Appendices and Endnotes

by William Dolby

  24 ti-li 帝里, imperial ward.

  25 Ch’i-wan 慼畹, Relatives’ Hectares, Empress’s Relatives District, a term for the area dwelt in by the emperor’s female in-laws, etc. Hsȕan 歐陽玄 (1273 - 1357) and others, Sung history (Sung-shih 宋史, “Li Ch’u-lun chuan-lun”, says: “The emperor blessed the eminent ones of combined Relatives’ Hectares with a visit.” The term Empress’s Relatives’ Ward (Ch’i-li 慼里) is also found. Pan Ku 班固 (32 - 92) Han history (Han-shu 漢書, “Shih Fen chuan”, says: “Emperor High-progenitor (Kao-tsu 高祖) summoned his elder sister to court to be a Beautiful Lady (mei-jen 美人), and Shih Fen 石奮 as an imperial-palace eunuch attendant (chung-chȕan 中涓) received an imperial missive, so moved his family to the Empress’s Relatives Ward in Ch’ang-an.” A note by Yen Shih-ku 顏師古 (581 - 645) to that says: “Those who have a marital relationship to the emperor are all accomodated there, which is why the ward is called Empress’s Relatives’ Ward.” Wang Hsien-ch’ien 王先謙 (1842-1917), Supplementary notes to “Han history” (Han-shu pu-chu 漢書補注), quotes Chou Shou-ch’ang 周壽昌 (1814 - 1884) as saying that the Empress’s Relatives’ Ward was named after Shih Fen’s family.

  26 Chung-shu 中書, i.e. Chung-shu-sheng 中書省, Central Secretariat:

  i) the name of an institute of central government. It began in the Wei （220 - 265） kingdom of the Three Kingdoms and the Tsin dynasty (265 - 420), During the Southern Dynasties Liang (502 - 557) and Southern Dynasties Ch’en (557 - 589) dynasties, all state governmental affairs were run through it, the Department of State Affairs (Shang-shu-sheng 尚書省). During the Northern Wei (557 - 589, it was also called the Western Terrace (Hsi-t’ai 西臺). At the start of the Sui dynasty (589 - 618), its name was changed to Administrators’ Secretariat (Nei-shih-sheng 内史省). During the reign-period 618 - 626 of the T’ang dynasty, it was again called Central Secretariat, but the name was shortly changed to Western Terrace, then to Phoenix Chamber (Feng-ke 鳳閣), and to Scarlet-obscurity Secretariat (Tzu-wei-sheng 紫微省), and soon after that back to Central Secretariat. The posts were set up in it of Director (ling 令), Vice-director (shih-lang 侍郎), Secretary (she-jen 舍人), Policy Adviser of the Right (yu san-chi ch’ang-shih 右散騎常侍), Imperial Diarist (ch’i-chü she-jen 起居舍人), Rectifier of Ommissions of the Right (yu pu-ch’ȕeh 右補闕), Reminder of the Left (tso shih-yi 左拾遺) and Secretraial Receptionist (t’ung-shih she-jen 通事舍人). For the remainder, they were clerks (li-jen 吏人) of various gradings.

  The Sung dynasty (960 - 1279) retained the T’ang system of Central Secretariat. It was in charge of submissions and propositions to the throne and miscellaneous governmental measures (chin-ni shu-wu 進擬庶務), proclaiming and respectfully receiving imperial commands and orders (hsȕan-feng ming-ling 宣奉命令), initiating and creating changes and alterations (hsing-ch’uang kai-ke 興創改革) and appointing and conferring mandarin posts (ch’u-shou chih-kuan 除授職官). The Yȕan dynasty retained this Central Secretariat, and also set up a Branch Secretariat (hsing chung-shu-sheng 行中書省) to have charge of state measures and govern the prefectures, counties and garrisons of frontier regions. It was responsible to the metropolitan Central Secretariat, and headed by a Grand Councillor (ch’eng-hsiang 丞相), and being paired with the Department of State Affairs (tu-sheng 都省 = shang-shu-sheng), as “inside and outside”. It was retained at the beginning of the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), but shortly abolished its posts, replacing them by those of such institutes as the Plume-forest Academy (Han-lin 翰林) and Spring Ward/Heir-apparent’s Secretariat (Ch’un-fang 春坊), participating in vital state affairs, it accordingly being named Inner Chamber/ Cabinet (nei-ke 內閣), and equivalent to the Central Secretariat of more ancient times. The Branch Secretariat was abolished in AD 1376.

  ii) also the name of an administrative institution at the beginning of the Yȕan dynasty and Ming dynasty, covering the region of the later Metropolitan Area (Chih-li 直隸), separate from the various areas controlled by the Branch Secretariat. ,

  27 i.e. great energy/power.

  28San-t’ai 三臺, Three Terraces/Three Surveillance Agencies, central government collective term from about AD 604 for the Censorate (yü-shi t’ai 御史臺), the Tribunal of Receptions (yeh-che ta’i 謁者臺) and the Tribunal of Inspectors (ssu-li t’ai 司隸臺).

  29 pa-tso 八座, Eight Seats, Eight Executives, a term for

  i) from the Han dynasty to the T’ang dynasty, excluding the dynasties (Ch’en, Liang and Ch’en) of the Period of Disunion unofficially designating various ministers in the Departament of State affairs (shang-shu sheng 尚書省).

  ii) from the T’ang dynasty to the Ch’ing dynasty a collective reference to the ministers (shang-shu 尚書) of the Six Ministries (liu-pu 六部).

  30 yu-hsiang 右相, Prime Minister of the Right.

  31 ssu-k’ung 司空, Minister of Works. Yang Kuo-chung was appointed such in AD 754.

  32 jih-Yȕeh 日月, sun and moon:

  i) the title of a poem in Anon. (ca. 600 BC), Songs classic (Shih-ching 詩經), no. 29, treating the sun and moon literally as such, albeit as entities with supernatural influence.

  ii) used as metaphors:

  a) as a metaphor for monarch and his empress (chȕn-hou 君后). Tai Sheng 戴聖 (early first century BC) (comp.), Rites record (Li-chi 禮記), “Hun-yi”, says: “When the Son of Heaven is with his queen, it’s like the sun’s being with the moon.” Ssu-ma Ch’ien 司馬遷 (ca. 147 BC - 90 BC), Historians’ record (Shih-chi 史記), “Wei Ch’i Wu-an chuan”, says: “Wu-an’s eminence was next to that of the sun and moon,”, which uses sun and moon as a metaphor for monarch and empress.

  b) a metaphor for a sage or worthy, in particular Confucius. Anon. (5th century BC) (eds.), Collected sayings of Sir Confucius and his students (Lun-yü 論語), “Tzu Chang”, says: “Confucius is the sun and moon, and leaping over him is undoable.” An ancient note to that says: “The sun and moon are analogies for ‘utmost height’.”

  33 feng-lei 風雷, wind and thunder, thunderstorm:

  i) a term signifying the hexagrams 巽 and 震, See Anon. (6th century BC or earlier), Changes classic (Yi-ching 易經), “Yi”.

  ii) fierce wind and swift lightning. Shen Yȕeh 沈約 (441 - 513), Sung history (Sung-shu 宋書), “Wu-hsing chih”, says: “In the month jen-wu in the year AD 452, there was a major conflagration in the capital, and the wind and thunder were most forceful.” Huan K’uan 桓寬 (fl. ca. 90 BC - 70 BC) (comp.), Debates on salt and iron (Yen-t’ieh lun 鹽鐵論), “Ch’u-hsia”, says: “The noble-minded wise when situated in mighty forests and encountering wind and thunder don’t go astray, while the foolish even located on level, open major highways, are still benighted and confused.” Li Ch’i’s 李頎 (fl. ca. AD 742) poem Song on ancient wistaria at Lov-and-reverence Buddhist Monastery (Ai-ching-ssu ku-t’eng ke 愛敬寺古藤歌) has the lines: “Wind and thunder, and thunderclaps, joined with black branches, and people say that beneath them are goblins and trolls.”

  iii) an image for hugeness of sound. Tung Fang-sho 東方朔 (ca. 161 BC - ca. 87 BC) (dubious attribution, more assuredly by some unknown Six Dynasties author), Classic of the supernatural and weird (Shen-yi ching 神異經), annotated by Chang Hua 張華 (Tsin dynasty), says: “In the North Sea region there’s a big bird, which, when it lifts its wings and flies, its wings/ feathers clap against each other like wind and thunder.” Fang Kan 方干 (fl. ca. AD 860) poem On talking of Heaven Terrace and seeing off Taoist Priest Lo (Yin-hua T’ien-t’ai sheng-yi jeng-sung Lo tao-shih 因話天台仍送羅道士) has the lines: “The bushy forest up on the rocks blocks the stars, The waterfall before my window races like wind and thunder.”

  iv) an image for exceeding fearsomeness. Liu Tsung-yȕan 柳 宗 元 (773 - 819), Inscription on Wu Kang (Wu Kang ming 武剛銘), says: “The rebels were greatly afrighted, seeing his lordship’s army seeming a million, and seeing his lordship’s orders like wind and thunder.”
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br />   v) an image for abundance of momentum. Li Pai 李白 (701 - 762), in his poem Presented to my grand-nephew (Tseng ts’ung-sun 贈從孫), has the lined: “Putting brush to paper, I produce rich silk and broidery, grasping my sword, I quake wind and thunder.” Liu Tsung-yȕan’s 柳 宗 元 (773 - 819) On Ching K’e (Yung Ching K’e 詠荊軻) poem has the lines: “Sword in hand he blazed with rage, Wind and thunder assisted his cries.”

  34 an-shang 暗上, to enter unobtrusively, being a theatrical term meaning to enter without the usual stage-entry poem (shang-ch’ang-shih 上場詩) or self-introduction.

  35 hsu-hsia 虛下, “to make an empty/false/feigned exit”, a theatrical term for to make a brief, temporary exit from the stage.

  36 chü-tien 鉅典, Steel Statutes, presumably a term for rock-solidly unsparingly strict military laws.

  37 Liu Fan 六番, Six Border-appanages.

  38 Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Lu Chao-lin 盧照鄰 [ca. 641 - ca. 680].

  39 Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Wu Jung 吳融 [AD? -ca. AD 903].

  40 Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Li Hsien-yung 李咸用 [fl. ca. AD 873].

  41 Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Tu Hsȕn-he 杜荀鶴 [846-904].

  42 Hung-nung 弘農,

  i) the name of a commandery, set up during the Han dynasty, its territory covering west present-day Lo-yang, Sung and Nei-hsiang counties in Hopeh province to east of Shang county in Shensi province. Its administrative capital was Hung-nung county town, located south of present-day Ling-pao county in Henan province. The Northern Wei dynasty changed its name to Heng-nung 恆農, moving its administrative seat to present-day Shan county in Henan province. The Sui dynasty abolished it, then restored it. The T’ang dynasty abolished it.

  ii) the name of an old county, in the Ch’in dynasty area of Box Pass (Han-kuan 函關), Set up under the Han dynasty as the administrative seat of Hung-nung commandery. During the Northern Wei dynasty, the names of both county and commandery were changed to Heng-nung. The name was again changed in the Sung dynasty, to Ch’ang-nung 常農, it later in the same dynasty being altered to Kuo-lȕeh 虢略. The Yȕan dynasty abolished it.

  43 Yang Yȕan-yen 楊元琰 (fl. ca. AD 670), an eighteenth-generation descendant of the importanrt minister Yang Chen 楊震 (54 - 124). A man of Min-hsiang 閩襄, his courtesy-name was Wen 溫. At first, he was magistrate of P’ing-chi (P’ing-chi ling 平棘令), evaluated number one. He rose to Prefect (chou tz’u-shih 州刺史) When Chang Chien-chih 張柬之 (625 - 706) wielded governmental power, he inducted Yang Yȕan-yen as Feather-forest Guard of the Right (yu Yü-lin 右羽林. They worked together to secure the plot for the execution of Chang Yi-chi 張易之 (AD? - AD 705), a former favourite of Empress Wu. Yȕan-yen was also awarded the title of Duke of Hung-nung Commandery (Hung-nung-chȕn kung 弘農郡公).

  When Ching Hui 敬暉 (AD? - AD 706) and others were drawn in by Wu San-ssu 武三思. Yang Yȕan-yen realised that disasters weren’t over, and falsely requested permission to cut his hair short (chu-fa 祝髮) and become a Buddhist monk, but Emperor Middle-progenitor refused to allow him to do so. Ching Hui and the others died, only Yang Yȕan-yen managing to survive. During the reign of Emperor Illustrious-progenitor (Jui-tsung 睿宗, reigned AD 684 and 710 - 712), he ended his government career as Minister of Justice (hsing-pu shang-shu 刑部尚書). After his death, he was given the title Conscientiously-serving One (chung 忠).

  44 huang-hou 皇后:

  i) K’ung Ch’iu 孔丘 (551 BC-479 BC) (ed.), History classic (Shu-ching 書經), “Ku-ming”, says: “The huang-hou lolled against the white-jade table.” Ts’ai Shen’s 蔡沈 (1167 - 1230) commentray says: “The huang means ‘big’. The hou means ‘ruler (chȕn 君)’. This means that the great ruler King Ch’eng defying his illness leaned/ propped himself up on a jade table.”

  ii) the main wife of a Son of Heaven. In more ancient times, she was just called hou. Fom the Ch’in dynasty onwards, the Son of Heaven was called August/Majestic Emperor/Demi-god (huang-ti 皇帝), and the hou was also called Grand/August/Majestic Hou (huang-hou).

  iii) Later on, the latter term was further developed and elevated, and referred to the mother of the Son of Heaven, as “August/Majestic/Big/Grand Hou (huang t’ai-hou 皇太后), while the Son of Heaven’s grandmother was referred to as Grand August/ Majestic Grand Hou (t’ai-huang t’ai-hou 太皇太后).

  45 fu-jen 夫人, Dame, Lady, Consort, etc.:

  i) Lady Queen, a term for the wife of a ruler of a subordinate state (chu-hou 諸侯). Tai Sheng 戴勝 (Han dynasty), Rites record (Li-chi 禮記), “Ch’ȕ -li”, says: “The main queen (fei 妃) of a Son of Heaven was called empress (hou 后) while that of a ruler of a subordinate state (chu-hou 諸侯) was called ‘lady consort’ (fu-jen). During the Han dynasty, the principal wife of a noble (lieh-hou 列侯) was, according to a note to Pan Ku 班固 (32 - 92), Han history (Han-shu 漢書, “Wen-ti chi”, also called a fu-jen, inheriting the older system.

  ii) the secondary wife (ch’ieh 妾). Tai Sheng, op. cit., says: “The Son of Heaven had a hou and a fu-jen.”

  iii) a term for a noble-titled lady (ming-fu 命婦). In the T’ang dynasty protocol, the mothers and wives of military and civil mandarins of third grade and above and of the National/State Dukes (kuo-kung 國公) were given the title National/State Lady/Consort (kuo fu-jen 國夫人), and those of third grade mandarins and above were made Commandery Ladies/Consort (郡夫人) In the Sung dynasty, it was conferred on the principal wives of Executive Mandains (chih-cheng 執政, chih-cheng-kuan 執政官, i.e. fu-hsiang 副相, Vice Grand Councillors, etc.) and above. In the Ming dynasty, the mothers and wives of first and second grade mandarins were all awarded the title Lady/Consort. The Ch’ing dynasty retained the Ming dynasty system, and also awarded the title to the wives of elder sons of Manchu Pei-le imperial clan nobles (pei-le 貝勒) up to State-bulwark Generals (fu-kuo chiang-chȕn 輔國將軍).

  iv) a general honorific term for women. Chai Hao 翟灝 (AD? - AD 1788), Compilation of common mores (T’ung-su pien 通俗編), says: “The Family Lady (chia fu-jen 家夫人) and Honoured Lady (tsun fu-jen 尊夫人) talked of in ancient times were all their mothers, but now they’re solely used to refer to the wives.”

  v) meaning “everybody”, “people (in general)”. Anon. (5th - 3rd century BC), Tso’s commentary (Tso-chuan 左傳), “Hsiang 8 nien”, says: “People (fu-jen) ache with sorrow.” A note to that says: “Fu-jen is like ‘everybody (jen-jen 人人),” Liu An 劉安 (?BC - 122 BC), Sir Huai-south (Huai-nan Tzu 淮南子, “Pen-ching”, says: “Fu-jen rejoiced together.” A note to that says: “Fu-jen means ‘everybody’ (chung-jen 眾人).”

  vi) meaning “that person (pi-jen 彼人)” Anon. (5th-3rd century BC), Tso’s commentary (Tso-chuan 左傳), “Chao 31 nien”, says: “How will it be with those people (fu-jen) that one is able to meet?”

  46 chin-hua-tien 金花鈿, gold-strip-flower flower-shaped hair-clasp.

  47 pu-yao 步搖, Step-shake, a term for a royal head-dress with dangling pearls that shook as the wearer walked. Pan Ku’s 班固 (32 - 92), Han history (Han-shu 漢書), “Yü-fu chih”, says: “The Step-shake is a mountain-shaped head-dress made of yellow gold, on which white pearls are threaded in strings, bound to cassia-twigs, it having one sparrow hair-clasp and numerous splendid decorations.” Wang Hsien-ch’ien 王先謙 (1842 - 1917) explains it as follows: “The Step-shake had pearls hanging from the top of it, and, as the wearer took steps, it shook.”

  Chen Hsiang-tao 陳祥道says: “The Han dynasty Step-shake had a phoenix made of gold, with a hat-base under it, at the front of which were hat-pin clasps, and which had threaded onto it precious stones of many colours that hung down, and that shook as the wearer took steps.” This seems slightly at odds with the Han history explanation, but Chen Hsiang-tao conceivably had some archaeological information.

  48 Hsiang-ch’ȕn
湘裙, River Hsiang skirt. i.e. the skirt of the Goddess of the River Hsiang.

  49 ling-po 凌波, “ripple-treading”, being a reference to Ts’ao Chih 曹植 (192 - 232), Lo Goddess rhapsody (Lo-shen fu 洛神賦).

  50 Mei niang-niang 梅娘娘, Empress Mei, i.e. Mei-fei 梅妃, Empress Plum-blossom (ca. AD 755), the name and title of an empress of Emperor Dark-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung 玄宗, reigned 712 - 756). Her surname was Chiang 江, and her personal name Many-coloured Cloverfern/Cloverfern-culler (Ts’ai-p’in 采蘋). She came from P’u-t’ien 莆田. She was bewitchingly attractive and a skilled writer of literature. At the start of the reign-period 713 - 741, when Eunuch-chamberlain Kao (Kao Li-shih 高力士, 684 - 762) was sent on a mission to Min 閩 and Yȕeh 越, he selected her, and took her back to the imperial palace, where she received the emperor’s lavish affection and love-favours. She had an ingrained fondness for plum-blossom, so the emperor called her Empress Plum-blossom.

  When [the future] Empress Yang came into the imperial palace, in AD 745, Empress Plum-blossom fell out of favour, and was forced to move to Superior-sunlight Palace (Shang-yang-kung 上陽宮). The emperor frequently longed for her, and when the Yi-barbarians 夷 once sent tribute of pearls, he commanded that a “bushel” (hu 斛) of the pearls be parceled up and sent to her. She wouldn’t accept them, declining the gift in a poem, the wording and import of which were forlorn and moving. The emperor ordered his Music Treasury to make a score for it, for wind and string instruments, the melody being titled One bushel of pearls (Yi-hu chu 一斛珠). During the rebellion of An Lu-shan 安祿山, she died in the warfare.

  151 Yang-lou 陽樓, Sunlight Bower/Tower, presmably the name of a building in the T’ang dynasty imperial-palace.

  52 Hou-kung 後宮, Rear Palace, a term referring to the imperial-palace dwelling place of the second-ranking wives (p’in-fei 嬪妃) of the emperor. Tai Sheng 戴聖 (early first century BC), Rites record (Li-chi 禮記), “Hun-yi”, says: “In ancient times, the Son of Heaven’s Most-prized-empress set up the Six Palaces (Liu-kung 六宮).” A note to that says: “The Son of Heaven had six bedrooms (ch’in 寢), the Six Palaces being to the rear.” Sung Yü 宋玉 (ca. 290 BC – 220 BC), Teng T’u-tz’u’s fondness for women’s sexy beauty rhapsody (Teng T’u-tzu hao-se rhapsody 登徒子好色賦), has the words; “The grand-man minister Teng T’u-tzu was in attendance on King Hsiang of Ch’u, who dispraised him. ‘You’re physically handsome, Sung Yü,’ he said, ‘and graceful and charming looking, and your speech has a lot of fine subtle wordings. But you’re also by nature fond of women’s sexual beauty, so I pray you not to frequent my Rear Palace with me.’”