Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler

Emperor Wu 武帝

Attested AD 266 - AD 290

Passages: 12
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Emperor Wu was a ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Sima Yan

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 266 to AD 290 武帝
Derived from the source · Book of Jin 93, passage 14

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Emperor Wen (文帝)
Emperor Wen as father of the heir 文帝
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 93, passage 30
Sibling of Sima You (齊王攸)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 30

Career and standing

Army-soothing General 撫軍
AD 260 帝為撫軍 · Held
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 34
emperor 踐阼
AD 266 帝踐阼 · Ascended
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 36
kingship 王位
AD 265 帝即王位後 · Assumed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 35
heir apparent 太子
AD 255 to AD 265 帝未立為太子…儲位遂定 · Established
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passages 30, 33

Places and affiliations

Polity Cao Wei 曹魏 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passages 30, 35
Polity Western Jin 西晉 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passages 14, 36

Works and attributed material

Agreed in jest
Spoken assent · Speaker · With Yang Xiu (羊琇) · Paraphrased
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 29
Handwritten edict · Author · With Yang Xiu (羊琇) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passages 54-56

Events and relationships

Answers approved; succession fixed
AD 265 儲位遂定 · Political · Heir · With Emperor Wen (文帝)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 33
Dismissed from office only
Legal · Authority · With Yang Xiu (羊琇)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 48
Relation Youthful companion of · Person Yang Xiu (羊琇)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 28

Assessments and attributes

Assessment reputation did not match younger brother You’s before heirship · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Jin 93, passage 30

References in the histories

Search passages

History

12 passages

Book of Jin, Chapter 93Volume 93 Biographies 63: Imperial Affines · 12 passages

楊駿藉武帝之寵私，叨竊非據，賈謐乘惠皇之蒙昧，成此厲階，遂使悼后遇雲林之災，湣懷濫湖城之酷。 Yang Jun parlayed Emperor Wu’s favor into a post he never deserved; Jia Mi exploited Emperor Hui’s weakness and laid the steps to ruin—so Empress Dao met disaster at Yunlin, and Min Huai suffered cruel abuse at Hucheng.

琇涉學有智算，少與武帝通門，甚相親狎，每接筵同席，嘗謂帝曰：「若富貴見用，任領護各十年。」 Yang Xiu was learned and shrewd; he had known Emperor Wu since youth and they were close. At shared meals he once said, ‘If I rise with you, give me ten years as chief of each guard command.’

帝戲而許之。 The emperor laughed and agreed.

初，帝未立為太子，而聲論不及弟攸，文帝素意重攸，恆有代宗之議。 Before Sima Yan was named heir, opinion favored his younger brother Sima You; Emperor Wen had always preferred You, and courtiers often spoke of making You the successor.

琇密為武帝畫策，甚有匡救。 Yang Xiu worked behind the scenes for Sima Yan and did much to steady his position.

又觀察文帝為政損益，揆度應所顧問之事，皆令武帝默而識之。 He also studied how Emperor Wen ran the government and guessed what questions might come up, then had Sima Yan commit the answers to memory.

其後文帝與武帝論當世之務及人間可否，武帝答無不允，由是儲位遂定。 When Emperor Wen later quizzed Sima Yan on policy and practical judgment, every reply was apt, and the succession was settled.

及帝為撫軍，命琇參軍事。 When Sima Yan became General Who Pacifies the Army, he put Yang Xiu on his military staff.

帝即王位後，擢琇為左衛將軍，封甘露亭侯。 After the emperor assumed the kingship, he raised Yang Xiu to General of the Left Guard and made him Marquis of Sweet-Dew Hamlet.

帝踐阼，累遷中護軍，加散騎常侍。 After Sima Yan became emperor, Yang Xiu rose step by step to Central Protector of the Army with the additional title of Regular Cavalier Attendant.

其後司隸校尉劉毅劾之，應至重刑，武帝以舊恩，直免官而已。 When Metropolitan Commandant Liu Yi impeached him, the case called for severe penalties, but Emperor Wu settled for stripping him of his post out of old friendship.

帝手詔曰：「琇與朕有先後之親，少小之恩，歷位外內，忠允茂著。 The emperor wrote by his own hand: ‘Yang Xiu is kin by marriage and has known Us since boyhood; he has served inside and outside the court with conspicuous loyalty.’