Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Emperor of Western Jin

Emperor Hui 惠帝

Hui di

Attested AD 290 - AD 307

Passages: 27
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

Emperor Hui was an emperor of Western Jin.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 303 晉惠帝太安二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 5, passage 67
AD 291 元康元年
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 203
AD 290 惠帝即位
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 201
AD 306 to AD 307 惠帝末
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 301
AD 307 懷帝永嘉元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 10, passage 173
AD 290 晉惠帝初
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 25

Show 2 more source-backed claims

AD 301 to AD 302 永甯中
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 108, passage 38
AD 301 永甯元年正月
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 183

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Sima Yu (司馬遹)
eldest son 長子 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passage 2
Spouse of Empress Jia (賈后)
empress 賈后 · Primary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 15, 201
Child of Emperor Wu (武帝)
son 子 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 53, passage 4

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Western Jin 晉
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 25
Polity Western Jin 晉 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passages 300-301

Works and attributed material

Condolence text · Author · Quote true
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 143-166
Edict · Author · Quote true
Directly stated · Book of Jin 53, passages 131-140

Events and relationships

Combined military overseer and inspector offices
AD 306 to AD 307 惠帝末 · Administrative · Ruler
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 301

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 25

References in the histories

Search passages

History

27 passages

Book of Jin, Chapter 53Volume 53 Biographies 23: Crown Prince Minhuai · 21 passages

湣懷太子遹，字熙祖，惠帝長子，母曰謝才人。 Sima Yu, styled Xizu, was Emperor Hui's firstborn—his mother was Lady Xie of Talented rank.

嘗與諸皇子共戲殿上，惠帝來朝，執諸皇子手，次至太子，帝曰：「是汝兒也。」 Once he was playing on the palace steps with the imperial princes; when Emperor Hui came to audience, he took each prince's hand in turn; when he reached the crown prince, the emperor said, 'This is your son.'

惠帝乃止。 Hui broke off his greeting.

嘗從帝觀豕牢，言於帝曰：「豕甚肥，何不殺以享士，而使久費五穀？」 While watching the imperial sty he said to the emperor, "The pigs are very fat—why not slaughter them to feast the troops instead of letting them waste grain forever?"

惠帝即位，立為皇太子。 When Hui Di took the throne, Yu was made crown prince.

文曰：「陛下宜自了； Forgery opened: 'Father must finish this himself.

既而補成之，后以呈帝。 Helpers patched characters before Jia showed Hui.

帝幸式乾殿，召公卿入，使黃門令董猛乙太子書及青紙詔曰：「遹書如此，今賜死。」 The emperor visited Shi-Qian Hall, summoned dukes and ministers, and had Yellow Gate Chief Dong Meng display the crown prince's script with an edict on blue paper: "Yu has written thus—now sentence him to death."

賈后使董猛矯以長廣公主辭白帝曰：「事宜速決，而群臣各有不同，若有不從詔，宜以軍法從事。」 Empress Jia had Dong Meng falsely relay Princess Changguang's words to the emperor: "Matters must be settled quickly while ministers disagree—whoever disobeys the edict should face military law."

二十九日早入見國家，須臾遣至中宮。 He saw Hui briefly then reached Jia's halls.

須臾中宮遣陳舞見語：'聞汝表陛下為道文乞王，不得王是成國耳。 They mocked his plea for son's kingship.

中宮遙呼曰：'汝常陛下前持酒可喜，何以不飲？ Jia taunted his earlier drinking.

'便答中宮：'陛下會同一日見賜，故不敢辭，通日不飲三升酒也。 Yu cited earlier imperial banquet.

催促云：'陛下停待。 Runners said the emperor waited.

維爾少資岐嶷之質，荷先帝殊異之寵，大啟土宇，奄有淮陵。 Hui's ghost-eulogy praised Wu Di's love and Yu's fief.

朕奉遵遺旨，越建爾儲副，以光顯我祖宗。 Hui claimed he installed Yu by Wu Di's will.

而朕昧於凶構，致爾於非命之禍，俾申生、孝己復見於今。 Hui likened the plot to classic wronged heirs.

又為哀策曰：「皇帝臨軒，使洗馬劉務告于皇太子之殯曰：咨爾遹！ They further composed a condolence text: "The emperor facing the gallery sends Groom of the Household Liu Wu to the crown prince's lying-in-state: Ah, Yu!

爾之降廢，實我不明。 Hui blamed himself.

太安元年三月癸卯，薨，帝服齊衰期，諡曰沖太孫。 On guimao in Tai'an third month he died; the emperor wore trimmed mourning for a year and granted the posthumous title Chong Imperial Grandson.

一人乏探隱之聰，百辟無爭臣之節。 Hui's blindness and court cowardice blamed.

Book of Jin, Chapter 108Volume 108 Records 8: Murong Hui · 2 passages

天子聞而嘉之，褒賜命服。 The emperor rewarded him with court robes.

惠皇之末，後黨構難，禍結京畿，釁成公族，遂使羯寇乘虛，傾覆諸夏，舊都淪滅，山陵毀掘，人神悲悼，幽明發憤。 Late Emperor Hui's disasters enabled Shi Le.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 5Volume 5 Annals 5: Prince of Hailing · 1 passage

晉惠帝太安二年，長沙王乂事敗，成都王穎改元爲永安； In Jin, Emperor Hui's Taian 2, when Prince Yi of Changsha fell, Prince Ying of Chengdu changed the era to Yongan;

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 10Volume 10 Treatises 2: Rituals 1 · 1 passage

懷帝永嘉元年，惠帝喪制未終，于時江充議云，古帝王相承，雖世及有異，而輕重同禮。」 In Huai's Yongjia 1, while Emperor Hui's mourning was unfinished, Jiang Chong held that successive rulers, though succession differed, observed the same rites in weight."

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 16Volume 16 Treatises 8: Official Posts · 2 passages

晉惠帝初，衞瓘爲太保。 At the start of Jin Huidi's reign, Wei Guan was made Grand Guardian.

惠帝末，乃幷任，非要州則單爲刺史。 By the end of Emperor Hui the two offices were combined; save in a vital province, a man held the inspectorate alone.