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Biography
Ma Rong (Chinese: 馬融; 79–166), courtesy name Jichang (季长), was an Eastern Han dynasty government official and an influential Confucianist scholar. He was born in Youfufeng (右扶風) in the former Han capital region, in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi Province. He was known for his commentaries on the books on the Five Classics, and the first scholar known to have done this. He also developed the double column commentary while doing it. His main students were Lu Zhi and Zheng Xuan.
He was suspended for ten years due to critical comments. Eventually he was restored to the Governor of Nan commandery (modern Hubei). His biography appears in the Book of Later Han. He wrote the Rhapsody on Long Flute (長笛賦); the Song dynasty Classic of Loyalty (忠經), patterned after the Classic of Filial Piety, bears attribution to his name.
