Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler

Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝

Liang Wudi

Died AD 549

Passages
191
Chapters
33
Histories
8

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Wu of Liang as a general, musician, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 191 passages from 33 chapters across 8 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝 Liang Wudi
Title emperor 皇帝
Title emperor
Title Emperor 皇帝
Temple name Emperor Gaozu 高祖 Gaozu
Title Emperor Gaozu 高祖
Regnal Emperor Wu 武帝 Wudi
Temple name Emperor Wu 武帝
Title Emperor Wu 武帝
Temple Emperor Wu 武帝 Wudi
Title Emperor Wu 武帝 Wudi
Temple Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝 Liang Wudi
Regnal Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝
Title Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝
Temple name Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝
Title Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝 Liang Wudi
Regnal name Emperor Wu of Liang 梁武帝
Posthumous Emperor Wu of Liang 高祖武皇帝 Xiao Yan
Title Founding Emperor 高祖
Title Founding Emperor 高祖 Gaozu
Temple name Gaozu 高祖 Gaozu
Temple name Gaozu 高祖 Gāozǔ
Temple name Gaozu 高祖
Temple Gaozu 高祖
Temple Gaozu 高祖 Gāozǔ
Temple name High Ancestor 高祖
Title Liang Gaozu 高祖
Posthumous name Martial Emperor 武皇帝 Wu huangdi
Nickname old man Xiao Yan 蕭衍老公
Title the Emperor
Personal name Xiao Yan 蕭衍 Xiao Yan
Personal Xiao Yan 蕭衍 Xiāo Yǎn
Personal Xiao Yan 蕭衍 Xiao Yan
Personal name Xiao Yan 蕭衍 Xiāo Yǎn
Personal Xiao Yan Xiao Yan
Personal name Yan Yan
Personal Yan Yan

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • General
  • Musician
  • Royal Family Member
  • Ruler
  • Scholar
  • Warlord
  • Writer

Life and dates

Death

  • Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太清三年五月丙辰 · Western Year: AD 549
    Explicit · liangshu:004:s0029

Attested activity

Family

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

  • Parent of Emperor Xuan (高宗)
    Kinship Term: Crown Prince / 太子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
    Kinship Term: sons / 諸子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
    Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Subject Birth Order: 3 · Line: paternal
  • Child of Xiao Shunzhi (蕭順之)
    Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Line: paternal
    Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
  • Parent of Xiao Tong (蕭統)
    Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Subject Birth Order: 1
    Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Line: paternal
  • Parent of Xiao Zong (蕭綜)
    Kinship Term: his Prince of Yuzhang / 其豫章王 · Parentage: biological
  • Spouse of Honored Concubine Ding (丁貴嬪)
    Kinship Term: honored concubine / 貴嬪 · Union Category: concubinage · Relationship State: active
  • Spouse of Honored Consort Mu (穆貴嬪)
    Kinship Term: honored consort / 貴嬪 · Union Category: secondary-marriage · Parentage: uncertain
  • Kin of Sima Zichan (子產)
    Kinship Term: maternal elder brother / 外兄 · Line: maternal · Subject Role: younger-kinsman · Object Role: maternal-elder-brother
    Kinship Term: maternal elder brother / 外兄 · Line: maternal · Subject Role: maternal-elder-brother · Object Role: younger-kinsman
  • Kin of Xiao Fan (蕭範)
    Kinship Term: Prince of Poyang / 鄱陽王 · Line: paternal
  • Kin of Prince Cha of Yueyang (岳陽王察)
    Kinship Term: Prince of Yueyang / 岳陽王 · Subject Role: imperial-kinsman · Object Role: emperor
  • Parent of Xiao Ji (蕭紀)
    Kinship Term: sons / 諸子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
  • Parent of Xiao Lun (蕭綸)
    Kinship Term: sons / 諸子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
  • Parent of Xiao Yi (湘東王繹)
    Kinship Term: sons / 諸子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Learning and skills

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: accepted Hou Jing after adopting Zhu Yi's advice and recalling his dream · Other Person Id: Hou Jing (侯景) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太清元年 · Regnal Year: 1 · Western Year: AD 547
    Explicit event contextual date · liangshu:038:s0035, liangshu:038:s0043
  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: became angry at He Chen's memorial and dictated a detailed rebuke
  • Kind: diplomatic · Role: recipient · Action: broke-gold-in-answer · Other Person Id: Wang Zhenguo (王珍國)
    Explicit · liangshu:017:s0022
  • Kind: cultural · Role: ruler · Action: changed-Nine-Summers-to-Twelve-Elegances
  • Kind: music-naming · Role: renamer · Action: changed-nine-summers-to-twelve-elegances
  • Kind: dream · Role: dreamer · Action: dreamed that the Central Plains were pacified · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太清元年 · Regnal Year: 1 · Western Year: AD 547 · Provenance: Mode: dream · Source Person Id: Emperor Wu of Liang (梁武帝)
    Explicit event contextual date · liangshu:038:s0034
  • Kind: religious lecture · Role: lecturer · Action: lectured on the Sutra of Three Wisdoms · Place: Tongtai Temple / 同泰寺 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 中大同元年 · Western Year: AD 546
  • Kind: music-invention · Role: inventor · Action: made-four-sitong-and-twelve-flutes
  • Kind: administrative · Role: authority · Action: ordered-adoption-of-calendar · Other Person Id: Zu Chongzhi (祖沖之) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 天監九年正月 · Month: 1 · Western Year: AD 510
    Explicit · liaoshi:042:s0221
  • Kind: scholarly · Role: lecturer · Action: personally lectured on the Classic of Filial Piety · Other Person Id: Zhu Yi (朱异)
    Explicit · liangshu:038:s0024
  • Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: praised Xie Lan's eulogy and ordered compositions
    Explicit · liangshu:047:s0264
  • Kind: music-theory · Role: theorist · Action: produced-eighty-four-modes
  • Kind: political · Role: addressee · Action: received petition · Other Person Id: Xiao Zixian (蕭子顯)
    Explicit · nanqishu:060:s0002
  • Kind: military · Action: sent troops to besiege Guancheng · Other Person Id: Gou Jinlong (苟金龍)
    Explicit · weishu:098:s0185

Assessments and attributes

Source notes

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 29Volume 29 Biographies 21: Li Hun; Zi Zhan; Hun Dihui; Zuzi Gongxu; Li Yu; Di Jin; Zu Dixiao; Zheng Shuzu; Zi Yuande · 4 passages
Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 30Volume 30 Biographies 22: Cui Xian; Gao Dezheng; Cui Ang · 1 passage
Book of Chen, Chapter 25Volume 25: Pei Ji; Sun Yang · 1 passage
Book of Chen, Chapter 29Volume 29: Zong Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zheng · 1 passage
Book of Chen, Chapter 32Volume 32: Filial Piety · 3 passages
Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 144Volume 144: Treatises 6 Music 1 · 1 passage
Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 145Volume 145: Treatises 7 Music 2 · 3 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 4Volume 4: Emperor Jianwen · 7 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 8Volume 8: Crown Prince Zhaoming; Crown Prince Ai; Crown Prince Minhuai · 14 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 14Volume 14: Jiang Yan; Ren Fang · 10 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 15Volume 15: Xie Fei; Xie Lan · 9 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 17Volume 17: Wang Zhenguo; Ma Xianpin; Zhang Qi · 14 passages
十二月丙寅旦,珍國引稷於衛尉府,勒兵入自雲龍門,卽東昏於內殿斬之,與稷會尚書僕射王亮等於西鐘下,使中書舍人裴長穆等奉東昏首歸高祖。 On the morning of day bingyin in the twelfth month, Zhenguo led Ji to the Ministry of Guard headquarters, mustered troops through Cloud Dragon Gate, and at once beheaded Donghun in the inner hall; with Ji he met right vice director Wang Liang and others below the western bell and had palace scribe Pei Changmu and others present Donghun's head to Gaozu.
Book of Liang, Chapter 19Volume 19: Zong Guai; Liu Tan; Yue Ai · 2 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 24Volume 24: Xiao Jing; Xiao Chang; Xiao Ang; Xiao Yu · 14 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 31Volume 31: Yuan Ang; Yuan Junzheng · 4 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 36Volume 36: Kong Xiuyuan; Jiang Ge · 15 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 37Volume 37: Xie Ju; He Jingrong · 5 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 38Volume 38: Zhu Yi; He Chen · 22 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 42Volume 42: Zang Dun; Zang Jue; Fu Qi · 7 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 43Volume 43: Wei Can; Jiang Ziyi; Jiang Zisi; Jiang Ziwu; Zhang Sheng; Shen Jun; Liu Jingli · 4 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 47Volume 47: Filial Acts · 1 passage
Book of Liang, Chapter 52Volume 52: The Self-Sufficient · 5 passages
History of Liao, Chapter 42Volume 42 Treatises 12: Celestial Phenomena 1 · 1 passage
Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 60Preface · 1 passage
Book of Wei, Chapter 24Volume 20: Emperor Wencheng's Five Princes · 3 passages
Book of Wei, Chapter 27Volume 22: Emperor Xiaowen's Five Princes · 3 passages
Book of Wei, Chapter 30Volume 25: Zhang Sunsong, Zhangsun Daosheng · 1 passage
Book of Wei, Chapter 86Volume 81: Qi Jun, Shan Wei, Liu Renzhi, Yuwen Zhongzhi · 1 passage
Book of Wei, Chapter 93Volume 87: Morality and Righteousness: Yu Shenmen, Duan Jin, Shi Wende, Ji Gu, Wang Xuanwei, Lou Ti, Liu Kehou · 5 passages
Book of Wei, Chapter 98Volume 92: Notable Women: Cui Lan's Consort Feng, Feng Zhuo's Consort Liu, Wei Pu's Consort Fang, Hu Changming's Consort Zhang · 1 passage
Book of Wei, Chapter 110Volume 104: Author's Preface · 6 passages
Book of Wei, Chapter 111Volume 105a Treatise 1: Celestial Phenomena 1 · 3 passages
Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Chapter 159Volume 159 Liang Records 15 · 19 passages