Yú Xiāokè 余蕭客
Style name Zhònglín 仲林. Native of Chángzhōu 長洲 (in Sūzhōu prefecture, Jiāngsū). Born 1729, died 1777 — note: the catalog meta gives 1729–1777; CBDB id 66038 gives 1728–1778 (a one-year discrepancy at each end). The catalog meta dates are followed here as more conservative, and align with the standard Yú Zhònglín nián pǔ and the Sūzhōu fǔ zhì biographical entries.
A direct disciple of Huì Dòng 惠棟 (惠棟), and the leading Wú-school Hàn xué scholar of the second generation. Like his teacher he never held office; spent his life in classical study at Chángzhōu, supported by his teaching circle. The Sìkù tíyào on his Gǔ jīng jiě gōu chén 古經解鉤沉 (KR1g0031) records that he began composing the work in jǐmǎo (Qiánlóng 24 = 1759), completed the draft in rénwǔ (Qiánlóng 27 = 1762), and during the years of compilation worked day and night at copying — to the point of nearly going blind.
His Gǔ jīng jiě gōu chén in 30 juàn (with sub-divisions effectively 33) is the methodologically most thoroughgoing recovery-compilation of pre-Táng classical commentary fragments — Yì, Shū, Shī, Sānlǐ, Chūnqiū sān zhuàn, Xiàojīng, Lúnyǔ, Mèngzǐ, Ěryǎ. The work’s principles: (i) preface giving the master’s name, native place, office, and titles of his works; (ii) where the work is extant, omit the entry; (iii) where the entry is incomplete, retain it; (iv) where the master’s name is unknown but the work-name preserved (or vice versa), include both; (v) every fragment cited must give its source-text and juàn-number for verification; (vi) collate canonical text against the Northern-Sòng best-cuts. The work is the high-Qing reference standard for pre-Táng classical fragments and remains in scholarly use today.
CBDB id 66038. He died at age 49.