Liang Yusheng (; 1745âÂÂ1819) was a Confucian classical scholar and historian of the Qing dynasty. His courtesy name (zi) was Yaobei æÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ, and he styled himself Qingbaishi 渠ç½士 (âÂÂPure and Clean ScholarâÂÂ). He was from Qiantang é±塠(Renhe ä»ÂÃ¥ÂÂ) in the Hangzhou area in Zhejiang. During the Qianlong reign, he obtained the status of a gongsheng (a recommended scholar). Liang Yusheng was a grandson of the Grand Academician (daxueshi 大å¸士) Liang Shizheng (1697âÂÂ1763).
Before reaching the age of forty, he abandoned the imperial civil service examinations (keju) in order to devote himself entirely to writing and scholarship. He conducted extensive research on the Shujing (Book of Documents) and the Three Commentaries on the Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals), and was especially accomplished in the field of historiography.
His major work, Shiji zhiyi (), a critical study on doubtful passages in the Shiji (by Sima Qian, variously translated with Grand ScribeâÂÂs Records, or Records of the Grand Historian), was composed over a period of twenty-five years and revised five times. The scholar Qian Daxin é¢大æ (1728âÂÂ1804) praised him as a âÂÂa meritorious minister of Longmenâ (Longmen gongchen é¾Âé¨åÂÂè£), an allusion to Sima Qian.
His work continued and further developed the exegetical tradition during the Qing dynasty. He died at the age of seventy-six.
His collected works were published under the title Qingbaishi ji 渠ç½士é (Collected Works of Qingbaishi). His work Pieji (çÂ¥è¨Â, in seven juan) primarily contains explanations of the Confucian Classics and contributes to clarifying their ancient meanings.
A short biography is contained in the Qingshi gao 渠å²稿 (), others in the Jiaolang cuolu èÂÂå»ÂèÂÂé and Qingru xue'an .
A short biographical notice written by Tu Lien-chê æÂÂè¯å (1902âÂÂ1994) was included in Arthur Hummel's Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (ECCP).