Su Weidao (蘇味道) | 24 Histories

Overview

Su Weidao was an official and Writer.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Nickname	the equivocator	摸棱手

Life and dates

Death

AD 705 張易之敗後還益州未就道
Age Value: 58 · Before Taking Office true
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 220
died before Qiao's late career
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 123, passage 87

Age

58
Reckoning Stated at death
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 220

Attested activity

AD 700 to AD 705 AD 700-705
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 113, passage 130
AD 680 to AD 705 中與崔融、蘇味道齊名
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 87
AD 700 to AD 705 劾奏鳳閣侍郎蘇味道贓貪
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 93
AD 694 延載中
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 210
AD 700 to AD 705 張易之
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 114, passage 20
AD 705 張易之敗
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 114, passages 219-220

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AD 698 聖曆初
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 215
AD 695 證聖元年
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 211

Family

Sibling of Su Weiyuan (蘇味元)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 226

Kinship Role parents · Count 2 · reburied; state managed funeral
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 216

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Chief Secretary 管書記
Appointed · Context campaign against the Turks
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 208
Attendant of the Phoenix Pavilion, acting vice-director, Associate Chief Minister 鳳閣舍人檢校侍郎、同鳳閣鸞台平章事
AD 694 延載中 · Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 210
Vice-Director of the Phoenix Pavilion and Third-Rank Associate Chief Minister 鳳閣侍郎、同鳳閣鸞台三品
AD 698 聖曆初 · Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 215
Magistrate of Xianyang 咸陽尉
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 207
full Associate Chief Minister 同鳳閣鸞台平章事
AD 695 延載中歲餘 · Confirmed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 210
Prefect of Fangzhou 坊州刺史
Demoted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 217

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Prefect of Jizhou 集州刺史
Demoted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 213
Prefect of Meizhou 眉州刺史
Demoted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 219
Vice Director of the Phoenix Pavilion 鳳閣侍郎
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 93
Chief Administrator of Yizhou 益州長史
Reappointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 220
Vice-Director of the Bureau of the Heavens 天官侍郎
Recalled
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 214
Chief Administrator of the Yizhou Grand Protectorate 益州大都督府長史
Transferred
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 218
posthumous Prefect of Jizhou 贈冀州刺史
Bestowed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 220
Demoted
Demotion · Authority Empress Wu (武后)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 213
Demoted
Demotion · Cause Partisan association with Zhang Yizhi
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 219
Impeached
Impeached for corruption · Authority Xiao Zhizhong (蕭至忠)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 93
Impeached
Impeachment · Authority Xiao Zhizhong (蕭至忠)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 217
Imprisoned
AD 695 證聖元年 · Imprisonment · At Ministry of Justice prison 司刑獄 · With Zhang Xi (張錫)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 211

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passages 87, 93
At Luancheng in Zhaozhou 趙州欒城
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 204
At Xianyang 咸陽 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 207
At Yizhou 益州 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 218

Learning and skills

Earned
Credential Presented Scholar 進士
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 206
Skill literary composition 屬辭 · Level early-prodigy · Age Context nine
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 205
Skill Secretariat precedents and memorials 台閣故事、占奏 · Level mastered
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 221

Works and attributed material

his collected writings 所論著
Relation Author
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 227
Memorial · Author · With Pei Judao (裴居道)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 209
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 223

Events and relationships

Composed memorial at once
Literary · Drafter · With Pei Judao (裴居道)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 209
Damaged neighbor grave land by overdue corvee
Legal · Accused · With Xiao Zhizhong (蕭至忠)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 217
Imprisoned with
AD 695 證聖元年 · Legal · Prisoner · With Zhang Xi (張錫)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passages 211-212
Passed jinshi
Examination · Candidate
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 206
Reburied parents with state managed funeral
Ritual · Son
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 216
Remained calm when scorned
Personal · Elder brother · With Su Weiyuan (蘇味元)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 226

Show 4 more source-backed claims

Served on Turk campaign
Military · Secretary · With Pei Xingjian (裴行儉)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 208
Relation Partisan associate of · Person Zhang Yizhi (張易之)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 219
Relation Fellow townsman and literary peer of · Person Li Qiao (李嶠)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 205
Relation Protege of · Person Pei Xingjian (裴行儉)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 208

Assessments and attributes

Assessment as chief minister merely filled the seat; self-preservation and flattery · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 222
Assessment known jointly with Li Jiao as Su and Li · Mode named-source-report
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 205
Assessment memorial lucid, refined, widely circulated · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 209
Assessment sat on bare ground eating vegetables, pitiable with dread · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 212
affectionate toward kin by nature
Character
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 225

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 123, passage 87
the equivocator 摸棱手
Nickname
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 114, passage 224

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 113Volume 113 Biographies 38: Tang, Zhang, Xu · 3 passages

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與鄭杲俱知選，坐泄禁中語，又賕謝鉅萬，時蘇味道亦坐事，同被訊，系鳳閣，俄徙司刑三品院。 He and Zheng Gao oversaw civil-service selection. For leaking palace secrets and accepting bribes of tens of thousands, he was investigated together with Su Weidao, detained in the Phoenix Pavilion, and soon moved to the Court of Punishments compound.

味道徒步赴逮，席地菜食。 Weidao walked to his arrest and sat on the ground eating plain vegetables.

武後聞之，釋味道，將斬錫，既而流循州。 Empress Wu released Weidao but was about to execute Xi; she then exiled him to Xunzhou instead.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 114Volume 114 Biographies 39: Cui Rong and Descendent Cong, Descendent Neng, Neng's Nephew: Shen You, Neng's Nephew an Qian, Neng's Son: Yan Ceng, Xu Yanbo, Su Weidao, Dou Lu Qin Wang · 9 passages

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張易之兄弟頗延文學士，融與李嶠、蘇味道、麟台少監王紹宗降節佞附。 Zhang Yizhi and his brothers cultivated literary men, and Rong joined Li Jiao, Su Weidao, and Wang Shaozong, vice-director of the Lin Terrace, in abasing themselves to flatter and attach to them.

蘇味道，趙州欒城人。 Su Weidao was a native of Luancheng in Zhaozhou.

裴居道為左金吾衛將軍，倩味道作章，攬筆而具，閑徹清密，當時盛傳。 When Pei Judao served as general of the Left Golden Crow Guard, he asked Weidao to draft a memorial; Weidao took up the brush and finished it at once in language lucid and refined, and the piece was widely admired.

錫雖下吏，氣象自如，味道獨席地飯蔬，為危惴可憐者。 Though Xi remained composed even in custody, Weidao alone sat on the bare ground eating vegetables, a pitiable figure of constant dread.

武后聞，放錫嶺南，才降味道集州刺史。 When Empress Wu heard of this, she exiled Xi to Lingnan and merely demoted Weidao to prefect of Jizhou.

味道因役庸過程，遂侵毀鄉人墓田，蕭至忠劾之，貶坊州刺史。 Weidao's corvée work ran over schedule and he damaged a neighbor's grave land; Xiao Zhizhong impeached him and he was demoted to prefect of Fangzhou.

味道練台閣故事，善占奏。 Weidao mastered Secretariat precedents and excelled at memorials and reports.

故世號「摸棱手」。 For this the age called him "the equivocator."

其弟味元，味元嘗請托不遂，因慢折之，味道怡然不屑。 His younger brother Weiyuan, when a request went unfulfilled, treated him with contempt; Weidao remained calm and unperturbed.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 123Volume 123 Biographies 48: Li, Xiao, Lu, Wei, Zhao, He · 2 passages

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然其仕前與王勃、楊盈川接，中與崔融、蘇味道齊名，晚諸人沒，而為文章宿老，一時學者取法焉。 In early career he moved in the circle of Wang Bo and Yang Yingchuan; in mid-career he ranked with Cui Rong and Su Weidao; in later years, after the others had died, he became the elder master of letters whom scholars of the age took as their model.

遷監察御史，劾奏鳳閣侍郎蘇味道贓貪，超拜吏部員外郎。 Promoted to investigating censor, he impeached Vice Director Su Weidao of the Phoenix Pavilion for corruption and was specially promoted to Vice Director in the Ministry of Personnel.