Di Renjie (狄仁傑) | 24 Histories

Overview

Di Renjie was an official and Statesman.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 693 AD 693-700
Directly stated · History of Liao 98, passage 19
AD 692 來俊臣構獄時
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 123, passage 12
AD 690 to AD 700 古者…仁傑舉子
Strongly inferred · History of Jin 54, passage 234
AD 690 唐武周時期
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 110, passage 66
AD 685 to AD 700 垂拱以來
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 56, passage 173
AD 685 to AD 697 狄仁傑...幾不免
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 162

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AD 690 to AD 700 狄仁傑所言
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 181, passage 198

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Son of Di Renjie (狄仁傑之子)
son 子
Directly stated · History of Jin 54, passage 234

Key source chapters

Career and standing

framed in capital case nearing execution 構獄將抵死
AD 692 來俊臣構獄時 · Suffered
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 12

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · History of Jin 54, passage 234; New Book of Tang 181, passage 198
Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 162

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · cited by Li Wei against Buddhist excess; activity dated to Di's own Tang career, not Yizong's reign · Mode citation Source Person Id Li Wei (李蔚)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 198

Events and relationships

Cited as a Tang minister whose service did not exceed Wuna's.
Historical comparison
Directly stated · History of Liao 98, passage 19
Discussed abuses since Chuigong
Political · Advisor · With Yao Chong (姚崇), Song Jing (宋璟), Wang Jishan (王及善) · With Empress Wu (武后)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 173
Earlier remonstrance cited against Buddhist excess
Political · Precedent authority
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 181, passage 198
Nearly destroyed by denunciation
Political · Participant
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 162
Recommended his son
AD 690 to AD 700 古者 · Recommendation · Recommender · With Son of Di Renjie (狄仁傑之子) · Mode allusion Speaker Emperor Zhangzong (章宗)
Directly stated · History of Jin 54, passage 234
Relation Colleague of · Person Yao Chong (姚崇)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 173

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Relation Colleague of · Person Wang Jishan (王及善)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 173
Relation Colleague of · Person Song Jing (宋璟)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 173

Assessments and attributes

Assessment cited as exemplar of recommending the worthy including his own son · Mode quoted-exemplum Speaker Emperor Zhangzong (章宗)
Directly stated · History of Jin 54, passage 234

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 56, passage 162
Value historical
Directly stated · History of Jin 54, passage 234

References in the histories

History of Jin, Chapter 54Volume 54 Treatises 35: Selection of Officials 4: Ministry Selection, Provincial Selection, Honest Inspectors, Recommendations, Compensation for Achievements and Perpetual Faults · 1 passage

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古者舉賢不避親仇，如祁奚舉仇，仁傑舉子，崔祐甫除吏八百皆親故也。 Antiquity knew no such scruple: Qi Xi recommended his enemy, Di Renjie recommended his son, and Cui Youfu appointed eight hundred relatives and associates.

History of Liao, Chapter 98Volume 98 Biographies 28: Xiao Wuna, Yelu Yan, Liu Shen, Yelu Hulu · 1 passage

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上謂王師儒、耶律固等曰：「兀納忠純，雖狄仁傑輔唐，屋質立穆宗，無以過也。 The emperor told Wang Shiru, Yelu Gu, and others: "Wuna's loyalty is unstained. Not even Di Renjie's service to Tang, or Yelu Wuzhi's elevation of Muzong, exceeds what he has done.

History of Liao, Chapter 110Volume 110 Biographies 40: Treacherous Ministers 1 · 1 passage

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乙辛薦孝傑忠於社稷，帝謂孝傑可比狄仁傑，賜名仁傑，乃許放海東青鶻。 Yixin praised Xiaojie as loyal to the realm; the emperor compared him to Di Renjie, granted him the name Renjie, and allowed the eastern-sea green falcon to be sent forth.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 56Volume 56 Treatises 52: Punishment and Law · 2 passages

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自唐之宗室與朝廷之士，日被告捕，不可勝數，天下之人，為之仄足，如狄仁傑、魏元忠等皆幾不免。 From imperial clansmen to court officials, denunciations and arrests came daily beyond counting. People everywhere lived in dread; even men like Di Renjie and Wei Yuanzhong barely escaped ruin.

及周興、來俊臣等誅死，后亦老，其意少衰，而狄仁傑、姚崇、宋璟、王及善相與論垂拱以來酷濫之冤，太后感寤，由是不復殺戮。 After Zhou Xing, Lai Junchen, and others were executed, the Empress had also grown old and her zeal somewhat faded. Di Renjie, Yao Chong, Song Jing, and Wang Jishan together discussed the cruel excesses and wrongful convictions since the Chuigong era; the Empress Dowager was moved, and from then on she no longer carried out mass killings.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 123Volume 123 Biographies 48: Li, Xiao, Lu, Wei, Zhao, He · 1 passage

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會來俊臣構狄仁傑、李嗣真、裴宣禮等獄，將抵死，敕嶠與大理少卿張德裕、侍御史劉憲覆驗，德裕等內知其冤，不敢異。 When Lai Junchen framed Di Renjie, Li Sizhen, Pei Xuanli, and others in capital cases nearing execution, an edict sent Qiao, Vice Director Zhang Deyu of the Court of Judicial Review, and Investigating Censor Liu Xian to review the verdicts. Zhang and Liu knew the men were innocent but dared not disagree.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 181Volume 181 Biographies 106: Chen, Three Li's, Cao, Liu · 1 passage

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蔚上疏切諫，引狄仁傑、姚元崇、辛替否所言，譏病時弊。 Wei memorialized sharply, citing Di Renjie, Yao Chong, and Xin Tifen and attacking the abuses of the day.