扬雄 / Yang Xiong

扬雄 / Yang Xiong enters this wiki branch through 《资治通鉴·周纪》56丨 瞧瞧两千多年前啥是大丈夫, where the episode cites his 《法言》 after discussing 孟子 / Mencius’s 大丈夫标准. The source renders his name as “杨雄,” but the page keeps the conventional “扬雄” form.

In the cited passage, Yang Xiong refuses to praise 张仪 and 苏秦 merely because their 纵横家外交 was effective or because it allegedly brought a stretch of order. He treats their arts as deceptive and morally suspect, especially when framed against the Confucian ideal of learning and action.

The episode uses him to distinguish similar-looking political activity by motive. 子贡 / 端木赐 can travel among rulers for the sake of preventing disorder and saving 鲁国, while Zhang Yi and Su Qin are judged as pursuing wealth and status. Yang Xiong therefore becomes the source’s authority for 动机导向的才干评价: talent has to be tested by moral direction, not only by visible success.

Connections

• 《法言》 - text cited by the episode.
• 张仪, 苏秦, and 鬼谷子 - figures whose strategic arts the passage criticizes.
• 子贡 / 端木赐 and 鲁国 - contrast case used to separate rescue motive from wealth-seeking motive.
• 动机导向的才干评价, 才德之分, and 义利之辨 - concepts connected to the episode’s moral reading.
• 儒家理想治理 - broader moral-political frame.