Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official and Poet

Xie Zhuang 謝莊

Attested AD 420 - AD 479

Passages: 14
Chapters: 7
Histories: 3

Overview

Xie Zhuang was an official and Poet.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 433 元嘉十年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Song 58, passage 110
AD 453 to AD 464 孝武
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 43, passage 7
AD 454 to AD 464 孝武帝
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 15, passages 4, 10
AD 420 to AD 479 宋世
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 37, passage 117
AD 453 to AD 464 宋孝武選侍中
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 32, passages 200-201
AD 424 to AD 453 宋文帝
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 33, passages 11, 13

Show 2 more source-backed claims

AD 421 to AD 466 謝莊最有其分
Strongly inferred · Book of Song 69, passage 380
AD 420 to AD 479 金紫光祿大夫
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 43, passage 133

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Xie Yang (謝颺)
father 父 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 43, passages 133-134
Parent of Xie Fei (謝朏)
father 父 · paternal line
Sources vary in certainty · Book of Southern Qi 43, passages 133-134; Book of Liang 15, passage 4
Parent of Xie Hao (謝顥)
father 父 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 43, passages 133-134
Parent of Xie Chong (謝嵷)
father 父 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 43, passages 133-134
Parent of Xie Yao (謝𤅢)
father 父 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 43, passage 133
Parent of Xie Yue (謝瀹)
grandfather 祖
Strongly inferred · Book of Liang 37, passages 27, 117
Child of Xie Hongwei (謝弘微)
grandfather 祖 · paternal line · 2 generations
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Liang 15, passage 4; Book of Song 58, passage 110
Child of Xie Hongwei (謝弘微)
grandfather 祖 · paternal line · 2 generations
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 43, passage 132
Parent of Xie Ju (謝舉)
grandfather 祖 · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Liang 37, passage 117
Spouse of Mother of Xie Yao (謝𤅢母)
mother 母 · Marriage
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 43, passages 133, 148

Key source chapters

Career and standing

palace attendant 侍中
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 32, passages 200-201
Grandee of Splendid Brightness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon 金紫光祿大夫
AD 420 to AD 479 金紫光祿大夫 · Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 43, passage 133
personnel selection (典選) 典選
Held
Directly stated · Book of Liang 37, passage 117
Right Grand Master of Splendid Happiness 右光祿大夫
Held
Directly stated · Book of Liang 15, passage 4

Places and affiliations

Polity Id liu-song · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Liang 15, passage 4; Book of Liang 37, passage 117; Book of Southern Qi 43, passages 7, 133

Assessments and attributes

Assessment the most naturally gifted among the younger writers known to Fan Ye · Mode Fan-Ye-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Song 69, passage 380

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Liang 37, passage 117
The age said Xie Zhuang had named his sons Wind, Moon, Scenery, Mountain, and Water.
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 43, passage 134

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

Book of Liang, Chapter 15Volume 15: Xie Fei; Xie Lan · 6 passages

祖弘微，宋太常卿，父莊，右光祿大夫，並有名前代。 His grandfather Hongwei had been Song grand minister of ceremonies; his father Zhuang, right grand master of splendid happiness—both were celebrated in earlier ages.

朏幼聰慧，莊器之，常置左右。 Fei was bright as a boy; Zhuang prized him and never let him leave his side.

莊游土山賦詩，使朏命篇，朏攬筆便就。 When Zhuang toured Mount Tu and wrote verse, he gave Fei the theme; Fei took brush and finished on the spot.

琅邪王景文謂莊曰：「賢子足稱神童，復爲後來特達。」 Prince Jing of Langye, Wang Jingwen, told Zhuang, "Your worthy son may be called a wonder child—a singular talent still to come."

莊笑，因撫朏背曰：「真吾家千金。」 Zhuang laughed, stroked Fei's back, and said, "Truly the thousand gold of our house."

孝武帝游姑孰，勑莊攜朏從駕，詔使爲《洞井贊》，於坐奏之。 Emperor Xiaowu toured Gudu, ordered Zhuang to bring Fei in the train, and commanded an "Ode on the Cave Well," which Fei presented in the hall.

Book of Liang, Chapter 37Volume 37: Xie Ju; He Jingrong · 1 passage

舉祖莊，宋世再典選，至舉又三爲此職，前代未有也。 Ju's grandfather Zhuang had twice managed personnel selection in the Song period; down to Ju, who held this office three more times, there had been no such precedent in earlier ages.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 32Volume 32 Biographies 13: Wang Kun, Zhang Dai, Chu Xuan, He Ji, Wang Yanzhi, Ruan Tao · 1 passage

王彧、謝莊爲一雙，韜與何偃爲一雙。 Wang Yu and Xie Zhuang were paired; Tao and He Yan were paired.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 33Volume 33 Biographies 14: Wang Sengqian, Zhang Xu · 1 passage

退默少交接，與袁淑、謝莊善。 Withdrawn and sparing in company, he kept few ties abroad; he was close to Yuan Shu and Xie Zhuang.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 43Volume 43 Biographies 24: Jiang Xiao, He Changyu, Xie Yao, Wang Siyuan · 3 passages

幼以戚屬召見，孝武謂謝莊曰：「此小兒方當爲名器。」 As a child he was brought to court because of his imperial kinship, and Emperor Xiaowu told Xie Zhuang, "This boy is destined to become a man of great standing."

父莊，金紫光祿大夫。 His father Xie Zhuang was Grandee of Splendid Brightness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon.

𤅢四兄颺、朏、顥、嵷，世謂謝莊名兒爲風、月、景、山、水。 Yao had four elder brothers—Yang, Fei, Hao, and Chong—and the world said that Xie Zhuang had named his sons Wind, Moon, Scenery, Mountain, and Water.

Book of Song, Chapter 58Volume 58 Biographies 18: Wang Hui, Xie Hongwei, Wang Qiu · 1 passage

子莊，別有傳。 His son Zhuang is treated in a separate biography.

Book of Song, Chapter 69Volume 69 Biographies 29: Liu Zhan, Fan Ye · 1 passage

年少中，謝莊最有其分，手筆差易，文不拘韻故也。 Among younger writers, Xie Zhuang possessed this gift most fully; his pen moved rather easily because his writing was not bound by rhyme.