Mao Xian

Life

His great-grandfather was Mao Zhi, his grandfather Mao Wenming, his father Mao Ji, and his mother, Lady Bian; he had an elder brother, Mao Bao, and a wife, Lady Lu. He belonged to a minji household and was a shengyuan; he placed twelfth in the Yingtian Prefecture provincial examination. In the sixth year of the Zhengde era (1511), he ranked twenty-fourth in the Xinwei metropolitan examination and earned the jinshi degree in the second class, forty-second place.

In the sixth year of Zhengde, he was appointed a remonstrance official of the Office of Criminal Affairs (刑科給事中) and took sick leave; in the ninth year he returned to the Office of Military Affairs (兵科給事中), and in the twelfth year was promoted to the right-hand post in the Office of Rites (禮科右給事中). While serving as a jishizhong, he submitted memorials impeaching several ministers who abused their power for private gain, and the court became orderly inside and out; when the Zhengde emperor traveled west, Mao urged his return to the capital but received no reply. The timing of his withdrawal is variously placed: after his promotion in the twelfth year of Zhengde, or at the beginning of the Jiajing era. He died in the fourteenth year of Jiajing (1535), aged sixty-seven. His great-grandson was Mao Nianshi (毛念恃; 1594–1677), and his great-great-grandson was Mao Xiegong (毛協恭).

Learning and writings

After returning home, Mao pursued xingli learning with like-minded scholars and examined agreements and differences among the teachings of the Lian, Luo, Guan, and Min traditions; Prefect Chen Shi had Daonan Academy built and appointed him its teacher. His works include 《毘陵正學編》, 《古庵文集》, 《古庵毛先生文集》 (ten juan), 《古菴集》, 《毘陵人品記》 (ten juan), and 《三近齋語錄》 (one juan).

His literary and personal exchanges included letters to Wang Shouren, Lü Nan, Wang Hong, Ye Zhong, Wu Min, and Gao Feng. He wrote sacrificial texts and a tomb inscription for Zhan Ruoshui, sacrificial texts and a biographical account for Xu Wen, and farewell pieces for both.