Xu Shen

Dates of birth and death unknown. A scholar of the Later Han Dynasty in China. He lived during the reigns of Emperor He (reigned 88-105) and Emperor An (reigned 106-125). His courtesy name was Shuchong. He was from Runan County (Henan Province). He was a sincere man with a broad knowledge of the Five Classics, and was respected by the great Confucian scholar of his time, Ma Rong. His book, Different Interpretations of the Five Classics, compares and examines different theories about the Five Classics to create a consensus. His book, Shuowen Jiezi, classifies characters by their shapes and explains their meanings and structures. Both of these works contributed greatly to the development of scholarship in later generations. A brief biography of him is included in the Confucian Scholars section of the Book of the Later Han, and the preface to Shuowen Jiezi serves as a biographical resource.

[Rai Yukin June 19, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。中国、後漢(ごかん)の学者。和帝（在位88～105）、安帝（在位106～125）の時代の人。字(あざな)は叔重(しゅくちょう)。汝南(じょなん)郡（河南省）出身。篤実な性格で、広く五経の学問に通じ、同時代の大儒、馬融(ばゆう)から尊敬された。その著書『五経異義(ごきょういぎ)』は、五経についての異説を比較検討して定論をつくろうとしたもの。『説文解字(せつもんかいじ)』は文字を字形によって分類し、その意味と構造とを説いたもの。いずれも後世の学問の発展に大きく寄与した。『後漢書(ごかんじょ)』儒林伝に略伝が収められるほか、『説文解字』序が伝記資料となる。

［頼　惟勤　2018年6月19日］

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