Xu Jingzong (許敬宗)

Overview

The translated histories identify Xu Jingzong as a historian, official, and statesman. This record brings together 5 passages from 3 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Xu Jingzong	許敬宗	Xǔ Jìngzōng
Given	Jingzong	敬宗	Jìngzōng
Given	Jingzong	敬宗	Jingzong
Title	Palace Attendant	侍中	Shizhong
Surname	Xu	許	Xǔ
Surname	Xu	許	Xu
Personal name	Xu Jingzong	許敬宗	Xǔ Jìngzōng
Personal	Xu Jingzong	許敬宗	Xu Jingzong

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · suishu:086:s0007
Sex: male
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0003, xintangshu:051:s0091

Roles

Historian
Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 貞觀十年 · Regnal Year: 10 · Western Year: AD 636
Explicit · suishu:086:s0024
Source Date: Text: 龍朔三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: AD 663
Explicit · suishu:086:s0025
Source Date: Text: 貞觀八年 · Regnal Year: 8 · Western Year: AD 634
Explicit · suishu:086:s0023
Source Date: Text: 唐初 · Western Interval: Start: c. AD 650 · End: AD 658
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:020:s0003
Source Date: Text: 貞觀三年 · Western Year: AD 629
Explicit event contextual date · suishu:086:s0006, suishu:086:s0007
Source Date: Text: 高宗朝 · Western Interval: Start: AD 650 · End: AD 683
Strongly inferred · xintangshu:051:s0091

Career and standing

Label: Academician / 著作郎 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀八年 · Western Year: AD 634
Explicit · suishu:086:s0023
Label: Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent / 太子少師 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 龍朔三年 · Western Year: AD 663
Explicit · suishu:086:s0025
Label: Administrator of Hongzhou / 洪州司馬 · Action: demoted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀十年 · Western Year: AD 636
Explicit · suishu:086:s0024
Label: Academician / 著作郎 · Action: held · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀三年 · Western Year: AD 629
Explicit · suishu:086:s0007
Label: Palace Attendant / 侍中 · Action: held
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0091
Label: Secretariat Attendant / 中書舍人 · Action: promoted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀八年 · Western Year: AD 634
Explicit · suishu:086:s0023
Status: demotion · Action: demoted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀十年 · Western Year: AD 636
Explicit · suishu:086:s0024

Places and affiliations

Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Strongly inferred · suishu:086:s0007
Polity: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0003, xintangshu:051:s0091
Place: Hongzhou / 洪州 · Relation: posted-to · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀十年 · Western Year: AD 636
Explicit · suishu:086:s0024

Works and attributed material

Work: Book of Sui annals and biographies / 隋書紀傳 · Relation: attributed-author · Provenance: Mode: textual-variant
Uncertain · suishu:086:s0022
Kind: opinion · Role: speaker · Statement: 凶事非臣子所宜言 · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0003

Events and relationships

Kind: scholarly · Role: compiler · Action: assigned-to-write · Object: Sui history / 隋史
Explicit · suishu:086:s0007
Kind: political · Role: minister · Action: came-to-power
Explicit · xintangshu:051:s0091
Kind: scholarly · Role: compiler · Action: compiled · Object: dynastic history / 國史 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 貞觀八年 · Western Year: AD 634
Explicit · suishu:086:s0023
Kind: political · Role: advocate · Action: removed-national-mourning-chapter · Other Person Id: Li Yifu (李義府) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 唐初 · Western Interval: Start: c. AD 650 · End: AD 658
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0003
Relation: colleague-of · Person Id: Yan Shigu (師古)
Explicit · suishu:086:s0007
Relation: colleague-of · Person Id: Kong Yingda (孔穎達)
Explicit · suishu:086:s0007

Source notes

Field: authorship-credit · Statement: Some copies credit Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent Xu Jingzong as compiler of the annals and biographies; dates and offices differ from the present record and are suspected later interpolation · Witness: present record vs. some copies
Explicit · suishu:086:s0022, suishu:086:s0026
Historicity: historical
Explicit · xintangshu:020:s0003, xintangshu:051:s0091

References in the histories

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

Book of Sui, Chapter 86Volume 86: the Second Year of the Tian Sheng Reign Publication Mark · 3 passages

Open chapter

徵又奏於中書省置秘書內省，令前中書侍郎顏師古、給事中孔穎達、著作郎許敬宗撰隋史。 Wei also proposed setting up an inner secretariat bureau within the Secretariat and assigning former Vice Director Yan Shigu, Supernumerary within the Gates Kong Yingda, and Academician Xu Jingzong to write the Sui history.

紀傳亦有題太子少師許敬宗撰。 Some copies of the annals and biographies also credit "Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent Xu Jingzong" as compiler.

案敬宗傳，貞觀八年，除著作郎，修國史，遷中書舍人。 Xu Jingzong's biography records that in the eighth year of Zhenguan he was made Academician, worked on the dynastic history, and was then promoted to Secretariat Attendant.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 20Volume 20 Treatises 10: Rites and Music 10 · 1 passage

Open chapter

唐初，徙其次第五，而李義府、許敬宗以為凶事非臣子所宜言，遂去其國卹一篇，由是天子凶禮闕焉。 Early Tang moved it to fifth place. Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong argued that subjects should not discuss inauspicious matters, removed the chapter on national mourning, and left the emperor's mourning rites undocumented.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 51Volume 51 Treatises 47: Finance and Economics 1 · 1 passage

Open chapter

及中書令李義府、侍中許敬宗既用事，役費並起。 Once Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong held power, corvée and spending both surged.