Five Dynasties · Official and Strategist

Yelu Duozhen 耶律鐸臻

Yēlǜ Duózhēn

First attested AD 924; died AD 927

Passages: 7
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Yelu Duozhen was an official and Strategist.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Dinian	敵輦	Dílǐǎn

Life and dates

Death

AD 927 天顯二年
Expression died 卒
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 46

Attested activity

AD 924 天贊三年
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 40
AD 927 天顯二年
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 46

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Pugu Zhi (蒲古只)
grandfather 祖 · paternal line · 2 generations
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 31
Child of Father of Yelu Duozhen (耶律鐸臻之父)
father 父 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 75, passage 31
Sibling of Tulubu (突呂不)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 47
Sibling of Gu (古)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 47

Career and standing

Entered
AD 926 to AD 927 淳欽皇后稱制 · Imprisonment
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 43
Exited
Imprisonment
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 45

Places and affiliations

Polity Id liao · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 34
At Six Yuan Divisions 六院部
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passage 30

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Emperor Taizu of Liao (遼太祖)
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passages 36-38, 40-41

Events and relationships

Advised Taizu on Liang timber request
Diplomatic · Advisor
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passages 35, 39
Remonstrated against attacking Bohai first
AD 924 天贊三年 · Military · Advisor
Directly stated · History of Liao 75, passages 40, 42

References in the histories

History of Liao, Chapter 75Volume 75 Biographies 5: Yelu Dilie, Yelu Duozhen, Wang Yu, Yelu Tulujiong · 7 passages

耶律鐸臻 Yelu Duozhen

耶律鐸臻，字敵輦，六院部人。 Yelu Duozhen, whose courtesy name was Dinian, came from the Six Yuan Divisions.

鐸臻幼有誌節，太祖為於越，常居左右。 Duozhen showed moral resolve even as a youth; while Emperor Taizu still held the title of Yuyue, he kept Duozhen constantly at his side.

鐸臻曰：「梁名求材，實覘吾輕重。 Duozhen said, "Liang claims to want timber, but in truth they are testing our strength.

天贊三年，將伐渤海，鐸臻諫曰：「陛下先事渤海，則西夏必躡吾後。 In the third year of Tianzan, as the emperor prepared to attack Bohai, Duozhen remonstrated: "If Your Majesty strikes at Bohai first, Western Xia will surely fall upon our rear.

及淳欽皇后稱制，惡鐸臻，囚之，誓曰：「鐵鎖朽，當釋汝！」 When Empress Chunqin assumed the regency, she took a dislike to Duozhen and imprisoned him, swearing, "When the iron chains rust through, I shall release you!"

既而召之，使者欲去鎖，鐸臻辭曰：「鐵未朽，可釋乎？」 Later she summoned him; when the messenger moved to remove his chains, Duozhen refused: "The iron has not yet rusted—may I be released?"