Shiwen (士文) | 24 Histories

Overview

Shiwen was an official and Administrator.

Life and dates

Death

Cause died of rage and indignation in prison 憤恚而死
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 201

Attested activity

AD 581 to AD 600 士文任內
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 15, passages 178, 183, 187
AD 581 to AD 600 憤恚而死
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 201
AD 581 to AD 600 未幾為雍州長史
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 194

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Kin of Cousin of Shiwen (士文從妹)
cousin 從妹 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 197
Parent of Son of Shiwen (士文之子)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 178

Kinship Role sons · Count 3
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 201

Career and standing

provincial governor 刺史
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passages 187, 191
chief clerk of Yong Province 雍州長史
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 194
Entered
Dismissal
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 193
impeached by the censorate 為御史所劾
Impeached
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 200

Places and affiliations

Polity Qi 齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 197
Polity Sui 隋 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 15, passages 183, 194

Works and attributed material

我向法深，不能窺候要貴，無乃必死此官。
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 194
臣口手俱足，餘無所須。
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 185

Events and relationships

Bought provisions only from outside jurisdiction
Administrative · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 179
Enforced law without fear of noble kin
Administrative · Official
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 195
Refused to see cousin from shame
Domestic · Kinsman
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 199
Reported a thousand officials for Lingnan garrison
Legal · Prosecutor
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 187
Sealed gate; cut off kin visits
Administrative · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 180
Seized and beat those weeping against him
Legal · Punisher
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 190

Show 2 more source-backed claims

Shackled beat and sent son to capital
Legal · Punisher · With Son of Shiwen (士文之子)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 178
Took only three bolts of silk from left treasury
Court · Recipient
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passages 183-185

Assessments and attributes

Assessment governor policy is a rakshasa's · Mode named-source-report Source Work contemporary saying 時人語
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 191
Assessment more savage than a wild beast · Mode speech Speaker Emperor Wen of Sui (隋文帝)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 192
severe and exacting in law
Character
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passages 181-182, 195
unyielding by nature
Character
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 201
Item surplus household wealth 家無餘財 · Relation Possessed · Negated true
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 15, passage 201

References in the histories

Search passages

History

10 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 15Volume 15 Biographies 7: Dou Tai; Wei Jing; Lou Zhao; His Nephew Rui; Kudie Gan; His Son Shiwen; Han Gui; Pan Le · 10 passages

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其子嘗啖官廚餅，士文枷之於獄累日，杖之二百，步送還京，僮隸無敢出門。 Once his son ate cakes from the official kitchen. Shiwen had him shackled in prison for days, beaten two hundred strokes, and sent back to the capital on foot — not one servant dared leave the house.

人皆極重，士文獨口銜絹一匹，兩手各持一匹。 Everyone took the heaviest loads. Shiwen alone held one bolt of silk in his mouth and one in each hand.

上問其故，士文曰：「臣口手俱足，餘無所須。」 The emperor asked why. Shiwen said, "My mouth and hands are both full — I require nothing else."

士文至州，發摘姦吏，尺布鬥粟之贓，無所寬貸，得千人奏之，悉配防嶺南。 At his province Shiwen rooted out corrupt officials — embezzling even a foot of cloth or a pint of grain earned no mercy. A thousand men were reported up; all were sent to garrison Lingnan.

至嶺南，遇瘴厲死者十八九，於是父母妻子唯哭士文。 Reaching Lingnan, eight or nine in ten died of miasma and pestilence — and parents, wives, and children wept only for Shiwen.

士文聞之，令人捕搦，捶楚盈前，而哭者彌甚。 Hearing this, Shiwen had them seized and beaten until the whips piled before him — and the weeping only grew louder.

上聞，嘆曰：「士文暴過猛獸。」 The emperor heard and sighed, "Shiwen is more savage than a wild beast."

士文恥之，不與相見。 Shiwen was shamed and refused to see her.

後應州刺史唐君明居母憂，娉以為妻，由是君明、士文並為御史所劾。 Later, when Tang Junming, governor of Ying Province, was in mourning for his mother, he took her as his wife — for this both Junming and Shiwen were impeached by the censorate.

士文性剛，在獄數日，憤恚而死，家無餘財，有三子，朝夕不繼，親賓無贍之者。 Shiwen was unyielding by nature. After a few days in prison he died of rage and indignation. His household held nothing spare; three sons went hungry morning and evening — neither kin nor friends would support them.