Duke Wen of Jin (晉文公)

Overview

Duke Wen of Jin was a Spring and Autumn ruler of Jin and one of the Five Hegemons.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Chong’er	重耳	Chong’er

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 636 to BC 628 allusion to Duke Wen of Jin's own reign
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 157, passage 69
BC 636 to BC 628 BC 636-628
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 32, passage 110
BC 636 to BC 628 Duke Wen of Jin (reigned 636-628 BC)
Strongly inferred · Old History of the Five Dynasties 17, passage 16; Old History of the Five Dynasties 54, passage 65; Records of the Three Kingdoms 34, passage 69; Book of Song 56, passage 73; Book of Wei 28, passage 52
BC 644 十六年，晉公子重耳過
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 37, passage 90
BC 632 十六年，晉文公敗楚師于城濮
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 36, passage 62
BC 632 十四年，晉文公敗楚於城濮
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 35, passage 58

Show 16 more source-backed claims

BC 636 to BC 628 恆、文之舉
Strongly inferred · zizhitongjian:153:s0075d
BC 636 to BC 628 文公
Directly stated · Book of Han 98, passage 150
BC 636 to BC 628 春秋之世
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 31, passage 230
BC 636 to BC 628 晉文
Uncertain · Book of Liang 11, passage 39
BC 636 to BC 628 晉文
Dated from the passage context · Book of Song 3, passage 220
BC 636 to BC 628 晉文公
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 83, passage 208
BC 636 to BC 628 晉文公
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 64
BC 636 晉文公出奔
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 24
BC 636 to BC 628 晉文接之
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 25, passage 47
BC 636 to BC 628 桓、文之後
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 104, passage 7
BC 628 桓、文之後
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 103, passage 22
BC 636 to BC 628 桓、文霸主
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 56, passage 7
BC 636 to BC 628 桓文之舉也
Strongly inferred · Book of Wei 91, passage 180
BC 632 襄公二十六年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 34, passage 37
BC 636 to BC 628 重耳一戰而霸
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 140, passage 208
BC 697 to BC 628 重耳有翼戴之德
Strongly inferred · Book of Song 69, passage 191

Family

Kin of Jie Tui (介推)
Duke Wen and Jie Tui 文公而愍推
Jie Tui 推
Directly stated · Book of Han 98, passage 150

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Duke Wen of Jin 晉文公
Held
Directly stated · Book of Song 69, passage 191

Places and affiliations

Polity Jin 晉 · Relation Of
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 37, passage 90
Polity Jin 晉 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Han 25, passage 47; Book of Han 104, passage 7; Old Book of Tang 157, passage 69; Records of the Grand Historian 34, passage 37; New Book of Tang 140, passage 208
Polity Jin 晉 · Relation Ruled
Strongly inferred · Book of Wei 91, passage 180; zizhitongjian:153:s0075d
At Jin 晉 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 64

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Li Li (李離)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 66-67, 72

Events and relationships

Ancient policy decision cited in Kong Linzhi's memorial
AD 410 Kong Linzhi policy memorial before 義熙六年 · Later reference · Historical exemplar
Dated from the passage context · Book of Song 56, passages 73, 144
Became hegemon after one battle
Military · Hegemon
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 140, passage 208
Defeated Chu at Chengpu
BC 632 晉文公敗楚於城濮 · Military · Victor
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 35, passage 58
Defeated Chu
BC 632 十六年 · Military · Commander · At Chengpu 城濮
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 36, passage 62
Deferred Jiu Fan's counsel and honored Ji Zi's pledge
BC 636 to BC 628 Duke Wen of Jin's reign · Political decision · With Jiu Fan (舅犯)
Directly stated · Book of Song 56, passage 73
Held meeting
Diplomatic · Hegemon · At Jiantu 踐土
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 34, passage 37

Show 9 more source-backed claims

Invoked as a hegemonic ruler
AD 894 to AD 898 乾寧中（文中追述） · Later reference · Historical exemplar
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 17, passages 13, 16
Invoked by Fa Zheng in advice to Liu Bei
AD 214 法正進言所引 · Later reference · Historical exemplar
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Three Kingdoms 34, passage 69
Invoked in a commemorative inscription as a supporter of the Zhou royal house
AD 306 光熙元年秋碑文追述 · Later reference · Historical exemplar
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 28, passages 52, 283
Invoked as hegemonic model
Allusion · Exemplar · Mode quoted-speech Speaker Wen Zisheng (溫子升)
Directly stated · zizhitongjian:153:s0075d
Passed through Wei without proper ritual
BC 644 十六年，晉公子重耳過，無禮 · Travel · Visitor
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 37, passage 90
Recovery of capital comparison
Allusion · Exemplar · Mode named-speech Speaker Wen Zisheng (溫子升)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 91, passage 180
Settled his people, established the Bilu system, and commanded the lords
Political military · Hegemon
Directly stated · Book of Han 25, passage 47
Tried to remit Li Li's guilt, assigning blame to subordinates
Legal · Ruler
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 66-67
Relation Rival of · Person Zi Yu (子圉)
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 34, passage 69

Assessments and attributes

Assessment paired with Duke Huan as an ancient exemplar · Mode stele-allusion Source Work Wei Cao’s stele
Directly stated · Book of Wei 28, passage 52
Assessment upheld state law through Li Li's self-execution · Mode historian-judgment Speaker Sima Qian (司馬遷)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 81

Source notes

Historicity historical
Strongly inferred · Old History of the Five Dynasties 54, passage 65
Historicity historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 37, passage 90; Book of Wei 91, passage 180
Value historical
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 157, passage 69

References in the histories

Search passages

History

43 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 32Volume 32: Filial Piety · 1 passage

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簡文夜夢吞一塊土，意甚不悅，以告不害，不害曰：「昔晉文公出奔，野人遺之塊，卒反晉國，陛下此夢，事符是乎？」 Emperor Jianwen one night dreamed he swallowed a clod of earth and was very displeased. He told Buhai, and Buhai said, "In old times Duke Wen of Jin went into exile; a rustic gave him a clod, and in the end he returned to Jin. Your Majesty's dream—does the matter match this?"

Book of Han, Chapter 25Volume 23: Treatise on Punishment and Law · 3 passages

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齊威既沒，晉文接之，亦先定其民，作被廬之法，總帥諸侯，迭為盟主。 Jin's Duke Wen continued the model: domestic consolidation first, then interstate leadership.

至乎齊桓、晉文之兵，可謂入其域而有節制矣，然猶未本仁義之統也。 Huan and Wen improved discipline but still fell short of a fully benevolent-just political foundation.

故齊之技擊不可以遇魏之武卒，魏之武卒不可以直秦之銳士，秦之銳士不可以當桓、文之節制，桓、文之節制不可以敵湯、武之仁義。」 Thus Qi's skilled fighters cannot match Wei's trained soldiers; Wei's trained soldiers cannot stand against Qin's elite warriors; Qin's elite warriors cannot withstand the discipline of Duke Huan and Duke Wen; and the discipline of Huan and Wen cannot rival the benevolence and righteousness of Tang and Wu.'

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 1 passage

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永奏書謝鳳曰：「永斗筲之材，質薄學朽，無一日之雅，左右之介，將軍說其狂言，擢之皁衣之吏，廁之爭臣之末，不聽浸潤之譖，不食膚受之訴，雖齊桓、晉文用士篤密，察父哲兄覆育子弟，誠無以加！ He wrote Wang Feng: "I am a trifling talent, shallow and ill-read, a stranger to you without introduction, yet you welcomed my blunt words, raised me from a petty clerk to the ranks of remonstrators, and refused both whispered slander and shallow complaint. Not even Duke Huan of Qi or Lord Wen of Jin treated their men with such care—no fond father or elder brother could do more.

Book of Han, Chapter 98Volume 87a: Yang Xiong 1 · 1 passage

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嗟文公而愍推兮，勤大禹於龍門，灑沈災於豁瀆兮，播九河於東瀕。 They sigh for Duke Wen and pity Jie Tui; they praise Yu at Dragon Gate, drown old flood sorrow in dredged channels, and spread the nine rivers toward the eastern sea.

Book of Han, Chapter 103Volume 91: Usurers · 1 passage

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陵夷至乎桓、文之後，禮誼大壞，上下相冒，國異政，家殊俗，嗜欲不制，僭差亡極。 By the generations after Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, decency had frayed beyond repair: rulers and subjects poached on one another's roles, every state wrote its own rules, every clan chased its own fashion, desire ran wild, and no one could remember his proper station.

Book of Han, Chapter 104Volume 92: Youxias · 1 passage

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桓、文之後，大夫世權，陪臣執命。 After Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, ministers held hereditary sway and household stewards dictated policy.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 1 passage

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因遣使者招永、衍，永、衍等疑不肯降，而忿邑背前約，衍乃遺邑書曰：蓋聞晉文出奔而子犯宣其忠，趙武逢難而程嬰明其賢，二子之義當矣。 He then sent envoys to summon Bao Yong and Feng Yan; they hesitated and refused to submit, and resenting Tian Yi for breaking their earlier pact, Feng Yan wrote to him: "When Duke Wen of Jin fled into exile, Zi Fan showed his loyalty; when Duke Wu of Zhao met disaster, Cheng Ying proved his worth—both acted as righteousness required."

Book of Later Han, Chapter 32Volume 28b: Biography of Feng Yan · 1 passage

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拔周唐之盛德兮，捃桓、文之譎功。 I lift up the great virtue of the Zhou founders and collect the cunning triumphs of Huan and Wen.

Old Book of Tang, Chapter 157Volume 153 Biographies 103: Yao Nanzhong, Liu Nai, Yuan Gao, Duan Pingzhong, Xue Cuncheng, Lu Tan · 1 passage

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若引文公、尼父登之於銓廷，則雖圖書《易象》之大訓，以判體挫之，曾不及徐、庾。 If Duke Wen of Jin and Confucius stood in the selection hall, their great teachings in the classics and Changes would be judged by the essay form and would rank below Xu and Yu.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 17Volume 17 Book of Later Liang 17: Biographies 7: Cheng Rui, Du Hong, Tian Yun, Zhao Kuangning, Zhang Ji, Lei Man · 1 passage

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嘗因對酒，語及其事，彥若曰：「令公位尊方面，自比桓、文。 At wine Yanruo said, "You rank yourself with Duke Huan and Duke Wen of Qi and Jin.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 54Volume 54 Book of Later Tang 30: Biographies 6: Wang Rong, Wang Zhaohui, Wang Chuzhi · 1 passage

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式曰：「公為唐室之桓、文，當以禮義而成霸業，反欲窮兵黷武，天下其謂公何！」 Shi replied, "Your Lordship is the Huan and Wen of the Tang house and should establish hegemony through ritual and righteousness. Instead you wish to exhaust armies in ceaseless warfare—what will the realm say of you!"

Book of Liang, Chapter 11Volume 11: Zhang Hongce; Yu Yu; Zheng Shaoshu; Lü Sengzhen · 1 passage

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如此，則桓、文之業可成，不世之功可建。 Do that, and the deeds of Huan and Wen are yours, and glory beyond the age is within reach.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 56Volume 56 Biographies 37: Trusted Officials · 9 passages

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爰自衰周，侯伯專命，桓、文霸主，至于戰國，寵用近習，不乏於時矣。 From the waning Zhou dynasty on, regional lords held independent power; Duke Huan and Duke Wen rose as hegemons; and by the Warring States period, rulers who pampered and relied on those nearest them were never in short supply.

頗涉辭翰者，亦爲詔文，侍郎之局，復見侵矣。 Those with some skill in letters drafted edicts as well, and the Gentlemen Attendants once again saw their domain invaded.