Five Dynasties · Ruler

Ma Xifan 馬希範

c. AD 899 - AD 947

Passages: 16
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Ma Xifan was a ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Baogui	寶規
Posthumous name	Wenzhao	文昭

Life and dates

Death

Date Source Date: Text: 開運四年 · Western Year: AD 947 · Age Value: 49 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 66, passage 96

Attested activity

AD 932 長興三年
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 66, passages 74-75
AD 947 開運四年
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 66, passage 96

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Ma Yin (馬殷)
fourth son 第四子
father 父
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 66, passage 76
Sibling of Ma Xisheng (馬希聲)
younger brother 弟 · Paternal half siblings
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 66, passages 75, 77

Career and standing

King of Chu 楚王
Enfeoffed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 66, passage 78

References in the histories

Search passages

History

16 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 66Volume 66: Hereditary House of Chu · 16 passages

弟希範立。 His younger brother Ma Xifan succeeded him.

希範字寶規，殷第四子也。 Ma Xifan, styled Baogui, was Yin's fourth son.

殷子十餘人，嫡子希振長而賢，其次希聲與希範同日生，而希聲母袁夫人有美色，希聲以母寵得立，而希振棄官為道士，居於家。 Yin had more than a dozen sons. The legitimate heir Xizhen was eldest and capable. Xisheng and Xifan were born the same day, but because Xisheng's mother, Lady Yuan, was beautiful, he won the throne through her favor, while Xizhen resigned his posts, became a Daoist, and lived at home.

希聲卒，而希範以次立，襲殷官爵，封楚王。 After Xisheng's death, Xifan succeeded in birth order, took over Yin's offices and titles, and was enfeoffed as King of Chu.

天福四年，加希範天冊上將軍，開府承制如殷故事。 In the fourth year of Tianfu (939) he was named Celestial-Registry Grand General and allowed to open a government with imperial commission, following his father's precedent.

希範好學，善詩，文士廖光圖、徐仲雅、李臯、拓拔常等十八人皆故殷時學士，希範性奢侈，光圖等皆薄徒，飲博歡呼，獨常沈厚長者，上書切諫，光圖等惡之。 Xifan loved learning and wrote poetry well. Eighteen scholars including Liao Guangtu, Xu Zhongya, Li Gao, and Tuoba Chang had served as academicians under Yin. Xifan was extravagant; most of them were idle roisterers who drank and gambled. Only Tuoba Chang, a sober elder, sent a blunt memorial of remonstrance, which the others resented.

襄州安從進、安州李金全叛，晉高祖詔希範出兵。 When An Congjin of Xiangzhou and Li Jinquan of Anzhou rebelled, Jin Gaozu ordered Xifan to march.

希範遣張少敵以舟兵趨漢陽，漕米五萬斛以饋軍，金全等敗，少敵乃旋。 Xifan sent Zhang Shaodi with a fleet to Hanyang and shipped fifty thousand hu of grain to the imperial army. After the rebels were crushed, Shaodi withdrew.

溪州刺史彭士愁率錦、獎諸蠻攻澧州，希範遣劉勍、劉全明等以步卒五千擊之，士愁大敗。 Peng Shichou, prefect of Xizhou, led the Jin and Jiang tribes against Lizhou. Xifan sent Liu Qing, Liu Quanming, and five thousand infantry against him, and Shichou was routed.

溪州西接牂柯、兩林，南通桂林、象郡，希範乃立銅柱以為表，命學士李臯銘之。 Xizhou bordered Zangke and Lianglin on the west and Guilin and Xiang commandery on the south. Xifan set up a bronze pillar as a boundary marker and had the academician Li Gao inscribe it.

於是，南寧州酋長莫彥殊率其本部十八州、都雲酋長尹懷昌率其昆明等十二部、牂柯張萬浚率其夷、播等七州皆附於希範。 Then Mo Yanshu of Nanning led eighteen prefectures, Yin Huaichang of Duyun led twelve Kunming divisions, and Zhang Wanxun of Zangke led seven Yi and Bo prefectures—all submitted to Xifan.

希範作會春園、嘉宴堂，其費巨萬，始加賦於國中，拓拔常切諫以為不可。 Xifan built the Huichun Garden and Jiayan Hall at enormous cost and raised taxes throughout the realm. Tuoba Chang protested sharply that he should not.

希範又作九龍殿，以八龍繞柱，自言身一龍也。 He also built the Hall of Nine Dragons, with eight dragons coiled around the pillars, declaring himself the ninth dragon.

是時，契丹滅晉，中國大亂，希範牙將丁思覲廷諫希範曰：「先王起卒伍，以攻戰而得此州，倚朝廷以制鄰敵，傳國三世，有地數千里，養兵十萬人。 While the Khitans destroyed Jin and the Central Plains fell into chaos, guardsman Ding Siguan admonished Xifan in open court: "Your grandfather rose from the ranks and won this realm by the sword. He leaned on the throne to hold off neighbors. Three generations have ruled thousands of li and kept a hundred thousand men under arms.

希範謝之，思覲瞋目視希範曰：「孺子終不可教也！」 Xifan thanked him politely. Siguan glared and said, "This boy will never learn!"

開運四年，希範卒，年四十九，謚曰文昭。 In the fourth year of Kaiyun (947) Xifan died at forty-nine. His posthumous title was Wenzhao, "Cultured and Illustrious."