Ma Rong courtesy name Jichang (季长), was a commentator of the Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

. He was born in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi

Xianyang

Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...

 in former Fufeng (茂陵) county. 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

Zheng Xuan

Zheng Xuan , courtesy name Kangcheng , was an influential Chinese commentator and Confucian scholar of the Han Dynasty. He was born in modern Weifang, Shandong, and was a student of Ma Rong.-See also:*Three Kingdoms...

.

He was suspended for ten years due to critical comments. Eventually he was restored to the Governor of Nan commandery (modern Hubei

Hubei

' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

). His biography appears in the Book of Later Han

Book of Later Han

The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...

. He wrote the Rhapsody on Long Flute (長笛賦), and possibly another work known as the Classic of Loyalty (忠經).