Song, Liao, and Jin · Official and Writer

Su Shi 蘇軾

Attested AD 1086 - AD 1100

Passages: 6
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Su Shi was an official and Writer.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 1086 to AD 1094 元祐
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 339, passages 354, 359
AD 1097 to AD 1100 軾謫居海上
Strongly inferred · History of Song 339, passage 325

Family

Kin of Yuanlao (元老)
collateral grandson 從孫 · paternal line · 2 generations
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passage 346
Sibling of Su Zhe (蘇轍)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings · paternal line
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passages 318, 354, 359

Places and affiliations

Polity Song 宋 · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passage 325
AD 1097 to AD 1100 軾謫居海上
At the coast 海上 · Relation Exiled to
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passage 325

Events and relationships

Relation Correspondent of · Person Yuanlao (元老)
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passage 325

Assessments and attributes

Assessment heroic breadth and expansive prose · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passage 354
Assessment pleased with Yuanlao's scholarly progress · With Yuanlao (元老) · Mode named-person-judgment Source Person Id Su Shi (蘇軾)
Directly stated · History of Song 339, passage 326

References in the histories

History of Song, Chapter 339Volume 339 Biographies 98: Su Zhezu and Grandson: Yuanlao · 6 passages

轍性沉靜簡潔，為文汪洋澹泊，似其為人，不願人知之，而秀傑之氣終不可掩，其高處殆與兄軾相迫。 Zhe was calm and spare; his prose was vast yet plain, like the man himself—he did not seek renown, yet his brilliance could not be hidden, and at his best he nearly matched his brother Shi.

軾謫居海上，數以書往來。 Shi, exiled to the coast, exchanged letters with him often.

軾喜其為學有功，轍亦愛獎之。 Shi was pleased with his scholarly progress, and Zhe also encouraged him warmly.

梁師成方用事，自言為軾外子，因緣欲見之，且求其文，拒不答。 Liang Shicheng was then in power and claimed to be Shi's son by a concubine; he sought a meeting and asked for writings, but Yuanlao refused.

言者遂論元老蘇軾從孫，且為元祐邪說，其學術議論，頗仿軾、轍，不宜在中朝。 Critics then argued that Yuanlao, as Su Shi's collateral grandson, held Yuanyou heterodoxy and imitated Shi and Zhe in learning and opinion, and should not serve at court.

若是者，軾宜若不及，然至論軾英邁之氣，閎肆之文，轍為軾弟，可謂難矣。 In such matters Shi might seem unmatched; yet in heroic breadth and expansive prose, for Zhe as his younger brother to stand near him was no small feat.