Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official and Writer

Xie Zhen 謝貞

First attested AD 548; died AD 585

Passages: 26
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Xie Zhen was an official and Writer.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Yuanzheng	元正	Yuanzheng

Life and dates

Death

AD 585 至德三年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 99

Attested activity

AD 573 太建五年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 76
AD 548 to AD 552 太清之亂
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 74
AD 585 至德三年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 87

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Xie Sui (謝綏)
grandfather 祖 · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 63
Child of Lady Ruan (阮氏)
grandmother 祖母 · paternal line · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 66
Descendant of Xie An (謝安)
ninth-generation descendant 九世孫 · paternal line · 9 generations
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 62
Kin of Wang Yun (王筠)
mother's brother 從舅 · maternal line · Through Lady Wang (王氏)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 68
Kin of Xie Qia (洽)
father's younger brother 從父 · paternal line · Through Xie Lan (謝藺)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 72
Kin of Xie Hao (暠)
clansman elder brother 族兄
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 72
Kin of Xie Kai (凱)
clansman 族子
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 96
Child of Xie Lan (謝藺)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 64
Child of Lady Wang (王氏)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 67
Parent of Xie Jing (靖)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 98

Kinship Role brothers · Count 0 · Negated true
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passages 72, 109
Kinship Role other-heirs · Count 0 · Negated true
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 109

Origins and identity

ninth-generation descendant of Xie An 晉太傅安九世孫
Ancestor Person Id Xie An (謝安) · Generation Distance 9
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 62

Career and standing

outside arms officer 智武府外兵參軍事
AD 573 太建五年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 76
Left office
AD 585 至德三年 · Mourning leave
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 87

Places and affiliations

At Yangxia in Chen commandery 陳郡陽夏
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 62

Learning and skills

Skill cursive, clerical, seal, and insect scripts 草隸蟲篆 · Level skilled
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 70

Works and attributed material

collected writings 文集
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 114
five-character poem on spring days at leisure 春日閑居五言詩
Relation Author
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 68
Document · Author · With Xie Kai (凱) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passages 103-109
Speech · Speaker · With Yao Cha (姚察) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passages 95-98

Events and relationships

Kept distance from rebelling prince
Political · Staff officer · With Chen Shuling (陳叔陵)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passages 80-81
Relation Friend of · Person Yao Cha (姚察)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 32, passage 95

References in the histories

Search passages

History

26 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 32Volume 32: Filial Piety · 26 passages

謝貞字元正，陳郡陽夏人，晉太傅安九世孫也。 Xie Zhen, styled Yuanzheng, was from Yangxia in Chen commandery, ninth-generation descendant of Jin grand tutor An.

貞幼聰敏，有至性。 As a child Zhen was clever and keen, with a deeply filial nature.

祖母阮氏先苦風眩，每發便一二日不能飲食，貞時年七歲，祖母不食，貞亦不食，往往如是，親族莫不奇之。 His grandmother Lady Ruan had long suffered from wind dizziness; whenever it flared she could not eat or drink for a day or two. Zhen was then seven; when his grandmother did not eat, Zhen also did not eat. Often it was so, and kin on both sides all marveled at him.

母王氏，授貞論語、孝經，讀訖便誦。 His mother Lady Wang taught Zhen the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety; when he finished reading he could recite them.

初，父藺居母阮氏憂，不食泣血而卒，家人賓客懼貞復然，從父洽、族兄暠乃共往華嚴寺，請長爪禪師為貞說法，仍謂貞曰：「孝子既無兄弟，極須自愛，若憂毀滅性，誰養母邪？」 Earlier, his father Lin in mourning for his mother Lady Ruan had not eaten and wept blood until he died. Family and guests feared Zhen would do the same. His father's younger brother Qia and his clansman Hao together went to Huayan Temple and asked the monk Long Claw to preach the law for Zhen, and also told Zhen, "A filial son has no brothers and must cherish himself utterly. If grief destroys your nature, who will nourish your mother?"

太清之亂，親屬散亡，貞於江陵陷沒，暠逃難番禺，貞母出家於宣明寺。 In the turmoil of Taiqing kin scattered. Zhen was caught in Jiangling's fall; Hao fled to Panyu, and Zhen's mother took the tonsure at Xuaming Temple.

太建五年，貞乃還朝，除智武府外兵參軍事。 In Taijian year 5 (573) Zhen then returned to court and was made outside arms officer on the staff of the Intelligent Martial establishment.

及始興王叔陵為揚州刺史，引祠部侍郎阮卓為記室，辟貞為主薄，貞不得已乃行。 When the Prince of Shixing Shuling was made inspector of Yangzhou, he brought in vice director of the rites bureau Ruan Zhuo as recorder of the staff and summoned Zhen as chief clerk; Zhen had no choice but to go.

貞度叔陵將有異志，因與卓自疏於王，每有宴遊，輒辭以疾，未嘗參預，叔陵雅欽重之，弗之罪也。 Zhen judged that Shuling would harbor a rebellious intent and therefore, with Zhuo, kept themselves distant from the prince. Whenever there were feasts or outings he would plead illness and never take part. Shuling had long held him in esteem and did not blame him.

俄而高宗崩，叔陵肆逆，府僚多相連逮，唯貞與卓獨不坐。 Shortly Emperor Xuan died and Shuling committed outrage; many staff members were implicated and seized—only Zhen and Zhuo were not charged.

後主仍詔貞入掌中宮管記，遷南平王友，加招遠將軍，掌記室事。 Houzhu then had Zhen enter to manage the inner-palace records, made him friend to the Prince of Nanping, added recruit-the-distance general, and put him in charge of recorder affairs.

府長史汝南周確新除都官尚書，請貞為讓表，後主覽而奇之。 The establishment's chief recorder Zhou Que of Runan had newly been made director of the capital offenses bureau in the Secretariat and asked Zhen to draft his letter of declination; Houzhu read it and marveled.

確對曰：「臣表謝貞所作。」 Que replied, "Your servant's memorial was composed by Xie Zhen."

後主因敕舍人施文慶曰[2]：「謝貞在王處，未有祿秩，可賜米百石。」 Houzhu thereupon ordered attendant Shi Wenqing [2], "Xie Zhen at the prince's establishment has no salary or rank; grant him one hundred piculs of grain."

貞累啟固辭，敕報曰：「省啟具懷，雖知哀煢在疚，而官俟得才，禮有權奪，可便力疾還府也。」 Zhen repeatedly submitted memorials firmly declining. The edict in reply said, "I have read your memorial and take your meaning. Though I know your solitary grief lies in affliction, offices await the able and rites allow expedient suspension; you may force yourself despite illness and return to the establishment."

貞哀毀羸瘠，終不能之官舍。 Zhen's mourning had wasted him to emaciation; in the end he could not go to the government offices.

時尚書右丞徐祚、尚書左丞沈客卿俱來候貞，見其形體骨立，祚等愴然歎息，徐喻之曰：「弟年事已衰，禮有恆制，小宜引割自全。」 At the time right vice director Xu Zuo and left vice director Shen Keqing of the Secretariat both came to visit Zhen. Seeing his frame wasted to bone standing alone, Zuo and the rest sighed in sorrow. Xu admonished him, "Brother, your years are already advanced; rites have a constant measure—you should slightly restrain your cutting grief and preserve yourself."

貞因更感慟，氣絕良久，二人涕泣，不能自勝，憫默而出。 Zhen thereupon was moved to grief again and for long lost breath; the two men wept and could not master themselves, and went out in silent pity.

吏部尚書吳興姚察與貞友善，及貞病篤，察往省之，問以後事，貞曰：「孤子舋禍所集，將隨灰壤。 Minister of personnel Yao Cha of Wuxing was friendly with Zhen. When Zhen's illness grew critical, Cha went to visit him and asked about affairs after death. Zhen said, "This orphaned son has gathered calamity upon himself and will soon follow dust and earth.

後主問察曰：「謝貞有何親屬？」 Houzhu asked Cha, "What kin does Xie Zhen have?"

察因啟曰：「貞有一子年六歲。」 Cha thereupon reported, "Zhen has one son, six years old."

初，貞之病亟也，遺疏告族子凱曰：「吾少罹酷罰，十四傾外蔭，十六鍾太清之禍，流離絕國，二十餘載。 Earlier, when Zhen's illness was critical, he left a written instruction telling his clansman Kai, "I in youth suffered harsh punishment; at fourteen I lost the shelter of kin outside, and at sixteen I met the calamity of Taiqing, drifting in exile and cut off from my state for more than twenty years.

初，貞在周嘗侍趙王讀，王即周武帝之愛弟也，厚相禮遇。 Earlier, while Zhen was in Zhou, he served as reader to the Zhao prince, Emperor Wu of Zhou's beloved younger brother, who treated him with great courtesy.

王嘗聞左右說貞每獨處必晝夜涕泣，因私使訪問，知貞母年老，遠在江南，乃謂貞曰：「寡人若出居藩，當遣侍讀還家供養。」 The prince heard from attendants that Zhen wept day and night whenever alone. He sent privately to inquire and learned Zhen's mother was old and far off in the south. He told Zhen, "If I am posted to my fief, I shall send you home to support her."

後數年，王果出，因辭見，面奏曰：「謝貞至孝而母老，臣願放還。」 Years later the prince was indeed posted out. On leave he memorialized in person: "Xie Zhen is deeply filial and his mother is old; I ask that he be released."

帝奇王仁愛而遣之，因隨聘使杜子暉還國。 The emperor admired the prince's kindness and let Zhen go; he returned with the envoy Du Zihui.