Li Cheng (李承) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Li Cheng as an administrator and official. This record brings together 14 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	Li Cheng	李承	Li Cheng
Given name	Cheng	承	Cheng
Surname	Li	李	Li
Personal name	Li Cheng	李承	Li Cheng

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:119:s0099

Roles

Administrator
Official

Life and dates

Death

Place: in office / 於位 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建中四年七月 · Lunar Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 783
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0129

Age

Age: 62 · Reckoning: sui
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0129

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 建中二年七月 · Lunar Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0117
Source Date: Text: 建中四年七月 · Lunar Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 783
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0129
Source Date: Text: 建中二年九月 · Lunar Month: 9 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0118
Source Date: Text: 大歷中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 766 · End: AD 779
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:119:s0110
Source Date: Text: 至德元載 · Western Year: AD 756
Explicit event contextual date · jiutangshu:119:s0103

Family

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

Descendant of Li Zhiyuan (李至遠)
Kinship Term: grandfather-of / 孫 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: grandfather · Object Role: grandson
Sibling of Li Ye (李曄)
Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: elder · Subject Role: elder-brother · Object Role: younger-brother
Child of Li She (李畬)
Kinship Term: second son / 第二子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Subject Birth Order: 2 · Line: paternal
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Line: paternal · Object Birth Order: 2

Career and standing

Label: Attending Palace Censor / 侍御史 · Action: appointed · Concurrent: true
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0107
Label: Prefect of Tan / 潭州刺史 · Action: appointed · Concurrent: true
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0128
Label: Commissioner of Defense and Observation for Jin and Jiang / 晉絳都防禦觀察使 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建中二年七月 · Lunar Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0117
Label: Mayor of Hezhong / 河中尹 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建中二年七月 · Lunar Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0117
Label: Military Governor and Observation Commissioner of Shannan East with salt and iron / 山南東道節度觀察鹽鐵等使 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建中二年九月 · Lunar Month: 9 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0118
Label: Director in the Ministry of Personnel / 吏部郎中 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0109
Label: Director of Examination by inspection and concurrent Prefect of Jiang / 檢校考功郎中兼江州刺史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0109
Label: legal aide to Guo Na / 判官 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0102
Label: Magistrate of Deqing / 德清令 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0106
Label: Military Governor and Observation Commissioner of Hunan / 湖南都團練觀察使 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0128
Label: Minister of Works by inspection / 檢校工部尚書 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0128
Label: Prefect of Fu / 撫州刺史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0108
Label: Prefect of Jiang / 江州刺史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0108
Label: Prefect of Tong / 同州刺史 · Action: appointed · Start Date: Source Date: Text: 建中二年七月 · Lunar Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0117
Label: Reviewing Censor in the Court of Judicial Review / 大理評事 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0102
Label: Supervisory Censor / 監察御史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0106
Label: Vice Minister of Justice by inspection / 檢校刑部員外郎 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0107
Label: Visiting Commissioner for Promotion and Demotion of Huainan West / 淮南西道黜陟使 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0110
Label: Aide in Linchuan of Fu Prefecture / 撫州臨川尉 · Action: demoted
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0105
Label: Prefect of Xiang / 襄州刺史 · Action: transferred · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建中二年九月 · Lunar Month: 9 · Western Year: AD 781
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0118
Label: Minister of Personnel / 吏部尚書 · Action: posthumously-granted
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0129
Label: secret edicts of praise / 密詔褒美 · Action: received
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0127
Status: captivity · Action: entered · Place: Luoyang / 洛陽
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0103

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:119:s0099
Place: Gaoyi in Zhao commandery / 趙郡高邑
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0099

Learning and skills

Credential: Mingjing with high standing / 明經高第 · Action: earned
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0102

Works and attributed material

Kind: memorial · Role: author · Summary: warned Xilie would rebel after winning merit
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0114

Events and relationships

Kind: administrative · Role: author · Action: built-Changfeng-Weir · Place: Chu prefecture / 楚州
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0110
Kind: political · Role: plotter · Action: designed-plot-for-Zhou-Ceng-to-kill-Xilie · Other Person Id: Li Xilie (李希烈)
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0125, jiutangshu:119:s0126
Kind: administrative · Role: governor · Action: restored-region-in-one-year
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0123
Kind: political · Role: appointee · Action: rode-alone-to-Xiang-despite-coercion · Other Person Id: Li Xilie (李希烈)
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0120, jiutangshu:119:s0121
Kind: espionage · Role: informant · Action: secretly-reported-rebel-plots
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0104

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: elegant reputation; integrity, talent, and ability; loyal counsel unto exhaustion · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0130, jiutangshu:119:s0135
Assessment: filial devotion to elder brother · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0101
Assessment: performance evaluations repeatedly top-ranked · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · jiutangshu:119:s0108

References in the histories

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

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 119Volume 115 Biographies 65: Cui Qi, Zhao Guozhen, Cui Guan, Jing Kuo, Wei Yuanfu, Wei Shaoyou, Wei Boyu, Li Cheng · 14 passages

Open chapter

李承，趙郡高邑人，吏部侍郎至遠之孫，國子司業畬之第二子也。 Li Cheng was a native of Gaoyi in Zhao commandery, grandson of Vice Minister of Personnel Zhiyuan and second son of the director of the imperial academy, She.

承幼孤，曄鞠養之。 Cheng lost his father in childhood; his elder brother Ye raised and nurtured him.

尹子奇圍汴州，陷賊，拘承送洛陽。 When Yin Ziqi besieged Bianzhou, Cheng was captured by the rebels and sent under guard to Luoyang.

承自黜陟回，因奏之曰：「希烈將兵討伐，必有微勛，但恐立功之後，縱恣跋扈，不稟朝憲，必勞王師問罪。」 When Cheng returned from his commission, he memorialized: "Xilie will surely win some merit on campaign—but I fear that once he has merit he will grow insolent and defiant, disregard imperial authority, and the royal army will be forced to march against him."

無幾，希烈既平崇義，果有不順之跡，上思承言，故驟加擢用。 Before long Xilie had pacified Chongyi and indeed showed signs of rebellion; the emperor recalled Cheng's warning and swiftly promoted him.

朝廷慮不受命，欲以禁兵送承，承請單騎徑行。 The court feared Xilie would refuse the appointment and wished to send palace troops to escort Cheng; Cheng asked to ride through alone.

既至，希烈處承於外館，迫脅萬態，承恬然自安，誓死王事。 When he arrived, Xilie lodged Cheng in an outer guesthouse and assailed him with every sort of coercion; Cheng remained calm, sworn to the throne unto death.

承治之一年，頗得完復。 After a year under Cheng's governance the region was largely restored.

承亦使腹心臧叔雅往來許、蔡，厚結希烈腹心周曾、王玢、姚憺等。 Cheng also sent his trusted agent Zang Shuya back and forth between Xu and Cai, lavishly cultivating Xilie's intimates Zhou Ceng, Wang Bin, Yao Tan, and others.

及曾等謀殺希烈，以眾歸朝，多承首建謀也。 When Ceng and the others plotted to kill Xilie and bring their forces back to the court, the plan owed much to Cheng's original design.

承尋改檢校工部尚書，兼潭州刺史、湖南都團練觀察使。 Cheng was soon made minister of works by inspection and concurrent prefect of Tan and military governor and observation commissioner of Hunan.

承少有雅望，至其從官，頗以貞廉才術見稱於時。 From youth Cheng bore an elegant reputation; in office he was praised in his own day for integrity, talent, and ability.

承忠愨謀議，勤勞盡瘁，方之者鮮矣。 Cheng's loyal counsel and service unto exhaustion—few can be compared with him.

李承為最。 Li Cheng stands foremost.