Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official

Bi Yiyun 畢義雲

Bì Yìyún

Attested AD 543 - AD 560

Passages: 32
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Bi Yiyun as a bandit, judge, and official. This record brings together 32 passages from 3 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Bi Yiyun	畢義雲	Bì Yìyún
Surname	Bi	畢	Bi
Surname	Bi	畢	Bì
Personal name	Bi Yiyun	畢義雲	Bì Yìyún
Personal	Bi Yiyun	畢義雲	Bi Yiyun
Childhood name	Tuo'er	陀兒	Tuóér
Given	Yiyun	義雲	Yiyun
Given name	Yiyun	義雲	Yìyún
Title		中尉
Title		御史中丞

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · beiqishu:030:s0002, beiqishu:047:s0175
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · beiqishu:046:s0063

Roles

Bandit
Judge
Official

Life and dates

Death

Manner: murdered at night / 夜中被賊害
Explicit · beiqishu:047:s0222

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 乾明初 · Western Year: AD 560
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:047:s0198
Source Date: Text: 天保元年四月 · Western Year: AD 550
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:047:s0182
Source Date: Text: 文宣受禪 · Western Year: AD 550
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:047:s0175
Source Date: Text: 武定初 · Western Year: AD 543
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:030:s0019
Source Date: Text: 顯祖 · Western Interval: Start: AD 550 · End: AD 559
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:046:s0063, beiqishu:046:s0065

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Parent of Bi Shanzhao (畢善昭)
Kinship Term: bastard son / 孽子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Kin of Bi Yiyun's paternal aunt (畢義雲姑)
Kinship Term: paternal aunt / 姑 · Line: paternal
Kin of Bi Sengming (畢僧明)
Kinship Term: paternal cousin / 從父兄 · Line: paternal
Spouse of Daughter of Li Shi'an (李世安女)
Kinship Term: wife / 妻 · Union Category: marriage
Spouse of First wife of Bi Yiyun (畢義雲前妻)
Kinship Term: wife / 婦 · Union Category: marriage · Relationship State: widowed
Spouse of Lady Lu of Fanyang (范陽盧氏)
Kinship Term: wife / 室 · Union Category: marriage

Kinship Role: children-grandchildren-servants · Note: 子孫仆隸 wounded · Quantity: plural
Explicit · beiqishu:047:s0220

Career and standing

Label: Censor-in-Chief / 御史中丞 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:047:s0176
Label: Governor of Yan / 兗州刺史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:047:s0205
Label: censor-in-chief / 御史中丞 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:046:s0184
Label: commandant / 中尉 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:046:s0063
Label: pardoned once / 一恕 · Action: pardoned · Authority Person Id: Gao Yang (高洋)
Explicit · beiqishu:046:s0066

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: participant · Action: urged accession · Other Person Id: Prince Zhan of Changguang (長廣王湛)
Explicit · beiqishu:047:s0204

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: cruel beyond human reason · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · beiqishu:047:s0219

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 30Volume 30 Biographies 22: Cui Xian; Gao Dezheng; Cui Ang · 1 passage

武定初，遷御史中尉，選畢義雲、盧潛、宋欽道、李愔、崔瞻、杜蕤、嵇曄、酈伯偉、崔子武、李廣皆為御史，世稱其知人。 At the beginning of Wuding, he was moved to chief inspector; he selected Bi Yiyun, Lu Qian, Song Qindao, Li Yin, Cui Zhan, Du Rui, Ji Ye, Li Bowei, Cui Ziwu, and Li Guang as inspectors—men of the age called this knowing men.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 46Volume 46 Biographies 38: Good Officials · 4 passages

仍移攝御史，將問其濫狀，中尉畢義雲不送，移往復不止。 Transferred to investigating censor, he meant to inquire into their abuses; commandant Bi Yiyun would not hand prisoners over, and the exchanges would not end.

世軌遂上書，極言義雲酷擅。 Shigui memorialized, denouncing Yiyun's cruel overreach to the full.

勑義雲曰：「卿比所為誠合死，以志在疾惡，故且一恕。」 He told Yiyun: "Your recent conduct truly deserves death; because you aim to hate evil, you are pardoned once."

畢義雲為御史中丞，以猛暴任職，理官忌憚，莫敢有違。 Bi Yiyun was censor-in-chief, fierce and violent in office; legal officials feared him and none dared disobey.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 47Volume 47 Biographies 39: Cruel Officials · 27 passages

邸珍宋遊道盧斐畢義雲 Di Zhen, Song Youdao, Lu Fei, and Bi Yiyun

都官郎中畢義雲主其事，有奏而禁，有不奏輒禁者。 Bureau gentleman Bi Yiyun directed the matter—memorial or no, he forbade.

比因安平王事，遂肆其褊心，因公報隙，與郎中畢義雲遞相糾舉。 Recently over the Prince of Anping he gave play to narrow heart, repaying grudges through office, mutually impeaching with Bi Yiyun.

畢義雲，小字陀兒。 Bi Yiyun's childhood name was Tuo'er.

文襄以其推偽，衆人怨望，並無所問，乃拘吏數人而斬之。 Gao Cheng, since Yiyun was exposing false officials and the crowd was bitter, ignored the charge and instead detained several clerks and beheaded them.

前為汲郡太守翟嵩啟列：「義雲從父兄僧明負官債，先任京畿長吏，不受其屬，立限切征，由此挾嫌，數遣御史過郡訪察，欲相推繩。 Earlier, as administrator of Ji commandery, Zhai Song had memorialized: "Yiyun's cousin Sengming owed official debt; when Sengming was metropolitan chief clerk he refused Yiyun's men and set harsh collection deadlines; nursing a grudge, Yiyun kept sending censors through the commandery to investigate and impeach him.

尚書左丞司馬子瑞奏彈義雲，稱：「天保元年四月，竇氏皇姨祖載日，內外百官赴第吊省，義雲唯遣御史投名，身遂不赴。 Left vice director Sima Zirui impeached Yiyun, writing: "In the fourth month of Tianbao year one, on the burial day of Empress Dowager Dou's imperial aunt, officials inside and out went to mourn; Yiyun only sent a censor to register his name and did not attend.

又義雲啟云：『喪婦孤貧，後娶李世安女為妻。 Yiyun had also reported, 'My wife died and I am poor and alone; I later took Li Shi'an's daughter in marriage.

及義雲成婚之夕，衆儲備設，克日拜閤，鳴騶清路，盛列羽儀，兼差臺吏二十人，責其鮮服侍從車後。 Yet on his wedding night the stores were piled high; on the appointed day he bowed at the gate, runners cleared the road, feathered guards paraded in splendor, and twenty bureau clerks were sent to demand fresh dress and follow his carriage.

義雲資產宅宇足稱豪至，忽道孤貧，亦為矯詐。 Yiyun's property and house were lavish enough to count as grand; to call himself poor and alone was fraud as well.

義雲乃乖例，署表之日，索表就家先署，臨日遂稱私忌不來。」 Yiyun broke precedent: on signing day he had the memorial brought home and signed first, then on the day itself pleaded private taboo and stayed away."

子瑞又奏彈義雲事十餘條，多煩碎，罪止罰金，不至除免。 Zirui impeached him again on more than ten petty counts; punishment stopped at a fine and did not cost him his post.

子瑞從兄消難為北豫州刺史，義雲遣御史張子階詣州采風聞，先禁其典籖家客等。 Zirui's cousin Xiaonan was inspector of North Yuzhou; Yiyun sent censor Zhang Zijie to gather rumors and first detained his registry keeper, household agents, and the like.

時論歸罪義雲，云其規報子瑞，事亦上聞。 Public opinion blamed Yiyun for scheming revenge on Zirui, and word reached the throne.

爾前讌嘗，義雲常預，從此後集見稍疏，聲望大損。 Before this he had always been at court feasts; afterward he was seen less often and his standing collapsed.

鄭子默正被任用，義雲之姑卽子默祖母，遂除度支尚書，攝左丞。 Zheng Zimo was then in favor; Yiyun's aunt was Zimo's grandmother, so he was made minister of revenue and acting left vice director.

孝昭赴晉陽，高元海留鄴，義雲深相依附。 When Gao Yan went to Jinyang and Gao Yuanhai stayed at Ye, Yiyun attached himself to Yuanhai with deep reliance.

知其信向釋氏，常隨之聽講，為此款密，無所不至。 Knowing Yuanhai was devoted to the Buddhist teaching, Yiyun often followed him to lectures; for that warm friendship he spared no effort.

元海遣犢車迎義雲入北宮參審，遂與元海等勸進，仍從幸晉陽，參預時政。 Yuanhai sent an ox cart to bring Yiyun into the Northern Palace for the deliberations; he then joined Yuanhai and the others in urging Gao Zhan to the throne, followed the court to Jinyang, and took part in affairs of state.

又高歸彥起逆，義雲在州私集人馬，並聚甲仗，將以自防，實無他意。 When Gao Guiyan rose in rebellion, Yiyun in his province privately gathered men and horses and stockpiled arms and armor for self-defense—he truly had no other design.

為人所啟，及歸彥被擒，又列其朋黨專擅，為此追還。 Someone reported him; when Guiyan was taken, Yiyun was also named among his partisans who had monopolized power, and for that he was recalled.

義雲性豪縱，頗以施惠為心，累世本州刺史，家富於財，士之匱乏者，多有拯濟。 Yiyun was bold and unrestrained by nature, and took pleasure in doing favors. For generations his family had held the governorship of this province; the house was rich, and many needy scholars he rescued.

義雲一無所答。 Yiyun answered not a word.

有孽子善昭，性至凶頑，與義雲侍婢姦通，搒掠無數，為其著籠頭，系之庭樹，食以芻秣，十餘日乃釋之。 He had a bastard son, Shanzhao, vicious to the core; he lay with Yiyun's maidservant, and after countless beatings Yiyun put a cangue on him, tied him to a courtyard tree, fed him fodder, and only released him after more than ten days.

夜中義雲被賊害，卽善昭所佩刀也，遺之於義雲庭中。 In the night Yiyun was murdered—it was the knife Shanzhao wore; it was left in Yiyun's courtyard.

爾前，義雲新納少室范陽盧氏，有色貌。 Not long before, Yiyun had newly married the Lady Lu of Fanyang from the Shaoshi quarter—she had beauty and charm.

邢卲上言，此乃大逆，義雲又是朝貴，不可發。 Xing Shao submitted a memorial: "This is great treason, and Yiyun was a court noble—the sentence must not be carried out in public."