Sui and Tang · Scholar and Writer

Lady Wei 魏氏

Wei shi

First attested AD 712; died AD 713

Passages: 5
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Lady Wei was a scholar and Writer.

Life and dates

Death

AD 713 to AD 741 開元中
died within ten days of her husband 旬日亦殞
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 186

Attested activity

AD 712 to AD 713 先天中
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 180-181
AD 713 to AD 741 開元中
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 182, 186

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Yanquan (彥泉)
descendant 後 · paternal line
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 176
Child of Wei Keji (魏克己)
father 父
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 178
Spouse of Song Tingyu (宋庭瑜)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 176

Origins and identity

Shandong gentry clan 山東士族
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 177

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Associated with
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 180
At Gucheng in Ding Prefecture 定州鼓城
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 176
AD 712 to AD 713 先天中
At Fu Prefecture 涪州 · Relation Traveled to
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 180-181

Learning and skills

Skill literary composition 屬文 · Level skilled
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 179

Works and attributed material

Rhapsody on the Southern Expedition 南征賦
AD 712 to AD 713 先天中 · Relation Author
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 181, 183
Letter · Author · With Zhang Yue (張說) · Paraphrased
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 183

Events and relationships

Wrote letter pleading husband's case and enclosed her rhapsody
AD 713 to AD 741 開元中 · Literary · Author · With Zhang Yue (張說)
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 183

Assessments and attributes

Assessment mourned by contemporaries together with her husband · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 186

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 176

References in the histories

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 203Volume 193 Biographies 143: Exemplary Women · 5 passages

宋庭瑜妻魏氏，定州鼓城人，隋著作郎彥泉之後也。 Song Tingyu's wife, Lady Wei, was a native of Gucheng in Ding Prefecture and a descendant of Yanquan, Editorial Director under the Sui.

魏氏善屬文。 Lady Wei was skilled at literary composition.

魏氏隨夫之任，中路作《南征賦》以敘誌，詞甚典美。 Lady Wei accompanied her husband to his post; along the way she composed the "Rhapsody on the Southern Expedition" to record her thoughts, and its language was elegant and beautiful.

初，中書令張說年少時為克己所重，魏氏恨其夫為外職，乃作書與說，敘亡父疇昔之事，並為庭瑜申理，乃錄《南征賦》寄說。 Earlier, Chief Minister Zhang Yue had been valued by Keji in his youth; resenting her husband's exile to a distant post, Lady Wei wrote to Yue recounting her late father's past kindness and pleading Tingyu's case, enclosing the "Rhapsody on the Southern Expedition."

魏氏旬日亦殞，時人莫不傷之。 Lady Wei died within ten days as well; all who heard of it mourned their loss.