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Zheng Xuan [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
A towering erudite of late Eastern Han, Zheng Xuan mastered classics, math and calendars. Pressured to visit General He Jin, he met him in plain commoner’s attire, left overnight, and turned down over ten official summonses all his life.
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Guan Ning [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Fleeing Han chaos, scholar Guan Ning took refuge in Liaodong. Foreseeing Gongsun Yuan’s revolt, he returned home and declined ten imperial summons. For fifty-five years, he maintained proper sitting manners, wearing plain clothes and revered as a sage by locals.
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Jiang Gong [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Erudite Jiang Gong cherished profound fraternal love with his brothers and taught thousands of disciples. He declined countless official summons. Seeing the court controlled by corrupt factions, he fled by sea to evade appointment and died at seventy-seven at home.
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Yuan Hong [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Ascetic Yuan Hong secluded himself in a courtyard chamber, keeping plain clothes and wooden clogs. He honored his mother indoors yet skipped formal mourning rites after her death. Twice summoned by the court, he declined, earning high praise from Fan Pang for balancing filial piety and integrity.
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Guo Tai [Biographies of Noble Scholars]
Erudite Guo Tai excelled at judging talents and drew countless scholars. His rain-dampened folded headwrap became a widespread fashion. He declined official posts, and Xu Zhi honored him with fresh grass at his mother’s funeral.