Sui and Tang · Exemplary Wife

Pei Shuying 裴淑英

First attested AD 605; died AD 627

Passages: 7
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Pei Shuying was an Exemplary Wife.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Lady Pei	裴氏	Pei shi

Life and dates

Death

AD 627 to AD 649 貞觀中
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 28

Attested activity

AD 605 to AD 618 煬帝
Dated from the passage context · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 8, 10-11
AD 627 to AD 649 貞觀中
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 28

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Pei Ju (裴矩)
daughter 女 · paternal line
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 8
Child of Mother of Pei Shuying (裴淑英之母)
mother 母
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 9
Spouse of Li Dewu (李德武)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 8, 10

Kinship Role sons · Count 3
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 27
Kinship Role daughters · Count 4
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 27

Learning and skills

Belief Buddhism 佛法 · Relation Adherent of
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 18

Works and attributed material

Biographies of Exemplary Women 烈女傳
Relation Reader
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 20
Speech · Speaker · With Li Dewu (李德武)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passages 14-16
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 20

Events and relationships

Attempted ear cutting vow
Personal · Actor
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 17
Cut hair and refused food to block remarriage
Personal · Actor
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 24

Assessments and attributes

Assessment gentle, compliant, gracious, and renowned for filial piety · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 9
Assessment kept marital vows and refused remarriage · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 26
grew gaunt and careworn; wore no cosmetics
Appearance
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 203, passage 18

References in the histories

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 203Volume 193 Biographies 143: Exemplary Women · 7 passages

李德武妻裴氏，字淑英，戶部尚書、安邑公矩之女也。 Li Dewu's wife, Lady Pei, whose courtesy name was Shuying, was the daughter of Pei Ju, Minister of Revenue and Duke of Anyi.

德武將與裴別，謂曰：「燕婉始爾，便事分離，方遠投瘴癘，恐無還理。 When Dewu was about to leave Pei, he said, "We have only just begun our life together, yet we must part; I am being sent to the pestilent south, and I fear I shall never return.

裴泣而對曰：「婦人事夫，無再醮之禮。 Pei wept and answered, "A wife serves her husband; there is no ritual that permits a second marriage.

裴與德武別後，容貌毀悴，常讀佛經，不禦膏澤。 After parting from Dewu, Pei's appearance grew gaunt and careworn; she read Buddhist sutras constantly and wore no cosmetics.

裴又嘗讀《烈女傳》，見稱述不改嫁者，乃謂所親曰：「不踐二庭，婦人常理，何為以此載於記傳乎？」 Pei once read the Biographies of Exemplary Women and, seeing praise for those who refused remarriage, remarked to her intimates, "Refusing a second marriage is ordinary conduct for a wife—why should such things be recorded in the histories?"

德武已於嶺表娶爾硃氏為妻，及遇赦得還，至襄州，聞裴守節，乃出其後妻，重與裴合。 Dewu had meanwhile taken a woman named Erzhu as his wife in the south; when he was pardoned and returned, he reached Xiangzhou, learned that Pei had kept her vows, dismissed his second wife, and reunited with Pei.

貞觀中，德武終於鹿城令，裴歲余亦卒。 During the Zhenguan reign, Dewu died while serving as magistrate of Lucheng; Pei followed him in death a little over a year later.