Xu Xiaosi (徐孝嗣) | 24 Histories

Overview

Xu Xiaosi was a Southern Qi official involved in the deposition coup.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Wenzhong	文忠	Wénzhōng
Alternate name	the old mother's boy	老姥子

Life and dates

Death

AD 499 殺徐孝嗣後
Execution · Authority Marquess of Donghun (東昏侯)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 171
AD 499 永元元年冬十月乙未
Execution · Cause put to death 誅
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44

Attested activity

AD 499 永元元年八月丙辰
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 34
AD 499 永元元年八月己巳
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 38
AD 498 to AD 501 AD 498-501
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 238
AD 499 刺史始安王遙光反
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 55, passage 252
AD 497 四年二月甲子
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 148
AD 499 to AD 500 寶玄娶尚書令徐孝嗣女
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 50, passage 31

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AD 494 to AD 498 建武
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 11, passage 102
AD 497 建武四年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 36, passage 9
AD 494 明帝卽位
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 53, passage 118
AD 499 東昏
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 47, passage 240
AD 498 東昏卽位
Directly stated · Book of Liang 11, passage 179
AD 499 殺徐孝嗣
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 171
AD 499 永元元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 19, passages 232, 239
AD 499 永元元年冬十月乙未
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44
AD 498 永泰元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 6, passages 218, 220; Book of Southern Qi 45, passage 188
AD 498 永泰元年秋七月己酉
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 6, passages 180-181
AD 494 隆昌元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 4, passage 108
AD 494 隆昌末
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 55, passage 185
AD 479 to AD 500 齊
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 7, passage 197
AD 479 齊受禪
Dated from the passage context · Book of Song 71, passage 133
AD 494 to AD 498 齊明帝及覽父綍、東海徐孝嗣
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 15, passage 122

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Consort Xu Zhaopei (徐昭佩)
grandfather 祖 · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Liang 7, passage 197
Parent of Daughter of Xu Xiaosi (徐孝嗣女)
daughter 女
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 50, passage 31
Parent of Xu Gun (徐緄)
father 父
Strongly inferred · Book of Liang 7, passages 197-198
Child of Xu Yuzhi (徐聿之)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Song 71, passage 133

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Minister of Works 司空
AD 499 永元元年八月己巳 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 38
Director of the Masters of Writing 尚書令
AD 497 四年二月甲子 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 148
Director of the Masters of Writing 尚書令
AD 499 永元元年八月丙辰 · Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passages 34, 38
Central-Army General-in-Chief 中軍大將軍
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 220
Director of the Masters of Writing 尚書令
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44
Director 令
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 181

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Governor of Danyang 丹陽尹
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 55, passage 185
Grand Commandant 太尉
Held
Directly stated · Book of Liang 7, passage 197
Left Vice Director 左僕射
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 148
Minister of the Interior 尚書令
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 55, passage 252
Minister of Works 司空
Held
Directly stated · Book of Liang 11, passages 102, 179
Supervisor of the Masters of Writing 中書監
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 182
Minister of Works 司空
Newly appointed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44
opening of a secretariat with ceremony equal to the Three Excellencies 開府儀同三司
AD 498 永泰元年 · Granted
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 6, passages 218, 220
Wenzhong 文忠
Posthumously titled
Directly stated · Book of Liang 7, passage 197
Duke of Zhijiang 枝江公
Held
Directly stated · Book of Liang 7, passage 197
put to death 誅
AD 499 永元元年冬十月乙未 · Execution · Suffered
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44

Places and affiliations

Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Active in
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 19, passages 232, 239
Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passages 148, 220; Book of Southern Qi 7, passages 34, 171; Book of Southern Qi 45, passage 188
Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44; Book of Southern Qi 47, passage 240
Polity Id liu-song · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Song 71, passage 133
At Donghai 東海
Directly stated · Book of Liang 15, passage 122
Organization Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Affiliated with
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 50, passage 1

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · About Person Id Kong Xiuyuan (孔休源)
Directly stated · Book of Liang 36, passages 9-10
Memorial · Author · Paraphrased · About Person Id Lu Xian (陸閑)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 55, passage 252
AD 498 永泰元年
Speech · Speaker · With Xiao Luan (蕭鸞) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 45, passage 188
AD 498 永泰元年秋七月己酉
Testament · Addressee or appointee
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 6, passages 180-182, 184
Memorial · Co author · With Xie Tiao (謝朓)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 47, passages 240-245
Speech · Speaker · With Zheng Shaoshu (鄭紹叔) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Liang 11, passage 102

Events and relationships

Advised against excessive posthumous rank
AD 498 永泰元年 · Political · Advisor · With Xiao Yaochang (蕭遙昌)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 45, passage 188
Coup advance
AD 494 隆昌元年 · Political · Participant
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 4, passage 108
Encamped to guard
AD 499 永元元年八月丙辰 · Military · Defender · At palace city 宮城
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 34
Entrusted with inner and outer affairs
AD 498 永泰元年秋七月己酉 · Political · Appointee
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 6, passages 180, 184
Executed
AD 499 永元元年冬十月乙未 · Legal · Victim
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44
Joint memorial for execution
Legal · Co accuser · With Xie Tiao (謝朓)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 47, passage 240

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Made director of masters of writing
AD 497 四年二月甲子 · Appointment · Appointee
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 6, passage 148
Memorialized innocence
AD 499 刺史始安王遙光反 · Legal · Advocate · With Lu Xian (陸閑)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 55, passage 252
Said to be slain in error
AD 499 永元元年 · Political · Victim · Mode historian-judgment
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 19, passages 232, 234, 239
Sought collaboration
Political · Manager · With Lü Sengzhen (呂僧珍)
Directly stated · Book of Liang 11, passage 179

Assessments and attributes

Assessment recognized Zheng Shaoshu as Zu Ti's kind · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Liang 11, passage 102

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passages 34, 171; Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 239; Book of Song 71, passage 133
Historicity historical
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 44
old mother's boy / character Xiao 老姥子／孝字之象
Statement identified as 老姥子, image of the character 孝
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 19, passage 239

References in the histories

Search passages

History

24 passages

Book of Liang, Chapter 7Volume 7: Empresses · 1 passage

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祖孝嗣，太尉、枝江文忠公。 grandfather Xiaosi, Grand Commandant, Duke of Zhijiang the Cultured and Loyal.

Book of Liang, Chapter 11Volume 11: Zhang Hongce; Yu Yu; Zheng Shaoshu; Lü Sengzhen · 2 passages

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到京師，司空徐孝嗣見而異之，曰：「祖逖之流也。」 At the capital, Minister of Works Xu Xiaosi took notice and said, "This is Zu Ti's kind of man."

東昏卽位，司空徐孝嗣管朝政，欲與共事，僧珍揣不久安，竟弗往。 When Donghun succeeded, Xu Xiaosi ran the government and sought his help; Sengzhen guessed the ground would not hold and never went.

Book of Liang, Chapter 15Volume 15: Xie Fei; Xie Lan · 1 passage

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初，齊明帝及覽父綍、東海徐孝嗣，並爲吳興，號稱名守，覽皆欲過之！ Once Qi Mingdi, Lan's father Fu, and Donghai's Xu Xiaosi had all ruled Wuxing as famed administrators—Lan meant to outdo them all!

Book of Liang, Chapter 36Volume 36: Kong Xiuyuan; Jiang Ge · 1 passage

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建武四年，州舉秀才，太尉徐孝嗣省其策，深善之，謂同坐曰：「董仲舒、華令思何以尚此，可謂後生之准也。 In Jianwu year 4 the province nominated him as xiucai. Grand Marshal Xu Xiaosi read his examination paper and praised it to his companions: "Not even Dong Zhongshu or Hua Lingsi would outshine this youth—he is the standard for his generation.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 4Volume 4 Annals 4: Prince of Yulin · 1 passage

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王晏、徐孝嗣、蕭坦之、陳顯達、王廣之、沈文季系進。 Wang Yan, Xu Xiaosi, Xiao Tanzhi, Chen Xianda, Wang Guangzhi, and Shen Wenji followed in turn.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 6Volume 6 Annals 6: Emperor Ming of Southern Qi · 4 passages

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二月甲子，以左僕射徐孝嗣爲尚書令，征虜將軍蕭季敞爲廣州刺史。 Second month, day jiazi: Xu Xiaosi, left vice director, became director of the masters of writing; Xiao Jichang, suppressing-the-barbarians general, was made inspector of Guangzhou.

中軍大將軍徐孝嗣即本號開府儀同三司。 Xu Xiaosi, central-army general-in-chief, kept his rank with secretariat parity equal to the three excellencies.

遺詔曰：「徐令可重申八命。 His final testament said: "Director Xu may again receive the eightfold honor.

內外衆事，無大小委徐孝嗣、遙光、坦之、江祏，其大事與沈文季、江祀、劉暄參懷。 All inner and outer affairs, great and small, go to Xu Xiaosi, Yaoguang, Tanzhi, and Jiang You; great affairs are to be weighed with Shen Wenji, Jiang Si, and Liu Xuan.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 7Volume 7 Annals 7: Marquess of Donghun · 4 passages

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尚書令徐孝嗣以下屯衞宮城。 Director Xu Xiaosi and the officials under him camped to defend the palace city.

己巳，尚書令徐孝嗣為司空，右衞將軍劉暄為領軍將軍。 Day jisi: Xu Xiaosi, director of the masters of writing, became minister of works; Liu Xuan, right guards general, became Leader of the Army.

冬十月乙未，誅尚書令新除司空徐孝嗣，右僕射新除鎮軍將軍沈文季。 Winter, tenth month, day yiwei: Xu Xiaosi, director of the masters of writing and newly made minister of works, was put to death, as was Shen Wenji, right vice director and newly made garrison general.

殺徐孝嗣後，封為臨汝縣子。 When Xu Xiaosi was put to death, Shibang was made viscount of Linru.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 19Volume 19 Treatises 11: Five Elements · 2 passages

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腳跛不得起，誤殺老姥子。」 The cripple cannot stand—by error they slay the old mother's boy."

老姥子，孝字之象，徐孝嗣也。 The old mother's boy—the shape of the character for filial piety—was Xu Xiaosi.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 45Volume 45 Biographies 26: The Imperial Clan · 1 passage

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帝以問徐孝嗣，孝嗣曰：「豐城本資尚輕，贈以班台，如爲小過。」 The emperor asked Xu Xiaosi, who said, "Fengcheng's original endowment was still modest; to posthumously grant him court rank would be a slight excess."

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 47Volume 47 Biographies 28: Wang Rong, Xie Tiao · 1 passage

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祏聞，以告遙光，遙光大怒，乃稱敕召朓，仍回車付廷尉，與徐孝嗣、祏、暄等連名啓誅朓曰：「謝朓資性險薄，大彰遠近。 Si heard and told Yaoguang, who was furious; summoning Tiao in the emperor's name, he turned him over to the Minister of Justice; with Xu Xiaosi, Si, Xuan, and others he jointly memorialized for Tiao's execution: "Xie Tiao's nature is treacherous and shallow, notorious far and near.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 29: Yuan Tuan, Kong Zhigui, Liu Hui · 1 passage

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兄悛之亡，朝議贈平北將軍、雍州刺史，詔書已出，繪請尚書令徐孝嗣改之。 At Jun's death the court deliberated posthumous award of general who pacifies the north and governor of Yong province; the edict had already been issued when Hui asked minister director Xu Xiaosi to change it.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 50Volume 50 Biographies 31: Emperor Wen's Two Princes, Emperor Ming's Seven Princes · 1 passage

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寶玄娶尚書令徐孝嗣女爲妃，孝嗣被誅離絕，少帝送少姬二人與之，寶玄恨望，密有異計。 Bao Xuan had taken as his consort the daughter of Director of the Imperial Secretariat Xu Xiaosi. After Xiaosi was executed they were separated, and the young emperor sent him two junior consorts in her place. Bao Xuan nursed resentment and secretly plotted rebellion.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 53Volume 53 Biographies 34: Virtuous Officials · 1 passage

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明帝卽位，謂僕射徐孝嗣曰：「劉懷慰若在，朝廷不憂無清吏也。」 When Emperor Ming took the throne, he said to chief minister Xu Xiaosi, "If Liu Huaiwei were still alive, the court would never worry about lacking incorrupt officials."

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 55Volume 55 Biographies 36: Filial Piety · 2 passages

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隆昌末，預謂丹陽尹徐孝嗣曰：「外傳藉藉，似有伊周之事，君蒙武帝殊常之恩，荷託付之重，恐不得同人此舉。 Late in Longchang Yu told Xu Xiaosi, governor of Danyang: "Rumors are rife, as though men plot like Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou. You received extraordinary favor from Emperor Wu and bear a heavy trust—I fear you cannot join them.

刺史始安王遙光反，事敗，閑以綱佐被召至杜姥宅，尚書令徐孝嗣啟閑不預逆謀，未及報，徐世檦令殺之。 When Governor Prince Yaoguang of Shi'an rebelled and failed, Xian was summoned as a staff member to Old Woman Du's residence. Xu Xiaosi reported that Xian had not joined the plot, but before a reply came Xu Shizhen ordered him killed.

Book of Song, Chapter 71Volume 71 Biographies 31: Xu Zhan, Jiang Zhan, Wang Sengchao · 1 passage

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聿之子孝嗣紹封，齊受禪，國除。 Yuzhi's son Xiaosi inherited the title; when the Qi dynasty succeeded the Song, the fief was abolished.