The Deng Dalin 邓大临

Deng Dalin was a native of Changshu, Jiangsu Province, during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

His courtesy name was Qixi, and his literary name was Danqiu.

He was of the Xiaolian background (a title for scholars who passed the imperial examination at the provincial level in the Ming and Qing dynasties, qualifying for official positions). He studied under Huang Jiezi (Huang Fanqi) from Jiangyin.

In the second year of the Shunzhi reign (1645), Jiangyin City fell to enemy forces, and the resistance movement in Chongming ended in failure. Huang Jiezi was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually died. After his death, his remains were mutilated. Amidst the chaos and danger of blades and weapons, Deng Dalin ransomed his teacher’s head, placed it in a coffin, and sent it back to Huang’s family. People at that time praised him as embodying the noble spirit of Yang Kuang (a loyal scholar of the Han Dynasty known for his devotion to his teacher).

Later, Deng Dalin traveled extensively across the country, hoping to find and befriend extraordinary talents and swordsmen, but ultimately met none. In the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign (1661), he visited Huang Lizhou (Huang Zongxi) at Shuangpu Courtyard. After that, he went to Wulin (an ancient name for Hangzhou) and resided on Yuhuang Mountain. Zhang Xueya and Gu Shibin were both his Taoist companions.

Huang Zongxi commented on Deng Dalin: "In the Taoist community, he endured hardships and maintained his resolve. He was particularly different from those in the Quanzhen School who seemed to have the will to die but lacked the vitality to live—this was because of his compassion for the suffering of the world and his sympathy for humanity."

Details of his life story can be found in Epitaph of Deng Qixi included in Supplementary Collection of Nanlei Prose by Huang Zongxi.