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∫ Chapter 1 Character Appraisal: The Foundation of the Shih-shuo t’i What is Character Appraisal? Various Chinese terms for the concept character appraisal circulated in late Han and Wei-Chin gentry circles. Both the Shih-shuo hsin-yü and the historical references quoted in its extensive and corroborative commentary by Liu Chün (462–521) abundantly document this practice.1 In these records, character appraisal is known most fully as jen-lun chien-shih, with shortened forms such as jen-lun chien, chih-jen chien, chih-jen shih, chihjen , jen-lun, chien-shih, shih-chien, or simply, shih, chien, or lun.2 Technical actions that often accompany this practice include p’in (ranking), p’ing (commenting, evaluating), t’i (characterizing), and mu (evaluating, characterizing).3 To my knowledge, the term jen-lun chien-shih did not appear until the late Han and Wei-Chin periods. Here are some examples from Liu Chün’s commentary. A Variant Version of the Biography of [Kuo] T’ai says: “[Kuo] T’ai [128– 169] . . . had the perspicuous ability of jen-lun chien-shih. All the gentlemen within the realm whom he had characterized or ranked, some as youths and some not yet recognized (literally, yet in their home villages), later became outstanding and accomplished men—more than sixty in all. He himself wrote a book to discuss the theoretical basis of selecting scholars; but, before it had gained currency, it encountered the disorders (i.e., the Yellow Turban Revolt) and was lost.”4 A Variant Version of the Biography of Ssu-ma Hui says: “Ssu-ma Hui [d. 208] had a perspicuous ability of jen-lun chien-shih. While Hui was living in Ching Province he realized that the governor, Liu Piao, was of a dark, secretive disposition, and that he would surely do injury to good men, so he kept his mouth shut and engaged in no discussions or consultations . If any of his contemporaries inquired of him about any person , he would not pass judgment, whether high or low, but would uniformly say, ‘The man’s excellent.’”5 The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Chin says: “[Wang] Yen [256– 311] had a flourishing reputation, and his contemporaries attributed to him a perspicuous ability of jen-lun chien-shih. He once evaluated the gentlemen of the realm, saying: ‘Wang Ch’eng is number one;YüAi number two; and Wang Tun number three.’”6 The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Chin says: “[Wang] Chi [ca. 240–ca. 285] had a perspicuous ability of jen-lun chien-shih. Since a young man, he had exceeded others in differentiating the elegant from the vulgar and the right from the wrong.”7 Conceptualized within the above context, an early reference relevant to the jen-lun in jen-lun chien-shih may be traced back to the Li-chi (Record of rites): “A person [jen] should be compared only with those of his own category [lun].”8 In his commentary on this line, Tu Yü (222–284) points out that “lun is similar to lei (category or type). An official should be compared with other officials, and a gentleman with other gentlemen.”9 As a Chin scholar, Tu Yü must have been acutely aware of the prevalence of the jen-lun chien-shih, and his interpretation of lun no doubt reflects the common understanding of the term jen-lun in his time. Confined by the text on which he comments, Tu Yü here limits lun to social ranking, but the overall idea of jen-lun referring to “human types” is clear. As for chien-shih, Han sources have chien referring to “mirror,” which “is used to observe or check one’s appearance,”10 and shih, meaning “to know.”11 Chien and shih together signify judging (chien) and knowing or recognizing (shih) something (say, human types). Further, as a word compound , chien-shih was interchangeable with shih-chien during the WeiChin period. For example, Liu Chün’s commentary has two accounts that relate the Chin gentleman Huan I (275–328) to this intellectual practice. One says: “Huan I had a perspicuous ability of jen-lun chien-shih,”12 and the other says: “[Huan I’s] shih-chien was clear and bright.”13 The Shihshuo hsin-yü also includes a chapter titled “Shih-chien,” which recounts C h a r a c t e r A p p r a i s a l 2 1 [3.134.104.173...

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