Xue Tinggui (薛廷珪)

Overview

Xue Tinggui was an official and Writer.

PeriodFive Dynasties

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Death

AD 925 九月
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 33, passage 80
AD 925 同光三年九月
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 16

Attested activity

AD 881 to AD 885 中和年
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 3
AD 925 九月
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 33, passages 48, 80
AD 925 同光三年九月
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 16
AD 924 同光二年
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 31, passage 36
AD 895 to AD 908 武皇為晉王時
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 58, passage 221

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Xue Feng (薛逢)
father 父
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 2

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Drafting Secretary in the Secretariat 中書舍人
AD 894 to AD 898 乾寧中 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 5
Mentor of the Heir Apparent 太子少師
AD 923 to AD 923 莊宗平定河南 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 14
Minister of Rites 禮部尚書
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 13
Vice Minister of Rites 禮部侍郎
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 7
Junior Mentor to the Heir Apparent 太子少師
Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 33, passage 80
Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs 右僕射
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 17

Show 3 more source-backed claims

Right Vice Director 右僕射
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 33, passage 80
Entered
Retirement
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 14
retired 致仕
Retired
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 33, passage 80

Places and affiliations

At Hedong 河東 · Relation Ancestral
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 1

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 881 to AD 885 中和年 · Credential Presented Scholar 進士
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 3

Works and attributed material

Phoenix Pavilion Literary Writings 鳳閣詞書
Relation Author
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 18
Record of Honoring the Family 克家志
Relation Author
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passages 18, 20
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 11

Events and relationships

Refused bow
Diplomatic · Envoy · With Zhu Quanzhong (硃全忠) · At Bian 汴
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passages 10-12
Spared
Political · Target · With Liu Can (柳璨)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 9
AD 895 to AD 908 武皇為晉王時
Diplomatic · Investiture envoy · At Taiyuan 太原 · With Martial Emperor (武皇)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 58, passage 221
Relation Colleague envoy with · Person Li Qi (李琪)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 58, passage 221
Relation Colleague of · Person Li Qi (李琪)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 15

Assessments and attributes

Assessment decrepit, aged, showy without ministerial substance · Mode named-person-judgment Speaker Guo Chongtao (郭崇韜)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 58, passage 222
Assessment literary learning; model for gentry · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 174

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 33, passage 80

References in the histories

Search passages

History

15 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 31Volume 31 Book of Later Tang 7: Zhuangzong Annals 5 · 1 passage

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戊午，以前太子少師薛廷珪為檢校戶部尚書、太子少師致仕； On wuwu Xue Tinggui was made acting revenue minister and retired Grand Mentor;

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 33Volume 33 Book of Later Tang 9: Zhuangzong Annals 7 · 1 passage

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太子少師致仕薛廷珪卒，贈右僕射。 Retired Junior Mentor Xue Tinggui died and was posthumously Right Vice Director.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 58Volume 58 Book of Later Tang 34: Biographies 10: Zhao Guangfeng, Zheng Jue, Cui Xie, Li Qi, Xiao Qing · 2 passages

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薛廷珪、李琪當武皇為晉王時，嘗因為冊使至太原，故皆有宿望，當時咸謂宜處台司。 Xue Tinggui and Li Qi, when the Martial Emperor was Prince of Jin, had once served as investiture envoys to Taiyuan and therefore both enjoyed longstanding reputation; at the time all said they were fit for the highest council posts.

郭崇韜采言事者雲，廷珪朽老，浮華無相業； Guo Chongyao adopted the words of memorialists, saying Tinggui was decrepit and aged, showy without ministerial substance;

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 68Volume 68 Book of Later Tang 44: Biographies 20: Xue Tinggui, Cui Yi, Liu Yue, Liu Ye, Feng Shunqing, Dou Mengzheng, Li Baoyin, Gui Ai, Kong, Miao, Zhang Wenbao, Chen Yi, Liu Zan · 11 passages

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薛廷珪，其先河東人也。 Xue Tinggui came of a Hedong family.

廷珪，中和年在西川登進士第，累曆台省。 Tinggui earned his jinshi degree in Sichuan during the Zhonghe era and rose through a series of central-government posts.

昭宗遷洛陽，征為禮部侍郎。 When Emperor Zhaozong relocated to Luoyang, Tinggui was recalled and appointed Vice Minister of Rites.

時柳璨屠害朝士，衣冠畢罹其毒，廷珪以居常退讓獲全。 When Liu Can was butchering court officials, the entire official class fell victim to him; Tinggui alone escaped harm through his habitual modesty and restraint.

〈（《新唐書》：朱全忠兼四鎮，廷珪以官告使至汴，客將先見，諷其拜。 (The New Book of Tang records that when Zhu Quanzhong held four military circuits at once, Tinggui came to Bian as the bearer of his commission of office. A host officer received him first and suggested obliquely that he should bow.

廷珪佯不曉，曰：「吾何德，敢受令公拜乎！」 Tinggui feigned not to understand and said, "What merit have I that I should accept a bow from Your Lordship!"

莊宗平定河南，以廷珪年老，除太子少師致仕。 After Zhuangzong pacified Henan, Tinggui was granted retirement as Mentor of the Heir Apparent on account of his advanced age.

〈（《通鑒》：廷珪與李琪嘗為太祖冊禮使。）〉 (The Zizhi Tongjian notes that Tinggui and Li Qi had once served together as ritual commissioners for Taizu's investiture.)〉

初，廷珪父逢，著《鑿混沌》、《真珠簾》等賦，大為時人所稱。 Tinggui's father Feng had earlier written celebrated rhapsodies such as Boring Through Chaos and Pearl Curtain that won wide praise in their day.

廷珪既壯，亦著賦數十篇，同為一集，故目曰《克家志》。 When Tinggui came of age he too wrote several dozen rhapsodies and collected them in one volume, which he titled Record of Honoring the Family.

如廷珪之文學，崔沂之剛正，劉嶽之典禮，舜卿之掌誥，洎夢徵而下，皆蔚有貞規，無虧懿範，固可以為搢紳之圭表，聳朝廷之羽儀，以之垂名，夫何不韙。 Men such as Tinggui in letters, Yi in integrity, Yue in ritual, Shunqing in edict drafting, and from Mengzheng downward all upheld steadfast standards without blemish on their reputations. They may serve as models for the official class and ornaments of the court. To leave such names to posterity — what could be more fitting?