A Chinese Biographical Dictionary 747

new Minister's resentment by openly defending a colleague who had used insulting language to him; the upshot being that he was accused of having forged the late Emperor's will and was put to death.

Tou Ttl-chiin W ^ ^ (H- ^ LU )• 10^ <^ent. A.D. A native 1966 of Yii-yang in Chihli, who rose to the rank of Censor. He founded numerous public schools and advanced many poor scholars, but is chiefly remarkable as having had five sons, all of whom took the highest literary honours at the public examinations , and were known as the ^ ;|^ Five Cassias from a line in a poem addressed to their father by Ffing Tao.

Tsai Yii ^ ^ (T. -^ ^ ). Died B.C. 480. One of the disciples 1967 of Confucius. He was fluent in speech and skilful in argument, but his character fell short of the standard of virtue established by the Master. Confucius said of him, In choosing a man for his gift of speech, I have failed as regards Tsai YtL." On another occasion, finding him asleep in the daytime, Confucius observed, '^Rotten wood cannot be carved," — you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Entering the service of the Ch4 State he became mixed up in the revolt of Ch^Sn Heng and T4en Chiang, and was put to death with all his family. His tablet now stands in the Confucian Temple.

T8*ai Ch^en ^ ^ (T. # Sit. H. ;fi ^ and ^^). A.D. 1968 1167-1230. Son of Ts*ai Yilan-ting. A native of Chieu-yang in Fuhkien. He accompanied his exiled father to Hunan, and on the death of the latter in 1198 he retired to a life of seclusion and study among the mountains. Besides teaching a large- number of disciples he found time to write the ^ jj^ ^ "f^ , a commentary upon the Canon of History^ which is still the standard text-book for students. He also composed the ^^ ^ ^ J^ ^ j^ , a work

based upon the famous j^ ^ Writing of £o, and dealing with