Taoist figures: Xia Houchun 夏侯淳
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Xia Houchun
A litterateur and metaphysician during the transition between the Western and Eastern Jin Dynasties. His courtesy name was Xiaochong, and he was from Qiao in the State of Qiao (present-day Bozhou, Anhui Province). He was the younger brother of Xia Houzhan and held official positions up to the Prefect of Yiyang.
In philosophy, he adhered to the Taoist school of "valuing non-being" (gui wu), advocating inaction, freedom from trivial matters, and freedom from excessive knowledge, which he regarded as the norm for conduct and life. He stated: "The affairs of the world are fraught with troubles, so I naturally take pleasure in inaction; fame is not worth pursuing, and vain toil and defilement only belittle oneself. Forever free from trivial matters to calm the spirit, thus I am fortunate that death brings ignorance" (Fu on Cherishing Thoughts, recorded in Anthology of Literary Works, Volume 26). He lamented the longevity of heaven and earth contrasted with the brevity of human life, and "desired to indulge in pleasures to seek joy" (ibid.).
Furthermore, in the realm of moral categories, he advocated integrating opposing qualities, demanding that one should be "enlightened yet obscure, lofty yet humble, empty yet constant, prominent yet virtuous, agreeing yet questioning, stern yet gentle, harmonious yet cautious" (cited in The Book of Jin·Biography of Xia Houzhan).
This means being wise yet retaining some ignorance, lofty yet humble, empty-hearted yet consistent, distinguished yet virtuous, questioning views that fully align with one’s own, being stern yet gentle, and being particularly cautious about opinions that differ from one’s own. He believed that a single quality could not constitute morality; for example, unrelenting sternness or unreserved gentleness alone were both immoral. Only by unifying opposing qualities could morality be achieved—such as sternness tempered with gentleness, loftiness not divorced from humility, and so on.
He originally had a collection of works in 2 volumes. Some of his writings are compiled in Volume 69 of Complete Prose of the Jin Dynasty.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
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