Shentu Pan, whose courtesy name was Zilong, was a native of Waihuang County in Chenliu Commandery. In his youth, he was renowned for his noble reputation and moral integrity.
A woman named Gou Shi Yu from the same county had avenged her father’s death, and Liang Pei, the Magistrate of Waihuang, intended to sentence her to death. At the time, Shentu Pan was only fifteen years old and a student. He stepped forward to remonstrate, saying, “Gou Shi Yu’s moral integrity and filial devotion are sufficient to shame unscrupulous grandsons and inspire sons who endure humiliation. Had she lived in a benighted age, her cottage and tomb should still have been commemorated with a monument. How much more so in an era of enlightened governance, where she ought to be met with compassion and leniency!” Liang Pei agreed with his words and resubmitted the case for review, resulting in Yu’s sentence being commuted from death. The people of his village praised him highly.
Upon the passing of his parents, Shentu Pan’s profound grief took a severe toll on his health. Filled with longing and mourning, he abstained from wine and meat for over ten years. He then withdrew into seclusion to study the Book of Changes in the Jing lineage, the Spring and Autumn Annals in the Yan lineage, and the Book of Rites in the Xiao Dai lineage. Having mastered these three disciplines first, he subsequently achieved a comprehensive understanding of the Five Classics and illuminated the esoteric illustrated prophecies, studying without being bound to any single master.
Initially, he studied at the Imperial Academy alongside Wang Ziju of Jiyin Commandery. When Wang Ziju fell critically ill, he entrusted his posthumous arrangements to Shentu Pan. Shentu Pan immediately carried Wang Ziju’s coffin on his back and walked all the way to Jiyin for the burial. On the road between the Yellow River and Gong County, he encountered an Attendant of the Colonel Director of Retainers. Moved by his sense of righteousness, the Attendant issued a travel permit and arranged an escort for him. Shentu Pan refused, threw the permit to the ground, and walked away. After completing the funeral rites, he returned home.
Throughout his life, the imperial court repeatedly summoned him with special carriages featuring wheels wrapped in rush grass to prevent jolting, but he never accepted any of these appointments. He lived to be seventy-four years old and passed away peacefully in his old age.
Note
Virtuous scholar Shentu Pan saved a filial girl from death as a teen. Grief-stricken by his parents’ death, he secluded himself to master classics. He carried a friend’s coffin alone and rejected all distinguished imperial summons till his death at seventy-four.
Shentu Pan:
A highly respected scholar and moral exemplar of the Eastern Han dynasty. His early intervention to save a woman who killed for her father’s revenge highlights his profound understanding of Confucian ethics, where filial piety and vengeance could sometimes supersede strict legal codes.
Filial Piety and Vengeance:
In Han dynasty jurisprudence, avenging a parent was a complex moral and legal issue. While legally punishable by death, it was often morally praised as the ultimate expression of filial piety. Shentu Pan’s successful plea reflects the era’s cultural tendency to prioritize moral virtue over rigid legalism.
Carrying the Coffin on Foot:
This act is a supreme demonstration of Yi (righteousness/brotherhood). Carrying a friend’s coffin over long distances without accepting official help or transportation shows a complete rejection of state power in favor of pure, personal moral obligation.
Throwing Away the Travel Permit:
The Fuchuan was an official government document required for travel and lodging. By throwing it away, Shentu Pan made a powerful symbolic gesture: he refused to let his righteous act be co-opted or rewarded by the state apparatus. He relied entirely on his own moral strength.
Rush-Wrapped Carriage:
A special carriage with wheels wrapped in rush grass to ensure a smooth ride. It was a prestigious honor reserved for summoning highly esteemed elderly scholars or recluses. Refusing this ultimate symbol of imperial respect was a definitive statement of a hermit’s absolute independence.
Esoteric Prophecies:
Tuwei were mystical, prophetic texts intertwined with Confucian classics during the Han dynasty. Mastering them alongside orthodox classics signified that Shentu Pan possessed both conventional scholarly authority and esoteric, cosmological knowledge.
申屠蟠字子龙，陈留外黄人也，少有名节。同县缑氏女玉为父报仇，外黄令梁配欲论杀玉。蟠时年十五，为诸生，进谏曰：“玉之节养，足以感无耻之孙，激忍辱之子，不遭明时，尚当表旌庐墓，况在清听，而不加哀矜！”配善其言，乃为谳，得减死论。乡人称之。蟠父母卒，哀毁思慕，不饮酒食肉十馀年，遂隐居学治京氏《易》，严氏《春秋》，小戴《礼》，三业先通，因博贯五经，兼明图纬，学无常师。始与济阴王子居同在太学，子居病困，以身托蟠。蟠即步负其丧，至济阴，遇司隶从事於河巩之间。从事义之，为符传护送蟠，蟠不肯，投传於地而去。事毕，还家。前后凡蒲车特徵，皆不就。年七十四，以寿终。
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