Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official

Yuan Cha 元叉

Yuán Chā

Attested AD 515 - AD 525

Passages: 18
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Yuan Cha as a courtier, military officer, official, and royal family member. This record brings together 18 passages from 5 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Yuan Cha	元叉	Yuán Chā
Personal name	Cha	叉	Cha
Given	Cha	叉	Cha
Personal name	Yuan Cha	元叉	Yuan Cha
Personal	Yuan Cha	元叉	Yuan Cha
Personal name	Yuan Cha	元叉	Yuán Chā

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · beiqishu:036:s0018, weishu:027:s0139, weishu:030:s0106, weishu:081:s0068, weishu:086:s0044

Roles

Courtier
Military Officer
Official
Royal Family Member

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 正光元年七月 · Regnal Year: 1 · Month: 7 · Western Year: AD 520
Explicit · weishu:027:s0143
Source Date: Text: 元叉廢靈太后 · Western Year: AD 520
Explicit · weishu:081:s0068
Source Date: Text: 六鎮、隴西二方起逆 · Western Interval: Start: AD 523 · End: AD 525
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:086:s0044
Source Date: Text: 剛為元叉所厚，故稚驟得轉進。 · Western Interval: Start: AD 515 · End: AD 525
Explicit · weishu:030:s0106
Source Date: Text: 領軍元叉 · Western Interval: Start: AD 520 · End: AD 525
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:036:s0018, beiqishu:036:s0020

Family

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

Child of Prince Ji of Jiangyang (江陽王繼)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Kin of Empress Dowager Ling (靈太后)
Kinship Term: sister's husband / 妹夫 · Subject Role: brother-in-law · Object Role: sister-in-law

Career and standing

Label: Director of the Masters of Writing / 尚書令 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:036:s0018
Label: commander of the guards / 領軍 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:036:s0018, weishu:027:s0139

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: deposer · Action: deposed · Other Person Id: Empress Dowager Ling (靈太后)
Explicit · weishu:081:s0068
Kind: political · Role: proponent · Action: opened-appointments-for-Dai-northerners
Explicit · weishu:086:s0044, weishu:086:s0045, weishu:086:s0046
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Xing Shao (邢卲)
Explicit · beiqishu:036:s0018
Relation: killed · Person Id: Yuan Yi (元懌)
Explicit · weishu:027:s0143

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 36Volume 36 Biographies 28: Xing Shao · 1 passage

深為領軍元叉所禮，叉新除尚書令，神儁與陳郡袁翻在席，叉令卲作謝表，須臾便成，以示諸賓。 The commander of the guards Yuan Cha treated him with great respect; when Cha had just become director of the masters of writing, Shenjun and Yuan Fan of Chen were present, and Cha had Shao write a letter of thanks—it was finished at once and shown round.

Book of Wei, Chapter 27Volume 22: Emperor Xiaowen's Five Princes · 6 passages

領軍元叉，太后之妹夫也，恃寵驕盈。 Yuan Cha, the dowager's brother-in-law and commander of the guards, grew insolent on favor.

懌裁之以法，每抑黜之，為叉所疾。 Yi checked him with law and repeatedly humiliated him; Cha came to hate him.

叉黨人通直郎宋維希叉旨，[7]告懌謀反，禁懌門下，訊問左右及朝貴，貴人分明，乃得雪釋焉。 Cha's man Song Wei, eager to please, [7] accused Yi of treason; they sealed his staff and questioned attendants and nobles until the truth cleared him.

正光元年七月，叉與劉騰逼肅宗於顯陽殿，閉靈太后於後宮，囚懌於門下省，誣懌罪狀，遂害之，時年三十四。 In the first year of Zhenguang, seventh month, Cha and Liu Teng seized Xiaoming in Xianyang Hall, walled the dowager in the rear palace, jailed Yi in the Gate and Chamber office, forged charges, and killed him at thirty-four.

及清河王懌為元叉所害，悅了無讎恨之意，乃以桑落酒候伺之，盡其私佞。 When Qinghe Wang Yi fell to Yuan Cha, Yue bore no grudge; he courted Cha with mulberry-fall wine and shameless flattery.

叉大喜，以悅為侍中、太尉。 Cha was delighted and made him palace attendant and grand marshal.

Book of Wei, Chapter 30Volume 25: Zhang Sunsong, Zhangsun Daosheng · 1 passage

剛為元叉所厚，故稚驟得轉進。 Gang stood high with Yuan Cha, and Zhi rose in rank again and again.

Book of Wei, Chapter 81Volume 76: Lu Tong, Zhang Lie · 5 passages

元叉之廢靈太后也，相州刺史、中山王熙起兵於鄴。 When Yuan Cha deposed Empress Dowager Ling, Prince Xi of Zhongshan, who was Inspector of Xiangzhou, raised an army at Ye.

同善事在位，為叉所親，戮熙之日，深窮黨與，以希叉旨，論者非之。 Tong knew how to please those in power and was favored by Cha; on the day Xi was killed he pursued associates relentlessly to win Cha's approval, and critics condemned him for it.

靈太后反政，以同叉黨，除名。 When Empress Dowager Ling regained power, Tong was struck from the rolls as a member of Cha's faction.

先是，元叉父江陽王繼曾為青州刺史，及叉當權，烈託故義之懷，遂相諂附。 Earlier, Yuan Cha's father, Prince Ji of Jiangyang, had served as Inspector of Qingzhou; when Cha came to power, Lie invoked their old ties and attached himself to him with flattery.

後靈太后反政，以烈叉黨，出為鎮東將軍、青州刺史。 When Empress Dowager Ling later regained power, Lie was sent out as General Who Pacifies the East and Inspector of Qingzhou because he was counted among Cha's faction.

Book of Wei, Chapter 86Volume 81: Qi Jun, Shan Wei, Liu Renzhi, Yuwen Zhongzhi · 5 passages

及六鎮、隴西二方起逆，領軍元叉欲用代來寒人為傳詔以慰悅之，而牧守子孫投狀求者百餘人。 When the six garrisons and Longxi rebelled, army supervisor Yuan Cha wished to appoint newly arrived northerners from Dai as edict-bearers to win them over, yet more than a hundred sons and grandsons of governors and defenders submitted petitions seeking posts.

又欲杜之，因奏立勳附隊，令各依資出身。 Cha also wished to block this and memorialized to establish an attached merit corps, ordering each man to enter office according to his qualifications.

偉遂奏記，贊叉德美。 Wei then sent in a memorial praising Cha's virtue.

叉素不識偉，訪侍中安豐王延明、黃門郎元順，順等因是稱薦之。 Cha had never known Wei and asked Palace Attendant Prince Anfeng, Yanming, and yellow gate gentleman Yuan Shun; Shun and the others thereupon recommended him.

叉令僕射元欽引偉兼尚書二千石郎，後正名士郎。 Cha had Vice Director Yuan Qin bring Wei in as concurrent gentleman of two thousand piculs in the Masters of Writing; later he was made regular gentleman of famous scholars.