of bibliographical notes on old books, written while he served on the editorial board of the Ssŭ-k'u ch'üan-shu. Another work, entitled 惜抱先生尺牘續編 Hsi-pao hsien-shêng ch'ih-tu hsü-pien, 2 chüan, is a supplement to his collected letters, Hsi-pao hsien-shêng ch'ih-tu, 8 chüan, edited in 1823 by a disciple, Ch'ên Yung-kuang 陳用光 (T. 碩士, 實思, 1768–1835). These letters are widely read.
Though Yao Nai's known essays are clear and simple, they were characterized, even by his ardent admirer, Tsêng Kuo-fan [q. v.], as unsubstantial, lacking a background of solid study. His contemporaries, Chang Hui-yen and Yün Ching [qq. v.], who founded the so-called "Yang-hu School," read more deeply and therefore had more to write about.
Owing to the efforts of Tsêng Kuo-fan in the middle of the nineteenth century, the T'ung-ch'êng School became nationally known and Yao Nai, as one of its chief exponents, was highly venerated. Yao's anthology, the Ku-wên tz'ŭ lei-tsüan, contributed much to this popularity; for it served as a text-book which brought in convenient form to the reader many of the most finished and evocative writings of antiquity. Even after the abolition of the examination system (1905) his anthology was popular in many schools (see under Wu Ju-lun).
Yao Nai was also a noted calligrapher; a collection of letters and other works written in his own hand was reproduced in facsimile in 1935, under the title Yao Hsi-pao hsien-shêng wên-kao (文稿).
[Chêng Fu-chao, Yao Hsi-pao hsien-shêng nien-p'u (1868); 1/490/3a; 3/146/6a; 4/141/10a; 7/43/3a; 20/3/00; 26/2/42a; 29/6/8b; Chiang Shu-ko 姜書閣, T'ung-ch'êng wên-p'ai shu-p'ing (文派述評); Ch'ên Ping-k'un 陳炳坤, Tsui-chin san-shih nien Chung-kuo wên-hsüeh shih (1930), pp. 77–124; Wang Ch'i-sun (see Shih Yün-yü), T'i-fu wei-ting kao, 25/20a; T'ung-ch'êng wên-hsüeh yüan-yüan (see bibl, under Fang Tung-shu), 3/1a; Suzuki Torao, "The Proponents of the T'ung-ch'êng School and their Theories" (in Japanese) in Shinagaku, vol. VI, no. 1; Anhwei t'ung-chih kao (lieh-chuan), 3/28b; see bibl. under Fang Kuan-ch'êng.]
YAO Wên-t'ien 姚文田 (original ming 加畬, T. 秋農, H. 梅漪), Aug. 29, 1758–1827, Dec. 28, scholar and official, was a native of Kuei-an, Chekiang. He became a chü-jên in 1789 and five years later took the special examination granted by Emperor Kao-tsung when the latter was touring through Tientsin. He passed with the highest rank in this examination, and was appointed a secretary in the Grand Secretariat. In 1799 he became by transfer a secretary in the Council of State and in the same year took his chin-shih degree with highest honors, followed by appointment as a first class compiler of the Hanlin Aacdemy. In 1800 he was deputed to serve as chief examiner in the provincial examination of Kwangtung, and later served in the same capacity in Fukien (1801) and Shantung (1801). As an examiner he was noted for his ability to select promising students. He served also as commissioner of education in Kwangtung (1801–04), Honan (1810–13), and Kiangsu (1819–22). In the meantime he filled various posts in the Central Government such as libationer of the Imperial Academy (1813), sub-chancellor of the Grand Secretariat (1814), vice-president of various Boards (1815–24), and president of the Censorate (1824–27) and of the Board of Ceremonies (1827). In all of these posts he was known for uprightness, integrity of character, and diligence in the performance of his duties. He submitted some valuable memorials to the throne about prolonging the term of provincial governors, simplifying the procedure in law suits (1813), and preventing false accusations (1814) and long-standing abuses in the transport of tribute rice (1821). All these memorials were received with high consideration by the emperors. After his death he was canonized as Wên-hsi 文僖.
According to the bibliographical section of the Ch'ing Dynastic History, Yao Wên-t'ien was the author of some fifteen works of which about one third deal with philology, one third with the classics, and the remainder with poems, essays and so forth. In the philological field he compiled the 說文聲系 Shuo-wên shêng-hsi, 14 chüan (completed and printed in 1804), a rearrangement on a phonetic plan of the characters in the ancient dictionary Shuo-wên (see under Tuan Yü-ts'ai); and the Shuo-wên chiao-i, compiled in collaboration with Yen K'o-chün [q. v.]. His study on the Book of Changes, entitled 易原 I-yüan, and on the Spring and Autumn, entitled 春秋月日表說 Ch'un-ch'iu yüeh-jih piao-shuo, being charts and comments on events of the Spring and Autumn Period (722–403 B.C.) arranged chronologically, are collected in the 姚文僖公所著書 Yao Wên-hsi kung so-chu shu (undated) which also includes four other
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