Dou Dexuan
Encyclopedia
Dou Dexuan (598
– September 11, 666), formally Baron Gong of Julu (鉅鹿恭男), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang
.
. His family had been a hereditary aristocratic family during Sui and its predecessor dynasties Northern Zhou
and Western Wei
, and his grandfather Dou Zhao (竇照) had married a daughter of Western Wei's paramount general and ancestor to Northern Zhou's imperial house, Yuwen Tai
, who was later known as Princess Yiyang during Northern Zhou, and he was created the Duke of Julu. Dou Dexuan's father Dou Yan (竇彥) inherited the title and served as a commandery governor during Sui. His older brother Dou Deming (竇德明) served on the staff of Emperor Taizong of Tang
while he was the Prince of Qin. His granduncle Dou Wei
was chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong's father and Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu
.
Dou Dexuan himself was said to start his career in civil service when he was first an imperial university student during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui
. He served as a guard commander for Emperor Gaozu of Tang briefly before he seized the throne from Emperor Gong of Sui
, in 517 or 518. His activities during Emperor Gaozu's reign were not clear, but historical records indicated that he did not have much success in the political arena during Emperor Taizong's reign.
, Shangguan Yi
, and Hao Chujun
, and it was recorded also that Emperor Gaozong selected them "to show the chancellors, including Li Ji
," although what exactly Emperor Gaozong was showing the chancellors was not clearly stated. In 664, he was also made acting Zuo Xiang (左相) -- the head of the examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor.
It was said that Dou, as chancellor, was hard-working and careful. In 665, as Emperor Gaozong was planning to sacrifice to heaven and earth at Mount Tai
, and he had Dou and Li Ji serve as his attendants. On the way from the eastern capital Luoyang
to Mount Tai, as Emperor Gaozong was passing through Puyang
, Emperor Gaozong, remembering that Puyang was formerly known as Diqiu (帝丘, literally "the hill of the emperor"), asked Dou the reason, and Dou could not answer. Another chancellor, Xu Jingzong
, happened to be nearby, and responded that Diqiu was named as such because the legendary emperor Zhuanxu
had his capital there. Xu later made the comment, "A high level official must be knowledgeable. When I saw that Dou Dexuan could not answer, I felt ashamed for him." When Dou heard this, he said, "A person has things that he can do and things he cannot do. My ability is to know what I do not know and not pretend that I know it." The people who heard this exchange admired Dou for his honesty—particularly Li Ji, who commented, "It is a good thing that Xu Jingzong is knowledgeable. But Dou Dexuan's words were also deep truths."
After Emperor Gaozong completed the sacrifices in spring 666, he was set to upgrade Dou's title by two grades. Dou, citing that his brother Dou Deyuan (竇德遠) had no titles, offered to have the title given to Dou Deyuan instead. Emperor Gaozong partially agreed with him, creating him the Baron of Julu, while creating Dou Deyuan the Baron of Le'an. Dou Dexuan died in the fall of that year, while still serving as chancellor. It was written by historians that Dou Dexuan was a careful observer of trends and had no faults, but he also did not benefit the state by his service. His son Dou Huaizhen
later also served as a chancellor.
598
Year 598 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 598 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- British Isles :* Battle of Catraeth at Catterick,...
– September 11, 666), formally Baron Gong of Julu (鉅鹿恭男), was an official of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang
Emperor Gaozong of Tang , personal name Li Zhi , was the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683...
.
Background
Dou Dexuan was born in 598, during the reign of Emperor Wen of SuiEmperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
. His family had been a hereditary aristocratic family during Sui and its predecessor dynasties Northern Zhou
Northern Zhou
The Northern Zhou Dynasty followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. It was overthrown by the Sui Dynasty.Northern Zhou's basis of power was established by Yuwen Tai, who was paramount general of Western Wei, following the split of Northern Wei into Western Wei and...
and Western Wei
Western Wei
The Western Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556.After the Xianbei general Yuwen Tai killed the Northern Wei emperor Yuan Xiu, he installed Yuan Baoju as emperor of Western Wei while Yuwen Tai would remain as the virtual ruler...
, and his grandfather Dou Zhao (竇照) had married a daughter of Western Wei's paramount general and ancestor to Northern Zhou's imperial house, Yuwen Tai
Yuwen Tai
Yuwen Tai , nickname Heita , formally Duke Wen of Anding , later further posthumously honored by Northern Zhou initially as Prince Wen then as Emperor Wen with the temple name Taizu , was the paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei, a branch successor state of Northern Wei...
, who was later known as Princess Yiyang during Northern Zhou, and he was created the Duke of Julu. Dou Dexuan's father Dou Yan (竇彥) inherited the title and served as a commandery governor during Sui. His older brother Dou Deming (竇德明) served on the staff of Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
while he was the Prince of Qin. His granduncle Dou Wei
Dou Wei
Dou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the heavy rock group Black Panther . His album Dark Dreams draws influences from The Cure and Bauhaus, was a landmark...
was chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong's father and Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...
.
Dou Dexuan himself was said to start his career in civil service when he was first an imperial university student during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
. He served as a guard commander for Emperor Gaozu of Tang briefly before he seized the throne from Emperor Gong of Sui
Emperor Gong of Sui
Emperor Gong of Sui , personal name Yang You , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty. Traditionally, he was considered the last emperor of the dynasty because he was the one who formally yielded the throne to the founding emperor to the succeeding Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Tang ,...
, in 517 or 518. His activities during Emperor Gaozu's reign were not clear, but historical records indicated that he did not have much success in the political arena during Emperor Taizong's reign.
During Emperor Gaozong's reign
It was said that after Emperor Gaozong became emperor in 649, Dou had served as deputy director of palace affairs, and he was promoted to the post of imperial censor on the basis of his long service to the empire. In or after 662, probably in 664, he was promoted to the post of minister of census, a more important post. It was said that he was one of more than a dozen officials who were promoted around the same time by Emperor Gaozong personally, including the future chancellors Liu XiangdaoLiu Xiangdao
Liu Xiangdao , courtesy name Tongshou , formally Duke Xuan of Guangping , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who was briefly chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.- Background :...
, Shangguan Yi
Shangguan Yi
Shangguan Yi , courtesy name Youshao , formally Duke of Chu , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong...
, and Hao Chujun
Hao Chujun
Hao Chujun , formally Duke of Zengshan , was an official and general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Gaozong. He was known for his honesty and willingness to advise Emperor Gaozong against actions he considered unwise...
, and it was recorded also that Emperor Gaozong selected them "to show the chancellors, including Li Ji
Li Shiji
Li Shiji , né Xu Shiji , later known in the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang as Li Ji , courtesy name Maogong , formally Duke Zhenwu of Ying , was one of the most celebrated generals early in the Chinese Tang Dynasty...
," although what exactly Emperor Gaozong was showing the chancellors was not clearly stated. In 664, he was also made acting Zuo Xiang (左相) -- the head of the examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a chancellor.
It was said that Dou, as chancellor, was hard-working and careful. In 665, as Emperor Gaozong was planning to sacrifice to heaven and earth at Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
, and he had Dou and Li Ji serve as his attendants. On the way from the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
to Mount Tai, as Emperor Gaozong was passing through Puyang
Puyang
Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei in the east and north respectively....
, Emperor Gaozong, remembering that Puyang was formerly known as Diqiu (帝丘, literally "the hill of the emperor"), asked Dou the reason, and Dou could not answer. Another chancellor, Xu Jingzong
Xu Jingzong
Xu Jingzong , courtesy name Yanzu , formally Duke Gong of Gaoyang , was a chancellor of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
, happened to be nearby, and responded that Diqiu was named as such because the legendary emperor Zhuanxu
Zhuanxu
Zhuanxu , also known as Gaoyang is a mythological monarch of ancient China.A grandson of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu led the Shi clan in an eastward migration to present-day Shandong, where intermarriages with the Dongyi clan enlarged and augmented their tribal influences...
had his capital there. Xu later made the comment, "A high level official must be knowledgeable. When I saw that Dou Dexuan could not answer, I felt ashamed for him." When Dou heard this, he said, "A person has things that he can do and things he cannot do. My ability is to know what I do not know and not pretend that I know it." The people who heard this exchange admired Dou for his honesty—particularly Li Ji, who commented, "It is a good thing that Xu Jingzong is knowledgeable. But Dou Dexuan's words were also deep truths."
After Emperor Gaozong completed the sacrifices in spring 666, he was set to upgrade Dou's title by two grades. Dou, citing that his brother Dou Deyuan (竇德遠) had no titles, offered to have the title given to Dou Deyuan instead. Emperor Gaozong partially agreed with him, creating him the Baron of Julu, while creating Dou Deyuan the Baron of Le'an. Dou Dexuan died in the fall of that year, while still serving as chancellor. It was written by historians that Dou Dexuan was a careful observer of trends and had no faults, but he also did not benefit the state by his service. His son Dou Huaizhen
Dou Huaizhen
Dou Huaizhen , known by his courtesy name Dou Congyi during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong , posthumously renamed Du Huaizhen , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and Emperor Xuanzong.-...
later also served as a chancellor.