Yang Yan (楊炎) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Yang Yan as an official and statesman. This record brings together 7 passages from 4 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Yang Yan	楊炎	Yáng Yán
Given	Yan	炎
Given	Yan	炎	Yán
Surname	Yang	楊	Yáng
Personal name	Yang Yan	楊炎	Yáng Yán
Personal	Yang Yan	楊炎	Yang Yan

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0160, xintangshu:172:s0191
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiutangshu:131:s0068, xintangshu:052:s0005

Roles

Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 建中初 · Western Interval: Start: AD 779 · End: AD 781
Explicit event contextual date · jiutangshu:130:s0160
Source Date: Text: 建中初 · Western Year: AD 780
Explicit · jiutangshu:131:s0068
Source Date: Text: 肅宗在靈武 · Western Year: AD 756
Explicit · xintangshu:172:s0191
Source Date: Text: 至德宗相楊炎 · Western Year: AD 780
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:052:s0005

Career and standing

Label: chief minister / 相 · Action: appointed
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0005
Label: chief minister / 宰相 · Action: held
Explicit · jiutangshu:130:s0160

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: served
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0005

Events and relationships

Kind: administrative · Role: architect · Action: instituted Two-Tax Law
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0005
Relation: client-of · Person Id: Emperor Dezong (德宗)
Explicit · xintangshu:052:s0014

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xintangshu:172:s0191

References in the histories

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

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 130Volume 126 Biographies 76: Li Kui, Li Han, Chen Shaoyou, Lu Yue, Pei Xu · 1 passage

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宰相楊炎遇之頗厚，召入左司郎中、京兆少尹，遷大尹。 Chief Minister Yang Yan favored him, recalled him as director in the Left Secretariat and junior metropolitan governor of Jingzhao, then promoted him to metropolitan governor.

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 131Volume 127 Biographies 77: Yao Lingyan, Zhang Guangcheng, Yuan Xiu, Qiao Lin, Zhang She, Jiang Zhen, Hong Jinglun, Peng Yan · 3 passages

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建中初，楊炎執政，以京兆尹嚴郢威名稍著，心欲傾之。 Early in Jianzhong, Yang Yan held power; Yan Yi, metropolitan governor of Jingzhao, was growing in renown, and Yan wished to bring him down.

休與王氏離絕之時，炎風聞休、郢有隙，遂擢休自流人為京兆少尹，俾令伺郢過失。 When Xiu had broken with the Wang family, Yan heard that Xiu and Yi were at odds; he therefore promoted Xiu from exile to Vice Metropolitan Governor of Jingzhao, ordering him to watch for Yi's faults.

休既職久，與郢親善，炎怒之，奏令以本官兼御史中丞，奉使回紇。 After Xiu had long been in office he became close to Yi; Yan was angry and memorialized that he should retain his post while also serving as Vice Censor-in-Chief on an embassy to the Uighurs.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 52Volume 52 Treatises 48: Finance and Economics 2 · 2 passages

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至德宗相楊炎，遂作兩稅法，夏輸無過六月，秋輸無過十一月。 When Dezong elevated Yang Yan to chief minister, he enacted the Two-Tax Law, setting a summer deadline in the sixth month and an autumn deadline in the eleventh.

而德宗方信用炎，不疑也。 Dezong, however, was wholly convinced by Yang Yan and would not be swayed.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 172Volume 172 Biographies 97: Yu, Wang, Two Du's, Fan · 1 passage

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鴻漸為山南、劍南副元帥，亞與楊炎並為判官。 When Hongjian became deputy supreme commander for Shannan and Jiannan, Ya and Yang Yan served jointly as his adjutants.