Who is Mei Cheng 枚乘?

枚乘 Mei Cheng (?–140 BCE) was a ci-fu poet of the Western Han Dynasty. With the courtesy name Shu, he was a native of Huaiyin (now in Jiangsu Province). Initially, he served as a Langzhong (attendant) under Liu Bi, Prince of Wu. When he perceived Liu Bi's intention to rebel, Mei Sheng wrote a letter to dissuade him, but his advice was ignored. He then left Wu for Liang and became a guest of Liu Xiao, Prince of Liang. During the Rebellion of the Seven States (led by Wu and Chu), he again wrote to urge Liu Bi to withdraw his troops, yet his proposal was rejected once more. Emperor Jing later summoned him to serve as the Governor of Hongnong. After Emperor Wu ascended the throne, Mei Sheng was invited to the capital with a ceremonial carriage (an che pu lun, a carriage with soft grass padding to show respect), but he passed away during the journey.  

Philosophically, he inclined toward Taoism and emphasized the Taoist concept of valuing life and nurturing health. He argued that the extreme luxury and indulgence of princes and nobles were the root causes of illness. From the perspective of life preservation and养生 (health cultivation), he criticized the lifestyle of the aristocracy, deeming it unworthy of attachment or imitation. He stated, "Indulging the desires of the ears and eyes, and seeking comfort for the body, injures the harmony of the blood and veins" (*Seven Stimuli*, recorded in Volume 34 of *Selected Literature*). He pointed out that the pampered lives of nobles could "melt metal and erode bones." He further wrote, "The sons of nobles today live exclusively in palaces and inner chambers, attended by wet nurses indoors and tutors outdoors, with no opportunity to socialize. Their diets consist of warm, sweet, and tender foods, rich and fatty meats; their clothing is layered, soft, and thick, causing oppressive heat. Even something as hard as metal or stone would melt and deform under such conditions, let alone human muscles and bones!" (*Ibid.*).  

He believed that the privileged conditions in nobles' lives were precisely the opposites of valuing life and health preservation. As he put it, "Riding in carriages for every outing is called the 'mechanism for inducing lameness'; living in elaborately decorated chambers is called the 'medium for cold and heat'; beautiful women with white teeth and delicate eyebrows are called the 'axe that cuts down one’s nature'; sweet, crisp, and fatty foods are called the 'medicine that rots the intestines'" (*Ibid.*). This aligned with the views of the pre-Qin Taoist school focused on life preservation and health cultivation. The ideas of this school are concentrated in chapters such as *Ben Sheng* (Fundamental Life), *Zhong Ji* (Valuing Oneself), *Gui Sheng* (Honoring Life), *Qing Yu* (Emotions and Desires), *Jin Shu* (Preserving Vitality), and *Xian Ji* (Self-Cultivation) in the *Lu Shi Chun Qiu* (*Lu Buwei's Spring and Autumn Annals*). The *Ben Sheng* chapter states, "Going out by carriage and entering by sedan chair, seeking only self-indulgence—this is called the 'trigger for inviting lameness.' Rich meats and strong wines, consumed to excess—this is called the 'intestine-rotting food.' Luxurious music and beautiful women, pursued for pleasure—this is called the 'axe that destroys one’s nature.' These three harms arise from wealth and status. Hence, there were ancient people who refused wealth and status, because they valued life." Mei Sheng was a successor to this theory of life preservation and health cultivation.  

His biography is recorded in Volume 51 of the *Book of Han*. His works include *Collected Works of Mei Shu*, with some of his writings compiled in Volume 20 of *Complete Writings of the Han Dynasty*.