[1]Name, dates, and statusCai Kan was born in 1141, his death year is unknown, and he was a Southern Song official.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographical profile and three biographies identify Cai Kan, give 1141 as his birth year, leave the death year unknown, and place him in the Southern Song.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The basic record gives the name Cai Kan, birth year 1141, and the Song dynasty.
WikidataCai Kan (Q16075503)The item gives the English name Cai Kan, describes him as a Song-dynasty person, and supplies a birth value in 1141.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The profile and biographies give Dingfu as Cai Kan’s courtesy name.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The basic record classifies Dingfu as his courtesy name.
WikidataCai Kan (Q16075503)The name and character-name fields give Dingfu as the alias and character-name value.
[3]Origin and residenceCai Kan was associated with Xianyou and Wujin; the biographies place his residence in Wujin, while Wujin is also given as his place of origin.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The profile and biographies identify Xianyou as his native place, specify its present-day province, and state that he lived in Wujin in present-day Jiangsu.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The address fields list Wujin as the basic native-place entry and Xianyou as another native-place entry.
[4]FamilyCai Kan was a fourth-generation descendant of Cai Xiang; the listed relatives include his father Cai Tuan, younger brother Cai Wu, agnatic younger cousin Cai Jun, son Cai Kang, and affine relative Hu Jianchang.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)All three biographies describe Cai Kan as a fourth-generation descendant of Cai Xiang.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The kinship fields list Cai Xiang as the high ancestor, Cai Tuan as father, Hu Jianchang as affine relative, Cai Wu as younger brother, Cai Jun as agnatic younger cousin, and Cai Kang as son.
[5]Entry into office and jinshiCai Kan entered office through hereditary privilege as Liyang County Commandant and passed the jinshi examination in the second year of Qiandao.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies describe his hereditary appointment as Liyang Commandant and his success in the Qiandao second-year jinshi examination.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The office fields list the Liyang county commandant post, and the examination field lists the jinshi degree.
[6]Library post and JiangyinIn Qiandao 7 Cai Kan was summoned for a library post and appointed Zhengzi in the Palace Library; the next year he became military prefect of Jiangyin.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The two biographies give the Qiandao seventh-year library examination and Zhengzi appointment, followed by the next year’s appointment at Jiangyin.
[7]Suizhou and regional serviceIn early Chunxi Cai Kan served at Suizhou, memorialized on military preparedness, held regional transport and judicial posts, and proposed troop farming and substituted payment of supply silver.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies describe his Suizhou appointment and military memorial, his Western Capital and Guangdong transport commissions, Hunan judicial commission, and proposals for troop farming and substituted supply payments.
[8]Court of Agriculture and judicial postsHis appointments included posts in the Court of Agriculture, a circuit judicial commission, and an assistant professorship of legal studies.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The office list includes the Shaoqing and Qing posts of the Court of Agriculture, the circuit judicial commissioner, and the legal-studies assistant professorship.
[9]Prefectures and ranksThe office list includes appointments at Mingzhou, Shezhou, Lin'an, and Jingjiang, together with several civil and palace ranks.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The office fields list Mingzhou, Shezhou, Lin'an, and Jingjiang appointments, as well as Chaofeng and Chaoqing Daifu and the Youwen, Jiying, and Huawen palace appointments.
[10]Zongling appointmentsIn Chunxi 10 Cai Kan held zongling appointments associated with Huguang, Jiankang, and Huaixi, with differing sequences in the biographies.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)One biography gives Huguang to Jiankang and then Huaixi, while another gives Huaixi followed by Huguang in Chunxi 10.
[11]Eastern Zhejiang and dismissalIn Shaoxi 1 Cai Kan became Judicial Commissioner for Eastern Zhejiang, entered the Zhongshu menxia, and was later dismissed after memorials against him with shrine support.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies record his Shaoxi first-year Eastern Zhejiang judicial commission and appointment in the Zhongshu menxia; one also records dismissal by memorial and shrine support.
[12]Ningzong-era officesAfter Ningzong’s accession Cai Kan held the Court of Agriculture and Lin'an posts, acted as Vice Minister of Revenue, and again served as Huguang zongling.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies describe his Ningzong-era summons to the Court of Agriculture, concurrent Lin'an appointment, acting Revenue vice-ministry, and renewed Huguang zongling service.
[13]Longxing and withdrawalIn Qingyuan 2 Cai Kan became military prefect of Longxing, was dismissed, withdrew for years, and later returned as Jiying dian Xiuzhuan and military prefect of Jingjiang.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)One biography dates the Longxing appointment to Qingyuan 2, while another gives Qingyuan初 and records the dismissal, years of seclusion, and later Jingying and Jingjiang appointments.
[14]Recommendations and JingjiangZhang Zhongshu, Fang Xinru, and Hu 槻 recommended Cai Kan in 1196; the biographies date his Jingjiang and Guangxi appointments to Jiatai 1, while the office data gives 1202–1204 for the term.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The recommendation records name Zhang Zhongshu, Fang Xinru, and Hu 槻 in 1196, while the office fields give the Guangxi-related appointments as 1202–1204.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biography dates the Jingjiang and Guangxi appointments to the first year of Jiatai, 1201.
[15]Local administrationCai Kan relieved flood victims at Lin'an and brought order to Guangxi by promoting incorrupt officials and dismissing corrupt ones.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographical account describes flood relief at Lin'an and the promotion of incorrupt officials, dismissal of corrupt ones, and resulting order in Guangxi.
[16]Retirement and deathWhen Han Tuozhou dominated the court, Cai Kan declined to serve in his administration and retired; the retirement title appears in two forms and his death year is unknown.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies connect the Kaixi retirement with Han Tuozhou, give Bao'mo ge or Bao'wen ge Zhixueshi as the retirement title, and state that he later died without supplying a year.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The relationship note explicitly describes his refusal to serve in Han Tuozhou’s government, and the office list gives Bao'mo ge Zhixueshi.
[17]Career and characterCai Kan entered office in early adulthood and served for forty years in demanding internal and external posts; his uprightness and nonconformity left him laboring in external appointments.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographical essay summarizes his forty years of internal and external service and characterizes him as upright, unyielding, unconventional, and long employed outside the capital.
[18]Prose and collected writingsCai Kan’s prose was plain rather than ornate and focused on practical statecraft; his collected writings are known as Dingzhai ji.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies describe his prose as unornamented and concerned with useful affairs of state, and identify the collection as Dingzhai ji.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The works list includes Dingzhai ji and an entry specifying Cai Kan’s Dingzhai ji.
[19]Dingzhai jiThe original Dingzhai ji comprised forty juan, was lost, and was later reconstructed in twenty juan by Qing editors from the Yongle dadian and other materials.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The poetry and prose entries give the original forty-juan size, its loss, and the Qing reconstruction in twenty juan from the Yongle dadian and other sources.
[20]Jingjiang fuzhiCai Kan compiled the twelve-juan Jingjiang fuzhi, and it, like Dingzhai ji, is lost.
Souyun蔡戡 (31387)The biographies list the twelve-juan Jingjiang fuzhi and state that it and Dingzhai ji were lost.
CBDBCai Kan (3860)The works record lists the twelve-juan Jingjiang fuzhi and identifies Cai Kan as its author.
CBDB
