Overview
The translated histories identify Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou as an aristocrat, general, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 21 passages from 7 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.
Names
| Type | English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou | 周明帝 | Zhōu Míng dì |
| Title | Duke of Ningdu | 寧都公 | |
| Title | Emperor | 皇帝 | |
| Title | Emperor Ming | 明帝 | Míng dì |
| Temple name | Emperor Ming | 明帝 | Míng dì |
| Title | Emperor Ming | 明帝 | Mingdi |
| Posthumous name | Emperor Ming | 明皇帝 | Ming huangdi |
| Posthumous name | Emperor Ming | 明帝 | Mingdi |
| Title | Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou | 周明帝 | Zhōu Míng dì |
| Title | Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou | 周明帝 | |
| Title | Emperor Ming of Zhou | 周明帝 | |
| Posthumous name | Emperor Ming of Zhou | 周明帝 | Zhou Ming Di |
| Title | Heavenly King | 天王 | |
| Temple name | Shizong | 世宗 | Shizong |
| Childhood name | Tongwantu | 統萬突 | Tongwantu |
| Personal name | Yu | 毓 | Yu |
| Given | Yu | 毓 | Yu |
| Surname | Yuwen | 宇文 | Yuwen |
| Personal name | Yuwen Yu | 毓 | |
| Personal name | Yuwen Yu | 宇文毓 | Yuwen Yu |
Identity
- Historicity
- Historical
- Identification
- Named
- Sex
- Male
- Sex: male
- Sex: male
Roles
- Aristocrat
- General
- Royal Family Member
- Ruler
- Scholar
- Writer
Life and dates
Birth
- Place: Tongwan / 統萬城 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 永熙三年 · Western Year: AD 534Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0002
Death
- Place: Yanshou Hall / 延壽殿 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 辛丑 · Western Year: AD 560 · Cause: poison
- Date Context: Source Date: Text: 乾明元年四月 · Regnal Year: 1 · Lunar Month: 4 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit · beiqishu:005:s0045
- Date Context: Source Date: Text: 世宗崩 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit · zhoushu:009:s0044
Age
- Age: 27 · Reckoning: suiExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0173
Attested activity
- Source Date: Text: 乾明元年四月 · Regnal Year: 1 · Lunar Month: 4 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:005:s0045
- Source Date: Text: 二年春正月 · Western Year: AD 558Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0024
- Source Date: Text: 二年春正月癸丑朔 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0136
- Source Date: Text: 二年正月 · Western Year: AD 558Explicit · zhoushu:009:s0041
- Source Date: Text: 元年 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit · zhoushu:003:s0154, zhoushu:003:s0155
- Source Date: Text: 周明帝 · Western Interval: Start: AD 557 · End: AD 560Explicit event contextual date · suishu:036:s0100
- Source Date: Text: 周明帝 · Western Interval: Start: AD 557 · End: AD 560Explicit · suishu:072:s0120
- Source Date: Text: 周明帝時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 557 · End: AD 560Explicit · suishu:044:s0113
- Source Date: Text: 夏四月 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0138, zhoushu:004:s0173
- Source Date: Text: 大統十六年 · Western Year: AD 550Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0004
- Source Date: Text: 大統十四年 · Western Year: AD 548Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0003
- Source Date: Text: 武成元年春正月己酉 · Western Year: AD 559Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0194
- Source Date: Text: 武成初 · Western Year: AD 559Explicit · zhoushu:009:s0043
- Source Date: Text: 永熙三年 · Western Year: AD 534Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0002
- Source Date: Text: 秋九月癸亥 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0010, zhoushu:004:s0012
- Source Date: Text: 魏恭帝三年 · Western Year: AD 556Explicit event contextual date · zhoushu:004:s0006
Family
Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.
- Spouse of Lady Dugu (獨孤氏)Kinship Term: queen / 王后 · Union Category: primary-marriage · Relationship State: widowed · Start Date: Source Date: Text: 二年春正月癸丑 · Western Year: AD 558 · End Date: Source Date: Text: 夏四月甲戌 · Western Year: AD 558
- Child of Emperor Wen of Zhou (周文帝)Kinship Term: eldest son / 長子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Subject Birth Order: 1 · Line: paternal
Kinship Term: Emperor Ming / 明帝 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father - Spouse of Elder sister of Empress Wenxian (文獻皇后之姊)Kinship Term: empress / 后 · Union Category: marriage
- Sibling of Yuwen Zhao (宇文招)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Zhi (宇文直)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen You (宇文逌)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Sheng (宇文盛)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Da (宇文達)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Xian (宇文憲)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Chun (宇文純)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Jian (宇文儉)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Sibling of Yuwen Tong (宇文通)Kinship Term: imperial younger brother / 皇弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Child of Lady Yao (姚夫人)Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: mother
- Parent of Son of Emperor Ming (明帝之子)Kinship Term: son / 兒 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
- Spouse of Empress Dugu (獨孤皇后)Kinship Term: taken as lady / 納為夫人 · Union Category: marriage
- Sibling of Yuwen Yong (宇文邕)Kinship Term: younger brother / 介弟 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
- Kinship Role: meritorious ministers granted paired sacrifice · Count: 13Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0078
Career and standing
- Label: Pillar of State / 柱國 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 元年 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit · zhoushu:003:s0155
- Label: administrator of Hua Province / 行華州事 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 十六年 · Western Year: AD 550Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0004
- Label: grand general / 大將軍 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 魏恭帝三年 · Western Year: AD 556Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0006
- Label: commissioner with Three Excellencies protocol / 開府儀同三司 · Action: appointedExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0005
- Label: governor of Yi Province / 宜州刺史 · Action: appointedExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0005
- Label: pillar-of-state / 柱國 · Action: promoted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 孝閔帝踐阼 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0007
- Label: governor of Qi Province / 岐州刺史 · Action: transferredExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0007
- Title: Duke of Ningdu commandery / 寧都郡公 · Action: enfeoffed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 大統十四年 · Western Year: AD 548Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0003
- Status: poisoned · Action: suffered · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 夏四月 · Western Year: AD 560 · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgmentExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0138, zhoushu:004:s0185
- Title: Heavenly King / 天王 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 甲子 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0012
Places and affiliations
- Polity: Northern Zhou / 周 · Relation: ruledExplicit · suishu:036:s0100
- Polity Name: Northern Zhou / 周 · Relation: ruledExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0012, zhoushu:004:s0041
- Polity Name: Western Wei / 魏 · Relation: servedExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0003, zhoushu:004:s0006
- Place: Zhaoling / 昭陵 · Relation: buried-at · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 五月辛未 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0174
- Place: Longyou / 隴右 · Relation: posted-to · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 魏恭帝三年 · Western Year: AD 556Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0006
Learning and skills
- Skill: literary composition / 屬文 · Level: skilledExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0176
Works and attributed material
- Work: collected literary works / 文章 · Extent: 10 scrollsExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0179
- Work: genealogical record of generations / 世譜 · Relation: compiler · Extent: 500 scrollsExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0178
- Kind: edict · Role: author · Quoted: trueExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0016, zhoushu:004:s0017, zhoushu:004:s0022, zhoushu:004:s0023, zhoushu:004:s0029, zhoushu:004:s0030, zhoushu:004:s0031, zhoushu:004:s0032, zhoushu:004:s0033, zhoushu:004:s0034, zhoushu:004:s0040, zhoushu:004:s0041, zhoushu:004:s0057, zhoushu:004:s0058, zhoushu:004:s0059, zhoushu:004:s0060, zhoushu:004:s0061, zhoushu:004:s0062, zhoushu:004:s0063, zhoushu:004:s0064, zhoushu:004:s0065, zhoushu:004:s0086, zhoushu:004:s0087, zhoushu:004:s0088, zhoushu:004:s0089, zhoushu:004:s0090, zhoushu:004:s0091, zhoushu:004:s0092, zhoushu:004:s0093, zhoushu:004:s0094, zhoushu:004:s0095, zhoushu:004:s0096, zhoushu:004:s0099, zhoushu:004:s0100, zhoushu:004:s0101, zhoushu:004:s0102, zhoushu:004:s0103, zhoushu:004:s0104, zhoushu:004:s0105, zhoushu:004:s0109, zhoushu:004:s0110, zhoushu:004:s0111, zhoushu:004:s0112, zhoushu:004:s0113, zhoushu:004:s0114, zhoushu:004:s0115, zhoushu:004:s0116, zhoushu:004:s0117, zhoushu:004:s0118, zhoushu:004:s0119, zhoushu:004:s0120, zhoushu:004:s0121, zhoushu:004:s0122, zhoushu:004:s0123, zhoushu:004:s0124, zhoushu:004:s0141, zhoushu:004:s0142, zhoushu:004:s0143, zhoushu:004:s0144, zhoushu:004:s0145, zhoushu:004:s0146, zhoushu:004:s0147, zhoushu:004:s0148, zhoushu:004:s0149, zhoushu:004:s0150, zhoushu:004:s0151, zhoushu:004:s0152, zhoushu:004:s0153, zhoushu:004:s0154, zhoushu:004:s0155, zhoushu:004:s0156, zhoushu:004:s0157, zhoushu:004:s0158, zhoushu:004:s0159, zhoushu:004:s0160, zhoushu:004:s0161, zhoushu:004:s0162, zhoushu:004:s0163, zhoushu:004:s0164, zhoushu:004:s0165, zhoushu:004:s0166, zhoushu:004:s0167, zhoushu:004:s0168, zhoushu:004:s0169, zhoushu:004:s0170, zhoushu:004:s0171, zhoushu:004:s0172
- Kind: poem · Role: author · Quoted: true
Events and relationships
- Kind: ritual · Role: ruler · Action: assumed-emperor-title · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 秋八月己亥 · Western Year: AD 560Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0126
- Kind: political · Role: subject · Action: brought-to-capital · Other Person Id: Yuwen Hu (宇文護) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 秋九月癸亥 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0009, zhoushu:004:s0010
- Kind: scholarly · Role: sponsor · Action: gathered-scholars-to-collate-classics · Place: Linzhi Hall / 麟趾殿Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0177
- Kind: political · Role: patron · Action: praised and summoned Wang Ban and began his sequence of appointments · Other Person Id: Wang Ban (王頒)Explicit event contextual date · suishu:072:s0120
- Kind: ritual · Role: ruler · Action: proclaimed-general-amnesty · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 甲子 · Western Year: AD 557Explicit · zhoushu:004:s0012
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment: governance won praise; people held him in affection · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgmentExplicit · zhoushu:004:s0008
- Assessment: wide, clear, benevolent, generous; had the measure of a ruler · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
References in the histories
Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.