A Chinese Biographical Dictionary 667

devoting some time and energy to the reformation of the calendar, he now took up the historical work which had been begun by his father, and which was ultimately given to the world as the ^ §2 Historical Record. It is a history of China from the earliest ages down to about one hundred years before the Christian era, with biographies of the most eminent men of those days, covering a period of nearly three thousand years. In such esteem is this work justly held that its very words have been counted and found to number 526,500 in all. Seven years later Sstl-ma Ch^en fell into disgrace over the defeat and defection of Li ling, whom he tried to vindicate; and he was subjected by the angry Emperor to the punishment of mutilation, a harshness of treatment which the Emperor is said to have at once regretted. He was subsequently appointed Minister of State, and held the post until his death. From the place of his birth he is sometimes spoken of as Lung-m6n," and from his office, as the Grand Astrologer or

Ssu-ma Chih f) || j^ (T. g^ ^ ). A.D. 288-313. The 1751 youngest of the twenty-five sons of the Emperor Wu Ti of the Chin dynasty, and one of the three surviving after the internecine struggles of the reign of the Emperor Hui Ti. He succeeded to the throne in 306, and fought with small success against the new State of Han, which finally took Lo-yang and destroyed the library of Wu Ti in 311. The Emperor was carried away to Shansi, and was forced to serve as cupbearer to Liu Ts'ung, until he was put to death. Canonised as ^ '^ ^ ^ .

Ssu-ma Chung fj || || (T. jE H)' ^'^' 259-306. Son of 1752 Ssti-ma Ten, whom he succeeded in 290 as second sovereign of the Ej. Chin dynasty. He devoted himself to sensual pleasures, leaving the government to his wife, a daughter of Chia Cheung, who used

her power to gratify private enmities and to forward selfish aims.