Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official and Musician

Changsun Shaoyuan 長孫紹遠

Born c. AD 508; died AD 561 to AD 578

Passages: 19
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

Changsun Shaoyuan was an official and Musician.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Shi	師	Shi
Childhood name	Ren	仁	Ren

Life and dates

Death

AD 561 to AD 578 上遺表又陳之而卒
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 180

Age

13
AD 520 to AD 534 稚作牧壽春 · Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 80

Attested activity

AD 557 孝閔踐阼
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 94
AD 557 to AD 578 啟世宗; 高祖; 卒
Dated from the passage context · Book of Zhou 26, passages 99, 105, 180
AD 515 to AD 534 羅生三子
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 162
AD 532 to AD 534 魏孝武初
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 87
AD 534 齊神武稱兵而帝西遷
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 88

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Kin of Zhangsun Si (長孫兕)
brother's son 兄子 · Through Elder Brother of Zhangsun Shaoyuan (長孫紹遠兄)
elder brother's son 兄子 · Through Elder Brother of Zhangsun Shaoyuan (長孫紹遠兄)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 1
Sibling of Changsun Shiliang (長孫士亮)
brother 兄弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 162
Sibling of Changsun Jiliang (長孫季亮)
brother 兄弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 162
Sibling of Elder Brother of Zhangsun Shaoyuan (長孫紹遠兄)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Strongly inferred · Book of Zhou 26, passage 1
Child of Zhangsun Zhi (稚)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 77
Child of Lady Luo (羅氏)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 162
Child of Changsun Zhi (長孫稚)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 162
Sibling of Zhangsun Cheng (長孫澄)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 1

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Chief Clerk of the Right of the Minister of Public Works 司徒右長史
AD 532 to AD 534 魏孝武初 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 87
Grand Master of Music 大司樂
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 93
Lesser Minister of Works 小司空
Appointed
Strongly inferred · Book of Zhou 26, passage 104
Palace Master of Writing 殿中尚書
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 89
Recorder of the Masters of Writing 錄尚書事
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 89
Grand Master of Ceremonial 太常
Held
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 95

Show 2 more source-backed claims

Duke of Shangdang 上黨公
AD 557 孝閔踐阼 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 94
Fell ill
Illness
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 113

Places and affiliations

Northern Wei / Western Wei / Northern Zhou 魏周
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passages 87, 94
At Luoyang 洛陽 · Relation Native of
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 75

Works and attributed material

Letter · Author · With Qi Shuzhi (齊樹之)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 113
Memorial · Author · With Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (周武) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passages 106-109
Memorial · Author · With Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (周武)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 180
Memorial · Author · With Emperor Shizong (世宗)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 99

Events and relationships

Created instruments; fixed yellow bell pitch using temple bell
Scholarly · Reformer
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passages 95-99
Defended eight tone system against Pei Zheng and later Gaozu
Scholarly · Debater · With Pei Zheng (裴正)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passages 100-101, 103, 106-109
Followed father west with Emperor Xiaowu
AD 534 帝西遷 · Political · Follower · With Zhangsun Zhi (稚)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 88

Assessments and attributes

Assessment deeply mourned by the emperor · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 181
Assessment model official; surpasses Han Xiao and Kou · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Yuwen Tai (周文帝)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passages 90-92
Assessment upright and martial · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 162

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

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

羅生三子，紹遠、士亮、季亮，兄弟皆廉武。 Luo bore Shaoyuan, Shiliang, and Jiliang—brothers all upright and warlike.

Book of Zhou, Chapter 26Volume 26 Biographies 18: Zhang Sunjian; Zhangsun Shaoyuan; Younger Brother Cheng; Elder Brother Si; Hu Sizheng · 18 passages

長孫儉長孫紹遠弟澄兄子兕斛斯徵 Zhangsun Jian; Zhangsun Shaoyuan; Zhangsun Cheng (younger brother); Zhangsun Si (nephew); Hu Sizheng

長孫紹遠字師，河南洛陽人。 Zhangsun Shaoyuan, styled Shi, came from Luoyang in Henan.

少名仁。 As a boy he was called Ren.

紹遠性寬容，有大度，望之儼然，朋儕莫敢褻狎。 Zhangsun Shaoyuan was open-hearted and magnanimous; he looked so grave and dignified that even his peers dared not treat him lightly.

時稚作牧壽春，紹遠幼，年甫十三。 At the time his father Zhi was governor of Shouchun; Zhangsun Shaoyuan was only thirteen.

稚管記王碩聞紹遠強記，心以為不然。 Zhi's registrar Wang Shuo heard that Zhangsun Shaoyuan had a prodigious memory and did not believe it.

於是命紹遠試焉。 Zhi then had Zhangsun Shaoyuan tested.

及齊神武稱兵而帝西遷，紹遠隨稚奔赴。 When Gao Huan took up arms and the emperor moved west, Zhangsun Shaoyuan went with his father to join him.

太祖每謂羣公曰：「長孫公任使之處，令人無反顧憂。 Grand Progenitor Yuwen Tai often told the other ministers: "Wherever Lord Zhangsun is placed in office, men serve without looking back over their shoulders.

六官建，拜大司樂。 When the Six Offices were established, Zhangsun Shaoyuan was made grand master of music.

孝閔踐阼，封上黨公。 When Emperor Xiaomin came to the throne, he was enfeoffed as Duke of Shangdang.

初，紹遠為太常，廣召工人，創造樂器，土木絲竹，各得其宜。 While serving as grand master of ceremonial, Zhangsun Shaoyuan gathered craftsmen from far and wide to make new instruments, fitting wood, clay, silk, and bamboo each to its proper use.

為黃鐘不調，紹遠每以為意。 The yellow bell pitch would not settle, and the problem weighed on him constantly.

紹遠乃啟世宗行之。 Zhangsun Shaoyuan then memorialized Emperor Shizong to adopt it.

紹遠所奏樂，以八為數。 The music Zhangsun Shaoyuan submitted took eight as its governing number.

詔與紹遠詳議往復，於是遂定以八為數焉。 An edict ordered Zhangsun Shaoyuan to debate the matter in detail; the court then fixed the number at eight.

紹遠奏云：「天子懸八，肇自先民，百王共軌，萬世不易。 Zhangsun Shaoyuan memorialized: "The Son of Heaven suspends eight sets of bells and chimes—a practice reaching back to antiquity, shared by a hundred kings and unchanging through the ages.

屬紹遠遘疾，未獲面陳，慮有司遽損樂器，乃書與樂部齊樹之。 Just then Zhangsun Shaoyuan fell ill. Unable to present his views in person and fearing that the relevant offices would hastily cut back the instruments, he wrote to Qi Shuzhi of the Music Bureau.