Song, Liao, and Jin · Ruler

Emperor Xizu 僖祖

Xizu

Attested AD 1059 - AD 1085

Passages: 23
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Xizu as a royal family member and ruler. This record brings together 23 passages from 3 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Xizu	僖祖	Xizu
Temple	Emperor Xi	僖祖	Xizu
Temple	Emperor Xizu	僖祖	Xizu
Title	Emperor Xizu
Temple	Xizu	僖祖	Xizu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · songshi:107:s0020, songshi:112:s0042

Roles

Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 哲宗本七日生…僖祖忌 · Western Year: AD 1085
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:112:s0040, songshi:112:s0042
Source Date: Text: 嘉祐四年十月 · Western Year: AD 1059
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:107:s0020
Source Date: Text: 治平四年九月壬午 · Western Year: AD 1067
Explicit · songshi:014:s0265
Source Date: Text: 熙寧八年 · Western Year: AD 1075
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:107:s0085

Family

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

Ancestor of Emperor Taizu (太祖)
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)
Spouse of Empress Wenyi (文懿皇后)
Kinship Term: empress / 皇后 · Union Category: primary-marriage
Parent of Emperor Shun (順祖)
Kinship Term: forefather / 祖考 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Line: paternal
Ancestor of Emperor Zhezong (哲宗)
Kinship Term: Xizu / 僖祖 · Line: paternal

Career and standing

Status: removed-from-temple · Action: removed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 治平四年 · Western Year: AD 1067
Explicit · songshi:107:s0168
Status: restored-as-founding-ancestor · Action: restored · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 熙寧五年 · Western Year: AD 1072
Explicit · songshi:107:s0169

Places and affiliations

Polity: Song / 宋 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · songshi:112:s0042

Events and relationships

Kind: ritual · Role: subject · Action: moved to distant-line ancestral status
Explicit · songshi:014:s0265

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

壬午，祧僖祖及文懿皇后。 On renwu, Xizu and Empress Wenyi were moved to distant-line status.

History of Song, Chapter 107Volume 107 Treatises 60: Rites 10 · 21 passages

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.

熙寧八年，有司言：「已尊僖祖為太廟始祖，孟夏禘祭，當正東向之位。」 In the eighth year of Xining, the responsible offices reported: "Now that Emperor Xi has been honored as the founding ancestor of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, at the summer dì sacrifice he should occupy the correct east-facing seat."

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.

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.

暨熙寧之初，僖祖以世次當祧，禮官韓維等據經有請，適王安石用事，奮其臆說，乃俾章衡建議，尊僖祖為始祖，肇居東向。 By the beginning of Xining, when Emperor Xi was due for removal by generational order, ritual officials including Han Wei petitioned on canonical grounds; Wang Anshi was then in power and pressed his private theory, causing Zhang Heng to propose honoring Emperor Xi as founding ancestor in the east-facing seat.

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.

又言：「治平四年，僖祖祧遷，藏在西夾室。 They further stated: "In the fourth year of Zhiping, Emperor Xi was removed and stored in the western side chamber.

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.

於是詔有司集議，吏部尚書兼侍讀鄭僑等言：「僖祖當用唐興聖之制，立為別廟，順祖、翼祖、宣祖之主皆祔藏焉。 An edict ordered deliberation. Zheng Qiao, Minister of Personnel and Imperial Reader, and others stated: "Emperor Xi should follow the Tang system for Emperor Xingsheng as a separate temple, with Emperors Shun, Yi, and Xuan enshrined there.

如此，則僖祖自居別廟之尊，三祖不祔子孫之廟。 Thus Emperor Xi would hold separate-temple dignity while the three ancestors would not be enshrined in descendants' temples.

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.

又況僖祖祧主遷於治平，不過數年，神宗復奉以為始祖，已為得禮之正而合於人心，所謂『有其舉之，莫敢廢者』。」 Emperor Xi's tablet was removed in Zhiping, yet Shenzong soon restored him as founding ancestor—already correct ritual accordant with hearts; 'when someone undertakes it, none dare abolish it.'"

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;

又言：「元祐大儒程頤以為王安石言『僖祖不當祧』，復立廟為得禮。 He further stated: "Great scholar Cheng Yi of Yuanyou held that Anshi's view that Emperor Xi ought not be removed and restoring a temple obtained ritual.

上再三稱善，且曰：「僖祖自不當祧，高宗即位時不曾祧，壽皇即位，太上即位，亦不曾祧，今日豈可容易？ The emperor repeatedly expressed approval and said: "Emperor Xi ought not to be removed; when Gaozong ascended the throne he was not removed, when Emperor Xiaozong ascended, when the Retired Emperor ascended, he was likewise not removed—how can this be done lightly today?

慶元二年四月，禮部太常寺言：「已於太廟之西，別建僖祖廟，及告遷僖、順、翼、宣帝後神主詣僖祖廟奉安。 In the fourth month of the second year of Qingyuan, the Ministry of Rites and Court of Imperial Sacrifices reported: "A separate temple for Emperor Xi has been built west of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the tablets of Emperors Xi, Shun, Yi, and Xuan have been escorted there for installation.

其一，純用朱熹之說，謂本朝廟製未合於古，因畫為圖，謂僖祖如周後稷，當為本朝始祖。 The first wholly adopts Zhu Xi's theory, holding our temple design uncanonical; in his diagram Emperor Xi, like Zhou's Hou Ji, should be founding ancestor.

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.

History of Song, Chapter 112Volume 112 Treatises 65: Rites 15 · 1 passage

哲宗本七日生，以避僖祖忌，故後一日。 Zhezong was actually born on the seventh day, but the observance was moved one day later to avoid the taboo anniversary of Emperor Xizu.