Xu Yougong (徐有功) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Xu Yougong as an administrator, judge, and official. This record brings together 49 passages from 2 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Xu Yougong	徐有功	Xu Yougong
Title	Baron of Dongguan	東莞縣男
Given	Hongmin	弘敏	Hongmin
Title	Lord Xu	徐公
Posthumous name	Loyal and Upright	忠正
Title	Minister Xu	徐公
Surname	Xu	徐	Xu
Personal name	Xu Yougong	徐有功	Xu Yougong
Given	Yougong	有功	Yougong
Courtesy name	Yougong	有功	Yougong

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0145, xintangshu:113:s0006

Roles

Administrator
Judge
Official

Life and dates

Death

Age: Value: 68 · Reckoning: sui
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0224
Age: 62 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 長安二年 · Western Year: AD 702
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0199

Age

Age: 62 · Reckoning: sui
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0199

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 中宗即位 · Western Year: AD 705
Explicit event contextual date · jiutangshu:085:s0200
Source Date: Text: 會昌中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 841 · End: AD 846
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:113:s0227
Source Date: Text: 武后僭位 · Western Interval: Start: AD 690 · End: AD 705
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:113:s0144
Source Date: Text: 永昌 · Western Year: AD 689
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:113:s0151
Source Date: Text: 載初元年 · Western Year: AD 690
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0150
Source Date: Text: 長安二年 · Western Year: AD 702
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0199
Source Date: Text: 開元初 · Western Interval: Start: AD 713 · End: AD 720
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:113:s0226

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Child of Xu Wenyuan (徐文遠)
Kinship Term: grandson / 孫 · Generation Distance: 2 · Intermediary Person Ids: Parent of Xu Yougong
Descendant of Xu Wenyuan (徐文遠)
Kinship Term: grandson / 孫 · Generation Distance: 2 · Intermediary Person Ids: Father of Xu Yougong
Ancestor of Xu Shang (徐商)
Kinship Term: fifth-generation descendant / 五世孫 · Generation Distance: 5
Child of Parent of Xu Yougong
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological
Child of Father of Xu Yougong
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological
Parent of Xu Lun (徐惀)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological

Career and standing

Label: Vice Director of Punishments / 司刑丞 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 載初元年 · Western Year: AD 690
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0150
Label: Director of the Autumn Office / 秋官郎中 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0175
Label: Vice director of the Court of Punishments / 司刑丞 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0143
Label: posthumous Minister of Punishments / 司刑卿 · Action: bestowed
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0224
Label: Prefect of Yuezhou / 越州刺史 · Action: posthumously-granted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 中宗即位 · Western Year: AD 705
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0208
Label: Vice Minister of Punishments / 司刑卿 · Action: posthumously-granted
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0199
Title: Baron of Dongguan / 東莞男 · Action: inherited
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0146
Title: Baron of Dongguan / 東莞縣男 · Action: inherited
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0140
Status: commoner · Action: entered
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0193
Status: commoner · Action: reduced-to
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0214
Status: removal-from-office · Action: removed
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0167
Status: reduced-to-commoner · Action: stripped
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0193

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0139

Learning and skills

Credential: Mingjing / 明經 · Action: earned
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0146, xintangshu:113:s0140

Works and attributed material

Kind: memorial · Role: author · Other Person Id: Wu Zetian (武則天)
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0170, jiutangshu:085:s0171, jiutangshu:085:s0172, jiutangshu:085:s0173, jiutangshu:085:s0174, jiutangshu:085:s0175, jiutangshu:085:s0176, jiutangshu:085:s0177, jiutangshu:085:s0178, jiutangshu:085:s0179, jiutangshu:085:s0180
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quote: true
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0154, xintangshu:113:s0155, xintangshu:113:s0156, xintangshu:113:s0157, xintangshu:113:s0158, xintangshu:113:s0159, xintangshu:113:s0160, xintangshu:113:s0162, xintangshu:113:s0163, xintangshu:113:s0165, xintangshu:113:s0166

Events and relationships

Kind: legal · Role: advocate · Action: proved-innocent · Other Person Id: Lady Pang (龐氏)
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0184, jiutangshu:085:s0193
Kind: legal · Role: advocate · Action: saved-from-death · Other Person Id: Pei Xingben (裴行本)
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0159, jiutangshu:085:s0160, jiutangshu:085:s0161
Kind: legal · Role: advocate · Action: spared-from-death · Other Person Id: Yan Yuqing (顏餘慶)
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0168
Relation: compared-to · Person Id: Ding Guo (定國)
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0196, jiutangshu:085:s0205
Relation: compared-to · Person Id: Shi Zhi (釋之)
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0196, jiutangshu:085:s0205

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: benevolent man who held only to the law · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0234, xintangshu:113:s0235
Assessment: outstanding upholder of law; surpassed Shi Zhi and Ding Guo · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · jiutangshu:085:s0214, jiutangshu:085:s0215

Source notes

From: Hongmin / 弘敏 · To: Yougong / 有功 · Reason: avoided taboo of Emperor Xiaojing
Explicit · xintangshu:113:s0139

References in the histories

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

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 85Volume 81 Biographies 31: Cui Dunli, Lu Chengqin, Liu Xiangdao, Li Jingxuan, Li Yiyan, Sun Chuyue, Le Yanwei, Zhao Renben · 23 passages

Open chapter

昔黃帝涿鹿有功，以為警衛。 The Yellow Emperor instituted it as a guard of honor after Zhuolu.

徐有功，國子博士文遠孫也。 Xu Yougong, grandson of National University erudite Xu Wenyuan.

吏人感其恩信，遞相約曰：“若犯徐司法杖者，眾必斥罰之。” Officials and people, trusting him, agreed among themselves that anyone who forced Xu to use the staff would be shamed by the community.

有功獨存平恕，詔下大理者，有功皆議出之，前後濟活數十百家。 Yougong alone remained fair and lenient; cases sent to the Grand Court he argued to release, saving dozens of families.

常於殿庭論奏曲直，則天厲色詰之，左右莫不悚栗，有功神色不撓，爭之彌切。 He often argued cases in court; Wu Zetian questioned him angrily while attendants trembled, but he did not flinch and argued all the harder.

有功駁奏曰：“俊臣乖明主再生之賜，虧聖人恩信之道。 Yougong rebutted: "Junchen defies your gift of life and betrays imperial grace.

有功又固爭之，不能得。 Yougong argued fiercely but could not save them.

秋官侍郎周興奏有功曰：“臣聞兩漢故事，附下罔上者腰斬，麵欺者亦斬。 Zhou Xing memorialized against Yougong, saying, "I have heard that in Han precedents, those who fawn on subordinates and deceive superiors are cut at the waist.

有功故出反囚，罪當不赦，請推按其罪。” Yougong released rebels and should not be forgiven; investigate him."

時遠近聞有功授職，皆欣然相賀。 Near and far rejoiced at his appointment.

有功嚐上疏論天官、秋官及朝堂三司理匭使愆失，其略曰：“陛下即位已來，海內職員一定，而天下選人漸多。 Yougong once memorialized on abuses in personnel, punishments, and the accusation offices, saying, "Since Your Majesty took the throne, offices within the realm have been fixed, yet candidates throughout the land have steadily increased.