Sui and Tang · Official and Statesman

Li Qiyun 李棲筠

c. AD 705 - AD 762

Passages: 12
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Li Qiyun was an official and Statesman.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Wenxian	文獻	Wenxian

Life and dates

Death

AD 762 to AD 779 代宗
Stated Age 58
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 55

Age

58
Reckoning Sui · Context at death
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 55

Attested activity

AD 762 to AD 779 代宗
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 146, passages 41, 55

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Li Jifu (李吉甫)
son 子 · paternal line
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 58

Career and standing

upholder of the state's moral standards 任國風憲
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 52
Censor-in-Chief 大夫
AD 762 to AD 779 代宗 · Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 44
Minister of Personnel 吏部尚書
AD 762 to AD 779 代宗 · Posthumously granted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 56
posthumous title Wenxian 謚曰文獻
Granted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 56
Duke of Zanhuang 贊皇公
Called
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 57

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 41
At Zanhuang 贊皇 · Relation Titled from
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 146, passage 57

Works and attributed material

his own epitaph 墓誌
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 55
his own epitaph 墓誌
Relation Author
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 55
Speech · Speaker · With Emperor Daizong (代宗) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 50

Events and relationships

Impeached favorites of
Legal · Impeacher · With Yuan Zai (元載)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 48
Impeached
Legal · Impeacher · With Xu Hao (徐浩)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 48
Inwardly troubled by imperial irresolution
Emotional · Subject
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 55
Refused banquet
Ritual · Absentee · At Qujiang 曲江
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 52
Audience · Speaker · With Emperor Daizong (代宗) · At inner palace appointment 中
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 45
Counsel · Adviser · With Emperor Daizong (代宗)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 54

Assessments and attributes

Assessment delighted in encouraging excellence and welcomed criticism of his faults; scholars looked up to him · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 57
Assessment spoke clearly without flattery; the emperor approved of him · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 45
Assessment upright and unyielding · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 146, passage 46

References in the histories

Search passages

History

12 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 146Volume 146 Biographies 71: Two Li's · 12 passages

會御史大夫敬括卒，即召棲筠與河南尹張延賞，擇可為大夫者。 When Censor-in-Chief Jing Kuo died, the emperor summoned Qiyun and Zhang Yanshang, Intendant of Henan, to decide who should succeed him.

帝殊失望，出延賞為淮南節度使，引拜棲筠為大夫。 The emperor was deeply disappointed, posted Yanshang out as military commissioner of Huainan, and summoned Qiyun to be appointed censor-in-chief.

始，棲筠見帝，敷奏明辯，不阿附，帝心善之，故制麻自中以授，朝廷莫知也，中外竦眙。 When Qiyun first appeared before the throne he spoke clearly and argued forcefully without flattery; the emperor took a liking to him and issued the appointment edict from the inner palace without the court's knowledge, and the whole government stood astonished.

棲筠素方挺，無所屈。 Qiyun had always been upright and unyielding.

於是華原尉侯莫陳怤以優補長安尉，當參臺，棲筠物色其勞，怤色動，不能對，乃自言為徐浩、杜濟、薛邕所引，非真優也。 At this time Hou Mochen Fu, assistant commandant of Hua Yuan, had been appointed assistant commandant of Chang'an through the "outstanding talent" quota and was due to report to the Censorate; Qiyun looked into his record, Fu's face changed and he could not answer, and he confessed that Xu Hao, Du Ji, and Xue Yong had recommended him though he was not truly outstanding.

始，浩罷嶺南節度使，以瑰貨數十萬餉載，而濟方為京兆，邕吏部侍郎，三人者，皆載所厚，棲筠並劾之。 Earlier, when Xu Hao left the Lingnan command he had sent Zai rare goods worth hundreds of thousands; Du Ji was then intendant of the capital, Xue Yong was vice minister of personnel—all three were favorites of Zai—and Qiyun impeached them together.

會月蝕，帝問其故，棲筠曰：「月蝕脩刑，今罔上行私者未得，天若以儆陛下邪？」 When a lunar eclipse occurred, the emperor asked its meaning; Qiyun said, "Eclipses warn that punishments must be set right. Those who deceive the throne and pursue private gain have not yet been brought to justice—could Heaven be warning Your Majesty?"

故事，賜百官宴曲江，教坊倡顐雜侍，棲筠以任國風憲，獨不往，臺遂以為法。 By custom the emperor gave the officials a banquet at Qujiang with performers from the Music Office in attendance; Qiyun, charged with upholding the state's moral standards, alone stayed away, and the Censorate thereafter made this its rule.

然有進用，皆密訪焉，多所補助。 Yet whenever he considered appointments, he secretly sought Qiyun's counsel, and Qiyun gave him much help.

棲筠見帝猗違不斷，亦內憂憤，卒，年五十八，自為墓誌。 Seeing the emperor vacillate without resolution, Qiyun was inwardly troubled and aggrieved; he died at fifty-eight, having composed his own epitaph.

贈吏部尚書，謚曰文獻。 He was posthumously made minister of personnel, with the posthumous title Wenxian (Literary Offering).

棲筠喜獎善，而樂人攻己短，為天下士歸重，不敢有所斥，稱贊皇公雲。 Qiyun delighted in encouraging excellence and welcomed criticism of his own faults; scholars throughout the empire looked up to him, and none dared speak ill of him—they called him the Duke of Zanhuang.