High Ancestor (高祖) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify High Ancestor as a ruler. This record brings together 3 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	High Ancestor	高祖	Gāozǔ
Temple name	High Ancestor	高祖	Gāozǔ

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0139

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Manner: unnatural · Statement: died an unnatural death / 身殞非命 · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵) · Date Context: Western Year: AD 549 · Source Date: Text: 身殞非命
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0153, liangshu:006:s0158

Age

Stage: old-age · Statement: old age / 暮年 · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0152

Attested activity

Western Interval: Start: AD 502 · End: AD 549 · Source Date: Text: 高祖
Explicit event contextual date · liangshu:006:s0139, liangshu:006:s0143, liangshu:006:s0153

Family

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

Parent of Emperor Yuan (元帝)
Kinship Term: clan foundation stone / 宗 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Parent of Taizong (太宗)
Kinship Term: heir / 儲后 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)

Kinship Role: kin · Statement: kin met calamity / 天倫及禍 · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵) · Quantity: unspecified
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0140

Places and affiliations

Polity: Liang / 梁 · Relation: ruled
Strongly inferred · liangshu:006:s0139, liangshu:006:s0143

Learning and skills

Belief: Buddhism / 釋 · Relation: adherent-of · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0145
Belief: Confucianism / 儒業 · Relation: patron-of · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0143
Belief: Daoism / 老 · Relation: adherent-of · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0145

Works and attributed material

Work: Millet in Ruin (Shuli) / 黍離 · Relation: compared-to · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0154
Work: Wheat in Ear (Maixiu) / 麥秀 · Relation: compared-to · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0155
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true · Statement: Zhou could be punished / 紂可伐 · Provenance: Mode: direct-quotation · Speaker Person Id: High Ancestor (高祖)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0141

Events and relationships

Kind: cultural · Role: patron · Action: cultivated wen and education, adorned ritual, stirred mysterious wind, exalted Confucian learning; weapons laid aside for decades · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0143
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: gathered righteous troops to avenge family calamity · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0140
Kind: political · Role: victor · Action: hung the enemy's head on the white flag and answered Heaven's favor · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0143
Kind: political · Role: actor · Action: moved by profit; rejected remonstrance and defied divination; opened the gate to robbers; abandoned friendship for enmity; trouble rose within the palace · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0153
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: rose at Fan and Han and struck Xiang and Ying; cut down the alienated in virtue and took the lone tyrant · Place: Fan, Han, Xiang, Ying / 樊、漢、湘、郢 · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0141

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: could not rest the branch and strengthen the root; admired reputation, loved novelty, honored floating splendor; elevated and suppressed Confucius and Mozi; lingered over Buddhism and Daoism · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0145
Assessment: heart had not left glory; vainly sat among menials; talked of casting off the world yet cherished the yellow canopy · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0147, liangshu:006:s0148
Assessment: heroic talent and great design beyond full praise · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0142
Assessment: in late decline, deluded in what he heard; power with flatterers; heir and officials could not speak fully · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0151
Assessment: intelligent, versed in antiquity, nearly innate in the Way, broadly learned, civil and martial, many arts and talents · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0139
Assessment: met hardship and stripping and did not die naturally because he moved toward peril without faith and obedience, losing Heaven's and men's help · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0158
Assessment: rash and restless heart grew worse in old age · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0152
Assessment: ruin swifter than any in written records; took peace as peril and success as failure · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0156
Assessment: screened out appetites yet clung to rank and display; mastered the hard yet stalled at the easy—spirit and wisdom incomplete · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0150
Assessment: sometimes sleepless all night or fasting until sunset—not to broaden the Way for the world but to adorn wisdom and startle fools · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0146
Assessment: splendor unmatched since Wei and Jin · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Wei Zheng (魏徵)
Explicit · liangshu:006:s0144

References in the histories

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

Book of Liang, Chapter 6Volume 6: Emperor Jing · 3 passages

Open chapter

史臣侍中、鄭國公魏徵曰：「高祖固天攸縱，聰明稽古，道亞生知，學爲博物，允文允武，多藝多才。 The historiographer, Attendant-in-Ordinary and Duke of Zheng Wei Zheng, said, "The High Ancestor was indeed one whom Heaven let range freely: intelligent and versed in antiquity, his Way nearly matched innate knowledge; his learning made him broadly informed, truly civil and martial, accomplished in many arts and talents.

高祖屏除嗜欲，眷戀軒冕，得其所難而滯于所易，可謂神有所不達，智有所不通矣。 The High Ancestor screened out appetites yet clung to rank and display; he mastered what is hard yet stalled at what is easy—spirit did not reach everywhere and wisdom did not penetrate all.

高祖之遇斯屯剝，不得其死，蓋動而之險，不由信順，失天人之所助，其能免於此乎！ The High Ancestor met hardship and stripping and did not die a natural death—because he moved toward peril, not faith and obedience; losing Heaven's and men's help, how could he escape?