Empress Xiao (孝皇后)

Overview

Empress Xiao was an empress and Consort.

IdentityHistorical · Female

Roles

Found in

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Chen Daozhi	陳道止	Chen Daozhi
Temple name	Empress Xuanxiao	宣孝陳皇后	Xuanxiao Chen Huanghou

Life and dates

Death

At magistrate's quarters 縣舍
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 21

Age

73
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 21

Attested activity

AD 479 建元元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 23
AD 479 建元元年六月丙寅
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 2, passage 67
AD 479 昇明三年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 22

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Chen Jiao (陳矯)
descendant 後 · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 10
Parent of Emperor Gao of Qi (齊高帝)
bore 生
imperial mother 皇妣
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 13; Book of Southern Qi 2, passage 67
Child of Chen Zhaozhi (肇之)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 11
Spouse of Emperor Xuan (宣皇帝)
imperial parents 皇考/皇妣 · Marriage
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 2, passage 67
Spouse of Emperor Xuan (宣帝)
married 嫁 · Marriage
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 13
Child of Lady Hu (胡氏)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 25

Kinship Role sons · Count 3
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 17

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Grand Lady of the Duke of Jingling's state 竟陵公國太夫人
AD 479 昇明三年 · Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 22
Empress Xiao 孝皇后
AD 479 建元元年 · Posthumously honored
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 23

Places and affiliations

Polity Name Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Honored by
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 23
At Dongyang in Linhuai 臨淮東陽
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 10

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passages 17-18, 20

Events and relationships

Dreamed hemp porridge
Omen · Dreamer
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 14

Assessments and attributes

Assessment filial and foresighted · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 91

References in the histories

Search passages

History

13 passages

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 2Volume 2 Annals 2: Emperor Gao of Southern Qi 2 · 1 passage

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丙寅，追尊皇考曰宣皇帝，皇妣爲孝皇后，妃爲昭皇后。 Day bingyin: the imperial father was styled Emperor Xuan, the imperial mother Empress Xiao, the consort Empress Zhao.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 20Volume 20 Biographies 1: Empresses and Consorts · 12 passages

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宣孝陳皇后諱道止，臨淮東陽人，魏司徒陳矯後。 Empress Xuanxiao Chen Daozhi came from Dongyang in Linhuai commandery and was descended from Chen Jiao, minister of works of Wei.

后少家貧，勤織作，家人矜其勞，或止之，后終不改。 The family was poor in her girlhood, and she wove and worked without rest. Relatives pitied her toil and tried to make her stop; she never changed her ways.

太祖年二歲，乳人乏乳，后夢人以兩甌麻粥與之，覺而乳大出，異而說之。 When Xiao Daocheng was two, his wet nurse could not supply enough milk. The empress dreamed that someone handed her two bowls of hemp porridge; she awoke to find her milk abundant, and she wondered at the omen.

宣帝從任在外，后常留家治事教子孫。 Emperor Xuan was posted away from home while the empress stayed behind to run the household and instruct the children and grandchildren.

有相者謂后曰：「夫人有貴子而不見也。」 A physiognomist told the empress, "My lady has a son of great rank, yet I have not laid eyes on him."

后歎曰：「我三兒誰當應之。」 She sighed. "I have three sons—which of them can it be?"

宣帝殂後，后親自執勤，婢使有過誤，恕不問也。 After Emperor Xuan's death she herself saw to the work of the household; when maidservants blundered, she pardoned them without question.

太祖雖從官，而家業本貧，爲建康令時，高宗等冬月猶無縑纊，而奉膳甚厚，后每撤去兼肉，曰：「於我過足矣。」 Though Xiao Daocheng held office, the family had always been poor. When he was magistrate of Jiankang, Gaozong and the others still went without padded silk in winter, while the food sent in was lavish—the empress would remove the extra meat and say, "For me this is already too much."

昇明三年，追贈竟陵公國太夫人，蜜印，畫青綬，祠以太牢。 In Shengming year 3 she was posthumously enfeoffed Grand Lady of the Duke of Jingling's state, with honey seal and painted green cord, and honored with the great offering.

建元元年，追尊孝皇后。 In the first year of Jianyuan she was posthumously honored as Empress Xiao.

孝、昭二后，竝有賢明之訓，不得母臨萬國。 The Xiao and Gao empresses both bore wise instruction, yet never ruled the realm as mothers of the state.

贊曰：宣武孝則，識有先知。 In praise: Empress Xuanxiao, filial and correct—she saw what was coming before it came.