Xú Bēn 徐賁 (1335–1380), zì Yòuwén 幼文, hào Běiguō shēng 北郭生 (whence the title of his collection), native of Wúchéng 吳城 (Sūzhōu), residing outside the Wàngqí gate 望齊門 of Sūzhōu. One of the canonical Wúzhōng Sìjié 吳中四傑 with 高啟 Gāo Qǐ, 楊基 Yáng Jī, and 張羽 Zhāng Yǔ. Refused service under Zhāng Shìchéng 張士誠 in the late Yuán and retreated with Zhāng Yǔ to Wúxīng 吳興 — Zhāng to Qīngshān 菁山, Xú to Shǔshān 蜀山. Summoned in Hóngwǔ 9 (1376), appointed gěishìzhōng 給事中, then jiānchá yùshǐ 監察御史; sent out as àn Shānxī, promoted Guǎngxī cānzhèng 廣西參政, then Hénán zuǒ bùzhèngshǐ 河南左布政使. Died in office c. 1380; per DMB, imprisoned and died (likely starved) on charges of failing to provision Hóngwǔ’s northern campaigns. His collection is KR4e0043 Běiguō jí 北郭集, first printed by Zhāng Qǐáo 張企翺 in the late 15th century. CBDB id 34387 records the name and Míng dynasty but no dates; the catalog meta lifedates 1335–1380 are followed here.