Tong Yinnian, a Hanlin of mine and a same-year graduate, one day passed my studio and laughed: “Heroes deceive men; famous men have settled habits — and sometimes it serves to humiliate themselves.” Asked, he said: “Yesterday I toured Wu Mountain, caught in rain, and lodged at a village farmhouse. An old man produced a fan and asked for an inscription. I despised him and scrawled carelessly — I wrote ‘stove’ as ‘turtle,’ and reversed ‘peacock’ to ‘sparrow-king.’ Thinking the country boor would not know the meaning, I did not correct it. I falsely attributed it to my same-year, the top graduate Huang, and left.
“The old man looked at the fan and smiled: ‘I have long lacked a proper pairing for wine-stove; now the tea-turtle on the fan is heaven-made!’ Then scrutinising: ‘The village boor was short of schooling; I do not know what a sparrow-king is — perhaps like Gengcang, Laobo sorts?’ Then solemnly: ‘Your excellency’s talent tops the universe; why borrow the top graduate’s name? Even to write his surname, the form of address needs care — he is in fact my disciple.’ Hearing this, my face sweated like rain. I asked his name and residence, and learned the old man was a famous examination master of Zhejiang who had lived in Wu ten years.”
I listened, also startled. I record this as a warning to the frivolous talented.
The Duo comment: Is there a man in the world who may be despised? Tong despised the old man, and the old man’s contempt for Tong was greater, because the old man was a master and his settled habit was thus entrenched. Both may be warned.
