Emperor Wenzong of Tang (文宗)

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Wenzong of Tang as a musician and ruler. This record brings together 16 passages from 7 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Wenzong of Tang	文宗	Wenzong
Title	Emperor Wenzong	文宗
Personal	Emperor Wenzong	文宗	Wenzong
Title	Emperor Wenzong	文宗	Wenzong
Temple	Emperor Wenzong	文宗	Wénzōng
Temple name	Wenzong	文宗	Wenzong
Temple name	Wenzong	文宗	Wénzōng
Temple name	Wenzong	文宗
Temple	Wenzong	文宗	Wenzong

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0107, xintangshu:022:s0109, xintangshu:044:s0186, xintangshu:172:s0100
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:052:s0229, xintangshu:161:s0189, xintangshu:175:s0199
Value: male
Explicit · xintangshu:184:s0148

Roles

Musician
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 大和八年 · Western Year: AD 834
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0186, xintangshu:044:s0185
Source Date: Text: 太和初 · Western Interval: Start: AD 827 · End: AD 835
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:175:s0212
Source Date: Text: 文宗 · Western Interval: Start: AD 827 · End: AD 835
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:161:s0189
Source Date: Text: 文宗 · Western Interval: Start: AD 826 · End: AD 840
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0107, xintangshu:022:s0109
Source Date: Text: 文宗嘗召監倉御史崔虞 · Western Interval: Start: AD 826 · End: AD 840
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0232
Source Date: Text: 文宗大和九年 · Western Year: AD 835
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0229
Source Date: Text: 文宗時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 827 · End: AD 840
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:184:s0148
Source Date: Text: 文宗立 · Western Year: AD 827
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:175:s0199
Source Date: Text: 開成初 · Western Year: c. AD 836
Explicit · xintangshu:172:s0100

Family

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

Parent of Princess Zhenyuan (真源長公主)
Kinship Term: princess / 公主 · Parentage: biological · Certainty: strongly-inferred
Parent of Princess Linzhen (臨真公主)
Kinship Term: princess / 公主 · Parentage: biological · Certainty: strongly-inferred

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0229
Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0186

Works and attributed material

Kind: marriage policy speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · xintangshu:172:s0162
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Cui Yu (崔虞)
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0233
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · xintangshu:022:s0109
Kind: speech · Role: speaker
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0186, xintangshu:044:s0189

Events and relationships

Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: assigned remnant cash as ever-normal and charity granary capital
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0229
Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: questioned Cui Yu on Great Granary stores and ordered inspections
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0232, xintangshu:052:s0234
Kind: examination · Role: issuer · Action: set-exam-topics
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0186
Relation: favored · Person Id: Lu Qun (路群)
Explicit · xintangshu:184:s0148

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xintangshu:044:s0186, xintangshu:172:s0100

References in the histories

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

New Book of Tang, Chapter 22Volume 22 Treatises 12: Rites and Music 12 · 1 passage

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文宗好雅樂，詔太常卿馮定采開元雅樂制《雲韶法曲》及《霓裳羽衣舞曲》。 Wenzong favored court music and had Feng Ding draw on Kaiyuan elegant pieces to create Cloud Suite Fa Tune and Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe dance music.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 44Volume 44 Treatises 39: Selecting and Appointing Officials 1 · 3 passages

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文宗從內出題以試進士，謂侍臣曰：「吾患文格浮薄，昨自出題，所試差勝。」 Emperor Wenzong set the examination topics himself and told his ministers: "I worry that literary standards have grown shallow; the compositions from yesterday's examination, for which I set the topics myself, were somewhat better."

是時，文宗好學嗜古，鄭覃以經術位宰相，深嫉進士浮薄，屢請罷之。 Wenzong loved learning and antiquity; Zheng Tan, a classicist who had risen to chief minister, deeply resented the Jinshi degree's superficiality and repeatedly petitioned to abolish it.

文宗曰：「敦厚浮薄，色色有之，進士科取人二百年矣，不可遽廢。」 Wenzong replied: "Solid worth and superficiality exist in every walk of life. The Jinshi examination has selected officials for two hundred years—it cannot be abolished overnight."

New Book of Tang, Chapter 52Volume 52 Treatises 48: Finance and Economics 2 · 3 passages

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文宗大和九年，以天下回殘錢置常平義倉本錢，歲增市之。 In Wenzong Dahe 9, remnant coin was assigned as ever-normal and charity granary capital, replenished by annual purchases.

文宗嘗召監倉御史崔虞問太倉粟數，對曰：「有粟二百五十萬石。」 Wenzong asked supervising granary censor Cui Yu how much grain the Great Granary held; he answered, "2.5 million shi."

帝曰：「今歲費廣而所畜寡，奈何？」 The emperor said: "Expenses are high and stores low—what can be done?"

New Book of Tang, Chapter 161Volume 161 Biographies 86: Zhang, Zhao, Li, Zheng, Xu, Wang, Feng, Yu · 1 passage

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文宗將立魯王為太子，慎選師傅，敬休以戶部侍郎兼魯王傅。 When Wenzong was about to establish the Prince of Lu as heir apparent and carefully chose tutors, Jingxiu served as vice minister of revenue concurrently as tutor to the Prince of Lu.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 172Volume 172 Biographies 97: Yu, Wang, Two Du's, Fan · 5 passages

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溫固執，文宗諭而止。 Wei held firm until Wenzong instructed him to stop.

開成初，文宗欲以真源、臨真二公主降士族，謂宰相曰：「民間脩婚姻，不計官品而上閥閱。 Early in Kaicheng, Wenzong meant to marry the Princesses Zhenyuan and Linzhen into great clans and told his chief ministers: "Common folk arranging marriages care nothing for office and everything for pedigree.

帝聞異之，轉太仆、衛尉二少卿，歷左右金吾大將軍。 The emperor, struck by his words, moved him through the vice directorships of the Stud and Guard courts and then the Left and Right commands of the Golden Guard.

久之，復拜司農卿，入謝，帝曰：「卿用法深，信乎？」 Long afterward he was reappointed Director of the National Granaries; at his audience of thanks the emperor asked, "They say you enforce the law harshly—is it true?"

帝許之。 The emperor agreed.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 175Volume 175 Biographies 100: Dou, Liu, Two Zhangs, Yang, Xiong, Bai · 2 passages

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文宗立，韋處厚秉政，詔望因緣險薄，營密職，圖褻幸，讙沸眾議，貶漳州司戶參軍。 Under Wenzong, Wei Chuhou ruled and condemned Wang for scheming toward secret posts and imperial intimacy; the uproar sent him to Zhangzhou as army aide.

諸將嫉耆功，比奏攢詆，文宗不獲已，貶耆循州司戶參軍、亞之南康尉。 Generals jealous of Ji's glory piled accusations; Wenzong, constrained, demoted Ji to Xunzhou army aide and Yazhi to Nan Kang aide.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 184Volume 184 Biographies 109: Ma, Yang, Lu, Lu · 1 passage

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累官中書舍人、翰林學士承旨，文宗優遇之。 He rose to Secretariat Drafter and Chief Hanlin Academician, and Emperor Wenzong treated him with special favor.