Yuan Tan (元坦) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Yuan Tan as an aristocrat, courtier, official, and royal family member. This record brings together 12 passages from 2 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Yuan Tan	元坦	Yuán Tǎn
Title	Duke of Xinfeng County	新豐縣公
Title	Prince of Fucheng	敷城王
Title	Prince of Xianyang	咸陽郡王
Title	Prince of Xianyang	咸陽王	Xiányáng Wáng
Given name	Tan	坦	Tǎn
Surname	Yuan	元	Yuán
Personal name	Yuan Tan	元坦	Yuán Tǎn

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0002, beiqishu:047:s0056

Roles

Aristocrat
Courtier
Official
Royal Family Member

Life and dates

Death

Place: place of assignment in northern Yingzhou / 配所
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0024

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 咸陽王坦 · Western Interval: Start: AD 543 · End: AD 549
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:047:s0056
Source Date: Text: 孝武初 · Western Year: AD 532
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:028:s0007
Source Date: Text: 永安初 · Western Year: AD 528
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:028:s0004, beiqishu:028:s0005
Source Date: Text: 齊天保初 · Western Year: AD 550
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0022

Family

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

Descendant of Emperor Xianwen of Wei (魏獻文皇帝)
Kinship Term: grandfather / 祖 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal
Child of Yuan Xie (元勰)
Kinship Term: adopted and raised / 收養 · Parentage: foster · Subject Role: foster-son · Object Role: foster-father
Sibling of Yuan Shu (元樹)
Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: younger · Object Role: elder-brother · Subject Role: younger-brother
Sibling of Yuan Yi (元翼)
Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: younger · Object Role: elder-brother · Subject Role: younger-brother
Child of Yuan Xi (元禧)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Subject Birth Order: 7
Parent of Yuan Shibao (元世寶)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father

Kinship Role: elder-brothers · Count: 5 · Note: Yi, Shu, and others who fled south after Xi's execution
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0003

Career and standing

Label: special eminence and commissioner equal to the Three Dukes / 特進、開府儀同三司 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 齊天保初 · Western Year: AD 550
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0022
Label: inspector of Jizhou / 冀州刺史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0017
Label: palace attendant / 侍中 · Action: appointed
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0004
Label: director of imperial clan affairs / 宗正 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014
Label: governor of Sizhou / 司州牧 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014
Label: grand commandant / 太尉 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014
Label: grand preceptor / 太師 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014
Label: grand tutor / 太傅 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014, beiqishu:028:s0021
Label: minister over the masses / 司徒 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014
Label: recorder of the masters of writing / 錄尚書事 · Action: held
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0014
Label: special eminence / 特進 · Action: recalled
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0017
Title: Prince of Fucheng / 敷城王 · Action: changed-to
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0003
Title: Duke of Xinfeng county / 新豐縣公 · Action: reduced-to · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 齊天保初 · Western Year: AD 550
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0022
Title: Prince of Xianyang commandery / 咸陽郡王 · Action: restored · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 永安初 · Western Year: AD 528
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0004
Status: exile · Action: consigned · Place: northern Yingzhou / 北營州
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0024
Label: dismissal after censorate impeachment / 御史劾奏免官 · Action: dismissed
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0016

Places and affiliations

Polity: Northern Qi / 齊 · Relation: served
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0022
Place: Jizhou / 冀州 · Relation: posted-to
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0017
Place: northern Yingzhou / 北營州 · Relation: exiled-to
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0024

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: addressee · Other Person Id: Emperor Zhuang of Wei (魏莊帝) · Quoted: true
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0005
Kind: speech · Role: addressee · Other Person Id: Yuan Shu (元樹) · Quoted: true
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0009, beiqishu:028:s0010, beiqishu:028:s0011
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0020

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: instigator · Action: secretly-urged-elimination · Other Person Id: Yuan Shu (元樹)
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0008

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: corrupt and greedy; sold judgments and offices · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0015
Assessment: extortionate tax collector; devoted to hunting · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0017, beiqishu:028:s0018, beiqishu:028:s0019

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0001

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 28Volume 28 Biographies 20: Yuan Tan (Eastern Wei); Yuan Bin; Yuan Xiaoyou; Yuan Huiye; Yuan Bi; Yuan Shao (Eastern Wei) · 11 passages

Open chapter

元坦元斌元孝友元暉業元弼元韶 Yuan Tan; Yuan Bin; Yuan Xiaoyou; Yuan Huiye; Yuan Bi; Yuan Shao

元坦，祖魏獻文皇帝，咸陽王禧第七子。 Yuan Tan's grandfather was Emperor Xianwen of Wei; he was the seventh son of Prince Xianyang Xi.

禧誅後，兄翼、樹等五人相繼南奔，故坦得承襲，改封敷城王。 After Xi was executed, five elder brothers including Yi and Shu fled south one after another, so Tan inherited the title; his fief was changed to prince of Fucheng.

莊帝從容謂曰：「王才非荀、蔡，中歲屢遷，當由少長朕家，故有超授。」 Emperor Zhuang said to him at ease, "Prince, your talent is not like that of Xun or Cai; yet in mid-career you have been repeatedly promoted. That must be because you grew up in my household from youth — hence these extraordinary appointments."

初，禧死後，諸子貧乏，坦兄弟為彭城王勰所收養，故有此言。 Earlier, after Xi died his sons were impoverished; Tan and his brothers were taken in and raised by Prince Pengcheng Xie — hence this remark.

坦見樹既長且賢，慮其代己，密勸朝廷以法除之。 Tan saw that Shu was older and more worthy and feared he would be displaced; he secretly urged the court to eliminate Shu by law.

樹知之，泣渭坦曰：「我往因家難，不能死亡，寄食江湖，受其爵命。 When Shu learned of it, he wept on the Wei River and said to Tan, "Long ago, because of our family's calamity, I could not die; I lived on others' food along rivers and lakes and accepted their ranks and commands.

坦作色而去。 Tan flushed and left.

樹死，竟不臨哭。 When Shu died, Tan never went to mourn at his coffin.

坦歷司徒、太尉、太傅，加侍中、太師、錄尚書事、宗正、司州牧。 Tan served as minister over the masses, grand commandant, and grand tutor, with additional posts as palace attendant, grand preceptor, recorder of the masters of writing, director of imperial clan affairs, and governor of Sizhou.

坦配北營州，死配所。 Tan was consigned to northern Yingzhou and died in the place of his assignment.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 47Volume 47 Biographies 39: Cruel Officials · 1 passage

Open chapter

遊道入省，劾太師咸陽王坦、太保孫騰、司徒高隆之、司空侯景、錄尚書元弼、尚書令司馬子如官貸金銀，催徵酬價，雖非指事贓賄，終是不避權豪。 Entering office, Youdao impeached Grand Tutor Tan, Prince of Xianyang, Grand Guardian Sun Teng, Minister of Education Gao Longzhi, Minister of Works Hou Jing, Director Yuan Bi, Director Sima Ziru and others for official loans of gold and silver—though not direct bribery, he did not spare the powerful.