Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Crown Prince and Poet

Crown Prince Wenhui 文惠太子

Wenhui Taizi

First attested AD 483; died AD 493

Passages: 4
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Crown Prince Wenhui was a Crown Prince and Poet.

Life and dates

Death

AD 493 二宮晏駕
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217

Attested activity

AD 483 to AD 493 永明
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 87
AD 483 to AD 493 永明中
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 19, passages 217-218, 228

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Shizu (世祖)
father 父
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217
Parent of The Heir Apparent (太孫)
father 父
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 19, passages 213, 217

Career and standing

Crown Prince Wenhui 文惠太子
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passages 87, 217

Places and affiliations

Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217
Polity Southern Qi 南齐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 87
At Crown Prince Wenhui's burial mound 文惠太子冢 · Relation Buried at
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 87
At Eastern Palace 東宮 · Relation Resided
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217

Works and attributed material

Two Ends, Fine and Fine 兩頭纖纖
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217
Two Ends, Fine and Fine 兩頭纖纖
Poem · Author · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217
Poem · Author · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 218

Events and relationships

figure like a man, several zhang tall, green, rose to Heaven with thunderous sound 冢上有物如人，長數丈，青色，直上天，有聲如雷
AD 494 延兴元年 · Portent · Tomb associated · Green manlike figure rose above tomb · With Prince of Hailing (海陵王)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 87
Laid out Eastern Fields
Construction · Patron · At Eastern Fields 東田
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 228

Assessments and attributes

Assessment poems taken as omens of successive deaths of princes and ministers and of both palaces losing their lords · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 217

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 87

References in the histories

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 19Volume 19 Treatises 11: Five Elements · 4 passages

延興元年，海陵王初立，文惠太子冢上有物如人，長數丈，青色，直上天，有聲如雷。 Yanxing 1, when the Prince of Hailing was first raised to the throne, above Crown Prince Wenhui’s mound a figure like a man, several zhang in height and green in color, rose straight to Heaven with a roar like thunder.

文惠太子在東宮，作「兩頭纖纖」詩，後句云「磊磊落落玉山崩」，自此長王宰相相繼薨徂，二宮晏駕。 Crown Prince Wenhui in the Eastern Palace wrote "Two Ends, Fine and Fine"; its last line was "jade mountains crumble, stone on stone"—after that great princes and chief ministers fell one after another, and both palaces buried their lords.

文惠太子作七言詩，後句輒云「愁和諦」。 Wenhui wrote seven-character verses whose last line always ended "sorrow—and the Harmonious Emperor."

文惠太子起東田，時人反云「後必有癲童。」 Crown Prince Wenhui laid out the Eastern Fields; wits read the name backward and said "after this a frenzied child."