Yu Song
| Yu Song | |
|---|---|
| Official of Jin dynasty | |
| Born | (Unknown) |
| Died | (Unknown) |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 虞聳 |
| Simplified Chinese | 虞耸 |
| Pinyin | Yú Sǒng |
| Wade–Giles | Yü Sung |
| Courtesy name | Shilong (simplified Chinese: 世龙; traditional Chinese: 世龍; pinyin: Shìlóng; Wade–Giles: Shih-lung) |
Yu Song (birth and death dates unknown), courtesy name Shilong, was an official of the Western Jin dynasty. He previously served in the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He wrote the Qiong Tian Lun (穹天論), an astronomy text.[1]
Life
Yu Song was the sixth son of Yu Fan,[2] an official who served under Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan and under Sun Quan's predecessor Sun Ce. His ancestral home was in Yuyao County (餘姚縣), Kuaiji Commandery,[3] which is in present-day Yuyao, Ningbo, Zhejiang. He was known for being honest, unpretentious and courteous.[4] While he was in Wu, he assumed the following appointments: Colonel of Striding Cavalry (越騎校尉), Minister of Justice (廷尉), and Administrator (太守) of Xiangdong (湘東) and Hejian (河間) commanderies.[5]
In 280, after Wu was conquered by the Jin dynasty, he went on to serve in the Jin government and was appointed as the Chancellor (相) of Hejian Principality (河間國). Sima Yong, the Prince of Hejian (河間王), had heard of Yu Song before and he treated him respectfully. Whenever he met and interviewed potential candidates to join the civil service, he did so in plain and simple buildings instead of in his office. Wang Qi (王岐), who was a friend of Yu Song's fifth brother Yu Zhong, tried to make things difficult for Yu Song by saying that elegant people possessed great talent. In response to Wang Qi's remark, Yu Song wrote to his nephew Yu Cha (虞察), "Those who recruit others to serve in the government had never ventured as far as into the countryside or society to search for talents. The ones who succeed are those they favour, while the ones who fail are those they do not favour. This is exactly what I always lament about."[6]
Yu Song also strongly disapproved of lavish spending on funerals. When his eighth brother Yu Bing died, he offered only a lamb and some food and wine as sacrifices at his brother's funeral. His family and relatives followed this practice.[7]
Family
Yu Song had 10 brothers.[8] Among them, the notable ones were his fourth brother Yu Si, fifth brother Yu Zhong, and eighth brother Yu Bing.
See also
References
- ↑ (虞喜族祖河間相聳又立穹天論雲：「 ... 」) Jin Shu vol. 11.
- ↑ (會稽典錄曰：聳字世龍，翻第六子也。) Kuaiji Dianlu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- ↑ (虞翻字仲翔，會稽餘姚人也， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- ↑ (清虛無欲，進退以禮，在吳歷清官， ...) Kuaiji Dianlu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- ↑ (翻有十一子， ... 聳，越騎校尉，累遷廷尉，湘東、河間太守； ...) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- ↑ (... 入晉，除河間相，王素聞聳名，厚敬禮之。聳抽引人物，務在幽隱孤陋之中。時王岐難聳，以高士所達，必合秀異，聳書與族子察曰：「世之取士，曾不招未齒於丘園，索良才於總猥，所譽依已成，所毀依已敗，此吾所以歎息也。」) Kuaiji Dianlu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- ↑ (聳疾俗喪祭無度，弟昺卒，祭以少牢，酒飯而已，當時族黨並遵行之。) Kuaiji Dianlu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- ↑ (翻有十一子， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 57.
- Chen, Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Fang, Xuanling et al. Book of Jin (Jin Shu).
- Pei, Songzhi. Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).