Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official and General

Sima Shen 司馬申

First attested AD 547; died AD 586

Passages: 24
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Sima Shen was an official and General.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Jihe	季和	Jihe
Posthumous name	Zhong	忠	Zhong

Life and dates

Death

AD 586 至德四年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 66

Attested activity

AD 562 天嘉三年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 51
AD 547 to AD 549 太清之難
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 43
AD 555 to AD 556 紹泰初
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 49
AD 583 至德
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 27, passages 138, 140
AD 586 至德四年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 66

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Sima Huiyuan (司馬慧遠)
grandfather 祖 · paternal line · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 36
Child of Sima Xuantong (司馬玄通)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 37
Child of Mother of Sima Shen
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 43
Parent of Sima Xiu (司馬琇)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 78

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Marquis 侯
Households 500 · Advanced
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 71
Baron of Wenzhao County 文招縣伯
Households 400 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 61, 63
posthumous title Zhong 諡曰忠
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 71

Places and affiliations

Polity Chen 陳 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 50
Polity Liang 梁 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 42
At Wen in Henei commandery 河內溫
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 35

Learning and skills

Skill weiqi 弈棋 · Level skilled · Age Value: 14
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 38

Works and attributed material

epitaph inscription by Houzhu 誌銘
Relation Subject of
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 73-75
Edict · Subject · Speaker Later Lord of Chen (陳後主)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 66-67, 69-72
Speech · Addressee · Speaker Wang Sengbian (王僧辯) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 46-47

Events and relationships

Defended
Military · Advisor · At Baling 巴陵 · With Wang Sengbian (王僧辯)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 45
Initiated mourning and counseled restraint
Court · Envoy · With Yao Cha (姚察)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 27, passages 140-141
Shielded
Military · Protector · With Wang Sengbian (王僧辯)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 47
Suppressed
Military · Commander summoner · With Chen Shuling (陳叔陵)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 60

Assessments and attributes

Assessment served three emperors; held confidential affairs; favored · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 76-77

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Chen 27, passage 140

References in the histories

Search passages

History

24 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 27Volume 27: Jiang Zong; Yao Cha · 2 passages

時察母韋氏喪制適除，後主以察羸瘠，慮加毀頓，乃密遣中書舍人司馬申就宅發哀，仍敕申專加譬抑。 At the time, Cha had just completed mourning for his mother, Lady Wei. Houzhu, seeing how emaciated Cha was, feared further grief would ruin his health and secretly sent Secretariat Attendant Sima Shen to express condolences at his home, with orders to counsel restraint.

爾後又遣申宣旨誡喻曰：「知比哀毀過禮，甚用為憂。 Later he again sent Shen with an edict of admonition: "I know your mourning goes beyond the rites, and I am deeply troubled.

Book of Chen, Chapter 29Volume 29: Zong Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zheng · 22 passages

宗元饒司馬申毛喜蔡徵 Zong Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zheng

司馬申字季和，河內溫人也。 Sima Shen, styled Jihe, came from Wen in Henei commandery.

申早有風概，十四便善弈棋，嘗隨父候吏部尚書到 Shen from early on had presence of spirit; at fourteen he was already skilled at weiqi. He once followed his father to call on the minister of personnel, Dao

子春素知申，即於坐所呼與為對，〔二〕申每有妙思，异觀而奇之，因引申遊處。 Zichun had long known Shen and immediately at the gathering called him to play a match, [2] Shen had fine conceptions each time; Yi watched and marveled, and thereafter drew Shen into his company.

梁邵陵王為丹陽尹，以申為主簿。 When Liang's Prince of Shaoling served as governor of Danyang, he made Shen his chief clerk.

梁元帝承制，起為開遠將軍，遷鎮西外兵記室參軍。 When Liang's Emperor Yuan assumed the provisional mandate, Shen was summoned as general who opens the distance and promoted to recorder in the outer military staff of the army on the western wall.

及侯景寇郢州，申隨都督王僧辯據巴陵，每進籌策，皆見行用。 When Hou Jing attacked Yingzhou, Shen followed commander Wang Sengbian in holding Baling; every plan he advanced was adopted.

僧辯之討陸納也，申在軍中，于時賊眾奄至，左右披靡，申躬蔽僧辯，蒙楯而前，會裴之橫救至，賊乃退，僧辯顧申而笑曰：「仁者必有勇，豈虛言哉！」 When Sengbian campaigned against Lu Na, Shen was in the army; at that time the rebel masses suddenly arrived and those left and right were scattered; Shen personally shielded Sengbian, covered himself with a shield and went forward; when Pei Zhiheng's rescue arrived, the rebels withdrew. Sengbian looked back at Shen and laughed, saying, "The humane surely have courage—is this an empty saying!"

高祖受禪，除安東臨川王諮議參軍。 When the Founder took the throne, Shen was made advising officer in the establishment of Pacification East Prince of Linchuan.

及叔陵之肆逆也，事既不捷，出據東府，申馳召右衛蕭摩訶帥兵先至，追斬之，因入城中，收其府庫，後主深嘉之。 When Shuling's violent outrage took place, the affair did not succeed and he went out to hold the eastern palace; Shen galloped to summon right guard Xiao Mohe to lead troops and arrive first, pursued and beheaded him, then entered the city and seized his treasury stores—Houzhu deeply commended him.

以功除太子左衛率，封文 For his merit he was made left leader of the heir apparent's guard, enfeoffed as Wen

（始） Collation variant: (Shi).

招縣伯，〔三〕邑四百戶，兼中書通事舍人。 Collation variant: (Zhao) county baron, [3] fief four hundred households, and concurrently secretariat communicating affairs attendant.

故散騎常侍、右衛將軍、文 The late scattered-cavalry regular attendant, general of the right guard, Wen

（始） Collation variant: (Shi).

招縣開國伯申，忠肅在公，清正立己，治繁處約，投軀殉義。 Collation variant: (Zhao) county founding baron Shen was loyal and solemn in public service, pure and upright in his person, governing complexity with restraint and casting his body to follow righteousness.

可贈侍中、護軍將軍，進爵為侯，增邑為五百戶，諡曰忠。 He may be posthumously made palace attendant and protector general, his rank advanced to marquis, his fief increased to five hundred households, posthumous title Zhong.

申歷事三帝，內掌機密，至於倉卒之閒，軍國大事，指麾斷決，無有滯留。 Shen served three emperors and inwardly held confidential affairs; even in hurried moments, on great affairs of army and state, his direction and decisions had no delay.

乃與司馬申謀曰：「此人負氣，吾欲將乞鄱陽兄弟聽其報讎，可乎？」 He then plotted with Sima Shen and said, "This man is proud. I want to hand him to the Poyang brothers to let them take revenge—is that acceptable?"

司馬申清恪在朝，攻苦立行，加之以忠節，美矣。 Sima Shen was pure and strict at court, toiling in hardship to establish his conduct; with loyal integrity added, he was admirable.

（始） (Shi)

招縣伯據百衲本南史本傳改。 On "Zhao county marquis": emended per the patchwork Southern History biography.