Song, Liao, and Jin · Ruler

Emperor Taizu 太祖

Taizu

Attested AD 1059 - AD 1135

Passages: 47
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Taizu as a royal family member and ruler. This record brings together 47 passages from 3 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Taizu	太祖	Taizu
Temple	Emperor Taizu	太祖	Taizu
Temple	Emperor Taizu	太祖皇帝
Title	Song's Taizu
Temple	Taizu	太祖	Taizu
Temple	Taizu	太祖
Title	太祖皇帝	太祖皇帝

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · songshi:107:s0018
Value: male
Explicit · xinwudaishi:070:s0083

Roles

Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 嘉祐四年十月 · Western Year: AD 1059
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:107:s0018, songshi:107:s0017
Source Date: Text: 宋興 · Western Year: AD 960
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:070:s0083, xinwudaishi:070:s0075
Source Date: Text: 熙寧元年九月辛未 · Western Year: AD 1068
Explicit · songshi:014:s0154
Source Date: Text: 紹興五年 · Western Year: AD 1135
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:107:s0130, songshi:107:s0134

Family

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

Ancestor of Congshi (從式)
Kinship Term: great-great-grandson / 曾孫 · Generation Distance: 3
Descendant of Emperor Xizu (僖祖)
Kinship Term: forefathers / 祖考 · Line: paternal · Generation Distance: 4 · Intermediary Person Ids: Emperor Shun (順祖), Emperor Yi (翼祖), Emperor Xuan (宣祖)
Child of Emperor Xuan (宣祖)
Kinship Term: forefather / 祖考 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Line: paternal
Sibling of Emperor Taizong (太宗)
Kinship Term: Taizong / 太宗 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: younger
Parent of Child of Emperor Taizu (太祖子)
Parentage: biological

Places and affiliations

Label: Song / 宋 · Relation: founded
Explicit · songshi:107:s0020, songshi:107:s0111

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Liu Chengjun (承鈞)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:070:s0109, xinwudaishi:070:s0110, xinwudaishi:070:s0113

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: northern-expedition
Explicit · xinwudaishi:070:s0140, xinwudaishi:070:s0146

References in the histories

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

History of Song, Chapter 14Volume 14 Annals 14: Shenzong 1 · 1 passage

九月辛未，太祖曾孫舒國公從式進封安定郡王。 Ninth month, xinwei: Congshi became Prince of Anding.

History of Song, Chapter 107Volume 107 Treatises 60: Rites 10 · 40 passages

同判宗正寺趙良規請正太祖東向位，禮官不敢決。 Zhao Lianggui, associate administrator of the Court of the Imperial Clan, petitioned to rectify Taizu's east-facing seat, but the ritual officials declined to rule on the matter.

本朝以太祖為受命之君，然僖祖以降，四廟在上，故每遇大袷，止列昭穆而虛東向。 Our dynasty recognizes Taizu as the ruler who received the Mandate, but with four ancestral temples above him from Emperor Xi onward, at each great xiá only the zhao and mu tablets are arranged while the east-facing seat is left vacant.

未毀廟之主皆升合食於太祖。』 The spirit tablets of all shrines not yet dismantled ascend to share the feast with Taizu.'

太祖受命，祭四親廟，推僖祖而上所自出者，譜失其傳，有司因仍舊說，禘祫皆合群廟之主，綴食於始祖，失禮莫甚。 When Taizu received the Mandate, he sacrificed at the temples of four close forebears; but tracing upward from Emperor Xi to the dynastic founder, the genealogy was lost. Officials perpetuated the old account, and at dì and xiá grouped all temple lords together and attached them to the founding ancestor—nothing was more contrary to ritual.

仰惟太祖受天明命，混一區宇，即其功德所起，宜祇享以正東向之尊。 Taizu received the Mandate of Heaven and unified the realm; considering where his merit began, he ought to receive the due dignity of the east-facing seat.

逮至仁宗，親行祫享，嘗議太祖東向，用昭正統之緒。 By Emperor Renzong's time, when he personally performed the xiá sacrifice, it was debated that Taizu should face east to clarify the legitimate succession.

當時在廷之臣，僉謂自古必以受命之祖乃居東向之位，本朝太祖乃受命之君，若論七廟之次，有僖祖以降四廟在上，當時大祫，止列昭穆而虛東向，蓋終不敢以非受命之祖而居之也。 Court ministers then unanimously held that since antiquity only the ancestor who received the Mandate occupies the east-facing seat, and Taizu was our dynasty's recipient of the Mandate; yet with four temples above him from Emperor Xi onward, at the great xiá only zhao and mu were arrayed while the east-facing seat was left vacant—because they dared not seat one who had not received the Mandate there.

馮京奏謂士大夫以太祖不得東向為恨，安石肆言以折之。 Feng Jing memorialized that scholar-officials resented Taizu's inability to face east; Anshi spoke boldly to refute them.

已而又欲罷太祖郊配，神宗以太祖開基受命，不許，安石終不以為然。 Later he also wished to abolish Taizu's pairing at the suburban sacrifice; Shenzong, holding that Taizu founded the dynasty and received the Mandate, refused, yet Anshi never accepted this.

循沿至今，太祖尚居第四室，遇大祫處昭穆之列。 Down to the present Taizu still occupies the fourth shrine and at the great xiá is placed among the zhao and mu.

今若正太祖東向之尊，委合《禮經》。」 If Taizu's east-facing dignity is now rectified, it will accord with the Ritual Canon."

臣竊以古者廟製異宮，則太祖居中，而群廟列其左右； I consider that in antiquity, when temples were separate structures, Taizu stood at the center with the group of temples to his left and right;

後世廟製同堂，則太祖居右，而諸室皆列其左。 in later ages, when temples shared one hall, Taizu stood on the right with all shrines to his left.

古者祫享，朝踐於堂，則太祖南向，而昭穆位於東西； In antiquity at the xiá, the morning presentation was in the hall, with Taizu facing south and zhao and mu east and west;

饋食於室，則太祖東向，而昭穆位於南北。 the feeding rite was in the chamber, with Taizu facing east and zhao and mu north and south.

後世祫享一於堂上，而用室中之位，故唯以東向為太祖之尊焉。 In later ages the xiá was performed entirely in the hall using chamber positions; only the east-facing seat expressed Taizu's dignity.

若夫群廟迭毀，而太祖不遷，則其禮尚矣。 As for the successive removal of other temples while Taizu was not moved, that rite was still honored.

臣故知太祖即廟之始祖，是為廟號，非諡號也。 I therefore know that Taizu is the temple's founding ancestor—this is a temple title, not a posthumous title.

惟我太宗嗣服之初，太祖廟號已定，雖更累朝，世次猶近，每於祫享，必虛東向之位，以其非太祖必不可居也。 When Taizong first succeeded, Taizu's temple title was already fixed; though generations passed, at each xiá the east-facing seat was left vacant, because only Taizu could occupy it.

迨至熙寧，又尊僖祖為廟之始祖，百世不遷，祫享東向，而太祖常居穆位，則名實舛矣。 By Xining, Emperor Xi was again honored as founding ancestor, never removed, facing east at the xiá while Taizu occupied the mu position—then name and reality diverged.

倘以熙寧之禮為是，僖祖當稱太祖，而太祖當改廟號。 If the Xining rite were correct, Emperor Xi should be called Taizu and Taizu's temple title changed.

然則太祖之名不正，前日之失大矣。 Then Taizu's name would be incorrect and the former error would be grave.

今宜奉太祖神主居第一室，永為廟之始祖。 Taizu's spirit tablet should now be placed in the first shrine as the temple's permanent founding ancestor.

三年一祫，則太祖正東向之位。 Once every three years at the xiá, Taizu should occupy the correct east-facing seat.

五年一禘，則迎宣祖神主享於太廟，而以太祖配焉。 Once every five years at the dì, Emperor Xuan's tablet should be brought to the Imperial Ancestral Temple with Taizu as paired ancestor.

上曰：「太祖皇帝開基創業，始受天命，祫享宜居東向之位。」 The emperor said: "Emperor Taizu founded the dynasty and first received the Mandate; at the xiá he ought to occupy the east-facing seat."

宰相趙鼎等奏曰：「三昭三穆，與太祖之廟而七，載在《禮經》，無可疑者。」 Chief Councilor Zhao Ding and others memorialized: "Three zhao and three mu together with Taizu's temple make seven, as recorded in the Ritual Canon—there is no doubt."

紹熙五年九月，太常少卿曾三復亦言：請祧宣祖，就正太祖東向之位，其言甚切。 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Shaoxi, Vice Director Zeng Sanfu also petitioned to remove Emperor Xuan and rectify Taizu's east-facing seat in earnest terms.

既而吏部尚書鄭僑等亦乞因大行祔廟之際，定宗廟萬世之禮，慰太祖在天之靈，破熙寧不經之論。 Shortly afterward Minister Zheng Qiao and others begged that at installation of the new spirit tablet during great mourning, the eternal ancestral temple rite be settled to comfort Taizu in Heaven and refute Xining's uncanonical theory.

今太祖為始祖，則太宗為昭，真宗為穆，自是而下以至孝宗，四昭四穆與太祖之廟而九。 With Taizu as founding ancestor, Taizong is zhao, Zhenzong mu, and down to Xiaozong—four zhao and four mu with Taizu's temple make nine.

至熙寧五年，王安石以私意使章衡等議，乃復祔僖祖以為始祖，又將推以配天，欲罷太祖郊配。 In the fifth year of Xining, Wang Anshi had Zhang Heng and others restore Emperor Xi as founding ancestor by private intent and wished to promote him to pair with Heaven and abolish Taizu's suburban pairing.

孫固慮其罷太祖配天，建議以僖祖權居東向之位。 Sun Gu, fearing abolition of Taizu's heavenly pairing, proposed that Emperor Xi provisionally occupy the east-facing seat.

閏十月，權禮部侍郎許及之言：「僖、順、翼、宣四祖，為太祖之祖考，所遷之主，恐不得藏於子孫之廟。 In the intercalary tenth month, Acting Vice Minister Xu Jizhi stated: "Emperors Xi, Shun, Yi, and Xuan, as Taizu's forebears—their removed tablets probably ought not be stored in descendants' temples.

今順、翼二祖藏於西夾室，實居太廟太祖之右。 Emperors Shun and Yi are now stored in the western side chamber, actually to Taizu's right in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

自漢、魏以來，太祖而上，毀廟之主皆不合食，今遇祫，則即廟而享，於禮尤稱。」 Since Han and Wei, dismantled ancestors above Taizu have not shared the feast; now at the xiá they would be honored at their own temple—especially fitting."

議者皆知其不安，特以其心欲尊奉太祖三年一袷時暫東向之故，其實無益於太祖之尊，而徒使僖祖、太祖兩朝威靈，相與校強弱於冥冥之中。 Deliberators know this is unsound, yet wish Taizu to face east temporarily every three years—this does not enhance Taizu's dignity but sets Emperors Xi and Taizu against each other in the unseen realm.

今但以太祖當日追尊帝號之令而默推之，則知今日太祖在天之靈，必有所不忍而不敢當矣。 Inferring from the day Taizu received his posthumous imperial title, his spirit in Heaven today would surely be unable to bear this.

又言：「當以僖祖為始祖，如周之後稷，太祖如周之文王，太宗如周之武王，與仁宗之廟，皆萬世不祧； He further stated: "Emperor Xi should be founding ancestor like Zhou's Hou Ji; Taizu like King Wen; Taizong like King Wu; with Renzong's temple—all never removed;

蓋自昌陵祔廟，逾二百年而後正太祖之位。 In all, more than two hundred years passed from installation at Changling until Taizu's seat was finally rectified.

夫尊僖祖以為始祖，是乃順太祖皇帝之孝心也。 Honoring Emperor Xi as founding ancestor follows Taizu's filial intent.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 70Volume 70: Hereditary House of Eastern Han · 6 passages

已而筠敗死，衛融被執至京師，太祖皇帝問融承鈞所以助筠反狀，融言不遜，太祖命以鐵楇擊其首，流血被面，融呼曰：「臣得死所矣！」 Yun fell; Wei Rong was captured; Song's Taizu asked how Chengjun helped the revolt; Rong answered rudely; an iron maul split his brow; he shouted, "A worthy death!"

太祖顧左右曰：「此忠臣也。」 Taizu told his men, "Here is loyalty."

太祖皇帝嘗因界上諜者謂承鈞曰：「君家與周氏為世仇，宜其不屈，今我與爾無所間，何為困此一方之人也？ Song's Taizu once told a border agent to ask Chengjun, "Your house and Zhou are ancient enemies—no wonder you resist; but I bear you no grudge—why make this pocket of land suffer?

太祖哀其言，笑謂諜者曰：「為我語承鈞，開爾一路以為生。」 Taizu was moved, smiled, and said, "Tell him I will leave him a road to live by."

王師北征，繼元閉城拒守，太祖皇帝以詔書招繼元出降，許以平盧軍節度使，郭無為安國軍節度使。 Song's northern expedition found Jiyuan behind closed walls; Taizu offered surrender—Jiyuan as governor of Pinglu, Youwei of Anguo.

初，太祖皇帝命引汾水浸其城，水自城門入，而有積草自城中飄出塞之。 Taizu had the Fen diverted to flood Taiyuan; water poured through the gates until grass bundles floated out from within and choked the breach.