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Xunzi (Chinese: 荀子; pinyin: Xúnzǐ; Wade–Giles: Hsün Tzu, ca. 312–230 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period and contributed to one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Xunzi believed man's inborn tendencies need to be curbed through education and ritual, counter to Mencius's view that man is innately good. He believed that ethical norms had been invented to rectify mankind.

Educated in the state of Qi, Xunzi was associated with the Confucian school, but his philosophy has a pragmatic flavour compared to Confucian optimism. Some scholars attribute it to the divisive times.^[1]

Xunzi was one of the most sophisticated thinkers of his time, and was the teacher of Li Si and Han Fei Zi.

Life[link]

Xunzi was born Xun Kuang (荀況), courtesy name Qing (卿). Some texts recorded his surname as Sun (孫) instead of Xun, either because the two surnames were homophones in antiquity or because Xun was a naming taboo at some point in history. Herbert Giles says the name was changed to Sun during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han (73–48 BC) because Xun was the personal name of the Emperor himself.^[2]

The name "Xunzi" is an honorary title that means "Master Xun".

The early years of Xunzi's life are enshrouded in mystery. He was first known at the age of fifty, around 264 BC, when he went to the state of Qi to study and teach at the Jixia Academy. Xunzi was well respected in Qi; the King Xiang of Qi (齊襄王) honoured him as a teacher and a libationer. It was around this time that Xunzi visited the state of Qin and praised its governance, and debated military affairs with Lord Linwu (臨武君) in the court of King Xiaocheng of Zhao (趙孝成王). Later, Xunzi was slandered in the Qi court, and he retreated south to the state of Chu, where Lord Chunshen of Chu (春申君), the prime minister, gave him a position as Magistrate of Lanling (蘭陵令). In 238 BC, Lord Chunshen was assassinated by a court rival and Xun Zi subsequently lost his position. Xunzi remained in Lanling, a region in what is today's southern Shandong province, for the rest of his life and was buried there. The year of his death is unknown.^[3]

Of his disciples, the most notable are Li Si (prime minister to the first Qin emperor) and the Han state royal Han Feizi, who developed the quasi-authoritarian aspects of his thought into the doctrine called the School of Law, or Legalism. Because of Li Si and Han Feizi's staunch anti-Confucian stances, Xunzi's reputation as a Confucian philosopher has often come into question.

While Xunzi's doctrines were influential in forming the official state doctrine of the Han Dynasty, during the Tang Dynasty his influence waned compared to that of Mencius.^[1]

[edit] The Xunzi

Unlike the aphoristic style of the Analects and Mencius, Xunzi was a more rigorous thinker and wrote elaborately argued essays, which were collected into the book called Xunzi. He distinguishes what is born in man and what must be learned through rigorous education.^[4] These essays are often critical of competing schools, such as Daoism and Mohism, as well as rival schools within Confucianism. Some of the more significant chapters are^[5]

• "Discussion of heaven (天 tian)" rejects the Mencian notion that heaven has a moral will. Instead, Xun Zi asserts that heaven is simply the natural world; thus people should focus on the human, social realm, rather than dealing with heavenly ideas.

• "Discussion of Ritual Propriety (li)," discusses rules of individual and social conduct (decorum).

• "Dispelling Obsessions," being too focused on only one aspect of a situation, one often loses sight of the larger purpose.

• "Proper Use of Terms" (正名 zhengming): A name becomes proper for a situation through conventional usage, but once this is fixed, it is improper to deviate from these norms. Thus he adopts a conventional view for the origin of the sound-to-meaning mapping, although the objects signified by the term remain real.

• The term Zhengming often appears in the English literature as "The Rectification of Names". This is a misleadingly narrow translation of the Chinese title. In classical Chinese, the phrase "正名 (zhengming)" could be interpreted either as "rectifying names" or as "correct/right names".

• "Human Dispositions are Detestable" (xing e): Rejects Mencius' claim that people have a natural inclination toward goodness. Confucius, who simply said that people are similar by nature, was not clear on the matter. Xunzi holds that man is naturally inclined towards selfishness, and that if this inclination is not curbed, human societies would devolve into chaos. He views morality as a social construct, emphasizing the difference between nature and nurture.

This last view engendered considerable debate over two centuries.

Chapters of the Xunzi[link]

Please note that the commentary below is based on the Burton Watson translation of the Xunzi as cited. The translated chapter titles below correspond with those above (for example, "Human Dispositions are Detestable" is the "Man's Nature is Evil" chapter).

Discussion of Music[link]

Mozi, another philosopher of the Warring States era (pre-unification of China), discouraged the use of music and other forms of culture as being wasteful of resources needed to keep the state healthy and prosperous. Xunzi's chapter on music questions this stance, specifically naming Mozi. Why, poses Xunzi, should music be renounced if created by the sage kings to create order in expression, or if it brings people into unity and harmony and soldiers into order (for example, via war dances)? Or what if it has the ability to reform people? Following a line of Confucian thought, Xunzi argues that music, as defined and ordered by the ancient sage kings, acts like ritual in that it moderates and restrains the person listening and the person performing. It also positively inspires people and is thus an effective means of governing. However, and again agreeing with Confucius, Xunzi does admit that there are types of music which can lead one into licentious behavior, but states that the gentleman knows to be wary of his environment and the sounds he hears.

Music embodies an unchanging harmony, while rites represent unalterable reason. Music unites that which is the same; rites distinguish that which is different; and through the combination of rites and music the human heart is governed... Because he criticized music, one would expect Mozi to have met with some punishment. And yet in his lifetime the enlightened kings had all died and there was no one to correct his errors, so that stupid men continue to study his doctrines and bring jeopardy to themselves.^[3]

Dispelling Obsession[link]

Xunzi's chapter on dispelling obsession can be understood via the use of an ode he uses from the Book of Odes:

I pluck and pluck the burr-weed But it does not fill my slanting basket. I sigh for my loved one; I would be in the ranks of Zhou.^[6]

Because the mind of the plucker in this ode is divided between her task at hand and the love she has for a man in the ranks of Zhou, she cannot complete the simple task of filling her basket. Xunzi warns against falling into obsession in this chapter. When one is subject to obsession, it means that they are focusing so intently on a certain thing (Xunzi claims that Mozi focused too much on utility, while Zhuangzi focused too heavily on Nature, for example) their minds will not be able to absorb any new information outside of the realm of their obsession. Their minds are thus divided in the sense of there being a wall too tall to see over in their head separating the obsession from everything else. Obsession, as argued by Xunzi, is so strong that the ineptitude it causes can lead to one's death without them even knowing it. Examples of people who fell into such obsessions include rulers who neglected their duties at the hands of an obsession (for a particular concubine, for example) and thus fell into discord with their people, and usurpers of the throne who also met their end because of their obsession with gaining power.

Alternately, a sage uses the Way (道 Dào) to refrain from obsession and to keep his mind open. In order to accept the Way, one must first understand it, then approve it, then abide by it. The Way is the path away from obsession because of the nature of its interaction with the mind, which is empty, unified and still, according to Xunzi, when it is in accord with the Way. When it happens that one's mind is empty, one is able to possess much intellect without said intellect interfering with the process of absorbing new information. When it happens that one's mind is unified, one understands differences and the variety of information, but does not allow "one fact to impinge upon that of another."^[7] When it happens that one's mind is still, although one may daydream and imagine and have a mind constantly in motion, one does not allow these mental meanderings to distort perceptions. Xunzi is referring to peace of mind rather than an attempt to unlearn what one has learned, as Laozi does, when he refers to the mind as being empty, unified and still. When one is in accordance with the Way they are able to treat the world holistically, while one outside of the Way can only see the world as a collection of unrelated units. With this achieved, learning can be done, and should be done to the point of sufficiency (having the understanding of a sage or king, the former having control over morality and the latter having control over society).

For Xunzi, the mind is the ruler of the body, the emptying of which leads one closer to the Way. His argument is similar to that of Zhuangzi's who says that the emptying of the mind will lead one to be actively spontaneous and in harmony with the way. However, as noted below in the Man's Nature is Evil section, Xunzi argues for the use of ancient rites and regulations to hone the self, while Zhuangzi believes that simply emptying the mind, without absorbing such information regarding ritual and regulation, and thus falling into a state of wu-wei is sufficient to walking the path of the Way.

Rectifying Names[link]

Employing a technique used by philosophers before him, such as Mozi and Confucius, Xunzi argues for the rectification of names. There are several reasons why Xunzi considered the correct and consistent naming of things was important: so a ruler could adequately command his people in accordance with the Way, without being misunderstood. If misunderstandings were too easily made, then the Way would not effectively be put into action. This appears to be Xunzi's most important reason: "When the ruler's accomplishments are long lasting and his undertakings are brought to completion, this is the height of a good government. All of this is the result of being careful to see that men stick to the names which have been agreed upon."^[8] Also, without universally accepted definitions, right and wrong would become blurred (being specific about what constitutes "right" and "wrong" causes morality to be more objective).

To "[distinguish] between things that are the same and those that are different'^[9] one must use their senses to understand a thing (via sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) and then compare it to understandings of other things. From these observations, names can be given based on the sameness or difference between things. Individual things will have their own names in this construct (for example, that is an acoustic guitar), as will groups of things (those are musical instruments). The naming of things can become either more or less precise from this point (I have named my acoustic guitar Freckles; or, all musical instruments are solid objects). Xunzi also speaks of "things which share the same form but occupy different places and things which have different forms but occupy the same place."^[10] The former, such as two flutes, should be distinguished as two separate flutes, although they are of the same form, because they occupy different spaces. However as one flute is used and becomes damaged or broken over time, it appears to change into something else. But even though it seems to become something different, it is still the same flute and should be regarded as such.

This attention to detail perhaps sounds satirical, but has practical use. Xunzi elaborates on exactly what the name "sage" means, what sort of person it can apply to. Ideally, if all people are able to accurately employ the word "sage" finding a proper teacher (the importance of this is described in the section below), for example, would be easier. Likewise, the idea of being concise and accurate in speaking is made to be a characteristic of the sage and thus antithetical to the sloppy speaking of a fool, who is incapable of learning without the understanding of names.

Xunzi also uses the rectification of names to refute previous philosophers such as the writers of the Daodejing or Laozi (the alleged author of the Daodejing). In this chapter, although without obvious reference to any particular person or school of thought, calls into question the word "desire." In the Daodejing, Laozi argues for the renunciation of desires on the basis that they only lead to excessive and selfish races toward satiety. Xunzi, however, argues that "those who maintain that desires must be gotten rid of before there can be orderly government fail to consider whether desires can be guided..."^[11] Here Xunzi asserts that if someone truly understood desires, they would not make such a contradictory statement (desires, in Xunzi's mind, cannot be guided). Xunzi focuses on the mind's ability to reform actions: if one's mind is trained, although there are many desires they will not be acted upon. Conversely, if the mind is untrained, although there are few desires they will be acted upon. In this way, Xunzi uses classification and understanding to assert his point: it is the mind which has control over desires, desires cannot simply be forgotten because they are part of human nature and are from Heaven, as he continues to explain. Also, if a man is truly in accordance with the Way, he will not allow mere desires to change his course of direction.

The rectification of names is an important one considering the course of Chinese philosophy in this era. Philosophers such as Confucius and Laozi, for example, used similar words and ideas (Dao, wu-wei [effortless action], sage) to mean slightly different meanings. One of the aims of name rectification was to create a consistent language that would allow each word to have a consistent and universal meaning, so to avoid the confusion of multiple Ways, etc.

Man's Nature is Wayward[link]

Xunzi believed that all people are born with natural tendencies toward "waywardness": that is, a taste for profit and beauty and a susceptibility to jealousy and hate, all of which, if indulged in, would lead to disorder and criminality. In order to attain a oneness with the Way, a dedication to morality, Xunzi argued for the guidance of a proper teacher: only this would allow one to become morally upright. A proper teacher would have been trained in the teachings of the ancient sage kings who saw that human nature was inherently immoral and thus wrong. From this realization, the sage kings developed rituals and regulations to shape people into accordance with the Way. Thus the process of following the teachings of the sage kings (and a teacher who can teach them) equates a renunciation of one's evil nature and a commitment to conscious activity (conscious activity because one must deliberately and willingly change their actions in order to overstep their evils which would otherwise occur naturally, without conscious thought).

While Xunzi is a Confucianist, he disembarks from the arguments of previous Confucians here: Confucius claimed that some people (but not all, and not even Confucius himself) were born with the ability to love learning and act in accordance with the Way. Mencius believed that all people were inherently good and that it was negative environmental influences which caused immorality in people. But Xunzi picks apart Mencius's argument in his writing. Mencius, whom Xunzi refers to by name, does not understand the difference between nature and conscious practice. The former is inherent, as sight is to the eye or hearing is to the ear: one cannot be taught to see. However conscious thought is something which must be taught and learned:

Now it is the nature of man that when he is hungry he will desire satisfaction, when he is cold he will desire warmth, and when he is weary he will desire rest. This is his emotional nature. And yet a man, although he is hungry, will not dare to be the first to eat if he is in the presence of his elders, because he knows that he should yield to them, and although he is weary, he will not dare to demand rest because he knows that he should relieve others of the burden of labor. For a son to yield to his father or a younger brother to relieve his elder brother - acts such as these are all contrary to man's nature and run counter to his proper forms enjoined by ritual principles.^[12]

However, the flaw with Xunzi's argument is as follows: if human nature is naturally evil, how did the sage kings come to invent the idea of goodness and morality? Xunzi recognizes the apparent flaw and argues that, just as a potter consciously creates a pot (an object and action not part of his own nature), so does a sage consciously create the rituals and regulations to be followed if morality is the goal. These creations are not part of one's nature, but rather stem from a departure from nature. Xunzi states that "every man who desires to do good does so precisely because his nature is evil... Whatever a man lacks in himself he will seek outside" ^[13] as the sage kings did when they referenced their personal experiments and ideas to create a means toward morality. According to Xunzi, if people were naturally good, then leaving peoples and governments without laws and restrictions would cause no harm or disorder. Xunzi does not believe this state of affairs to be possible.

Xunzi believed that all people are born with the capacity to become good. For example, great kings like Yao and Shun were born no different from thieves like Robber Zhi or the tyrant Jie: that is, all four possessed the same nature at birth.

The man in the street can become a Yu. What does this mean? What made the sage emperor Yu a Yu, I would reply, was the fact that he practiced benevolence and righteousness and abided by the proper rules and standards. If this is so, then benevolence, righteousness, and proper standards must be based upon principles which can be known and practiced. Any man in the street [can become a Yu].^[14]

Xunzi argues that if one associates with gentlemen, one will become a gentleman; if one associates with the immoral, one will become immoral (a similar sentiment can be found in the Analects of Confucius). Xunzi ends the chapter with, "'If you do not know a man, look at his friends; if you do not know a ruler, look at his attendants.' Environment is the important thing! Environment is the important thing!" ^[15] This attitude toward nurture over nature may appear similar to that of Mencius, but the stances of the two in this case should not be confused: while Mencius argues that people are born good but need a positive environment in order to fully prosper with the Way, Xunzi argues that it is only the environment which can save a person from immorality.

Notes[link]

Translations[link]

• Dubs, Homer (1927). The Works of Hsüntze. London: Arthur Probsthain. 
• Knoblock, John (1988). Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works, Books 1-6. 1. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0804714518. 
• Knoblock, John (1990). Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works, Books 7-16. 2. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0804717717. 
• Knoblock, John (1994). Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works, Books 17-32. 3. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0804722988. 
• Watson, Burton (2003). Xunzi: Basic Writings. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0231129657. 

References[link]

• Cua, A.S. (1985). Ethical argumentation : a study in Hsün Tzu's moral epistemology. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-0942-4. 
• Munro, Donald J. (2001). The Concept of Man in Early China. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan. ISBN 978-0892641512. 
• Schwartz, Benjamin I. (1985). The world of thought in ancient China. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-96190-0. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Xunzi

• Xun Zi at the Open Directory Project
• Hsun Tzu historical information and writing excerpts
• Article from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Full text of the Xunzi (in Chinese)
• Xun Zi and Academics in Warring States Period

Burton Watson (born 1925) is an accomplished translator^[1] of Chinese and Japanese literature and poetry. He has received awards including the Gold Medal Award of the Translation Center at Columbia University in 1979, the PEN Translation Prize in 1981^[2] for his translation with Hiroaki Sato of From the Country of Eight Islands: An Anthology of Japanese Poetry, and again in 1995 for Selected Poems of Su Tung-p'o.

Watson was born in New Rochelle, New York. He dropped out of high school at age 17 to join the Navy in 1943 and was stationed on repair vessels in the South Pacific. His first experiences in Japan came of weekly shore leaves when he was stationed on a ship at Yokosuka Harbor in 1945. Subsequently, he majored in Chinese and Japanese studies at Columbia University. In 1951^[3] he returned to Kyoto, this time as a Ford Foundation Overseas Fellow.^[2] In 1956 he completed a dissertation on Sima Qian, earning a Ph.D. from Columbia University.^[1] He worked as an English teacher at Doshisha University in Kyoto, as a research assistant to Yoshikawa Kōjirō, who was Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Kyoto University,^[4] and as a member of Ruth Fuller Sasaki's team translating Buddhist texts into English.^[1] He has also taught at Stanford and Columbia as a professor of Chinese. He moved to Japan in 1973, where he remains to this day, and has devoted much of his time to translation.

He and colleague Professor Donald Keene frequently attend and participate in the seminars of William Theodore de Bary given to students at Columbia University.

Translations[link]

Notable translations include:

• The Lotus Sutra: and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, 2009
• Late Poems of Lu You, Ahadada Books, 2007.
• Analects of Confucius, 2007
• The Tale of the Heike, 2006
• The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, 2004
• For All My Walking: Free-Verse Haiku of Taneda Santōka with Excerpts from His Diaries, 2004
• The Selected Poems of Du Fu, 2002
• The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol 1 in 1999 and vol 2 in 2006.
• The Wild Geese (Gan, by Mori Ōgai), 1995
• Selected Poems of Su Tung-Po, (Copper Canyon Press, 1994)
• The Lotus Sutra, 1993
• Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty, 1992
• Saigyō: Poems of a Mountain Home, 1991
• The Tso Chuan: Selections from China’s Oldest Narrative History, 1989
• The Flower of Chinese Buddhism (Zoku Watakushi no Bukkyō-kan, by Ikeda Daisaku), 1984
• Grass Hill: Poems and Prose by the Japanese Monk Gensei, 1983
• Ryōkan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, 1977
• Buddhism: The First Millennium (Watakushi no Bukkyō-kan, by Ikeda Daisaku), 1977
• The Living Buddha (Watakushi no Shakuson-kan, by Ikeda Daisaku), 1976
• Cold Mountain: 100 Poems by the T’ang Poet Han-Shan, 1970
• The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu, 1968
• Records of the Grand Historian of China, 1961

Many of Watson's translations have been published through the Columbia University Press.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Halper, Jon, ed. Gary Snyder: Dimensions of a Life (1991) Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-616-8
• Stirling, Isabel. "Zen Pioneer: The Life & Works of Ruth Fuller Sasaki" (2006) Shoemaker & Hoard. ISBN 978-1-59376-110-3

External links[link]

• Biographical sketch

This article on a linguist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Albee Huang
Chinese name	Xiao Xun
Chinese name	黃瀞怡 (Traditional)
Chinese name	黄瀞怡 (Simplified)
Pinyin	Huang Jing Yi (Mandarin)
Birth name	Huang Jing Yi
Ancestry	Atayal (Taiwanese aboriginal tribe)
Origin	Republic of China
Born	(1989-02-27) 27 February 1989 (age 23) Taiwan, Republic of China
Other name(s)	Vivian , Albee Adorabella , Gulilial Amit
Occupation	singers, actors, commercial models
Genre(s)	Mandarin pop
Label(s)	Linfair Records 2006-2007.6 Warner Music Taiwan 2008.5
Years active	2005–present
Official Website	Woo Wretch

Xiao Xun (Chinese: 小薰; pinyin: Xiao Xun) is a singer and actress. She is in the Taiwanese girl band Hey Girl. Her specialties are playing piano, singing, and acting. Her interests are playing piano, singing, and reading novels. Her wish is to spend a carefree life with the person she loves.

Biography[link]

Xiao Xun is in a girl group originally known as Hei Se Hui Mei Mei which underwent a name change to Hey Girl. Hey Girl consisted of seven other girls, and they are known to work with another popular Taiwanese boyband, Lollipop (Taiwanese group), which consists of six boys. Xiao Xun had also worked with Ah Ben from Choc7 in 18 Jin Bu Jin.

Filmography[link]

2006[link]

• Angel Lover-Episode 3 (Chinese: 天使情人; pinyin: Tiān Shǐ Qíng Rén)

2007[link]

• Brown Sugar Macchiato (黑糖瑪奇朵) - XiaoXun 小薰
• 18 Jin Bu Jin - Xia Nian Qiao 夏念喬 (Chinese: 18禁不禁; pinyin: 18 Jīn Bù Jīn?)

2008[link]

• Rolling Love - Wasabi 哇莎比(Chinese: 翻滾吧！蛋炒飯; pinyin: Fān Gǔn Ba! Dàn Chǎo Fàn)
• The Legend of Brown Sugar Chivalries - Ren Ying Ying 任瑩瑩 (Chinese: 黑糖群俠傳; pinyin: Hēi Táng Qùn Xia Zhuan)

2010[link]

• Love Keeps Going (美乐。加油） - Han Yi Fei

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2008 - Hey Girl (首張同名專輯)

Ep[link]

• 2006 - Wo Ai Hei Se Hui mei mei(我愛黑澀會)
• 2006 - Mei Mei Si Mi De Yi Tian - Fen Hong Gao Ya Dian / Tian Xin Hong Jia Ji (美眉私密的一天 - 粉紅高壓電 / 甜心轟炸機)
• 2007 - Mei Mei Si Mi Party (美眉私密Party)
• 2011 - Hey Girl(黑Girl )

Soundtrack[link]

• 2007 - 18 Jin Bu Jin OST (18禁不禁電視原聲帶)
• 2007 - Brown Sugar Macchiato OST (黑糖瑪奇朵原聲帶)
• 2008 - The Legend of Brown Sugar Chivalries OST (黑糖群俠傳電視原聲帶)

MV[link]

• <> - (Mei Mei Private Diary )
• <<Shining Kiss>> - (Mei Mei Private Day - Tian Xin Hong Jia Ji )
• <<Shake it baby>> - (Mei Mei Private Day - Tian Xin Hong Jia Ji )
• <<Sunny Dolls>> - (Mei Mei Private Day - Tian Xin Hong Jia Ji )
• <<Sweet Sweet Circle / Donuts>> - (18 Jin Bu Jin OST )
• <<Happiness Bubbles >> - (Mei Mei Private Day )
• <<Brown Sugar Show>> - (Brown Sugar Macchiato OST )
• <<Jiao Jie Jie>> - (Hey Girl )
• <<OOXX>> - (Hey Girl )
• <<Nu Sheng >> - (Hey Girl )
• <<哈庫吶瑪塔塔>> - (Hey Girl )
• <<Slow For Half a Beat>> - (黃靖倫 Jing Huang )
• <<Hey Girl>> - ( 黑Girl )
• << Lovers and Friends >> - ( 黑Girl )

[edit] References

• Woo Homepage
• Woo Blog
• Xiao Xun Chinese Wiki
• 18 Jin Bu Jin Homepage (GTV)
• Brown Sugar Macchiato Homepage
• Rolling Love Homepage (GTV)
• The Legend of Brown Sugar Chivalries Homepage

Xiao Yu (蕭瑀) (574–647), courtesy name Shiwen (時文), formally Duke Zhenbian of Song (宋貞褊公), was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Liang Dynasty who later became an official for Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor at times during the reigns of Emperor Gaozu of Tang and Emperor Taizong of Tang.

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Background[link]

Xiao Yu was born in 574, during the reign of his father Emperor Ming of Western Liang, who claimed the throne of Liang Dynasty but whose territory was limited to a small amount of territory around his capital Jiangling. Emperor Ming was at that time also a vassal of the much larger Northern Zhou, and received protection from Northern Zhou forces against rival Chen Dynasty. (As Emperor Ming and his father Emperor Xuan had little territory and relied on protection by Northern Zhou and its predecessor state Western Wei and successor state Sui Dynasty (which took over Northern Zhou in 581), traditional historians often did not consider them true emperors of Liang Dynasty.) In 582, Xiao Yu was created the Prince of Xin'an. He was known for his filial piety.

During Emperor Wen's reign[link]

In or around 582, Xiao Yu's older sister married Yang Guang the Prince of Jin, a son of Sui's founder Emperor Wen of Sui, to be his princess. Xiao Yu followed her to the Sui capital Chang'an, and he became known for studiousness and proper actions there. He was particularly attentive in studying Buddhist sutras and became a devout Buddhist, spending much of his time discussing Buddhism with monks. Displeased with the work Essay on Predestination (辯命論, Bianming Lun), authored by the Liang Dynasty author Liu Xiaobiao (劉孝標), he wrote a work entitled, Essay on Non-Predestination (非辯命論, Fei Bianming Lun) intended to refute it. (Only the first paragraph of the preface survives, and it states, "Man is born from heaven and earth. Of course predestination is involved. However, good fortune and ill fortune also depend on man himself. If one believes that it is all predestination, he would be foolish.") The work was praised by the scholars on Yang Guang's staff.

In 585, Emperor Ming died and was succeeded by his oldest son and Xiao Yu's older brother Xiao Cong (as Emperor Jing). In 587, when Emperor Wen summoned Emperor Jing to Chang'an to meet him, Xiao Yu's uncle Xiao Yan (蕭巖) and brother Xiao Huan (蕭瓛), believing that a Sui army sent to Jiangling was intending to attack it, surrendered to Chen. When Emperor Wen heard of this, he abolished Liang and annexed its territory, creating Emperor Jing the Duke of Ju. Liang was at its end, although its imperial clan members, including Xiao Yu, continued to be treated well by Emperor Wen. In 600, after Yang Guang displaced his older brother Yang Yong as crown prince, Xiao Yu continued to serve on Yang Guang's staff, as a guard commander.

During Emperor Yang's reign[link]

In 604, Emperor Wen died—a death that traditional historians generally believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang but admitted a lack of direct evidence—and was succeeded by Yang Guang (as Emperor Yang). Xiao Yu, whose sister Crown Princess Xiao became empress, was made a military recruiting officer. When, at one point, Xiao Yu became suddenly ill, he ordered that no medical treatment be carried out, believing that this would be a good time for him to be relieved from governmental service. However, when Empress Xiao heard this, she visited him and rebuked him, pointing out that this kind of behavior might in fact bring punishment from Emperor Yang. After he recovered, he became more interested in governmental service, and was at one point made the Neishi Shilang (內史侍郎), the assistant head of the legislative bureau of government, and Emperor Yang entrusted him with many secret matters, as Xiao Yu was his brother-in-law. However, later on he was demoted because he often gave suggestions that offended Emperor Yang.

In 615, when Emperor Yang was visiting Yanmen (雁門, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi), on the northern border, Eastern Tujue's Shibi Khan, Ashina Duojishi, launched a surprise attack and put Yanmen under siege. Emperor Yang panicked and did not know what to do. Xiao Yu, who had accompanied Emperor Yang to Yanmen, suggested that messengers be sent to Ashina Duojishi's wife, the Sui princess Princess Yicheng, as Tujue customs dictated that the khan's wife be in charge of military matters at home while he was away. Princess Yicheng subsequently sent false information to Ashina Duojishi, stating that Eastern Tujue was under attack from the north, and Ashina Duojishi lifted the siege. However, after the siege was lifted, Emperor Yang, instead of rewarding Xiao Yu, became embarrassed, stating, "Tujue forces were simply being rebellions and lacked tactical cohesion, and would have soon scattered. Just because they did not do so immediately, Xiao Yu was frightened; this is unforgiveable." He demoted Xiao Yu to the governorship of Hechi Commandery (河池, in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) and immediately ordered him to get on his way. When Xiao Yu got to Hechi Commandery, there were agrarian rebels in the mountains, numbering over 10,000, whom the commandery government was unable to control. Xiao Yu reorganized the commandery militia and attacked them, forcing them to surrender. Subsequently, when Xue Ju rebelled at Jincheng Commandery (金城, roughly modern Lanzhou, Gansu) and attacked east, Xiao Yu blocked Xue's path, and Xue was not able to advance further at that point.

During Emperor Gong's reign[link]

In winter 617, the general Li Yuan the Duke of Tang, who had rebelled at Taiyuan earlier that year, captured Chang'an and declared Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You the Prince of Dai emperor (as Emperor Gong). Li Yuan assumed power as regent, and he wrote to Xiao Yu, requesting that Xiao submit. Xiao agreed, and was made the minister of census and created the Duke of Song. In spring 618, during an abortive campaign where Li Yuan sent his sons Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin with an army to the eastern capital Luoyang to try to get Sui officials there to submit, Xiao served on Li Shimin's staff.

During Emperor Gaozu's reign[link]

Also in spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji. When the news reached Chang'an, Li Yuan had Emperor Gong yield the throne to him, establishing Tang Dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu. He made Xiao Yu Neishi Ling (內史令), the head of the legislative bureau of the government (內史省, Neishi Sheng) and a post considered one for a chancellor, and he entrusted Xiao with some of the most important matters of state. Whenever Emperor Gaozu held imperial gatherings, he would allow Xiao to sit next to him, and particularly, because Xiao had married a member of the Dugu clan, from which Emperor Gaozu's mother Lady Dugu also came, Emperor Gaozu referred to him endearingly as "Master Xiao." Xiao took the matters of state seriously and was not afraid of offending others in offering suggestions, and people feared him. When Li Shimin was made the governor of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture (雍州, i.e., Chang'an and its surrounding counties), Xiao was given the additional title of commandant of Yong Prefecture. In 619, he and Pei Ji were in charge of interrogating one of the major initial contributors to Emperor Gaozu, Liu Wenjing, who had been arrested on suspicion of treason. Both he and Li Gang (李綱), as well as Li Shimin, tried to intercede on Liu's behalf, but Emperor Gaozu nevertheless executed Liu on Pei's recommendations. Later, after the legislative bureau was renamed Zhongshu Sheng (中書省) in 620, Xiao Yu remained its head with the new title of Zhongshu Ling (中書令). Per Xiao's recommendations, Emperor Gaozu made Feng Deyi Zhongshu Ling as well, sharing the position with Xiao. In 621, he was similarly put in charge, along with Pei and Chen Shuda, of interrogating Li Zhognwen (李仲文) the Duke of Zhenxiang, who was also charged with treason, and while Xiao's recommendations were unclear, Li Zhongwen was also executed.

At times, when Emperor Gaozu issued edicts, he wanted the legislative bureau to promulgate them quickly, but Xiao did not do so. When Emperor Gaozu rebuked him, Xiao pointed out that during Emperor Yang's reign, the edicts were issued quickly, and while officials had valid reservations, they did not dare to speak against it. He wanted the edicts to be issued only after greater examination, and so was not issuing them as quickly. Emperor Gaozu agreed. Meanwhile, as Xiao's property was initially seized by Emperor Gaozu when he first entered Chang'an to be awarded to the military officers with accomplishments, Emperor Gaozu returned the property to Xiao. Xiao divided the property and distributed it to his clan members, only keeping the family shrine so thathe could sacrifice to the ancestors. After Li Shimin destroyed a major rival, Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng, in 621, Xiao, who served under Li Shimin during the campaign and was credited with some of the strategies (as well as charged with collecting the Sui imperial treasury stores at the Zheng capital Luoyang), was given 2,000 additional households as part of his fief and made one of the deputy heads of the important executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), Shangshu Pushe, still considered a chancellor position. As Shangshu Pushe, Xiao was considered diligent but biased, as well as harsh, and he did not have as good of a reputation.

In 626, when Fu Yi (傅奕) the director of the imperial astronomical observatory, a Confucian, submitted a proposal to ban Buddhism on the grounds that Buddhism was leading to corruption and abuses within the government, Xiao, as a devout Buddhist, debated with Fu earnestly before Emperor Gaozu. He was unable to prevail over Fu in the debate, and Emperor Gaozu issued an edict severely limiting the number of Buddhist temples, although the edict did not appear to be seriously carried out.

Later in 626, Li Shimin, then in an intense rivalry with Li Jiancheng, who had been made crown prince as the oldest son, feared that Li Jiancheng was about to kill him. He submitted a secret petition to Emperor Gaozu accusing Li Jiancheng and another brother, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qin, who supported Li Jiancheng, of committing adultery with Emperor Gaozu's concubines and plotting to kill him. Emperor Gaozu, shocked by the accusations, summoned Xiao, along with Pei and Chen, to prepare to act on the accusations the next morning. Meanwhile, Li Shimin set an ambush for Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate outside Emperor Gaozu's palace, and when Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji approached Xuanwu Gate in the morning, Li Shimin killed them, and then sent his general Yuchi Jingde into the palace, claiming to be protecting Emperor Gaozu. Emperor Gaozu, realizing how serious the situation was, asked Pei, Xiao, and Chen for advice, and Xiao and Chen advised him to create Li Shimin crown prince to placate him. Emperor Gaozu did so, and two months later passed the throne to Li Shimin, who took the throne as Emperor Taizong.

During Emperor Taizong's reign[link]

Initially, Xiao Yu remained chancellor, but was soon conflicting with Feng Deyi, who was also chancellor, as Shangshu Pushe (by this point heads of the executive bureau, as Li Shimin previously was head of the executive bureau, but his title Shangshu Ling had thus become a title that his subjects did not dare to take), over Feng's frequent changes of things that they had already agreed on, as well as some other new chancellors that Emperor Taizong had trusted and commissioned, including Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian. In anger, Xiao submitted a secret petition to Emperor Taizong denouncing Feng, but the petition was inartfully written, offending Emperor Taizong. Meanwhile, an incident occurred where Xiao and Chen Shuda argued before Emperor Taizong, and both were removed from their posts. In summer 627, however, after Feng's death, Emperor Taizong again made Xiao Shangshu Pushe. Later that year, Emperor Taizong discussed attacking Eastern Tujue, which Xiao favored, but Zhangsun Wuji opposed, and therefore Emperor Taizong did not carry out the attack. However, when Emperor Taizong asked Xiao how he felt that the life of the dynasty could be extended, Xiao suggested enfeoffing the imperial princes, and Emperor Taizong agreed and began considering doing so. Around the new year 628, Xiao was again removed from his position, for reasons not stated in history, although in spring 630 he was made a de facto chancellor as imperial censor. Later that year, he accused the general Li Jing, after defeating and capturing Eastern Tujue's Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi, of allowing his soldiers to plunder Tujue's treasures, but Emperor Taizong took no actions against Li Jing, on account of Li Jing's great accomplishment. Meanwhile, Xiao continued to be arrogant and harsh and was again not getting along with the other chancellors. It was said that when Fang, Wei Zheng, and Wen Yanbo had minor faults, Xiao submitted accusations against them which Emperor Taizong did not act on, and Xiao became displeased from it. In fall 630, Emperor Taizong made him an advisor to his son and crown prince Li Chengqian, no longer a chancellor.

In 634, Emperor Taizong commissioned 13 officials to examine the circuits in the empire, to see whether the local officials were capable, to find out whether the people were suffering, to comfort the poor, and to select capable people to serve in civil service. Xiao Yu was made the examiner of Henan Circuit (河南道, roughly modern Henan and Shandong), but on his mission, he overly punished an official who did not listen to the people under him about their suffering by putting him in a block, causing that official's death. Emperor Taizong, however, did not punish him. In 635, Emperor Taizong again made him de facto chancellor, once stating:

After the sixth year of the Wude era [i.e., 623], Emperor Gaozu considered deposing the crown prince and making me crown prince, but could not resolve to do so. I was not tolerated by my brothers, and I often feared that instead of being rewarded for my accomplishments, I would be punished. But Xiao Yu was not tempted by material goods or threatened by death, and he was truly a pillar for the empire.

He also wrote a poem to Xiao Yu, including these two lines:

Only in a gust of wind can the strong among the grass be known,

Only in turmoil can the faithful subjects be seen.

He further stated to Xiao, "Your faithfulness and honesty cannot be exceeded even by the holy men of old times. However, your overzealousness to distinguish good and bad sometimes makes you difficult to tolerate."

In 643, Emperor Taizong commissioned 24 portraits at Lingyan Pavilion to commemorate the contributions of the 24 great contributions to Tang Dynasty. Xiao's was one of the portraits. Later that year, Li Chengqian, fearful that Emperor Taizong was considering replacing him with his younger and more favored brother Li Tai the Prince of Wei, plotted with the general Hou Junji to overthrow Emperor Taizong. When the plot was discovered, Emperor Taizong commissioned Xiao, along with Zhangsun, Fang, Li Shiji, and officials from the supreme court, the legislative bureau, and the examination bureau, to investigate. As a result of the investigation, Hou and many other conspirators were ordered to commit suicide or were executed, while Li Chengqian was reduced to commoner rank. Soon thereafter, Emperor Taizong, believing that Li Tai had played a role in Li Chengqian's downfall, created another son, Li Zhi the Prince of Jin, crown prince, instead of Li Tai, and Xiao was made a senior advisor of the new crown prince. Xiao was given a newly created title for a de facto chancellor as well, Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品). In 645, when Emperor Taizong commanded a major campaign against Goguryeo, he put Xiao in charge of Luoyang as well as the logistics of shipping supplies to the frontline.

In 646, Xiao was again in discord with the other chancellors, going as far as accusing Fang of factionalism bordering on treason. Emperor Taizong was also displeased with Xiao over his requesting to become a Buddhist monk at one point around this time and then changing his mind. In winter 646, he issued an edict extensively accusing Xiao of being overly obsessed with Buddhism—citing Xiao's ancestor Emperor Wu of Liang and Emperor Wu's son Emperor Jianwen of Liang as examples that Xiao was falling into the traps of. He demoted Xiao to the post of prefect of Shang Prefecture (商州, roughly modern Shangluo, Shaanxi), but also cancelled Xiao's title as Duke of Song. In 647, however, Emperor Taizong recalled Xiao to be an imperial advisor (but not chancellor) and restored his title of Duke of Song.

In 648, while accompanying Emperor Taizong at Yuhua Palace (玉華宮, in modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi), Xiao grew ill and died. The ministry of ceremonies suggested, as a posthumous name, De (德, meaning "virtuous"), while the executive bureau suggested Su (肅, meaning, "solemn"). Emperor Taizong, however, disagreed with both, stating that posthumous names should be particularly reflective of people's characters, and he chose Zhenbian (貞褊, meaning "honest but harsh") instead.

References[link]

• Book of Sui, vol. 79.[1]
• History of Northern Dynasties, vol. 93.[2]
• Book of Tang, vol. 63.[3]
• New Book of Tang, vol. 101.[4]
• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 182, 184, 185, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 196, 197, 198, 199.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Xiao Man
Chinese name	Wang Jing Jiao
Chinese name	王婧喬 (Traditional)
Chinese name	王婧乔 (Simplified)
Birth name	Wang Shu Xuan(Chinese:王淑萱)
Origin	Republic of China (Taiwan)
Born	(1989-11-07) 7 November 1989 (age 22) Taiwan, Republic of China
Other name(s)	Chanel , Corrine,Shuan
Occupation	singer, actress, model, host
Genre(s)	Mandarin pop
Label(s)	Linfair Records 2006-2007.6 Warner Music Taiwan 2008.5
Years active	2005 - present
Official Website	http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%8E%8B%E6%B7%91%E8%90%B1

Xiao Man (Chinese: 小蠻; pinyin: Xiao Man) is a singer and actress. She was in the Taiwanese girl band Hey Girl.^[1] And currently works as a model in Eelin Moddellig Agency. Her bust size is 30 'D' Cup

Biography[link]

Xiao Man or Chanel Wong is in a group originally known as Hei Se Hui Mei Mei which underwent a name change to Hey Girl. Hey Girl consisted of seven other girls, and they are known to work with another popular Taiwanese boy band, Lollipop, which consists of six boys.

In 17 March 2010, Xiao Man announced that she has already left Hey Girl to pursue her career as a model in Eelin Modelling Agency

2010, Xiao Man with the other five other top model who is 21 years old established [ 萌Girl] released their first album, [萌 Illusion] and will continue releasing albums

Drama[link]

TV Show Theme Songs[link]

• Lollipop & Hey Girl - Ku Cha, Brown Sugar Macchiato (2007)
• Hei Se Hui Mei Mei - Hello Ai Qing Feng, Brown Sugar Macchiato (2007)
• Lollipop & Hey Girl - Hei Tang Xiu, Brown Sugar Macchiato (2007)

References[link]