Sima | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 司馬 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 司马 | ||||||
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Sima is an official post from ancient China that first appears in texts dating from the Western Zhou dynasty and continued to be used during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period. [1] Translated literally,it means "administrator of the horses." [2] Owing to the fact that the power and responsibilities associated with the office changed somewhat throughout Chinese history,a variety of English translations for the term have been suggested. The textually closest equivalent is Master of the Horse. Other English terms such as 'marshal' and 'major' [3] have also been suggested,and may be appropriate in different contexts:for example 'marshal' may be appropriate in the Western Han dynasty,when "Grand Sima" was a title granted to high generals,while 'major' may be appropriate as the translation for the lower military position also called "Sima" from the Wei dynasty to the Song dynasty.
During the Eastern Han dynasty the term 'Grand Marshal' (Chinese:大司馬;pinyin:dàsīmǎ) came to mean Minister of War,one of the Three Ducal Ministers serving directly under the emperor. In so doing it replaced the term 'Grand Commandant' (Chinese:太尉;pinyin:tàiwèi) which was used during the Western Han. This term had likewise replaced 'Grand Protector' (Chinese:太保;pinyin:tàibǎo),an even older term for the office which had been used during the Zhou dynasty. This usage ended when Cao Cao eliminated the Three Ducal Ministers and replaced them with the position of Imperial Chancellor in 208 AD. The office is the origin of the surname Sima.
The Three Kingdoms from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei,Shu Han,and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the Western Jin dynasty. The short-lived state of Yan on the Liaodong Peninsula,which lasted from 237 to 238,is sometimes considered as a "4th kingdom".
The Jin dynasty or the Jin Empire,sometimes distinguished as the Sima Jin (司馬晉) or the Two Jins (兩晉),was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan,eldest son of Sima Zhao,who had previously been declared the King of Jin. The Jin dynasty was preceded by the Three Kingdoms period,and was succeeded by the Sixteen Kingdoms in northern China and the Liu Song dynasty in southern China.
Records of the Grand Historian,also known by its Chinese name Shiji,is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The Records was written in the late 2nd century BC to early 1st century BC by the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian,whose father Sima Tan had begun it several decades earlier. The work covers a 2,500-year period from the age of the legendary Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in the author's own time,and describes the world as it was known to the Chinese of the Western Han dynasty.
A commandery was a historical administrative division of China that was in use from the Eastern Zhou until the early Tang dynasty. Several neighboring countries adopted Chinese commanderies as the basis for their own administrative divisions.
Wei (220–266),known as Cao Wei (曹魏) or Former Wei in historiography,was a dynastic state of China and one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the Three Kingdoms period. With its capital initially located at Xuchang,and thereafter Luoyang,the state was established by Cao Pi in 220,based upon the foundations laid by his father,Cao Cao,towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty.
The nobility of China represented the upper strata of aristocracy in premodern China,acting as the ruling class until c. 1000 CE,and remaining a significant feature of the traditional social structure until the end of the imperial period.
Emperor Wu of Jin,personal name Sima Yan,courtesy name Anshi (安世),was a grandson of Sima Yi,nephew of Sima Shi and son of Sima Zhao. He became the first emperor of the Jin dynasty after forcing Cao Huan,last emperor of the state of Cao Wei,to abdicate to him. He reigned from 266 to 290,and after conquering the state of Eastern Wu in 280,was the emperor of a reunified China. Emperor Wu was also known for his extravagance and sensuality,especially after the unification of China;legends boasted of his incredible potency among ten thousand concubines.
Sima is a Chinese family name. It is one of the rare two-character Chinese family names;most Chinese family names consist of only a single character. It is an occupational surname,literally meaning "control" (sī) "horses" (mǎ),or "horse officer". The family name originated from one of the offices of the Zhou dynasty.
Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies,and is of varying prominence today.
Taizu is a temple name typically,but not always,used for Chinese monarchs who founded a particular dynasty. It may refer to:
The LüClan disturbance refers to a political upheaval after the death of Empress LüZhi of the early Han dynasty. In the aftermath,her clan of Lü(呂) were deposed from their seats of power and exterminated,Emperor Houshao was deposed and Emperor Wen acceded the throne. LüClan disturbance also sometimes encompasses the prior period of total domination of the political scene by Empress LüZhi and her family after the death of her son Emperor Hui.
The grand chancellor,also translated as counselor-in-chief,chancellor,chief councillor,chief minister,imperial chancellor,lieutenant chancellor and prime minister,was the highest-ranking executive official in the imperial Chinese government. The term was known by many different names throughout Chinese history,and the exact extent of the powers associated with the position fluctuated greatly,even during a particular dynasty.
The Three Ducal Ministers,also translated as the Three Dukes,Three Excellencies,or the Three Lords,was the collective name for the three highest officials in Ancient China and Imperial China. These posts were abolished by Cao Cao in 208 AD and replaced with the position of Grand Chancellor. When Cao Cao's son Cao Pi became King of Wei after his father's death,he reinstated the three positions. Hua Xin was made Chancellor,Jia Xu was made Grand Commandant and Wang Lang was made Grand Secretary. When Cao Pi declared himself emperor in late 220,Hua Xin was made Cao Wei's first Minister of the Masses,Jia Xu remained as Grand Commandant,and Wang Lang was made the first Minister of Works.
Sima Fu,courtesy name Shuda,was an imperial prince and statesman of the Jin dynasty of China. He previously served as an official in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period before his grandnephew,Sima Yan,usurped the Wei throne in 266 and established the Jin dynasty. Sima Guang,author of Zizhi Tongjian,claimed to be his descendant.
King Wen of Zhou was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang,the patriarch of the Zhou state during the final years of Shang dynasty in ancient China. Ji Chang himself died before the end of the Zhou-Shang War,and his second son Ji Fa completed the conquest of Shang following the Battle of Muye,and posthumously honored him as the founder of the Zhou dynasty. Many of the hymns of the Classic of Poetry are praises to the legacy of King Wen. Some consider him the first epic hero of Chinese history.
Wang Xiang,courtesy name Xiuzheng,was a Chinese politician who lived through the late Eastern Han dynasty (25–220),the Three Kingdoms period (220–280),and the early Western Jin dynasty (266–316) of China. He served in the highest positions in the government,including Minister of Works (司空) and Grand Commandant (太尉) in the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period,and Grand Protector (太保) during the Western Jin dynasty. He was also one of The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars.
Sima Zhou,courtesy name Zijiang,was an imperial prince and military general of the Jin dynasty of China. He previously served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His grandson,Sima Rui,was the founding emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
Taibo,or Wu Taibo,was the eldest son of King Tai of Zhou and the legendary founder of the State of Wu. His exact birth and death dates are unknown.
Six Dynasties poetry refers to those types or styles of poetry particularly associated with the Six Dynasties era of China. This poetry reflects one of the poetry world's more important flowerings,as well as being a unique period in Classical Chinese poetry,which,over this time period,developed a poetry with special emphasis on romantic love,gender roles,and human relationships. The Six Dynasties era is sometimes known as the "Age of Fragmentation",because China as a whole through this period lacked unification as a state,at least for any extended period of time;and,instead,many states rose and fell,often overlapping in existence with other states. Which of the various states and dynasties constituted the "6" dynasties of the Six Dynasties period varies somewhat according to which of the traditional selection criteria are chosen. The Six Dynasties era covers several somewhat overlapping main periods including all of the following:the Three Kingdoms (220–280),Jin dynasty,the Sixteen Kingdoms,and the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589). Sometimes,chronological discrepancies occur in regard to the turbulent political events of the time,from which these traditional historical-era designations derive,together with the somewhat different chronology of poetic developments. Thus,neither the lives of the poets nor the trends in their poetry fit gently and neatly together with these period dates. Furthermore,conversions to the Common Era dating system can create further complications. However,regardless of the chronological difficulties,major developments of poetry during the Six Dynasties include formalizing the distinction between the Jian'an era regular yuefu and the shi style poetry,further development of the fu,theoretical work on technique,and the preservation of both Six Dynasties and earlier poetry by collecting and publishing many of the pieces which survive today into various anthologies consisting all or in part of poetry.
Ranged Marquis was a rank of the Chinese nobility that existed from the Warring States period to the Chen dynasty.