Qing · Grand Council Minister

Sun Yuwen 孫毓汶

First attested AD 1856; died AD 1899

Passages: 14
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

Sun Yuwen was a Grand Council Minister.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Laishan	萊山	Laishan
Posthumous name	Wenkai	文恪	Wenkai

Life and dates

Death

AD 1899 光緒二十五年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 191

Attested activity

AD 1894 二十年
Dated from the passage context · Draft History of Qing 466, passages 8-9
AD 1899 光緒二十五年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 191
AD 1894 光緒二十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 186
AD 1894 to AD 1895 光緒二十年前後
Strongly inferred · Draft History of Qing 443, passage 45
AD 1884 光緒十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 182
AD 1856 咸豐六年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 169

Show 1 more source-backed claim

AD 1860 咸豐十年
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 171

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Ruizhen (瑞珍)
father 父
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passages 168, 170
Child of Mother of Sun Yuwen
mother 母
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 176

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Grand Councilor 軍機
AD 1884 光緒十年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 182
Grand Councillor 樞臣
AD 1894 二十年 · Dismissed
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 466, passages 8-9
posthumous title Wenkai 文恪
AD 1899 光緒二十五年 · Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 191
Entered
AD 1875 光緒元年 · Mourning
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 176
Entered
AD 1858 咸豐八年 · Mourning
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 170
Retired for illness
Retirement
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 443, passage 45

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Sentenced
AD 1860 咸豐十年 · Banishment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 171
impeachment 被劾
Suffered
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 466, passage 9

Places and affiliations

Qing 清
Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 466, passage 9
Polity Qing 清 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 168
At Jining, Shandong 山東濟寧州 · Relation Native of
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 168

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 1856 咸豐六年 · Credential Presented Scholar, second of the first class 一甲二名進士
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 169

Events and relationships

Urged signing Sino Japanese peace treaty
AD 1894 光緒二十年 · Diplomatic · Advocate
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passages 186, 189
Relation Ally of · Person Li Hongzhang (李鴻章)
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 189

Assessments and attributes

Assessment resourceful; especially powerful as channel to Prince Chun · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passages 192, 195
Assessment smoothed factional gaps; court relied on him · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Draft History of Qing 436, passage 202

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 436Volume 436 Biographies 223: Shen Guifen, Li Hongzao, Weng Tonghe, Sun Yuwen · 12 passages

時日韓起釁，同龢與李鴻藻主戰，孫毓汶、徐用儀主和。 When war broke out between Japan and Korea, Tonghe and Li Hongzao favored fighting while Sun Yuwen and Xu Yongyi favored peace.

毓汶以前敵屢敗對，上責以賞罰不嚴，故至於此。 Yuwen cited repeated defeats in reply; the emperor blamed lax discipline in rewards and punishments for having brought matters to this pass.

與毓汶等執爭，終不可挽，和約遂定。 He argued fiercely with Yuwen and others, but could not turn the tide, and the peace treaty was settled.

孫毓汶，字萊山，山東濟寧州人，尚書瑞珍子。 Sun Yuwen, courtesy name Laishan, was from Jining Prefecture in Shandong, son of Minister Sun Ruizhen.

恭親王以毓汶世受國恩，首抗捐餉，深惡之。 Prince Gong deeply detested him, holding that a family long favored by the state should not have been foremost in resisting tax levies.

時法越事起，毓汶以習於醇親王，漸與聞機要。 When war broke out between France and Vietnam, Yuwen, being close to Prince Chun, gradually gained access to confidential affairs.

適奉硃諭盡罷軍機王大臣，毓汶還，遂命入直軍機，兼總理各國事務大臣。 Just then a vermilion edict dismissed all the princely Grand Councilors; when Yuwen returned he was appointed to the Grand Council and concurrently made minister for foreign affairs.

毓汶素與鴻章相結納，力言戰不可恃，亟請署，上為流涕書之，和約遂成。 Yuwen had long been allied with Li Hongzhang; he argued that war was hopeless and urgently pressed for signature; the emperor wept as he gave his approval, and the peace treaty was concluded.

二十五年，卒，予諡文恪。 In 1899 he died and was given the posthumous title Wenkai.

毓汶權奇饒智略，直軍機逾十年。 Yuwen was resourceful and shrewd; he served on the Grand Council for more than a decade.

諭旨陳奏，皆毓汶為傳達。 Imperial instructions and memorials all passed through Yuwen.

毓汶奔走其間，勤勞亦著，大體彌縫，賴以無事。 Yuwen shuttled among them with notable diligence; by smoothing matters over in the main, the court relied on him to keep affairs running.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 443Volume 443 Biographies 230: Sun Jianai, Zhang Baixi, Tang Jingchong, Yu Shimei, Shen Jiaben · 1 passage

未幾，孫毓汶引疾歸，恭親王奕訢復入軍機，而百熙亦出督廣東學政。 Before long Sun Yuwen retired on grounds of illness, Prince Gong Yixin returned to the Grand Council, and Baixi was sent out to supervise education in Guangdong.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 466Volume 466 Biographies 253: Xu Yongyi, Xu Jingcheng, Yuan Chang, Li Shan, Lian Yuan · 1 passage

日朝搆为，舉朝爭議和戰，樞臣孫毓汶被劾罷，翁同龢繼入，主戰益力。 When Japan provoked conflict, the court split over peace and war; Grand Councillor Sun Yuwen was impeached out of office, and Weng Tonghe took his place and argued for war even harder.