Sui and Tang · Official and Statesman

Zhang Wenjun 張文瓘

Zhang Wenguan

c. AD 605 - AD 677

Passages: 13
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Zhang Wenjun was an official and Statesman.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Zhigui	稚圭	Zhigui
Posthumous name	Yi	懿	Yi

Life and dates

Death

Age Value: 73 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 110
AD 677 儀鳳二年
Age 73
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 105

Age

73
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 105

Attested activity

AD 667 乾封二年
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 83
AD 675 上元二年
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 94
AD 677 儀鳳二年
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 105
AD 672 咸亨三年
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 89
AD 627 to AD 630 貞觀初
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 75
AD 627 貞觀初
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 72

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AD 605 to AD 618 隋大業末
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 113, passage 70
AD 661 to AD 663 龍朔
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 79

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Zhang Wenzong (張文琮)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 78; New Book of Tang 113, passage 81
Child of Father of Zhang Wencong
father 父
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 113, passage 81
Child of Father of Zhang Wenjun
father 父
Strongly inferred · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 74
Child of Mother of Zhang Wenqian
mother 母 · maternal line
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 71
Child of Mother of Zhang Wenjun
mother 母
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 74
Parent of Zhang Qia (張洽)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 107; New Book of Tang 113, passage 114
Parent of Zhang Pei (張沛)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 107; New Book of Tang 113, passage 113
Parent of Zhang Qian (張潛)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 107; New Book of Tang 113, passage 112
Parent of Zhang She (張涉)
son 子
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 107; New Book of Tang 113, passage 115

Kinship Role sons · Count 4
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 107; New Book of Tang 113, passages 112-115

Career and standing

Chief minister 宰相
AD 667 乾封二年 · Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 83
Attendant-in-Chief 侍中
AD 675 上元二年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 94
Participant in Governance 參知政事
AD 661 to AD 663 龍朔 · Appointed
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 79
Military aide in Bingzhou 并州參軍
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 72
Minister of Punishments 大理卿
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 93
Palace Attendant 侍中
Appointed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 97

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posthumous governor of Youzhou 幽州都督
Bestowed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 110
posthumous name Yi 謚曰懿
Granted
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 105

Places and affiliations

Tang 唐
Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 69
At Wucheng in Beizhou 貝州武城
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 72; New Book of Tang 113, passage 69
AD 617 大業末
At Changle in Weizhou 魏州昌樂 · Relation Migrated to
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 73
AD 605 to AD 618 隋大業末
At Changle in Weizhou 魏州昌樂 · Relation Migrated to
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 70
At Gongling 恭陵 · Relation Buried at
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 106; New Book of Tang 113, passage 111

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 627 to AD 630 貞觀初 · Credential Mingjing 明經
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 75
Earned
AD 627 貞觀初 · Credential Mingjing 明經
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 72

Works and attributed material

Memorial · Author · Quote true
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passages 86-91
Remonstrance · Author · With Gaozong (高宗)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 82-87
Speech · Author · With Gaozong (高宗)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passages 101-103
Speech · Speaker · Quote true
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 113, passage 105

Events and relationships

Relation Compared to · Person Dai Zhou (戴胄)
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 93

Assessments and attributes

Assessment fair and merciful judge compared to Dai Zhou · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 85, passage 93

References in the histories

Search passages

History

13 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 113Volume 113 Biographies 38: Tang, Zhang, Xu · 13 passages

唐張徐 Tang, Zhang, and Xu.

張文瓘 Zhang Wenqian

張文瓘，字稚圭，貝州武城人。 Zhang Wenqian, whose style was Zhigui, came from Wucheng in Beizhou.

時李勣為長史，嘗嘆曰：「稚圭，今之管、蕭，吾所不及。」 Li Ji was then chief administrator of the prefecture. He once sighed and said, "Zhigui is a Guan Zhong or Xiao He for our age—he surpasses what I can do."

勣入朝，文瓘與屬僚二人皆餞，勣贈二人以佩刀、玉帶，而不及文瓘。 When Li Ji went to court, Wenqian and two subordinate officials all saw him off. Ji gave the two men girdle knives and jade belts but gave Wenqian nothing.

文瓘以疑請，勣曰：「子無為嫌。 Wenqian asked about the omission. Ji said, "Do not take offense.

因極推引。 He then strongly recommended Wenqian for advancement.

時兄文琮為戶部侍郎，於制，兄弟不並臺閣，出為雲陽令。 His elder brother Wencong was then Vice Minister of Revenue. Regulations forbade brothers from serving together at court, so Wenqian was posted out as magistrate of Yunyang.

文瓘諫曰：「王者養民，逸則富以康，勞則怨以叛。 Wenqian remonstrated: "A ruler nourishes his people. When they are at ease they grow prosperous and secure; when overworked they resent and rebel.

或時移疾，佗宰相奏事，帝必問與文瓘議未。 Whenever he was ill and other chief ministers presented business, the emperor always asked whether they had consulted Wenqian.

時文瓘病臥家，自力請見，曰：「吐蕃盜邊，兵屯境未解，新羅復叛，議者欲出師，二虜俱事，臣恐人不堪弊，請息兵修德，以懷異俗。」 Wenqian was bedridden at home but forced himself to seek an audience. He said, "Tibetans are raiding the frontier and troops remain tied down there, while Silla has rebelled again. Some counsel sending armies on both fronts at once. I fear the people cannot bear such burdens. I beg Your Majesty to halt the armies and cultivate virtue to win over foreign peoples."

文瓘曰：「此天子所以重樞務、待賢才也，吾等若不任職，當自引避，不宜節減，以自取名。」 Wenqian said, "The emperor provides these provisions to honor weighty state business and treat worthy officials. If we are not equal to our posts we should resign; we must not cut back to win praise for frugality."

卒，年七十三，贈幽州都督，謚曰懿。 He died at seventy-three, was posthumously made governor of Youzhou, and given the posthumous name Yi.