Ancient China · Scholar

Yan Hui 顏子

Yán Zǐ

Attested BC 551 - BC 479

Passages
26
Chapters
17
Histories
10

Overview

The translated histories identify Yan Hui as a named individual, philosopher, scholar, and student. This record brings together 26 passages from 17 chapters across 10 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Yan Hui 顏子 Yán Zǐ
Given Hui Hui
Given Hui 回 Huí
Surname Yan 顏 Yan
Surname Yan 顏
Personal name Yan 顏
Alternate Yan 顏
Surname Yan 顏 Yán
Personal name Yan Hui 顏回 Yán Huí
Personal Yan Hui 顏淵 Yan Yuan
Personal Yan Hui 顏 Yan Hui
Personal Yan Hui 顏 Yan
Personal name Yan Hui 顏回
Personal name Yan Hui 顏
Personal Yan Hui 顏回 Yan Hui
Title Yan Hui 顏子
Personal name Yan Hui 顏子
Personal name Yan Hui 回 Huí
Personal name Yan Hui 顏回 Yan Hui
Personal name Yan Hui 顏子 Yanzi
Personal Yan Hui 顏
Personal name Yan Yuan 顏淵 Yán Yuān
Personal Yan Yuan 顏淵 Yan Yuan
Alternate name Yan Zi 顏子 Yan Zi
Epithet Yanzi 顏子 Yán Zǐ
Courtesy name Yuan 淵

Identity

Historicity
Uncertain
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Named Individual
  • Philosopher
  • Scholar
  • Student

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

  • Qualitative: legendary antiquity
    Explicit · yuanshi:171:s0115
  • Source Date: Text: 天保九年 · Regnal Year: 9 · Western Year: AD 558
    Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:005:s0017
  • Source Date: Text: BC 521-481 · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Strongly inferred · houhanshu:032:s0079
  • Source Date: Text: legendary/historical exemplar in Northern Wei narrative · Western Interval: Start: AD 534 · End: AD 550
    Explicit event contextual date · suishu:077:s0023
  • Source Date: Text: undated anecdote about Yan Yuan · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Explicit · shiji:061:s0039, shiji:061:s0040, shiji:061:s0059
  • Source Date: Text: 德行顏、閔 · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:099:s0176
  • Source Date: Text: 春秋之世 · Western Interval: Start: BC 551 · End: BC 479
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:091:s0055
  • Western Year: BC 500 · Source Date: Text: 祖述回、騫
    Strongly inferred · liangshu:030:s0201
  • Source Date: Text: 量交 · Western Year: c. BC 481
    Explicit event contextual date · liangshu:014:s0242
  • Source Date: Text: 顏子 · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Explicit · nanqishu:021:s0085
  • Source Date: Text: 顏子之行 · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Strongly inferred · xinwudaishi:034:s0005
  • Source Date: Text: 顏淵 · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Strongly inferred · liaoshi:104:s0083
  • Source Date: Text: 顏淵簞食瓢飲 · Western Interval: Start: BC 521 · End: BC 481
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:103:s0045

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

  • Organization: the seventy disciples / 七十子之徒 · Relation: member-of
    Explicit · shiji:061:s0039

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

Source notes

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 5Volume 5 Annals 5: Emperor Fei · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 65Volume 56: Dong Zhongshu · 2 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 75Volume 64b: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 2 · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 76Volume 65: Dongfang Shuo · 1 passage
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譬若以周、邵為丞相，孔丘為御史大夫，太公為將軍，畢公高拾遺於後，弁嚴子為衛尉，皋陶為大理，後稷為司農，伊尹為少府，子贛使外國，顏、閔為博士，子夏為太常，益為右扶風，季路為執金吾，契為鴻臚，龍逢為宗正，伯夷為京兆，管仲為馮翊，魯般為將作，仲山甫為光祿，申伯為太僕，延陵季子為水衡，百里奚為典屬國，柳下惠為大長秋，史魚為司直，蘧伯玉為太傅，孔父為詹事，孫叔敖為諸侯相，子產為郡守，王慶忌為期門，夏育為鼎官，羿為旄頭，宋萬為式道候。」 Imagine the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao as your chancellors; Confucius as chief censor; the Grand Duke as commander; Duke Bi Gao as court remonstrant; Bian Zhuangzi as captain of the guard; Gao Yao as chief judge; Hou Ji as minister of agriculture; Yi Yin as palace treasurer; Zigong as foreign envoy; Yan Hui and Min Ziqian as court scholars; Zixia as master of rites; Yi as western capital intendant; Zilu as capital commandant; Xie as master of guest ceremonies; Guan Longpeng as keeper of the imperial genealogy; the minister Boyi as metropolitan governor; Guan Zhong as northern capital intendant; Lu Ban as chief engineer; Zhong Shanfu as palace chamberlain; the Earl of Shen as master of the horse; Prince Jizi of Yanling as keeper of parks and waters; Baili Xi as commissioner for dependent peoples; Liuxia Hui as chamberlain to the empress; Shi Yu as censor of conduct; Qu Boyu as grand tutor; Kong Fu as supervisor of the heir apparent's household; Sunshu Ao as chancellor to the feudal lords; Zichan as commandery governor; Prince Qingji as a palace gate guard; Xia Yu as cauldron officer; Yi the Archer as vanguard officer; and Song Wan as road-clearing scout."
Book of Han, Chapter 91Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 99Volume 87b: Yang Xiong 2 · 2 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 103Volume 91: Usurers · 2 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 4 passages
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今吾子已貫仁誼之羈絆，繫名聲之韁鎖，伏周、孔之軌躅，馳顏、閔之極摯，既繫攣於世教矣，何用大道為自眩曜？ Now you, sir, have already put on the fetters of benevolence and duty and tied yourself to the reins and locks of reputation. You crouch in the tracks of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius and race toward the utmost earnestness of Yan Hui and Min Ziqian; since you are already bound fast by worldly teaching, why use the great Way merely to dazzle yourself?
若乃夷抗行於首陽，惠降志於辱仕，顏耽樂於簞瓢，孔終篇於西狩，聲盈塞於天淵，真吾徒之師表也。 Then there were Boyi, who upheld his conduct on Mount Shouyang; Liuxia Hui, who humbled his aspirations to take a dishonorable post; Yan Hui, who delighted in his basket of rice and gourd of water; and Confucius, who brought his classic to an end with the hunt in the west. Their fame fills the space between heaven and the abyss; they are truly exemplars for men such as us.
Book of Later Han, Chapter 32Volume 28b: Biography of Feng Yan · 1 passage
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Book of Liang, Chapter 14Volume 14: Jiang Yan; Ren Fang · 1 passage
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Book of Liang, Chapter 30Volume 30: Pei Ziye; Gu Xie; Xu Chi; Bao Quan · 1 passage
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History of Liao, Chapter 104Volume 104 Biographies 34: Literature 2 · 1 passage
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Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 21Volume 21 Biographies 2: Crown Prince Wenhui · 1 passage
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Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 61Biographies: Biography of Bo Yi · 3 passages
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Book of Sui, Chapter 77Volume 77 Biographies 42: Recluses · 2 passages
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New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 34Volume 34 Biographies of Recluses 14: Zhen Gao, Shi Ang, Cheng Fuyun, Li Zilun · 1 passage
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History of Yuan, Chapter 171Volume 171 Biographies 58: Liu Yin, Wu Cheng · 1 passage
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