Overview
Xizu was a Royal Family Member.
IdentityHistorical · Male
Other names
| Type | English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|
| Temple name |
great-great-grandfather |
高祖 |
Gaozu |
Life and dates
Attested activity
Places and affiliations
- Polity Song 宋 · Relation Associated with
Events and relationships
Proposed as founding ancestor
AD 1072 熙寧五年 · Ritual · Subject
Tablet not paired at border sacrifice
AD 963 建隆四年 · Ritual · Subject · At suburban altar 親郊
References in the histories
No matching passages.
History of Song, Chapter 106Volume 106 Treatises 59: Rites 9 · 16 passages
熙寧五年，中書門下言：「僖祖以上世次，不可得而知，則僖祖有廟，與商周契、稷疑無以異。
In 1072, the Secretariat argued: "Generations above Xizu cannot be known, and Xizu having a temple scarcely differs from Shang and Zhou honoring Qi and Ji.
今太祖受命之初，立親廟，自僖祖以上世次，既不可知，則僖祖之為始祖無疑矣。
When Taizu first received the Mandate and established direct-line temples, generations above Xizu could not be known—Xizu as founding ancestor is beyond doubt.
儻謂僖祖不當比契、稷為始祖，是使天下之人不復知尊 祖，而子孫得以有功加其祖考也。
To deny Xizu comparison with Qi and Ji as founding ancestor would make all under Heaven cease to honor ancestors properly, and let descendants add merit to their forebears at will.
今遷僖祖之主，藏於太祖之室，則是四祖袷祭之日，皆降 而合食也。
Moving Xizu's tablet into Taizu's chamber means that on the four ancestors' xia sacrifice day, all descend and share food together.
請以僖祖之廟為太祖，則合於先王禮意。」
We propose making Xizu's temple the Grand Ancestor temple, in accord with the former kings' ritual intent."
僖祖雖為高祖，然仰跡功業，未見所因，上尋世係，又不知所以始， 若以所事契、稷奉之，竊恐於古無考，而於今亦所未安。
Although Xizu was great-great-grandfather, tracing upward reveals no enterprise on which to rely and no known beginning to the lineage. To honor him as Qi and Ji were honored lacks ancient warrant and seems unsettling today.
天章閣待制孫固請：「特為僖祖立室，由太祖而上，親盡迭毀之主皆藏之。
Awaited Gentleman Sun Gu of the Hall of Heavenly Patterns proposed: "Set up a special chamber for Xizu, storing from Taizu upward all tablets whose affection is exhausted through successive destruction.
當禘袷時，以僖祖權居東向之位，太祖順昭穆之列而從之，取毀廟之主而合食，則僖祖 之尊自有所申。
At di and xia sacrifices, let Xizu provisionally face east while Taizu follows the zhao-mu ranks; combine food from destroyed temples—then Xizu's honor is naturally expressed.
以僖祖立廟為非，則周人別廟薑原，不可謂非禮。」
If a separate temple for Xizu is wrong, then the Zhou's separate temple for Jiang Yuan cannot be called unritual."
秘閣校理王介請依《周官》守祧之制，創祧廟以奉僖祖，庶不下祔子孫夾室，以替遠祖之尊。
Secretariat Collator Wang Jie proposed following the Rites of Zhou's system of guarding distant-line shrines, creating a distant-line temple for Xizu rather than installing him below descendants in a flanking chamber and displacing the remote ancestor's honor.
又安石以尊僖祖為始祖，則郊祀當以配天，若宗祀明堂，則太祖、太宗當迭配帝。
Wang Anshi also held that honoring Xizu as founding ancestor meant border sacrifice should pair him with Heaven, and that at the Bright Hall Taizu and Taizong should alternate as God's consorts.
又疑明堂以英宗配天，與僖祖為非始祖之說。
He also doubted pairing Yingzong with Heaven at the Bright Hall, which conflicted with denying Xizu as founding ancestor.
國家以僖祖親盡而祧 之，奉景祐之詔，以太祖為帝者之祖，是合於禮矣。
The state moved Xizu to distant-line status when affection was exhausted, following the Jingyou edict making Taizu the emperor's ancestor—in full accord with ritual.
若使廟數備六，則更當上 推兩世，而僖祖次在第三，亦未可謂之始祖也。
If temples reached six, one must push two generations further up, and Xizu would rank third—he still could not be called founding ancestor.
謹按建隆四年，親郊崇配不及僖祖。
We note that in 963, at the border sacrifice the elevated pairing did not reach Xizu.
請略仿《周官》守祧之制，築別 廟以藏僖祖神主，大祭之歲，祀於其室。
We propose roughly following the Rites of Zhou's system of guarding distant-line shrines, building a separate temple for Xizu's tablet and worshiping there in years of great sacrifice.