Fa Zhen, whose courtesy name was Gaoqing, was a native of Mei County in Fufeng Commandery. His learning was not confined to a single school; he possessed a comprehensive mastery of both esoteric and exoteric texts and various illustrated classics. In the Guanzhong region, he was revered as a “Great Confucian.” Hundreds of disciples traveled from distant places, carrying their bamboo book boxes on their backs, to study under him. Fa Zhen was tranquil and serene by nature, possessing few desires and never involving himself in worldly affairs.
When the Commandery Governor invited him for an audience, Fa Zhen visited wearing a commoner’s headwrap. The Governor said, “In the past, although Duke Ai of Lu was unworthy, Confucius still addressed him as his lord. I, your Governor, am of meager talent and virtue, but I wish to humble you by appointing you as the Assistant Clerk to grace and assist our local government. What do you say?” Fa Zhen replied, “Because Your Excellency has treated me with courtesy, I dare to consider myself among the lowest of your guests. But if you wish to treat me as a mere clerk, I shall withdraw to the north of the Northern Mountains and the south of the Southern Mountains.” The Governor was struck with awe and dared not speak of it again.
Later, he was repeatedly summoned by the central ministries and nominated as a paragon of virtue, but he never accepted. Tian Yu, a fellow townsman, recommended Fa Zhen, stating, “The unappointed scholar Fa Zhen embodies the four virtues and has plumbed the profound depths of classical texts. Living in secluded tranquility, he is so content that he forgets his worries. He is about to tread the lofty path of Laozi and will never yield to the dark and light silks of imperial recruitment. I only wish that His Sagacious Majesty would personally bestow upon him the highest ministerial office; he would surely sing the pure hymns of the ancestral temple and summon the auspicious phoenixes.” Coinciding with Emperor Shun’s western tour, Tian Yu recommended him again. The Emperor, earnest and open-minded, sought to recruit him, issuing four successive summons. Fa Zhen said, “Since I cannot completely hide my form and withdraw from the world, how could I bear to drink the water used to wash my ears?” He then deeply secluded himself, severing all ties with the outside world, and steadfastly refused to yield.
His friend Guo Zheng praised him, saying, “Fa Zhen’s name can be heard, but his person is rarely seen. He flees from fame, yet fame follows him; he avoids fame, yet fame pursues him. He can truly be called a teacher for a hundred generations!” They jointly carved a stone inscription in his honor, styling him “Master of Mysterious Virtue”. Fa Zhen lived to be eighty-nine years old and passed away peacefully in the fifth year of the Zhongping era.
Note
Great Confucian Fa Zhen taught hundreds of disciples yet shunned officialdom. He turned down repeated imperial summons, citing Xu You’s tale of washing ears to guard his purity. Honored as Master of Mysterious Virtue, he lived to eighty-nine in seclusion.
Fa Zhen:
A preeminent scholar and hermit of the late Eastern Han dynasty. His immense intellectual prestige (hundreds of students, hailed as a Great Confucian) contrasts sharply with his absolute refusal of power, making him a towering figure of moral authority.
Internal and External Texts:
“External” refers to orthodox Confucian classics, while “Internal” refers to Chenwei (esoteric, prophetic texts). Mastering both was extremely rare and signified supreme scholarly authority in the Han dynasty.
North of the Northern Mountains, South of the Southern Mountains:
This poetic phrase signifies the ultimate, unreachable wilderness. It was a polite but absolute way of telling a ruler that any attempt at coercion would result in the scholar vanishing completely from the political map.
Washing Ears:
This alludes to the legendary hermit Xu You. When Emperor Yao offered him the throne, Xu You fled and washed his ears in the river to cleanse them of the “polluted” words of political ambition. Fa Zhen’s remark implies that since he cannot completely disappear like Xu You, he must at least avoid the ultimate political entanglement to keep his spiritual purity.
Dark and Light Silks (玄纁):
Xuan (black) and Xun (light red) were the colors of the ceremonial silk used by emperors to recruit scholars. “Yielding to the Xuanxun” became a standard idiom for abandoning one’s principles for political office.
Fleeing Fame, Yet Fame Follows:
Guo Zheng’s quote perfectly encapsulates the paradox of the noble recluse. In ancient Chinese culture, the ultimate display of virtue was the rejection of fame. Ironically, this very rejection was what immortalized their names in history.
Master of Mysterious Virtue:
Xuande (Mysterious Virtue) is a core Daoist concept from the Dao De Jing, representing a profound, unnamable, and natural virtue. Bestowing this title on Fa Zhen signifies that he transcended mere Confucian morality and achieved a Daoist state of spiritual perfection.
法真字高卿，扶风都人也。学无常家，博通内外图典，关西号为大儒，弟子自远而负笈尝数百人。真性恬静，寡欲不涉人间事。太守请见之，真乃辐巾诣谒，太守曰：“昔鲁哀公虽为不肖，而仲尼称臣。太守虚薄，欲以功曹相屈，光赞本朝，何如？”真曰：“以明府见待有礼，故敢自同宾末。若欲吏之，真将在北山之北，南山之南矣。”太守惧然，不敢复言。几辟公府、贤良，皆不就。同郡田羽荐真。曰：“处士法真，体兼四业，学穷典奥，幽居恬泊，乐以忘忧，将蹈老氏之高踪，不为玄纁屈也。臣愿圣明就加衮职，必能唱清庙之歌，致来仪之凤矣。”会顺帝西巡，羽又荐之。帝虚心欲致，前后四徵，真曰：“吾既不能遁形远世，岂饮洗耳之水哉！”遂深自隐绝，终不降屈。友人郭正称之曰：“法真名可得闻，身难得而见。逃名而名我随，避名而名我追，可谓百世之师者矣。”乃共刊石颂之，号曰玄德先生。年八十九，中平五年以寿终。
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