Sui and Tang · Official and Judge

Pei Xu 裴谞

Péi Xū

Died AD 793

Passages: 19
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Pei Xu as an envoy, judge, and official. This record brings together 19 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	Pei Xu	裴谞	Péi Xū
Surname	Pei	裴	Péi
Personal name	Pei Xu	裴谞	Péi Xū
Courtesy name	Shiming	士明	Shìmíng
Given name	Xu	谞	Xū

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0164

Roles

Envoy
Judge
Official

Life and dates

Death

Manner: illness · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞元九年十一月 · Western Year: AD 793
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0208

Age

Age: 75 · Reckoning: sui
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0208

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 安祿山亂 · Western Interval: Start: AD 755 · End: AD 763
Explicit event contextual date · jiutangshu:130:s0168, jiutangshu:130:s0170
Source Date: Text: 建中初 · Western Year: AD 780
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0190
Source Date: Text: 貞元九年十一月 · Western Year: AD 793
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0208

Family

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

Child of Pei Kuan (裴寬)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological
Child of Mother of Pei Xu
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological

Career and standing

Label: false censor-in-chief under Shi Siming / 偽御史中丞 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0172
Title: minister of rites / 禮部尚書 · Action: posthumously-granted
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0208

Places and affiliations

Place: Luoyang in Henan / 河南洛陽 · Relation: native-of
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0164

Learning and skills

Credential: mingjing graduate / 明經 · Action: earned
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0166

Works and attributed material

Work: Admonition for Prison Officials / 獄官箴 · Relation: author
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0202
Kind: memorial · Role: author · Quoted: true
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0198, jiutangshu:130:s0199, jiutangshu:130:s0200
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true · Other Person Id: Emperor Daizong (代宗)
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0180, jiutangshu:130:s0182, jiutangshu:130:s0183, jiutangshu:130:s0184, jiutangshu:130:s0185
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0194, jiutangshu:130:s0195, jiutangshu:130:s0196, jiutangshu:130:s0197

Events and relationships

Kind: captivity · Role: captive · Action: captured by Shi Siming · Other Person Id: Shi Siming (史思明)
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0171
Kind: legal · Role: judge · Action: secretly slowed killing of imperial clan; saved hundreds
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0173

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: governed with mild ease; nearly approached benevolence · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0212

References in the histories

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

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 130Volume 126 Biographies 76: Li Kui, Li Han, Chen Shaoyou, Lu Yue, Pei Xu · 19 passages

裴谞，字士明，河南洛陽人。 Pei Xu, whose courtesy name was Shiming, was a native of Luoyang in Henan.

谞少舉明經，補河南府參軍，通達簡率，不好苛細。 As a youth Xu passed the mingjing examination and served as staff officer of Henan prefecture. He was open and direct by nature and disliked petty detail.

是時，安祿山盜陷二京，東都收復，遷太子司議郎。 When An Lushan seized the two capitals and the eastern capital was later recovered, Xu was appointed gentleman for deliberation of the heir apparent.

東都復為史思明所陷，谞藏匿山谷。 When the eastern capital fell again to Shi Siming, Xu hid in the mountains.

思明嘗為谞父將校，懷舊恩，又素慕谞名，欲必得之，因令捕騎數十跡逐得谞。 Siming had once served under Xu's father and, cherishing that old tie and long admiring Xu's reputation, was determined to have him. He sent dozens of mounted pursuers who tracked Xu down and captured him.

時思明殘殺宗室，谞陰緩之，全活者數百人。 As Siming slaughtered members of the imperial clan, Xu secretly slowed the process and saved several hundred lives.

代宗居陜，谞步懷考功及南曹二印赴行在，上見而謂之曰：「疾風知勁草，果信矣。」 When Daizong was at Shaan, Xu walked on foot to the mobile court carrying the seals of the Bureau of Evaluations and the Southern Bureau. The emperor said: "A fierce wind reveals the tough grass—how true that proves."

時關輔大旱，谞入計，代宗召見便殿，問谞：「榷酤之利，一歲出入幾何？」 A great drought afflicted the Guanzhong region. When Xu came to present accounts, Daizong received him in the side hall and asked: "What are the yearly receipts and expenditures of the wine monopoly?"

谞久之不對。 Xu was silent for a long time.

上復問之，對曰：「臣有所思。」 The emperor asked again. Xu replied: "I have been thinking."

拜左司郎中。 Xu was appointed director in the Left Secretariat.

尚父、汾陽王郭子儀隸人殺羊以入，門者覺之，谞列奏狀，上以為不畏強禦，累遣宣諭。 The Esteemed Father, Guo Ziyi, Prince of Fenyang, had a servant slaughter a sheep and bring it in. The gate guards caught him, and Xu memorialized the offense. The emperor praised his fearlessness before the powerful and repeatedly commended him.

或謂谞曰：「郭公有社稷功，豈不為蓋之？」 Someone asked him: "The Duke has saved the dynasty—would you not cover this for him?"

谞笑曰：「非爾所解。 Xu smiled and said: "That is not something you would understand.

時於朝堂別置三司以決庶獄，辯爭者輒擊登聞鼓，谞上疏曰：「夫諫豉謗木之設，所以達幽枉，延直言。 Separate tribunals had been set up in the court hall to decide common cases, and litigants would strike the Petition Drum. Xu memorialized: "The admonition drum and the slander post were established to reach hidden wrongs and give voice to honest counsel.

谞以法吏舞文，多挾宿怨，因獻《獄官箴》以諷。 Believing that legal clerks twisted the law and often pursued old grudges, Xu presented his "Admonition for Prison Officials" as an indirect critique.

谞自河南凡五代為官，入視事，未嘗當正處，不鞫認於贓罪，以寬厚和易為理。 Five generations of Xu's family had served in Henan. When he took office he never sat in the chief seat, did not press confessions in corruption cases, and governed with generous mildness.

涵節行著聞，谞和易為理，庶幾近仁也。 Han was renowned for restraint and integrity; Xu governed with mild ease. Both nearly approached true benevolence.

涵、谞和易，庶乎近仁。 Han and Xu were mild in manner—they nearly approached true benevolence.