Xiao Yu
| Xiao Yu | |
|---|---|
| Chancellor of the Tang dynasty | |
| Born | 574 |
| Died | 647 (aged 72–73) |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 蕭瑀 |
| Simplified Chinese | 萧瑀 |
| Pinyin | Xiāo Yǔ |
| Wade–Giles | Hsiao Yü |
| Courtesy name | Shiwen (simplified Chinese: 时文; traditional Chinese: 時文; pinyin: Shíwén; Wade–Giles: Shih-wen) |
| Posthumous name | Duke Zhenbian of Song (simplified Chinese: 宋贞褊公; traditional Chinese: 宋貞褊公; pinyin: Sòng Zhēnbiǎn Gōng; Wade–Giles: Sung Chen-pien Kung) |
Xiao Yu (574–647), courtesy name Shiwen, posthumously known as Duke Zhenbian of Song, was an imperial prince of the Liang dynasty who later became an official under the Sui and Tang dynasties. He served as a chancellor during the reigns of the emperors Gaozu and Taizong in the early Tang dynasty.
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.
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.
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