Emperor Xianwen of Wei (魏獻文皇帝)

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Xianwen of Wei as a royal family member and ruler. This record brings together 13 passages from 7 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Xianwen of Wei	魏獻文皇帝	Wèi Xiànwén huángdì
Temple name	Emperor Xianwen	獻文皇帝	Xiànwén huángdì
Temple	Emperor Xianwen	獻文皇帝	Xiànwén huángdì
Title	Emperor Xianwen	獻文皇帝
Title	Emperor Xianwen	顯文帝
Title	Emperor Xianwen of Wei	魏獻文皇帝
Title	Emperor Xianzu
Temple	Emperor Xianzu	顯祖	Xianzu
Temple	Emperor Xianzu	顯祖	Xiǎnzǔ
Personal	Xianwen	獻文	Xiànwén
Posthumous name	Xianwen	獻文	Xianwen
Temple	Xianzu	顯祖	Xiǎnzǔ
Temple name	Xianzu	顯祖	Xianzu
Temple name	Xianzu	顯祖	Xiǎnzǔ

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · weishu:024:s0122, weishu:086:s0033, weishu:092:s0042, weishu:098:s0102
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · weishu:039:s0035, weishu:093:s0044, weishu:093:s0053, weishu:093:s0054

Roles

Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 獻文朝 · Western Year: AD 465
Strongly inferred · beiqishu:028:s0002
Source Date: Text: 獻文皇帝 · Western Interval: Start: AD 465 · End: AD 476
Explicit · weishu:024:s0122, weishu:024:s0003
Source Date: Text: 顯祖 · Western Interval: Start: AD 465 · End: AD 471
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:086:s0033
Source Date: Text: 顯祖在位 · Western Interval: Start: AD 465 · End: AD 471
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:039:s0035
Source Date: Text: 顯祖時 · Western Interval: Start: AD 466 · End: AD 471
Explicit · weishu:092:s0042
Source Date: Text: 高祐為兗州刺史 · Western Interval: Start: AD 471 · End: AD 499
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:093:s0042
Source Date: Text: 魏世 · Western Interval: Start: AD 386 · End: AD 534
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:098:s0102

Family

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

Ancestor of Yuan Tan (元坦)
Kinship Term: grandfather / 祖 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal
Ancestor of Yuan Bin (元斌)
Kinship Term: grandfather / 祖 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal
Child of Empress Xiaoyuan (孝元皇后)
Kinship Term: bore / 生 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Child of Emperor Wencheng (文成皇帝)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Parent of Yuan Xi (元禧)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parent of Yuan Yong (元雍)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological

Career and standing

Action: specially pardoned · Person Id: Sun Nanyu (孫氏男玉) · Reason: righteous vengeance
Explicit · weishu:098:s0102

Places and affiliations

Label: Northern Wei / 魏 · Relation: served
Explicit · weishu:039:s0035
Polity: Northern Wei / 北魏 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · weishu:092:s0042

Works and attributed material

Kind: edict · Role: issuer · Other Person Id: Sun Nanyu (孫氏男玉) · Quoted: true · Provenance: Mode: direct-quotation · Source Person Id: Emperor Xianwen of Wei (魏獻文皇帝)
Explicit · weishu:098:s0102

Events and relationships

Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Changle (長樂)
Explicit · weishu:024:s0003

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0001

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 28Volume 28 Biographies 20: Yuan Tan (Eastern Wei); Yuan Bin; Yuan Xiaoyou; Yuan Huiye; Yuan Bi; Yuan Shao (Eastern Wei) · 2 passages

Open chapter

元坦，祖魏獻文皇帝，咸陽王禧第七子。 Yuan Tan's grandfather was Emperor Xianwen of Wei; he was the seventh son of Prince Xianyang Xi.

元斌，字善集，祖魏獻文皇帝。 Yuan Bin, styled Shanji — his grandfather was Emperor Xianwen of Wei.

Book of Wei, Chapter 24Volume 20: Emperor Wencheng's Five Princes · 2 passages

Open chapter

文成皇帝七男：孝元皇后生獻文皇帝。 Emperor Wencheng had seven sons: Empress Xiaoyuan bore Emperor Xianwen.

長樂性凝重，顯祖器愛之。 Changle was sober and steady in temperament; Xianzu prized and favored him.

Book of Wei, Chapter 39Volume 34: Wang Luo Er, Che Lutou, Lu Luyuan, Chen Jian, Wan Anguo · 3 passages

Open chapter

後定州弟升為侍御中散，有寵於顯祖，以祖父洛兒著勳先朝，詔復定州爵為公。 Later Dingzhou's younger brother Sheng became an attendant in the imperial escort and won favor with Emperor Xianzu; because their grandfather Luoer had earned distinction under the previous reign, an edict restored Dingzhou's rank to duke.

獻文皇帝髫齓龍飛，道光率土，干戚暫舞，淮海從風，車書既同，華裔將一。 Emperor Xianwen took the throne while still a child; his radiance shone across the realm; when arms were briefly raised, the Huai and Hai regions bowed to the wind; chariots and writing were unified, and Chinese and barbarian were on the verge of becoming one.

顯祖特親寵之，與同臥起，為立第宅，賞賜至巨萬。 Emperor Xianzu favored him with special intimacy, sharing his bed and his daily routine, built him a mansion, and lavished rewards upon him to the sum of tens of thousands.

Book of Wei, Chapter 86Volume 81: Qi Jun, Shan Wei, Liu Renzhi, Yuwen Zhongzhi · 1 passage

Open chapter

為奏事中散，從顯祖獵方山，有兩狐起於御前，詔強射之，百步內二狐俱獲。 As a memorial-presenting palace attendant, he followed Emperor Xianzu hunting at Mount Fang; two foxes broke cover before the imperial carriage, and the emperor ordered Qiang to shoot—within a hundred paces he took both.

Book of Wei, Chapter 92Volume 86: Filial Piety: Zhao Yan, Zhang Sunlu, Qifu Bao, Sun Yide, Dong Luosheng, Yang Yin · 1 passage

Open chapter

父居，顯祖時為散騎常侍，領牧曹尚書，賜爵寧國侯。 His father Ju, in Emperor Xianzu's reign, was Regular Attendant and head of the Pasturage and Herds Office of the Ministry, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Ning.

Book of Wei, Chapter 93Volume 87: Morality and Righteousness: Yu Shenmen, Duan Jin, Shi Wende, Ji Gu, Wang Xuanwei, Lou Ti, Liu Kehou · 3 passages

Open chapter

顯祖崩，玄威立草廬於州城門外，衰裳蔬粥，哭踴無時。 When Emperor Xianwen died, Xuanwei built a grass hut outside the prefectural gate, wore hemp mourning dress, lived on vegetables and gruel, and wept and stamped in grief without cease.

顯祖時為內三郎。 Under Emperor Xianwen he served as an inner palace guard of the third rank.

顯祖暴崩，提謂人曰：「聖主升遐，安用活為！」 When the emperor died suddenly, Lou Ti said to those around him, "Our sage lord has departed—why should I go on living?"

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

Open chapter

顯祖詔曰：「男玉重節輕身，以義犯法，緣情定罪，理在可原，其特恕之。」 Emperor Xianzu issued an edict: "Nanyu prized integrity above her own life and broke the law in the name of righteousness. Given the circumstances, she deserves mercy—let her be specially pardoned."