Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Aristocrat

Erzhu Wenlüe 尒朱文略

Attested AD 545 - AD 559

Passages: 11
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Erzhu Wenlüe was an aristocrat.

Life and dates

Death

executed 伏法
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 42

Attested activity

AD 550 to AD 559 文宣
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passages 39, 42
AD 545 to AD 559 文略
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 29

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Erzhu Wenluo (尒朱文羅)
elder brother 兄
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 29
Child of Erzhu Rong (尒朱榮)
father 父
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 48, passages 29, 43
Sibling of Erzhu Wenchang (尒朱文暢)
younger brother 弟
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 29

Kinship Role heirs of Wenluo · Count 0 · Negated true
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 29

Career and standing

Prince of Liang Commandery 梁郡王
Inherited
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 29
Entered
Imprisonment · At capital jail 京畿獄
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 39
Received leniency from Gaozu
Pardoned
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 30
Pardoned ten capital offenses by Gaozu testament
Special pardon
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 36
Put to death
Execution
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 42

Learning and skills

Skill music transcription / pipa 琵琶 · Level accomplished
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passages 31-32

Works and attributed material

Speech · Addressee · With Wenxiang (文襄)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 33
Speech · Speaker · With Wenxiang (文襄)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 34
Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 41

Events and relationships

Bribed Wei Shou with gold for father’s biography
Scholarly · Patron · With Wei Shou (魏收)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 43
Killed horse and maid; sent remains to Pingqin
Personal · Perpetrator
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 38
Shot at people with seized bow
Legal · Offender
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 41
Won horse by wagering maid
Personal · Gambler · With Gao Guiyan (高歸彥)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 37

Assessments and attributes

Assessment clever, sharp, widely accomplished · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 31

References in the histories

Search passages

History

11 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 40: Imperial Affines · 11 passages

弟文略，以兄文羅卒無後，襲梁郡王。 Younger brother Wenlüe inherited the Liang Commandery princedom when Wenluo died heirless.

文略聰明儁爽，多所通習。 Wenlüe was brilliant, quick-witted, and accomplished in many arts.

世宗嘗令章永興於馬上彈胡琵琶，奏十餘曲，試使文略寫之，遂得其八。 Shizong once had Zhang Yongxing play the pipa on horseback through more than ten pieces and asked Wenlüe to write them down; he caught eight.

世宗戲之曰：「聰明人多不老壽，梁郡其慎之。」 The emperor teased him: “Clever men seldom live long—take care, Prince of Liang.”

文略對曰：「命之修短，皆在明公。」 Wenlüe answered, “Long life or short is entirely for Your Majesty to decide.”

初，高祖遺令恕文略十死，恃此益橫，多所淩忽。 Gaozu’s will had granted Wenlüe ten stays of execution; emboldened, he grew ever more insolent.

平秦王有七百里馬，文略敵以好婢，賭而取之。 Prince Pingqin owned a horse said to run seven hundred li in a day; Wenlüe wagered a fine maid against it and won.

明日，平秦致請，文略殺馬及婢，以二銀器盛婢頭馬肉而遺之。 When Pingqin came to claim his stake, Wenlüe slaughtered horse and maid and sent back their flesh and her head in silver dishes.

平秦王訴之於文宣，系於京畿獄。 Pingqin appealed to Wenxuan, and Wenlüe was thrown into the metropolitan prison.

文略彈琵琶，吹橫笛，謠詠，倦極便臥唱挽歌。 In prison he played pipa and flute, sang songs, and when tired would lie down and chant dirges.

文略嘗大遺魏收金，請為其父作佳傳，收論尒朱榮比韋、彭、伊、霍，蓋由是也。 Wenlüe once paid Wei Shou heavily to glorify his father in print—hence Shou’s likening of Erzhu Rong to Wei Qing, Peng Yue, Yi Yin, and Huo Guang.