Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Royal Family Member

Shuling 叔陵

AD 552 - AD 582

Passages: 51
Chapters: 4
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Shuling as an administrator, general, rebel, and royal family member. This record brings together 51 passages from 4 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Shuling	叔陵	Shuling
Personal name	Chen Shuling	陳叔陵	Chen Shuling
Title	Marquis of Kangle	康樂侯
Title	Prince of Shixing	始興王	Shixing wang
Title	Prince of Shixing	始興王
Title	Prince of Shixing Shuling	始興王叔陵
Title	Prince Shuling of Shixing	始興王叔陵
Title	Shixing Shuling	始興王叔陵
Personal name	Shuling	叔陵	Shuling
Given name	Shuling	叔陵	Shuling
Given	Shuling	叔陵	Shuling
Courtesy name	Zisong	子嵩	Zisong

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · chenshu:007:s0099, chenshu:029:s0060
Sex: male
Explicit · chenshu:032:s0078, chenshu:036:s0005

Roles

Administrator
General
Rebel
Royal Family Member

Life and dates

Birth

Place: Jiangling / 江陵 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 梁承聖中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 552 · End: AD 554
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0006

Death

Manner: stabbed and beheaded · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 高宗崩後叛亂 · Western Year: AD 582 · Place: Baiyang Road / 白楊路
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0066, chenshu:036:s0068, chenshu:036:s0063
Manner: beheaded
Explicit · chenshu:029:s0060

Age

Age: 16 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太建元年 · Western Year: AD 569
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0015

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 光大二年 · Western Year: AD 568
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0012
Source Date: Text: 光大元年 · Western Year: AD 567
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0011
Source Date: Text: 天嘉三年 · Western Year: AD 562
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0009
Source Date: Text: 太建三年 · Western Year: AD 571
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0021
Source Date: Text: 太建九年 · Western Year: AD 577
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0035
Source Date: Text: 太建元年 · Western Year: AD 569
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0013, chenshu:036:s0015
Source Date: Text: 太建十一年 · Western Year: AD 579
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0042
Source Date: Text: 太建十年 · Western Year: AD 578
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0036
Source Date: Text: 太建四年 · Western Year: AD 572
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0022
Source Date: Text: 梁承聖中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 552 · End: AD 554
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0006
Source Date: Text: 高宗崩 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:007:s0099, chenshu:032:s0081
Source Date: Text: 高宗崩後叔陵構逆 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:029:s0060, chenshu:029:s0130
Source Date: Text: 高宗崩後叛亂 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0051, chenshu:036:s0066

Family

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

Kin of Peng Hao (彭暠)
Kinship Term: maternal uncle / 舅 · Subject Role: maternal-uncle · Object Role: nephew · Line: maternal · Generation Distance: 1 · Intermediary Person Ids: Lady Peng (彭氏)
Child of Lady Peng (彭氏)
Kinship Term: birth mother / 所生母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son · Line: maternal
Sibling of the Last Emperor (後主)
Kinship Term: brothers / 兄弟 · Shared Parentage: paternal-half
Sibling of Chen Shujian (陳叔堅)
Kinship Term: brothers / 兄弟 · Shared Parentage: paternal-half
Spouse of Lady Zhang (張氏)
Kinship Term: consort / 妃 · Union Category: primary-marriage · Subject Role: husband · Object Role: wife
Child of Chen Xu (陳頊)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Object Birth Order: 2
Kinship Term: Shuling / 叔陵 · Parentage: biological
Kinship Term: second son / 第二子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Subject Birth Order: 2
Sibling of Emperor Xuan (高宗)
Kinship Term: Prince of Shixing / 始兴王 · Shared Parentage: uncertain

Kinship Role: favored concubines · Count: 7
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0061
Kinship Role: sons · Quantity: plural
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0084

Career and standing

Label: inspector of Jiang / 江州刺史 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 光大二年 · Western Year: AD 568
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0012
Label: vice director of the Secretariat / 中書侍郎 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 光大元年 · Western Year: AD 567
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0011
Label: inspector of Yang / 揚州刺史 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太建九年 · Western Year: AD 577
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0035
Label: inspector of Yangzhou / 揚州刺史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · chenshu:032:s0078
Label: palace attendant and grand general of the central army / 侍中、中軍大將軍 · Action: appointed
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0049
Label: inspector of Xiang / 湘州刺史 · Action: transferred · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太建四年 · Western Year: AD 572
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0022
Title: Marquis of Kangle / 康樂侯 · Action: enfeoffed · Households: 500 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 天嘉三年 · Western Year: AD 562
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0009
Title: Prince of Shixing / 始興郡王 · Action: enfeoffed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太建元年 · Western Year: AD 569
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0013
Status: hostage · Action: held
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0008
Status: mourning leave · Action: left-office · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太建十一年 · Western Year: AD 579
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0042
Status: executed after rebellion · Action: beheaded · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 叔陵之叛 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0068, chenshu:036:s0081
Status: posthumous condemnation · Action: corpse cast into river; house defiled; mother's tomb destroyed
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0081, chenshu:036:s0083

Places and affiliations

Polity: Chen / 陳 · Relation: member-of
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0005
Place: Eastern Mansion / 東府 · Relation: governed-from
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0037
Place: Rangcheng / 穰城 · Relation: resided
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0007

Works and attributed material

Work: Nirvana Sutra / 涅槃經 · Relation: claimed-copyist · Provenance: Mode: self-report
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0045
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Xiao Mohe (蕭摩訶) · Quoted: true
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0058

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: rebel · Action: committed-outrage
Explicit · chenshu:032:s0081
Kind: tomb-desecration · Role: perpetrator · Action: opened Xie An's tomb to bury Lady Peng · Other Person Id: Xie An (謝安) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太建十一年 · Western Year: AD 579
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0044
Kind: rebellion · Role: leader · Action: raised troops at the Eastern Mansion · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 叔陵之叛 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0057, chenshu:036:s0058
Kind: military · Role: rebel · Action: rebelled · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 高宗崩 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:007:s0099
Kind: rebellion · Role: leader · Action: rebelled
Explicit · chenshu:029:s0060, chenshu:029:s0130
Kind: assassination-attempt · Role: attacker · Action: struck Last Ruler and Empress Dowager with a medicine knife · Other Person Id: the Last Emperor (後主) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 高宗崩翌日 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0051, chenshu:036:s0052
Relation: co-conspirator-of · Person Id: Chen Bogu (陳伯固)
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0115, chenshu:036:s0117

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: long favored by Gaozong and not restrained by law · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0048
Assessment: savage, greedy, cruel, unfilial rebel · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0070, chenshu:036:s0129

References in the histories

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

Book of Chen, Chapter 7Volume 7: Empresses and Consorts · 3 passages

高宗崩，始興王叔陵為亂，後主賴后與樂安君吳氏救而獲免，事在叔陵傳。 When Emperor Xuan died, Prince Shuling of Shixing rebelled. The Last Emperor escaped only because the empress and Lady Wu of Le'an rescued him; the affair is told in Shuling's biography.

當是之時，新失淮南之地，隋師臨江，又國遭大喪，後主病瘡不能聽政，其誅叔陵、供大行喪事、邊境防守及百司红務，雖假以後主之命，實皆決之於后。 At the time Huainan had just been lost, Sui forces were on the Yangzi, and the state was in mourning. The Last Emperor was ill with sores and could not hear government, so the execution of Shuling, the late emperor's funeral, frontier defense, and all the business of the offices were formally done in the Last Emperor's name but in fact decided by the empress.

史臣侍中鄭國公魏徵考覽記書，參詳故老，云後主初即位，以始興王叔陵之亂，被傷臥于承香閣下，時諸姬嵭不得進，唯張貴妃侍焉。 The historiographer, palace attendant and Duke of Zheng, Wei Zheng, examined the records and consulted elders and wrote: When the Last Emperor first succeeded, he was wounded in the disorder of Prince of Shixing Shuling and lay ill below the Hall of Accepting Fragrance; none of the palace women could enter—only Noble Consort Zhang attended him.

Book of Chen, Chapter 29Volume 29: Zong Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zheng · 3 passages

及叔陵之肆逆也，事既不捷，出據東府，申馳召右衛蕭摩訶帥兵先至，追斬之，因入城中，收其府庫，後主深嘉之。 When Shuling's violent outrage took place, the affair did not succeed and he went out to hold the eastern palace; Shen galloped to summon right guard Xiao Mohe to lead troops and arrive first, pursued and beheaded him, then entered the city and seized his treasury stores—Houzhu deeply commended him.

及高宗崩，叔陵構逆，敕中庶子陸瓊宣旨，令南北諸軍，皆取喜處分。 When Emperor Xuan died, Shuling plotted treason; an order had central palace attendant Lu Qiong proclaim the intent, ordering northern and southern armies alike to take Xi's disposition.

初，後主為始興王所傷，及瘡愈而自慶，置酒於後殿，引江總以下，展樂賦詩，醉而命喜。 Earlier Houzhu had been wounded by the Prince of Shixing. When his wounds healed he celebrated alone, set wine in the rear hall, summoned Jiang Zong and others, spread music and composed verse, and when drunk called for Xi.

Book of Chen, Chapter 32Volume 32: Filial Piety · 3 passages

及始興王叔陵為揚州刺史，引祠部侍郎阮卓為記室，辟貞為主薄，貞不得已乃行。 When the Prince of Shixing Shuling was made inspector of Yangzhou, he brought in vice director of the rites bureau Ruan Zhuo as recorder of the staff and summoned Zhen as chief clerk; Zhen had no choice but to go.

貞度叔陵將有異志，因與卓自疏於王，每有宴遊，輒辭以疾，未嘗參預，叔陵雅欽重之，弗之罪也。 Zhen judged that Shuling would harbor a rebellious intent and therefore, with Zhuo, kept themselves distant from the prince. Whenever there were feasts or outings he would plead illness and never take part. Shuling had long held him in esteem and did not blame him.

俄而高宗崩，叔陵肆逆，府僚多相連逮，唯貞與卓獨不坐。 Shortly Emperor Xuan died and Shuling committed outrage; many staff members were implicated and seized—only Zhen and Zhuo were not charged.

Book of Chen, Chapter 36Volume 36: Chen Shuling, Prince of Shixing; Chen Bogu, Prince of Xin'an · 42 passages

始興王叔陵新安王伯固 Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling; Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu

始興王叔陵 Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling

始興王叔陵字子嵩，高宗之第二子也。 Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling, styled Zisong, was Emperor Gaozong's second son.

梁承聖中，高宗在江陵為直閤將軍，而叔陵生焉。 During Liang's Chengsheng reign, Emperor Gaozong was at Jiangling as direct-gate general when Shuling was born.

江陵陷，高宗遷關右，叔陵留于穰城。 After Jiangling fell, Emperor Gaozong withdrew to Guanzhong while Shuling stayed behind at Rangcheng.

高宗之還也，以後主及叔陵為質。 On Emperor Gaozong's return, the Last Ruler and Shuling were held as hostages.

天嘉三年，隨後主還朝，封康樂侯，邑五百戶。 In Tianjia year 3 he followed the Last Ruler home to court and was made Marquis of Kangle with a fief of five hundred households.

叔陵少機辯，徇聲名，彊梁無所推屈。 As a youth Shuling was sharp and argumentative, hungry for fame, and so overbearing that no one could stand up to him.

太建元年，封始興郡王，奉昭烈王祀。 In the first year of Taijian he was made Prince of Shixing to carry on the sacrifices to Prince Zhaolie.

叔陵時年十六，政自己出，僚佐莫預焉。 Shuling was then sixteen; policy came only from him, and his aides were shut out.

豫章內史錢法成詣府進謁，即配其子季卿將領馬仗，季卿慚恥，不時至，叔陵大怒，侵辱法成，法成憤怨自縊而死。 When Yuzhang inner administrator Qian Facheng came to the princely residence to pay court, Shuling immediately detailed Facheng's son Jiqing to lead horse and arms. Jiqing, mortified, delayed; Shuling flew into a rage and abused Facheng until Facheng, bitter and aggrieved, hanged himself.

叔陵日益暴橫，征伐夷獠，所得皆入己，絲毫不以賞賜。 Shuling grew daily more brutal; on campaigns against the Yi he kept every prize for himself and never gave the least reward.

叔陵治在東府，事務多關治省閣，執事之司，承意順旨，即諷上進用之，微致違忤，必抵以大罪，重者至殊死，道路籍籍，皆言其有非常志。 Shuling governed from the Eastern Mansion and routed much business through the provincial ministries. Offices that flattered him he pushed for imperial appointment; the least resistance brought a capital charge, even dismemberment. Rumors on every road said he nursed treasonous ambition.

叔陵脩飾虛名，每入朝，常於車中馬上執卷讀書，高聲長誦，陽陽自若。 Shuling cultivated a false reputation; entering court he would read aloud from a scroll in his carriage or on his horse, declaiming loudly with an air of ease.

晉世王公貴人，多葬梅嶺，及彭卒，叔陵啟求於梅嶺葬之，乃發故太傅謝安舊墓，棄去安柩，以葬其母。 In Jin many nobles were buried at Meiling; when Peng died Shuling asked to bury her there, opened Grand Tutor Xie An's old tomb, cast out An's coffin, and laid his mother in the grave.

高宗素愛叔陵，不繩之以法，但責讓而已。 Emperor Gaozong had long favored Shuling and would not restrain him by law, only scold him.

高宗崩于宣福殿，翌日旦，後主哀頓俯伏，叔陵以剉藥刀斫後主中項。 Emperor Gaozong died in the Hall of Extending Blessings; at dawn the next day, as the Last Ruler lay prostrate in grief, Shuling struck him in the back of the neck with a medicine knife.

太后馳來救焉，叔陵又斫太后數下。 The empress dowager rushed to save him; Shuling hacked her several times as well.

叔陵仍持後主衣，後主自奮得免。 Shuling still clutched the Last Ruler's robe, but the Last Ruler wrenched free.

長沙王叔堅手搤叔陵，奪去其刀，仍牽就柱，以其褶袖縛之。 Prince of Changsha Chen Shujian grappled Shuling, snatched away his knife, dragged him to a pillar, and bound him with his own robe sleeve.

叔陵因奮袖得脫，突走出雲龍門，馳車還東府，呼其甲士，散金銀以賞賜，外召諸王將帥，莫有應者，唯新安王伯固聞而赴之。 Shuling shook free his sleeve, bolted out the Cloud Dragon Gate, raced to the Eastern Mansion, rallied his guards, scattered gold and silver as bounty, and called the princes and generals—but only Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu came when he heard.

叔陵聚兵僅千人，初欲據城保守，俄而右衛將軍蕭摩訶將兵至府西門，叔陵事急惶恐，乃遣記室韋諒送其鼓吹與摩訶，仍謂之曰：「如其事捷，必以公為台鼎。」 Shuling mustered barely a thousand men and at first meant to occupy the city and defend it, but Right Guard General Xiao Mohe soon brought troops to the mansion's western gate. With matters urgent and panic setting in, Shuling sent staff recorder Wei Liang to deliver his pipes and drums to Mohe and promised, "If we win, you will sit among the highest ministers."

叔陵即遣戴溫、譚騏驎二人詣摩訶所，摩訶執以送臺，斬於閣道下。 Shuling sent Dai Wen and Tan Qilin to Mohe's camp; Mohe seized them, sent them to the tribunal, and they were beheaded under the gallery.

叔陵自知不濟，遂入內沈其妃張氏及寵妾七人于井中。 Knowing all was lost, Shuling went inside and drowned his consort Lady Zhang and seven favored concubines in a well.

叔陵有部下兵先在新林，於是率人馬數百，自小航渡，欲趨新林，以舟艦入北。 Some of his men were already at Xinlin; he led several hundred horse and foot across the small ferry, meaning to reach Xinlin and flee north by ship.

行至白楊路，為臺軍所邀，伯固見兵至，旋避入巷，叔陵馳騎拔刃追之，伯固復還。 At Baiyang Road the court army blocked them; Bogu, seeing soldiers, slipped into an alley; Shuling spurred after him with blade drawn, and Bogu returned.

叔陵部下，多棄甲潰散，摩訶馬 Shuling's men mostly threw off armor and fled; Mohe on horseback

容陳智深迎刺叔陵，[1]僵斃于地，閹豎王飛禽抽刀斫之十數下，馬 Collation variant: (Rong); adopted reading: Chen Zhishen came forward to stab Shuling. [1] He stiffened and fell dead; the eunuch Wang Feiqin drew his blade and hacked him more than ten times; on horseback

尚書八座奏曰：「逆賊故侍中、中軍大將軍、始興王叔陵，幼而很戾，長肆貪虐。 The eight secretariat ministers memorialized: "The traitor, the late palace attendant and grand general of the central army, Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling, was savage from childhood and in manhood wallowed in greed and cruelty.

自大行皇帝寢疾，翌日未瘳，叔陵以貴介之地，參侍醫藥，外無戚容，內懷逆弒。 From the day the late emperor fell ill, by the morrow he had not recovered; Shuling, in honored rank at the bedside, showed no sorrow outwardly while nursing regicide within.

大漸之後，聖躬號擗，遂因匍匐，手犯乘輿。 When the emperor was failing, as the sacred person wailed and beat his breast, Shuling used the prostration to lay hands on the imperial person.

叔陵仍奔東城，招集凶黨，餘毒方熾，自害妻孥。 Shuling still fled to the eastern quarter, rallied his ruffians, and even murdered his own wife and children.

叔陵諸子，即日並賜死。 Shuling's sons were all ordered to die that same day.

暠，叔陵舅也，初隨高宗在關中，頗有勤效，因藉叔陵將領歷陽、衡陽二郡。 Hao was Shuling's uncle on his mother's side; he had followed Emperor Gaozong in Guanzhong with some merit and, through Shuling's favor, held command over Liyang and Hengyang.

諒，京兆人，梁侍中、護軍將軍粲之子也，以學業為叔陵所引。 Liang came from Jingzhao, son of Liang attendant-in-ordinary and protector-general Can, and was recruited by Shuling for his scholarship.

陳智深以誅叔陵之功為巴陵內史，封游安縣子。 For killing Shuling, Chen Zhishen was made inner administrator of Baling and enfeoffed as Viscount of You'an.

叔陵在江州，心害其寵，陰求疵瑕，將中之以法。 Shuling was in Jiangzhou and resented Bogu's favor; he secretly looked for faults and meant to bring him down by law.

及叔陵入朝，伯固懼罪，諂求其意，乃共訕毀朝賢，歷詆文武，雖耆年高位，皆面折之，無所畏忌。 When Shuling came to court, Bogu feared punishment and fawned on him to learn his mind; together they slandered court worthies and abused civil and military men in turn—even elders of years and high rank they confronted to the face without fear.

伯固性好射雉，叔陵又好開發冢墓，出遊野外，必與偕行，於是情好大協，遂謀不軌。 Bogu loved shooting pheasants and Shuling loved opening tombs; abroad in the wilds they always went together, their feelings matched, and they plotted treason.

伯固侍禁中，每有密語，必報叔陵。 Bogu attended within the palace; whenever there was a secret word he reported it to Shuling.

及叔陵出奔東府，遣使告之，伯固單馬馳赴，助叔陵指揮。 When Shuling fled to the Eastern Palace he sent word to Bogu; Bogu rode alone at full speed to join him and helped direct the fighting.

叔陵險躁奔競，遂行悖逆，轘磔形骸，未臻其罪，汙潴居處，不足彰過，悲哉。 Shuling was dangerous, restless, and driven to outstrip others, then carried out rebellion. Sundering his body by the cart-wheel did not reach his crime; defiling pools at his dwelling did not suffice to show his fault—alas!