Lao Tzti and Chuang Tzti. This ga?e great offence to Li E'uei, who said contemptuously that Yfian had the head of a ci?et and the eyes of a rat. He ultimately got mixed up in political intrigues, and was compelled to commit suicide; but in 784 his rank was restored, and he was canonised as J^. He is said to have possessed a curious purple curtain, made of some silken material obtained by diyers from the south seas. Any one inside the curtain felt quite warm in winter and quite cool in summer.

Ytian Tzii-yu 76 -^ ^. Died A.D. 530. A grandson of Toba 2569 Hung, set upon the throne in 528 as ninth Emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty by the Tartar |^ ^ ^ Erh Chu-jung in opposition to the nominee of the Empress Dowager (see Yuan 7). He married the daughter of Erh Chu-jung, she having been a concubine of his predecessor, and after a brief and troubled reign was strangled by his wife's uncle, who vainly tried to establish a successor. Canonised as ^^^^^.

Ytian Weng-Ohung 7c ^ # • ^^^ ^^^' B*C- ^ famous warrior 2570 under the 'Tirst Emperor." At his death, a statue of him was erected beside his grave; hence stone statues at graves have been called Wing^chung.

Tftan Yang ^ ^ (T. j^). Died B.C. 148. A native of the 2671 Ch'u State, whose father had been a bandit. He attracted the notice of the Emperor W£n Ti of the Han dynasty, and was soon admitted to terms of great familiarity. His remonstrances however made permanent residence at Court impossible for him, and he was sent to be Minister to the feudal Prince of Wu. His opposition to Ch^ao