Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Administrator and Official

Gu Xianzhi 顧憲之

c. AD 436 - AD 509

Passages: 19
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Gu Xianzhi was an administrator and Official.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Sisi	士思	Sisi

Life and dates

Death

AD 509 八年
At at home 於家 · Age Value: 74 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 66

Age

74
AD 509 八年 · Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 66

Attested activity

AD 502 中興二年
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 61
AD 473 to AD 477 元徽中
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 52, passage 21
AD 509 八年
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 66
AD 503 天監二年
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 63
AD 494 to AD 498 建武中
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 52, passage 54
AD 499 永元初
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 52, passage 59

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Gu Bianzhi (顧抃之)
grandfather 祖 · paternal line · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 19
Child of Mother of Gu Xianzhi
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 53

Kinship Role sons · Count 2 · plural sons addressed at deathbed; exact count unstated, minimum 2 from plural
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 67, 93

Career and standing

magistrate of Jiankang 建康令
AD 473 to AD 477 元徽中 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 21
Grand Master of the Palace 太中大夫
AD 503 天監二年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 63
administrator of Hengyang 衡陽內史
AD 479 齊高帝卽位 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 32
Endured
Poverty
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 64-65

Places and affiliations

Liang 梁
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 61, 63
Liu Song 宋
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 19, 21
Southern Qi 齊
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 30, 32
At Wu in Wu commandery 吳郡吳
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 18
At Wu 吳 · Relation Returned to
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 62

Learning and skills

Recommended
Credential Flourishing Talent (xiucai) 秀才 xiucai
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 20

Works and attributed material

Record of Hengyang Commandery 衡陽郡記
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 96
Final instructions · Author · Mode quotation
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 67-95

Events and relationships

Abolished Prince of Jingling mountain enclosure ban
Administrative · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 47-49
Resolved cattle theft case
Legal · Judge
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passages 22-25

Assessments and attributes

Assessment divine in judgment · Mode named-source-report
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 25
Assessment pure and frugal · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 27
Assessment withdrew by citing age · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Liang 52, passage 153

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

Book of Liang, Chapter 52Volume 52: The Self-Sufficient · 19 passages

顧憲之 Gu Xianzhi

顧憲之字士思，吳郡吳人也。 Gu Xianzhi, styled Sisi, came from Wu in Wu commandery.

憲之未弱冠，州辟議曹從事，舉秀才，累遷太子舍人、尚書比部郎、撫軍主簿。 Before he capped his years, the province appointed him Retainer of the Council; recommended as Flourishing Talent (xiucai), he rose through Attendant of the Heir Apparent and Director of the Ministry of Justice Comparison Section to Registrar of the Pacification Army.

憲之至，覆其狀，謂二家曰：「無爲多言，吾得之矣。」 When Xianzhi arrived, he reviewed the case and told both households: "Say no more—I have got it."

故京師飲酒者得醇旨，輒號爲「顧建康」，言醑清且美焉。 Hence capital drinkers who got rich flavor called it "Administrator Gu of Jiankang," saying the brew was clear and fine.

憲之下車，分告屬縣，求其親黨，悉令殯葬。 When Xianzhi took office, he sent word to subordinate counties to seek kin and had them all buried properly.

其家人絕滅者，憲之爲出公祿，使綱紀營護之。 For families whose line was extinguished, Xianzhi paid from public salary and had clerks arrange care.

憲之曉喻，爲陳生死之別，事不相由，風俗遂改。 Xianzhi enlightened them on life and death and that the affairs do not bear on one another—the custom changed.

時刺史王奐新至，唯衡陽獨無訟者，乃歎曰：「顧衡陽之化至矣。 Inspector Wang Huan had newly arrived; only Hengyang had no litigation, and he sighed: "Administrator Gu of Hengyang's transformation has reached the utmost.

憲之至郡，卽表除之。 When Xianzhi reached the commandery, he memorialized at once to remove it.

文度後還葬母，郡縣爭赴弔，憲之不與相聞。 Wendu later returned to bury his mother; commandery and county competed to attend mourning, but Xianzhi did not acknowledge it.

時司徒、竟陵王於宣城、臨成、定陵三縣界立屯，封山澤數百里，禁民樵采，憲之固陳不可，言甚切直。 The Minister of Works, Prince of Jingling, enclosed mountains and marshes for hundreds of li and forbade firewood—Xianzhi firmly memorialized that this could not be, his words very blunt.

宋世，其祖覬之嘗爲吏部，於庭植嘉樹，謂人曰：「吾爲憲之種耳。」 In Song times his grandfather Ji had served in the Ministry of Personnel; in the courtyard he planted a fine tree and said: "I am planting this for Xianzhi."

至是，憲之果爲此職。 At this time Xianzhi indeed held that office.

有貞婦萬晞者，少孀居無子，事舅姑尤孝，父母欲奪而嫁之，誓死不許，憲之賜以束帛，表其節義。 Chaste widow Wan Xi, widowed young without sons, served her parents-in-law with utmost filiality; her parents wished to force remarriage but she swore to die—Xianzhi bestowed silk and memorialized her integrity.

中興二年，義師平建康，高祖爲揚州牧，徵憲之爲別駕從事史。 In the second year of Zhongxing, when the righteous army pacified Jiankang, Gaozu was governor of Yangzhou and summoned Xianzhi as Retainer of the Separate Chariot.

比至，高祖已受禪，憲之風疾漸篤，固求還吳。 By the time he arrived, Gaozu had already received the abdication; Xianzhi's wind ailment grew severe and he firmly asked to return to Wu.

憲之雖累經宰郡，資無擔石。 Though Xianzhi had repeatedly governed commanderies, his assets did not amount to a dan of grain.

史臣曰：顧憲之、陶季直，引年者也，蕭眎素則宦情鮮焉。 The historian says: Gu Xianzhi and Tao Jizhi cited age to withdraw; Xiao Shisu had little taste for office.