Sui and Tang · Official and Judge

Tang Lin 唐臨

Attested AD 618 - AD 650

Passages: 19
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Tang Lin was an official and Judge.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Bende	本德	Bende

Life and dates

Death

Age Value: 60 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 33

Attested activity

AD 650 永徽元年
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 257
AD 618 武德初
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 11

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Tang Jin (唐瑾)
grandson 孫 · 2 generations · Through Parent of Tang Lin
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 9
Parent of Tang Shao (唐紹)
grandson 孫 · 2 generations · Through Child of Tang Lin
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 45
Sibling of Tang Jiao (唐皎)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 37
Child of Parent of Tang Lin
father 父
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 113, passage 9
Parent of Child of Tang Lin
father 父
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 113, passage 45

Kinship Role household dependents · Count 0
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 36

Career and standing

Censor-in-chief 御史大夫
AD 650 永徽元年 · Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 257
Assistant magistrate of Wanquan 萬泉丞
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 12
Attending Censor 侍御史
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 17
Minister of Personnel 吏部尚書
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 29
Minister of Punishments 大理卿
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 23
Prefect of Chaozhou 潮州刺史
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 33

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Removed
Dismissal
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 32

Places and affiliations

Tang 唐
Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 8
At Chang'an in Jingzhao 京兆長安
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 8

Works and attributed material

Memorial · Author · Quote true
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passages 259-264
Speech · Speaker · Quote true
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 15

Events and relationships

Released wrongfully imprisoned
Legal · Investigator · At Jiao Prefecture 交州 · Count 3000
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 22

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 113Volume 113 Biographies 38: Tang, Zhang, Xu · 19 passages

唐張徐 Tang, Zhang, and Xu.

◎唐臨 Tang Lin

唐臨，字本德，京兆長安人。 Tang Lin, whose style was Bende, came from Chang'an in the capital district of Jingzhao.

武德初，隱太子討王世充，臨以策進說，太子引直典書坊，授右衛率府鎧曹參軍。 Early in the Wude era, when the crown prince marched against Wang Shichong, Lin went to the camp with a strategic proposal. The prince took him into the crown prince's document office and made him a staff officer in the Right Guard's armor bureau.

有輕囚久系，方春，農事興，臨說令可且出囚，使就畎畝。 Several minor offenders had been held a long time. Spring had come and farming was underway, and Lin urged the magistrate to release them temporarily so they could work their fields.

臨曰：「有所疑，丞執其罪。」 Lin said, "If you have doubts, I will answer for this myself."

令移疾，臨悉縱歸，與之約，囚如期還。 The magistrate took sick leave, and Lin sent every prisoner home under bond to return on the appointed day—and they did.

大夫韋挺責著位不肅，明日，挺越次與江夏王道宗語，臨進曰：「王亂班。」 Grand Master Wei Ting had scolded an official for failing to stand in proper order. The next day Ting himself stepped out of rank to speak with Prince Daozong of Jiangxia, and Lin stepped forward: "Your Highness has disturbed the court order."

臨曰：「大夫亦亂班。」 Lin replied, "The grand master has disturbed the order as well."

高宗嘗錄囚，臨占對無不盡，帝喜曰：「為國之要在用法，刻則人殘，寬則失有罪，惟是折中，以稱朕意。」 Emperor Gaozong once held a prison review. Lin answered every case without omission, and the emperor was pleased: "Governing a state depends on how the law is applied. Harshness maims the people; excessive leniency lets the guilty go free. Only a balanced middle course can satisfy my intent."

它日復訊，余司斷者輒紛訴不已，獨臨所訊無一言。 On another review day, prisoners judged by the other officials all pleaded and protested endlessly, but not one of those Lin had tried said a word.

帝問故，答曰：「唐卿斷囚不冤，所以絕意。」 The emperor asked why. He answered, "Minister Tang's rulings are never unjust, so they have nothing left to say."

乃自述其考曰「形如死灰，心若鐵石」雲。 He then wrote his own appraisal of Lin: "His form was like dead ashes, and his heart like iron and stone."

臨建言：「群臣不知天子所以議之之意。 Lin memorialized: "The ministers do not understand the Son of Heaven's purpose in ordering deliberation.

臨累遷吏部尚書。 Lin was eventually promoted to Minister of Personnel.

初，來濟謫臺州，李義府謫普州，臨奏許祎為江南巡察使，張倫劍南巡察使。 Earlier Lai Ji had been banished to Taizhou and Li Yifu to Puzhou. Lin recommended Xu Yi as touring commissioner for the Jiangnan region and Zhang Lun for the Sword-South circuit.

武後常右義府，察知之，謂臨遣所私督其過，坐免官。 Empress Wu habitually favored Li Yifu. Learning of the appointments, she accused Lin of sending his own men to pursue Yifu's faults and had him removed from office.

臨儉薄寡欲，不好治第宅。 Lin lived plainly with few desires and never built a grand residence.

臨孫紹紹，神龍時為太常博士。 Lin's grandson Shaoshao served as an erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices during the Shenlong era.