Zhao Yan (趙岩) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Zhao Yan as an aristocrat, courtier, named individual, and official. This record brings together 23 passages from 10 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Zhao Yan	趙岩	Zhao Yan
Title	Imperial Son-in-law Commander	驸马都尉	fumaduwei
Given name	Yan	巖	Yan
Surname	Zhao	趙	Zhao
Personal	Zhao Yan	趙岩
Personal name	Zhao Yan	趙岩	Zhao Yan
Personal name	Zhao Yan	趙巖	Zhao Yan
Personal name	Zhao Yan	赵岩	Zhao Yan
Personal	Zhao Yan	趙巖	Zhào Yán
Personal name	Zhao Yan	趙巖	Zhào Yán

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:011:s0052, jiuwudaishi:068:s0146, jiuwudaishi:130:s0005, xinwudaishi:023:s0028, xinwudaishi:032:s0021
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:073:s0050, xinwudaishi:003:s0008, xinwudaishi:044:s0098

Roles

Aristocrat
Courtier
Named Individual
Official

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 開平元年五月十一日 · Regnal Year: 1 · Month: 5 · Day: 11 · Western Year: AD 907
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:011:s0052
Source Date: Text: 龍德三年冬十月 · Regnal Year: 3 · Season: winter · Lunar Month: 10 · Western Year: AD 923
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:010:s0172
Source Date: Text: 龍德元年二月 · Regnal Year: 1 · Lunar Month: 2 · Western Year: AD 921
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:010:s0076
Source Date: Text: plot against Yougui · Western Year: AD 913
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:023:s0028
Source Date: Text: 乾化三年二月 · Western Year: AD 913
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:003:s0008
Source Date: Text: 梁亡 · Western Year: AD 923
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:050:s0119
Source Date: Text: 梁末用事 · Western Year: AD 923
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:044:s0098
Source Date: Text: 梁貞明初 · Western Year: AD 915
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:130:s0003, jiuwudaishi:130:s0005
Source Date: Text: 租庸使表巡官 · Western Interval: Start: AD 910 · End: AD 923
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:068:s0146
Source Date: Text: 莊宗入汴 · Western Year: AD 923
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:073:s0051
Source Date: Text: 龍德三年夏 · Western Year: AD 923
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:032:s0021, xinwudaishi:032:s0022

Family

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

Spouse of Princess Changle (長樂公主)
Kinship Term: married / 降 · Union Category: marriage · Subject Role: husband · Object Role: wife
Kinship Term: married to / 降 · Union Category: marriage · Subject Role: wife · Object Role: husband
Kin of Zhao Chongxun (趙崇勛)
Kinship Term: nephew / 侄 · Subject Role: nephew · Object Role: uncle · Line: paternal
Kin of Youzhen (友貞)
Kinship Term: son-in-law / 婿 · Subject Role: son-in-law · Object Role: father-in-law

Kinship Role: clan · Count: 0 · Statement: Zhao clan destroyed when Liang fell · Negated: true
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:130:s0006

Career and standing

Label: court favorite / petty official / 小人
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0021
Label: Imperial Son-in-law Commander / 驸马都尉 · Action: held
Explicit · xinwudaishi:003:s0008
Label: Rent and Corvée commissioner / 租庸使 · Action: held
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:010:s0076

Works and attributed material

Kind: counsel · Role: speaker · Statement: Success depended on one word from Pacification Commissioner Yang to the palace guard. · Speaker Person Id: Zhao Yan (趙岩) · Other Person Id: Yang Shihou (楊師厚) · Provenance: Mode: direct-quotation · Speaker Person Id: Zhao Yan (趙岩)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:023:s0028, xinwudaishi:023:s0029
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Status: quoted · Summary: warned the Last Emperor that no one's loyalty could be assured if he left the tower · Other Person Id: Later Liang Last Emperor (末帝) · Provenance: Mode: direct-quotation · Speaker Person Id: Zhao Yan (趙岩)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:010:s0172

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: envoy · Action: delivered-imperial-seal · Other Person Id: Youzhen (友貞) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 乾化三年 · Western Year: AD 913
Explicit · xinwudaishi:003:s0016
Kind: political · Role: adviser · Action: opposed accepting Wang Deming's request for aid
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:010:s0075, jiuwudaishi:010:s0076
Kind: political · Role: conspirator · Action: plotted-with · Other Person Id: Youzhen (友貞) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 乾化三年二月 · Western Year: AD 913
Explicit · xinwudaishi:003:s0008

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · xinwudaishi:032:s0021

References in the histories

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

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 10Volume 10 Book of Later Liang 10: Later Emperors Annals 3 · 2 passages

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宰臣敬翔請許之，租庸使趙岩等以為不可，乃止。 Jing Xiang favored acceptance; Zhao Yan and others refused, and the court declined.

或勸帝西奔洛陽，趙岩曰：「勢已如是，一下此樓，誰心可保。」 Some urged flight to Luoyang; Zhao Yan said: "Once you leave this tower, who will stand with you?"

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 11Volume 11 Book of Later Liang 11: Biographies 1: Empresses and Consorts · 1 passage

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長樂公主，降趙岩，開平元年五月十一日封。 Princess Changle wed Zhao Yan and was enfeoffed on 11 v, Kaiping 1.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 68Volume 68 Book of Later Tang 44: Biographies 20: Xue Tinggui, Cui Yi, Liu Yue, Liu Ye, Feng Shunqing, Dou Mengzheng, Li Baoyin, Gui Ai, Kong, Miao, Zhang Wenbao, Chen Yi, Liu Zan · 1 passage

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久之，租庸使趙岩表為巡官，累遷至戶部員外郎，職如故。 Eventually Grain-Tax Commissioner Zhao Yan recommended him as touring officer, and he rose to outer-court director in the Ministry of Revenue while keeping the same duties.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 73Volume 73 Book of Later Tang 49: Biographies 25: Mao Zhang, Nie Yu, Wen Tao, Duan Ning, Kong Qian, Li Ye · 2 passages

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韜素善趙岩，每依附之。 Tao had long been close to Zhao Yan and habitually relied on his patronage.

莊宗入汴，岩恃韜與己素厚，遂奔許州。 When Emperor Zhuangzong entered Bian, Yan counted on his long friendship with Tao and fled to Xuzhou.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 130Volume 130 Book of Later Zhou 32: Biographies 10: Wang Jun, Murong Yanchao, Yan Honglu, Cui Zhoudu · 4 passages

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時租庸使趙巖訪筠於其第，筠召峻聲歌以侑酒，巖悅，筠因以贈之，頗得親愛。 At that time Zhao Yan, commissioner for rent and corvée labor, called on Yun at his mansion. Yun had Jun sing to enliven the wine. Yan was delighted, and Yun presented Jun to him as a gift; he soon won Zhao's warm regard.

時峻以前事趙巖，頗承寵愛，至是欲希贈官立碑。 Jun had once served Zhao Yan and enjoyed his favor; now he hoped to win a posthumous office and a commemorative stele.

或謂峻曰：「趙巖以諂佞事君，破壞梁室，至今言者無不切齒，茍如所欲，必貽物議。」 Someone warned him: "Zhao Yan flattered his sovereign and ruined the Liang house; men still speak of him with clenched teeth. If you have your way, you will invite scandal."

巖侄崇勛，居於陳郡，峻為求官田宅以賜之，太祖亦從之。 Yan's nephew Chongxun lived in Chen commandery; Jun secured official land and a mansion for him as a gift, and Taizu agreed.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 3Volume 3 Later Liang Annals 3: Later Emperors · 2 passages

Open chapter

二月，驸马都尉赵岩至东都，王私与之谋，遣马慎交之魏州，见杨师厚计事。 In the second month Imperial Son-in-law Commander Zhao Yan came to the eastern capital. Youzhen conferred with him in secret and sent Ma Shenjiao to Weizhou to win Yang Shihou to their cause.

象先遣赵岩持传国宝至东都，请王入洛阳，王报曰：「夷门，太祖所以兴王业也，北拒并汾，东至淮海，国家藩镇，多在东方，命将出师，利于便近。」 Xiangxian sent Zhao Yan with the imperial seal to the eastern capital, inviting Youzhen to Luoyang. He answered: “Yimen is where Taizu founded the dynasty. It commands the north against Bing and Fen and the Huai and sea in the east. Most of our provinces lie eastward, and campaigns are easier when the court stays near the front.”

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 23Volume 23 Later Liang Biographies 3: Yang Shihou, Wang Jingren, He Gui, Wang Tan, Ma Sixun, Wang Qianyu, Xie Yanzhang · 1 passage

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已而末帝謀討友珪，問於趙巖，巖曰：「此事成敗，在招討楊公爾。 Later the Last Emperor plotted against Yougui and asked Zhao Yan. Yan said: “Whether this succeeds or fails rests on Pacification Commissioner Yang.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 32Volume 32 Biographies of Martyrs to Virtue 12: Wang Yanzhang · 6 passages

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而梁末帝昏亂，小人趙巖、張漢傑等用事，大臣宿將多被讒間，彥章雖為招討副使，而謀不見用。 The Last Emperor was lost; Zhao Yan and Zhang Hanjie ran the court, and veteran ministers and generals were slandered aside. Yanzhang was deputy campaign commander, but no one listened.

是時，段凝已有異志，與趙巖、張漢傑交通，彥章素剛，憤梁日削，而嫉巖等所為，嘗謂人曰：「俟吾破賊還，誅奸臣以謝天下。」 By then Duan Ning was already playing a double game, dealing with Zhao Yan and Zhang Hanjie. Yanzhang was blunt; he watched Liang shrink day by day and hated the court’s petty men. He often said: "When I break the enemy and march home, I will kill the traitors and answer the realm."

巖等聞之懼，與凝葉力傾之。 Zhao Yan and the rest heard and were terrified; they and Ning united to destroy him.

其破南城也，彥章與凝各為捷書以聞，凝遣人告巖等匿彥章書而上己書，末帝初疑其事，已而使者至軍，獨賜勞凝而不及彥章，軍士皆失色。 When the south city fell, Yanzhang and Ning each sent victory dispatches. Ning’s men told Zhao Yan to bury Yanzhang’s report and push Ning’s instead. The Last Emperor doubted at first—then the envoy reached camp and rewards went to Ning alone. The soldiers went white.

趙巖等從中日夜毀之，乃罷彥章，以凝為招討使。 Zhao Yan and the rest tore at him day and night. Yanzhang was stripped of command; Ning took his place.

彥章馳至京師入見，以笏畫地，自陳勝敗之跡，巖等諷有司劾彥章不恭，勒還第。 Yanzhang raced to the capital and laid the battle out on the floor with his tablet. Zhao Yan and the rest had the authorities charge him with disrespect and send him home.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 44Volume 44 Miscellaneous Biographies 24: Liu Zhijun, Ding Hui, He Delun, Yan Bao, Kang Yanxiao · 1 passage

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趙巖婿也，張漢傑婦家，皆用事。 Zhao Yan is his son-in-law; Zhang Hanjie is his wife’s people—both rule.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 50Volume 50 Miscellaneous Biographies 30: Wang Jun, Wang Yin, Liu Ci, Wang Huan, Zhe Congruan · 3 passages

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租庸使趙巖過筠家，筠命峻歌佐酒，巖見而悅之。 Grain commissioner Zhao Yan visited Zhang Jun’s house. Zhang Jun had Wang Jun sing for the wine, and Yan was pleased.

是時巖方用事，筠因以峻遺巖。 Yan was then in power, and Zhang Jun gave Jun to him.

梁亡，巖族誅，峻流落民間。 When Liang fell, Yan’s clan was executed and Jun was cast adrift among the people.