Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official and Statesman

Xu Dun 許惇

Attested AD 550 - AD 565

Passages: 3
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Xu Dun was an official and Statesman.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 550 to AD 565 齊朝
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 43, passages 99-100

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Xu Xun (許遜)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 107
Parent of Xu Wenji (許文紀)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 102
Parent of Xu Wenjing (許文經)
son 子
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 43, passages 102-103

Career and standing

great impartial selector of the native commandery 本州大中正
Competed for
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passages 99-100

Places and affiliations

Polity Northern Qi 齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passages 99-100

Events and relationships

Competed for impartial selector and had Shao sent out
Political · Competitor · With Xing Shao (邢卲)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 100
Sat silent or slept while peers discussed classics and poetry
Social · Participant
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 101
Relation Client of · Person Song Qindao (宋欽道)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 100

Assessments and attributes

Assessment court opinion greatly despised him · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 100
Assessment deeply slighted by leading circles for lack of learning and lively talk · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 43, passage 101

References in the histories

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 43Volume 43 Biographies 35: Li Zhilian; Feng Shu; Xu Dun; Yang Lie; Yuan Biao · 3 passages

同郡邢卲為中書監，德望甚高，惇與卲競中正，遂馮附宋欽道，出卲為刺史，朝議甚鄙薄之。 Xing Shao of the same commandery was supervisor of the secretariat; his virtue and standing were very high; Dun competed with Shao for the impartial selector post and therefore clung to Song Qindao, having Shao sent out as inspector; court opinion greatly despised him for it.

雖久處朝行，歷官清顯，與邢卲、魏收、陽休之、崔劼、徐之才之徒比肩同列，諸人或談說經史，或吟詠詩賦，更相嘲戲，欣笑滿堂，惇不解劇談，又無學術，或竟坐杜口，或隱几而睡，深為勝流所輕。 Though he long walked the court ranks and held clear, eminent offices, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xing Shao, Wei Shou, Yang Xiuzhi, Cui Jie, Xu Zhicai, and the like—some discussed the classics and histories, some chanted poetry and rhapsodies, mocking one another in turn with laughter filling the hall—Dun did not understand lively talk and had no learning; sometimes he sat the whole time with sealed lips, sometimes hid behind a desk and slept, and was deeply slighted by the leading circles.

惇兄遜，字仲讓，有幹局，乾明中平原太守，卒贈信州刺史。 Dun's elder brother Xun, styled Zhongrang, had administrative talent; in the Qianming era he was administrator of Pingyuan and on death was posthumously given inspector of Xin province.