Xu You

Xu You, courtesy name Wuzhong, was a native of Huaili in Yangcheng. He was a man who stood firmly on righteousness and walked squarely; he would not sit on a mat that was not straight, nor eat food that was not properly prepared. Later, he hid himself in the marshes of Pei.

Emperor Yao offered to yield the world to Xu You, saying: “When the sun and moon have risen, yet the torches are not extinguished, is it not difficult for them to shine? When the seasonal rains have fallen, yet irrigation is still carried out, is it not laborious for the soil? If you, Master, stand [as ruler], the world will be governed; yet I still occupy this position. I see my own inadequacy clearly. Please, let me yield the world to you.”

Xu You replied: “You govern the world, and the world is already well-governed. If I were to take your place, would I be doing it for fame? Fame is but the guest of reality; shall I become a guest? The jiaoliao (a small bird) nests in the deep forest, yet it needs only one branch. The yan mouse drinks from the river, yet it needs only to fill its belly. Go back and rest, my Lord; I have no use for the world. Even if the cook does not manage the kitchen, the priest of the dead does not leap over the wine vessels and sacrificial stands to take his place!”

He did not accept the offer and fled.

Later, Nie Que met Xu You and asked, “Where are you going?”
Xu You said, “I am fleeing from Yao.”
Nie Que asked, “What do you mean?”
Xu You replied, “Yao knows that wise men can benefit the world, but he does not know that they can also harm the world. Only those who stand outside the realm of ‘wisdom’ understand this!”

Consequently, Xu You hid himself to farm on the southern bank of the Ying River beneath Mount Ji in the Central Mountain (Zhongyue), never showing any sign of involvement in worldly affairs for the rest of his life.

Later, Yao again summoned him to be the Governor of the Nine Provinces. Xu You, not wishing to hear such words, went to the banks of the Ying River to wash his ears. At that time, his friend Chao Fu was leading a calf to drink. Seeing Xu You washing his ears, he asked the reason.
Xu You answered: “Yao wants to summon me to be Governor of the Nine Provinces. I detest hearing such sounds, so I am washing my ears.”
Chao Fu said: “If you had lived in high cliffs and deep valleys where human paths do not reach, who could have seen you? You deliberately wander about, seeking fame and reputation. You have polluted my calf’s mouth!”
So, Chao Fu led the calf upstream to drink.

When Xu You passed away, he was buried at the peak of Mount Ji, which is also called Mount Xu You, located about ten li south of Yangcheng. Emperor Yao subsequently visited his tomb, honored him as the “Spirit Duke of Mount Ji,” and designated him to share in the sacrifices of the Five Sacred Mountains. He has been worshipped generation after generation, a tradition that continues to this day.

Note

This text is a comprehensive biography of Xu You, the most celebrated hermit in Chinese history, blending historical legend with Daoist philosophy. It serves as a foundational story for the concept of reclusion.

Xu You

The protagonist. He represents the ideal of absolute integrity and rejection of power. His refusal of the throne is the ultimate act of valuing personal freedom and natural life over political authority.

Emperor Yao

The Sage King. His offer demonstrates his humility and recognition of Xu You’s superior virtue. However, in the Daoist interpretation provided by Xu You, Yao’s reliance on “wise men” is seen as a subtle form of harming the natural order.

Chao Fu

Xu You’s friend and an even stricter hermit (see previous entry). His criticism of Xu You for “washing ears” highlights the extreme Daoist view that even reacting to fame (by rejecting it loudly) is a form of engaging with it.

Nie Que

A sage figure who dialogues with Xu You, helping to articulate the philosophical reason for the flight: that “wisdom” itself can be a tool of harm.

“The Torch vs. Sun and Moon”

Yao uses this metaphor to say that his own rule is like a tiny torch compared to the brilliance of the sun and moon (Xu You). Keeping the torch lit when the sun is out is pointless and dim.

“The Jiaoliao Bird and One Branch”

• The allusion “The wren (Jiaoliao) builds its nest in the deep forest, using no more than a single branch” originates from Zhuangzi‘s “Free and Easy Wandering”.
• Zhang Hua, a statesman and writer of the Western Jin Dynasty, once composed an ode on creatures titled “Ode to the Wren,” which profoundly reflects the literati’s philosophy of life and their sense of crisis during the transitional period between the Wei and Jin dynasties.
• The small bird needs only one branch to nest, no matter how vast the forest. This illustrates the sufficiency of simple needs. It teaches that one does not need the whole world (power/wealth) to be content; only basic necessities are required.

“The Yan Mouse and Full Belly”

Similar to the bird jiaoliao, the mole rat drinks from the river but only needs enough to fill its stomach. Together, these metaphors argue against greed and the accumulation of power.

“The Cook and the Priest”

• This gave rise to the Chinese idiom “Yue Zu Dai Pao” – “to jump over the sacrificial stand to take the cook’s job.”
• One should not interfere in duties that belong to others. Xu You argues that since Yao is already ruling well, for him to take over would be an unnecessary interference, violating the natural order of roles.

“Washing the Ears”

As mentioned in the Chao Fu entry, this act symbolizes the cleansing of one’s mind from the pollution of political ambition. Chao Fu’s reaction (moving the calf upstream) adds a layer of irony: Xu You’s very act of cleansing proves he is still “tainted” by the world because he made himself accessible to the offer.

The Cult of the Hermit

The text ends with Yao honoring Xu You as a deity (“Spirit Duke of Mount Ji”) and including him in state sacrifices. This reflects a unique Chinese cultural synthesis: the state (Confucian) officially venerates the person who rejected the state (Daoist). It acknowledges that moral purity exists outside of government and deserves respect.

许由，字武仲，阳城槐里人也。为人据义履方，邪席不坐，邪膳不食。后隐於沛泽之中。尧让天下於许由，曰：“曰月出矣而爝火不息，其於光也不亦难乎！时雨降矣而犹浸灌，其於泽也不亦劳乎！夫子立而天下治，而我犹尸之，吾自视缺然，请致天下。”许由曰：“子治天下，天下既已治也，而我犹代子，吾将为名乎？名者，实之宾也，吾将为宾乎？鹪鹩巢於深林，不过一枝。偃鼠饮河，不过满腹。归休乎君，予无所用天下为。庖人虽不治庖，尸祝不越樽俎而代之矣！”不受而逃去。啮缺遇许由，曰：“子将奚之？”曰：“将逃尧。”曰：“奚谓邪？”曰：“夫尧知贤人之利天下也，而不知其贼天下也。夫唯外乎贤者知之矣！”由於是遁耕於中岳颍水之阳，箕山之下，终身无经天下色。尧又召为九州长，由不欲闻之，洗耳於颍水滨。时其友巢父牵犊欲饮之，见由洗耳，问其故。对曰：“尧欲召我为九州长，恶闻其声，是故洗耳。”巢父曰：“子若处高岸深谷，人道不通，谁能见子。子故浮游，欲闻求其名誉，污吾犊口。”牵犊上流饮之。许由没，葬箕山之巅，亦名许由山，在阳城之南十馀里。尧因就其墓，号曰箕山公神，以配食五岳，世世奉祀，至今不绝也。