Yu Minzhong (于敏中)

Overview

Yu Minzhong was an official and Grand Secretary.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Shuzi	叔子	Shuzi

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 1768 乾隆三十三年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 208
AD 1773 乾隆三十八年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 210-213
AD 1771 乾隆三十六年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 209
AD 1765 乾隆三十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 204-207
AD 1738 乾隆三年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 186
AD 1738 乾隆三年後
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 187-188

Show 10 more source-backed claims

AD 1756 乾隆二十一年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 193
AD 1758 乾隆二十三年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 195-196
AD 1758 乾隆二十三年至二十五年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 197-201
AD 1757 乾隆二十二年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 194
AD 1760 乾隆二十五年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 202
AD 1750 乾隆十五年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 189
AD 1750 乾隆十五年至十八年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 190
AD 1753 乾隆十八年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 191
AD 1753 乾隆十八年至二十一年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 192
AD 1738 列傳題名
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 1

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Yu Fang (于枋)
adoptive father 嗣父 · Adoptive parentage
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 195
Child of Biological father of Yu Minzhong (于敏中本生父)
biological father 本生父
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 193
Child of Biological mother of Yu Minzhong (于敏中本生母)
biological mother 本生母
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 196
Spouse of Zhang (張)
concubine 妾
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 207
Spouse of Principal wife of Yu Minzhong (于敏中正室)
principal wife 正室 · Primary marriage · Widowed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 207
Parent of Yu Qixian (于齊賢)
son 子
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 205-206

Kinship Role sons · Count 1
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 206

Career and standing

chief director of the Siku Quanshu Bureau 四庫全書館正總裁
AD 1773 乾隆三十八年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 213
grand secretary of the Wenhua Hall 文華殿大學士
AD 1773 乾隆三十八年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 210
associate grand secretary 協辦大學士
AD 1771 乾隆三十六年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 209
minister of Revenue 戶部尚書
AD 1765 乾隆三十年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 204
Hanlin Academy compiler 翰林院修撰
AD 1738 乾隆三年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 186
acting vice minister of Punishments 署刑部侍郎
AD 1757 乾隆二十二年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 194

Show 15 more source-backed claims

Grand Councilor 軍機大臣
AD 1760 乾隆二十五年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 202
duty in the Upper Study 直上書房
AD 1750 乾隆十五年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 189
educational commissioner of Shandong 山東學政
AD 1753 乾隆十八年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 191
educational commissioner of Shandong 山東學政
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 188
educational commissioner of Zhejiang 浙江學政
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 188
Grand Secretariat bachelor 內閣學士
Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 190
reader-in-waiting 侍講
Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 188
vice minister of Punishments 刑部侍郎
Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 200
vice minister of War 兵部侍郎
Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 192
minister of Revenue 戶部尚書
AD 1773 乾隆三十八年 · Held concurrently
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 210
Board of Revenue, managing the Money Standards Office 戶部管錢法堂事
Transferred
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 201
Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent 太子太保
AD 1768 乾隆三十三年 · Granted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 208
yinsheng privilege by minister's rank for his son 依尚書品級予廕生
AD 1765 乾隆三十年 · Granted · Mode edict Speaker Gaozong (高宗)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 206
Received
Pardon · Authority Gaozong (高宗)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 199
Subjected to
Impeachment · Authority Zhu Ji (朱嵇)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 197

Places and affiliations

Polity Qing 清 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 186, 202, 210
At Jintan, Jiangsu 江蘇金壇
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 185
At ancestral clan 宗 · Relation Returned to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 193
At Jintan 金壇 · Relation Native of
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 185
At Maoqin Hall 懋勤殿 · Relation Served at
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 187
At native registration 籍 · Relation Returned to
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 195

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Organization Siku Quanshu Bureau 四庫全書館 · Relation Director of
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 213

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 1738 乾隆三年 · Credential Presented Scholar, first of the first class 一甲一名進士
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 186

Works and attributed material

Siku Quanshu 四庫全書
Relation Chief director
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 213
Narrative · Subject · Paraphrased
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passages 186-196, 200-204, 208-210, 213

Events and relationships

Managed funeral
AD 1758 乾隆二十三年 · Mourning · Mourner · With Yu Fang (于枋)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 195
Observed mourning without reporting
AD 1758 乾隆二十三年 · Mourning · Mourner · With Biological mother of Yu Minzhong (于敏中本生母)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 196
Observed mourning
AD 1756 乾隆二十一年 · Mourning · Mourner · With Biological father of Yu Minzhong (于敏中本生父)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 193
Avatamsaka and Surangama Sutras 華嚴、楞嚴兩經
Court · Copyist · Ordered to copy · At Maoqin Hall 懋勤殿
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 187
Presided
Examination · Chief examiner · At Shanxi 山西
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 188
Supported proposal
Scholarly · Advocate · With Zhu Yun (朱筠)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 213

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Relation Opposed · Person Liu Tongxun (劉統勳) · Context argued against shelving the compilation proposal
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 213
Relation Allied with · Person Zhu Yun (朱筠) · Context supported Zhu Yun's Siku proposal
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 213

Assessments and attributes

Assessment exceptionally quick-witted; drafting edicts won the emperor's approval · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 319, passage 203

References in the histories

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 319Volume 319 Biographies 106: Yu Minzhong, He Shen Son: Feng Shenyinde, Younger Brother: He Lin, Su Linga · 7 passages

Open chapter

于敏中和珅弟和琳蘇凌阿 Yu Minzhong; He Shen; his younger brother He Lin; and Su Linga.

于敏中，字叔子，江蘇金壇人。 Yu Minzhong, whose style name was Shuzi, was a native of Jintan in Jiangsu.

御史朱嵇疏劾敏中「兩次親喪，蒙混為一，恝然赴官」。 Censor Zhu Ji memorialized to impeach Minzhong, saying, "Having twice suffered parental bereavement, he conflated the two cases and callously took office."

敏中敏捷過人，承旨得上意。 Minzhong was exceptionally quick-witted and, in drafting edicts, won the emperor's approval.

詔以敏中久直內廷，僅一子年已及壯，加恩依尚書品級予廕生。 An edict stated that because Minzhong had long served in the inner court and had only one grown son, he was granted the privilege of yinsheng appointment according to a minister's rank.

又以敏中正室前卒，特封其妾張為淑人。 Because Minzhong's principal wife had died earlier, his concubine Zhang was specially ennobled as Lady Shuren.

敏中善筠奏，與統勳力爭，於是特開四庫全書館，命敏中為正總裁，主其事。 Minzhong approved Zhu Yun's memorial and argued strenuously with Tongxun; the Siku Quanshu Bureau was then specially opened, and Minzhong was appointed chief director to preside over the project.