Fan Wuzi 范武子 Shi Hui 士會 (www.chinaknowledge.de)

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Zhou Dynasty

Oct 26, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald

Sui Hui 隨會, personal name Shi Hui 士會, courtesy name Ji 季, was a high minister in the state of Jin 晉 during the Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent. BCE). His estate included the territories of Sui 隨 (near modern Jiexiu 介休, Shanxi) and Fan 范 (modern Liangshan 梁山, Shandong), for which reason he is also known as Sui Hui or Fan Hui 范會, as head of the house of Fan 范. His posthumous title is Fan Wuzi 范武子 or Sui Wuzi 隨武子. He was a grandson of Shi Wei 士蒍 and a son of Fan Chengbo 范成伯.

When Duke Xiang of Jin 晉襄公 (r. 628-621) died a succession crisis broke out in which Sui Hui was dispatched to the state of Qin 秦, where Prince Yong 雍 was dwelling. Yet in the meantime Prince Yigao 夷皋 had been enthroned (Duke Ling of Jin 晉靈公, r. 621-607) and sent out an army to prohibit Prince Yong returning to Jin. Sui Hui himself later returned to Jin. In 597 he commanded an army to bring relief to the state of Zheng 鄭 that was besieged by Chu 楚, yet his army was defeated.

Chronicles stress that it was not Shi Hui's own contingent that was defeated, but the two other divisions.

Four years later he was at least able to defeat the nomad tribes of the Red Di 赤翟 and presented the captured chieftains to the king of Zhou 周. He was therefore promoted to marshal of the Central Army (zhongjun yuanshuai 中軍元帥) and was appointed Grant Tutor (taifu 太傅) and chief counsellor of the duke of Jin. Under his administration the penal law was reformed and the territory of Jin was cleared of bandits. Sui Hui is nevertheless known as a very kind person. In 592 he retired and handed over government affarirs to Xi Ke 郤克.

Sources:

Cang Xiuliang 倉修良, ed. (1991). Shiji cidian 史記辭典 (Jinan: Shandong jiaoyu chubanshe), 724.

Tang Rongzhi 唐榮智, ed. (2002). Shijie faxue mingren cidian 世界法學名人詞典 (Beijing: Lixin kuaiji chubanshe), 31.

Wu Shuchen 武樹臣, ed. (1999). Zhongguo chuantong falü wenhua cidian 中國傳統法律文化辭典 (Beijing: Beijing daxue chubanshe), 62.

Xiong Tieji 熊鐵基, Yang Youli 楊有禮, ed. (1994). Zhongguo diwang zaixiang cidian 中國帝王宰相辭典 (Wuhan: Hubei jiaoyu chubanshe), 401.

Yang Qingwang 楊慶旺, Ha Hua 哈鏵, ed. (1987). Zhongguo junshi zhishi cidian 中國軍事知識辭典 (Beijing: Huaxia chubanshe), 18.

Zhang Huizhi 張撝之, Shen Qiwei 沈起煒, Liu Dezhong 劉德重, ed. (1999). Zhongguo lidai renming da cidian 中國歷代人名大辭典 (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1433.