Guiyan (歸彥) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Guiyan as an aristocrat, general, and rebel. This record brings together 32 passages from 1 chapter across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Guiyan	歸彥
Courtesy	Renying	仁英

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · beiqishu:014:s0137

Roles

Aristocrat
General
Rebel

Life and dates

Death

Manner: execution · Place: Ye / 鄴 · Companions: Kinship Role: descendants · Count: 15
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0202

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 天保元年 · Western Year: AD 550
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0150
Source Date: Text: 河清 / 天統 / 武平間謀反 · Western Year: AD 565
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:014:s0174

Family

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

Parent of Hui (徽)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Generation Distance: 1 · Line: paternal
Kin of Lady Wang (王氏)
Kinship Term: birth mother / 生母王氏
Sibling of Guiyi (歸義)
Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Subject Relative Age: younger
Child of Lady Wang (王氏)
Kinship Term: gave birth to / 生 · Parentage: biological
Kin of Lady Mu (穆)
Kinship Term: Lady Mu / 穆
Spouse of Lady Kang (康)
Kinship Term: principal consort / 嫡妃 · Union Category: primary-marriage
Spouse of Yuan Tianmu’s daughter
Kinship Term: wife / 妻 · Union Category: marriage
Kin of Gao Huan (高歡)
Kinship Term: younger paternal-clan kinsman / 族弟

Kinship Role: descendants · Count: 15 · Note: executed together
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0202

Career and standing

Label: Grand Tutor, holding the title Minister over the Masses / 太傅、司徒 · Action: advanced to
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0169
Label: Grand Preceptor, Governor of Ji Province / 太宰、冀州刺史 · Action: appointed, effectively demoted from court
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0177
Label: Minister over the Masses / 司徒 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 幹明初 · Western Year: c. AD 560
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0157
Label: Grand General of the Army Command / 領軍大將軍 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0154
Label: Minister of Works, concurrently Director of the Masters of Writing / 司空、尚書令 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0166
Label: Acting Shilang / 兼侍郎 · Action: summoned to serve as
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0153
Title: Governor of Renzhou / 仁州刺史 · Action: granted posthumously
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0203
Title: privilege of three armed retainers in the guard of honor / 私部曲三人帶刀入仗 · Action: granted
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0169
Title: gauze cap / 紗帽 · Action: specially granted as a mark of favor
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0167
Title: Duke of Changle Commandery / 長樂郡公 · Action: enfeoffed · Date Context: Qualitative: for merit in the campaign against Hou Jing
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0154
Title: Prince of Pingqin / 平秦王 · Action: enfeoffed
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0150
Status: executed · Action: condemned by court deliberation as unpardonable and executed by cart with fifteen descendants in the market · Authority Person Id: Liu Taozhi (劉桃枝)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0200, beiqishu:014:s0201, beiqishu:014:s0202
Status: denounced · Action: denounced by his chief clerk Lü Sili for plotting rebellion · Authority Person Id: Lü Sili (呂思禮)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0184
Status: denounced · Action: denounced by Yuanhai, Bi Yiyun, and Gao Qianhe for his faults · Authority Person Id: Gao Yuanhai (高元海)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0174
Status: imprisoned-and-executed-officials · Action: pursued, captured, imprisoned, and killed five officials of Ji Province who had suspected him of disloyalty
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0186
Status: punished · Action: struck on the forehead with a horsewhip by Wenxuan until blood covered his face, over his misshapen skull · Authority Person Id: Gao Yang (高洋)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0208

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Action: shouted from the ramparts that he had not rebelled when he escorted the new emperor, and blamed Gao Yuanhai, Bi Yiyun, and Gao Qianhe
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0187, beiqishu:014:s0188, beiqishu:014:s0189
Kind: interrogation-response · Role: speaker · Action: told Rui he rebelled because he was made to be dragged about by "yellow-chinned boys," and blamed Yuanhai and Qianhe · Other Person Id: Rui (叮)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0192, beiqishu:014:s0193, beiqishu:014:s0194, beiqishu:014:s0195, beiqishu:014:s0197, beiqishu:014:s0198, beiqishu:014:s0199
Kind: prophecy · Role: addressee · Action: was told by Wenxuan that the stone horns would be used to frighten the Han if he rebelled after serving Changguang
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0206

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: defeated rebel · Action: fled north alone on horseback after the city fell, was captured at Jiaojin, and was sent chained to Ye
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0190
Kind: political · Role: informant · Action: learned of Yang Yin and Yan’s plot against two princes and secretly resented them, then feigned support and warned Prince of Changguang through Yuanhai · Other Person Id: Prince Zhan of Changguang (長廣王湛)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0159, beiqishu:014:s0160, beiqishu:014:s0161, beiqishu:014:s0162
Kind: political · Role: gatekeeper · Action: persuaded Cheng Xiuning to allow Xiaozhao to enter the Cloud-Dragon Gate, Cypress Pavilion, and Eternal Lane · Other Person Id: Cheng Xiuning (成休甯)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0164
Kind: military · Role: rebel · Action: shut himself within the city walls after learning troops were closing in, having plotted to seize Ye while the emperor was away
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0183, beiqishu:014:s0185
Kind: political · Role: excluded courtier · Action: was barred from the palace by edict and sent away with gifts but no further audience
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0178, beiqishu:014:s0179, beiqishu:014:s0180, beiqishu:014:s0181
Kind: political · Role: escort · Action: went from Jinyang to welcome Wucheng to Ye when Xiaozhao died · Other Person Id: Prince Zhan of Changguang (長廣王湛)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0168

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: his power overshadowed the throne and would surely bring disaster · Provenance: Mode: court-opinion
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0172
Assessment: was favored all the more and ranked above Duan Shao at every audience · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0165
Kind: character · Statement: his ambition brimmed over, and his speech grew overbearing as if no one else were present
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0171
Kind: character · Statement: plain and unpolished in youth, but later became unrestrained and fond of music, women, drink, and song
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0148
Kind: physical-description · Statement: had three ridges on his forehead bone so that a headcloth would not sit properly
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0207
Item: Gao Dezheng’s gold, jewels, wealth, and property / 金寶財貨 · Relation: bestowed · Other Person Id: Gao Dezheng (高德正)
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0156
Item: two stone horns found in Wei times / 石角二 · Relation: received
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0204, beiqishu:014:s0205

Source notes

Statement: exiled at nine years old with Hui from Hezhou into Luoyang and raised alongside Gao Huan’s own sons
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0212
Statement: his words of rebellion were fulfilled in the end
Explicit · beiqishu:014:s0209

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 14Volume 14 Biographies 6: Guangping Gongcheng; Yangzhou Gong Yongle; Di Zhangbi; Prince of Xiangle, Xiang Guo; Prince of Shangluo, Si Zong; Zi Yuanhai; Di Sihao; Prince of Pingqin, Guiyan; Prince Pu of Wuxing; Changle, Governor of Lingshan; Sizi Fuhu · 32 passages

Open chapter

廣平公盛陽州公永樂弟長弼襄樂王顯國上洛王思宗子元海弟思好平秦王歸彥武興王普長樂太守靈山嗣子伏護 Duke Sheng of Guangping; Duke Yongle of Yangzhou; younger brother Changbi; Prince Xianguo of Xiangle; Prince Sizong of Shangluo; son Yuanhai; younger brother Sihao; Prince Guiyan of Pingqin; Prince Pu of Wuxing; Lingshan, Governor of Changle; successor son Fuhu

昭帝以為濟南應之，乃使平秦王歸彥之鄴，迎濟南赴幷州。 Gao Yan thought the Prince of Ji'nan corresponded to it; he therefore sent Prince Guiyan of Pingqin to Ye to welcome the Prince of Ji'nan to Bing Province.

今集文武，示以此勑，執豐樂，斬歸彥，尊濟南，號令天下，以順討逆，此萬世一時也。」 Now gather the civil and military officials, display this edict, seize Fengle, behead Guiyan, honor the Prince of Ji'nan, and proclaim to the realm — with righteousness to punish rebellion, this would be a once-in-ten-thousand-generations opportunity."

平秦王歸彥，字仁英，神武族弟也。 Prince of Pingqin Guiyan, courtesy name Renying, was a younger cousin of Gao Huan.

初徽嘗過長安市，與婦人王氏私通而生歸彥，至是年已九歲。 Hui had once passed through the Chang'an market and had an affair with a woman of the Wang clan, who gave birth to Guiyan; by this time the boy was already nine.

歸彥少質朴，後更改節，放縱好聲色，朝夕酣歌。 Guiyan was plain and unpolished in youth, but later changed his ways, gave himself over to sensual pleasures, and drank and sang day and night.

妻魏上黨王元天穆女也，貌不美而甚驕妒，數忿爭，密啟文宣求離，事寢不報。 His wife was a daughter of Yuan Tianmu, Prince of Shangdang of Wei. She was not beautiful and was extremely arrogant and jealous; after repeated angry quarrels, Guiyan secretly petitioned Wenxuan for a separation, but the matter was shelved without reply.

領軍加大，自歸彥始也。 The expanded title of Grand General of the Army Command began with Guiyan.

文宣誅高德正，金寶財貨悉以賜之。 When Wenxuan executed Gao Dezheng, he gave Guiyan all of Gao's gold, jewels, wealth, and property.

至鄴數日，歸彥乃知之，由是陰怨楊、燕。 Several days after reaching Ye, Guiyan learned of it and began to nurse secret resentment against Yang and Yan.

楊、燕等欲去二王，問計於歸彥。 Yang, Yan, and their faction meant to remove the two princes and sought Guiyan's counsel.