Zhou Yuanbao (周元豹)

Overview

Zhou Yuanbao was a Physiognomist who Assessed Wang Du.

Life and dates

Death

AD 935 清泰二年正月己酉
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 47, passage 10
At Taiyuan 太原
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 195

Age

八十餘
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 195

Attested activity

AD 935 清泰二年正月己酉
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 47, passage 10
AD 908 to AD 922 元豹歸晉陽，張承業信重之，言事數中。
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 180
AD 927 即位之明年
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 190
AD 923 to AD 926 同光
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 189
AD 925 同光三年
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 54, passage 164
AD 913 天祐中
Dated from the passage context · Old History of the Five Dynasties 72, passage 23

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Grand Master for Splendid Happiness 光祿卿
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 194
touring officer of the Northern Capital 北京巡官
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 189
Director of the Court of Imperial Entertainments 光祿卿
Held then retired
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 47, passage 10
retired 致仕
Retired · Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 47, passage 10

Places and affiliations

Polity Later Tang 後唐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Old History of the Five Dynasties 47, passage 10
At Yan 燕 · Relation Native
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 171

Learning and skills

Skill physiognomy of Yuan and Xu 袁許之術 · Level mastered
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 172
Skill judging character 人倫鑒 · Level skilled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 72, passage 23

Works and attributed material

Prediction · Speaker · With Lu Cheng (盧程)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passages 176-177
Speech · Speaker · With Zhang Chengye (張承業) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 72, passage 23
Speech · Speaker · With Wang Du (王都)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 54, passage 164

Events and relationships

Died; death reported from the Northern Capital
AD 935 清泰二年正月己酉 · Death · Subject · At Northern Capital 北京
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 47, passage 10
Identified
Divination · Diviner · With Li Siyuan (李嗣源)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 181
Predicted death
Divination · Diviner · With Sima Kui (司馬揆)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 187

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 54, passage 164

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 47Volume 47 Book of Later Tang 23: Later Emperors Annals 2 · 1 passage

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己酉，北京奏，光祿卿致仕周元豹卒。 On jiyou the Northern Capital reported the death of Zhou Yuanbao, former Director of the Directorate of Foodstuffs.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 54Volume 54 Book of Later Tang 30: Biographies 6: Wang Rong, Wang Zhaohui, Wang Chuzhi · 1 passage

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時周元豹見之曰：「形若鯉魚，難免刀機。」 At that time Zhou Yuanbao saw him and said, "His form is like a carp—hard to escape the knife."

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 71Volume 71 Book of Later Tang 47: Biographies 23: Ma Yu, Si Kongting, Cao Tingyin, Xiao Xifu, Yao Zongzhi, Jia Fu, Ma Gao, Luo Guan, Chun Yuyan, Zhang Ge, Xu Ji, Zhou Xuanbao · 10 passages

Open chapter

周元豹者，本燕人，世為從事。 Zhou Yuanbao came from Yan; for generations his family had served as staff officers.

元豹少為僧，其師有知人之鑒，從遊十年餘，苦辛無憚，師知其可教，遂以袁、許之術授之。 As a youth Yuanbao became a monk; his teacher, skilled at reading men, trained him for more than ten years of hard service and then taught him the physiognomy of Yuan Tian gang and Xu Fu.

元豹謂鄉人張殷袞曰：「適二君子，明年花發，俱為故人。 Yuanbao told his townsman Zhang Yingun, "Those two visitors—when the flowers bloom next year they will both be dead.

元豹歸晉陽，張承業信重之，言事數中。 Yuanbao returned to Jinyang, where Zhang Chengye trusted him and found his predictions often accurate.

承業俾明宗易衣列於諸校之下，以他人詐之，而元豹指明宗於末綴言曰：「骨法非內衙太保歟！」 Chengye had Mingzong change clothes and stand among the junior officers, substituting another man to test him; Yuanbao pointed to Mingzong at the rear and said, "Isn't that the bone-structure of the Inner Palace Grand Guardian?!"

元豹見之曰：「此人有藩侯夫人之位，當生貴子。」 Yuanbao saw it and said, "This woman is destined to be a feudal lord's wife and will bear an exalted son."

太原判官司馬揆謁元豹，謂揆曰：「公五日之中，奉使萬里，未見回期。」 Sima Kui, secretary at Taiyuan, visited Yuanbao, who told him, "Within five days you will go on a mission ten thousand li away, with no return in sight."

莊宗署元豹北京巡官。 Zhuangzong appointed him touring officer of the Northern Capital.

明宗即位之明年，一日，謂侍臣曰：「方士周元豹，昔曾言朕諸事有征，可詔北京津置赴闕。」 The year after Mingzong took the throne he told his attendants, "The adept Zhou Yuanbao once predicted many things about me that came true—summon him from the Northern Capital to court."

趙鳳奏曰：「袁、許之事，元豹所長者，以陛下貴不可言，今既驗矣，餘無可問。 Zhao Feng objected, "Yuanbao excels at the arts of Yuan and Xu; he said Your Majesty's destiny was beyond words, and that has been proved—there is nothing left to ask.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 72Volume 72 Book of Later Tang 48: Biographies 24: Zhang Chengye, Zhang Juhan, Ma Shaohong, Meng Hangqiong · 2 passages

Open chapter

時有周元豹者，善人倫鑒，與道不合，謂承業曰：「馮生無前程，公不可過用。」 At the time there was a Zhou Yuanbao, skilled at reading men, who disliked Feng and told Chengye, "Feng has no future — you must not promote him too far."

管書記盧質聞之曰：「我曾見杜黃裳司空寫真圖，道之狀貌酷類焉，將來必副大用，元豹之言，不足信也。」 Chief secretary Lu Zhi heard this and said, "I once saw the portrait of Minister Du Huangshang. Feng looks remarkably like him and will surely prove fit for high office — Yuanbao's words are not to be trusted."