《抱朴子外篇》Vol. 48

Chapter 47 of the Outer Chapters of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity recounts the story of Mi Heng, a renowned scholar during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Though merely twenty-three years old, his extraordinary talent earned him admiration even from Kong Rong (styled Wenju), a respected elder in his fifties who held high office. Kong Rong deliberately set aside his status to befriend Mi Heng as an equal and recommended him for the position of Court Gentleman.

Mi Heng possessed astonishing memory—retaining everything at a glance—and razor-sharp wit, as though touched by divine insight (shen). Yet his temperament was wildly unrestrained. In the capital Xu, he refused to address ministers by their official titles, calling them only by names or nicknames: Kong Rong became "Eldest Boy," Yang Xiu "Youngest Boy." Only Xun Yu barely earned his conversational respect—the rest he dismissed as lifeless puppets of clay and wood, mere "wine sacks and rice bags." Once, at an assembly of officials, he suddenly looked mournful. When asked why he sighed amid festivities, he retorted: "How can one not grieve in a mortuary?"—comparing the entire gathering to corpses.

Cao Cao despised him bitterly but, lacking grounds for execution and fearing infamy as a scholar-killer, demoted him to drummaster to humiliate him. Undaunted, Mi Heng mastered the drums with transcendent (shen) skill, producing the effect of multiple players. Later, he fled to Jing Province under Liu Biao's protection. When Liu sought to draft a letter allying with Sun Quan against the central plains, none of his scholars' drafts satisfied him. Mi Heng reviewed them and declared the letter fit only for Sun Quan's guards—presenting it to Zhang Zhao (styled Zibu) would be an insult—then tore it up. Though regretful, Liu had him compose anew. After perusing over a dozen drafts, Mi Heng produced a flawless version in one stroke.

This passage vividly portrays Mi Heng's arrogant brilliance and unyielding defiance, embodying his singular way of navigating the turbulent era.

This passage recounts the story of Mi Heng, a renowned scholar of the Three Kingdoms period. Possessing astonishing memorization skills—able to perfectly reproduce texts after a single reading—he once flawlessly transcribed a stele inscription for Liu Biao from memory, which only fueled his arrogance. The intellectuals of Jing Province all detested him, and even Liu Biao, pushed to his limit, contemplated executing him. However, considering that even someone as severe as Cao Cao had tolerated Mi Heng, Liu feared killing him would deter other scholars from coming to Jing Province, so he simply sent him away.

Mi Heng then sought refuge with Huang Zu. While traveling with Huang Zu's son Huang She, they encountered another stele inscription. Regretting not having copied it down, Huang She was astonished when Mi Heng reproduced it on the spot with only half a character uncertain. Despite his extraordinary talents, Mi Heng's insolent and provocative nature alienated everyone around him, ultimately leading to his demise in Jing Province. The author, Ge Hong (Daoist name Baopuzi), comments: Mi Heng was like an owl or fox whose cries annoy others yet refuse to change their nature; akin to a terminal illness that even the finest physicians cannot cure; or like rotten wood and rusted metal that the most skilled artisans cannot fashion into anything useful. Endowed with talent but devoid of wisdom in human relations, his downfall was ultimately self-inflicted.

The passage concludes by citing Ji Kang's observation: people are often misled by Mi Heng's superficial reputation, while Ge Hong exposes his true flaws. This serves as a cautionary tale for talented individuals to strike a balance between arrogance and excessive humility. References to legendary figures—"Yu Fu" (an ancient physician), "Ban Shu" (the master craftsman Lu Ban), and "Ou Ye" (a famed swordsmith)—illustrate that Mi Heng was beyond redemption. The text employs these allusions to underscore how even the greatest healers and artisans could do nothing for someone like Mi Heng.