Sa Dula

TimelineCBDB

1. 1329 錄事司達魯花赤 天曆
2. 1335 義兵百戶 至元
3. 1361 南臺宣使 至正

Office recordsCBDB

FamilyCBDB

AliasesCBDB

• 天錫 未詳
• 天錫 字
• 直齋 室名、別號

StatusCBDB

• [為官者：文]

AssociationsCBDB

ExaminationsCBDB

WorksCBDB

Citations

1. [1] Dates The dates are disputed: one account gives 1272–1340, others give 1272–1355 and 1308–1355.
   • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The principal biographical fields give the name Sa Dula and the years 1272 and 1340.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical texts give 1272–1340 and 1272–1355, with the latter presented with uncertainty in one text.
   • WikidataSa Dula (Q4404896)The English identity field and date statements give Sa Dula and 1308–1355.
2. [2] Identity Sa Dula is identified as a Yuan-dynasty poet, painter, and calligrapher.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical description identifies him as a Yuan-dynasty poet, painter, and calligrapher.
3. [3] Names and native place His courtesy name was Tianxi, his sobriquet Zhizhai, and his native place is given as Yanmen and Daizhou.
   • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The name fields give Tianxi as the courtesy name, Zhizhai as the sobriquet, and Daizhou as the basic native-place entry.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical passages and profile give the courtesy name Tianxi, the sobriquet Zhizhai, and Yanmen in modern Dai County, Shanxi.
   • WikidataSa Dula (Q4404896)The English name fields identify Sa Dula and list Tianxi and Zhizhai as aliases.
4. [4] Name interpretation A traditional explanation equated the name Sa Dula with the Chinese Jishan.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical text explains the name with the Chinese expression 濟善.
5. [5] Family origin and migration He belonged to the Dashiman clan; one account connects the family’s Yanmen identity with his grandfather’s military service, while another places a move from Yanmen to Hejian.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical texts mention the Dashiman clan, the move from Yanmen to Hejian, and the grandfather’s military service in Yun and Dai.
6. [6] Lineage debate His lineage has been described in several different ways, including Mongolized Semu, Hui, Mongol, Han, Uyghur, and Turkic ancestry, without a settled conclusion.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)Different biographical texts propose Hui, Mongolized Semu, Mongol, Han, Uyghur, and Turkic affiliations and indicate that the issue is unresolved.
7. [7] Early life One account describes a military-family background, poverty in youth, unsuccessful early examination efforts, and a period of earning a living through commerce.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical text mentions a military background, childhood poverty, unsuccessful early examinations, and commerce as a livelihood.
8. [8] Jinshi examination He passed the jinshi examination in 1327, the fourth year of the Taiding era.
   • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The examination entry classifies him as a jinshi.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical texts connect the jinshi degree with the fourth Taiding year, Taiding dingmao, or 1327.
9. [9] First appointments After the examination he received the Yingfeng Hanlin wenzi appointment, served in Yannan, and was promoted at the Southern Regional Office.
   • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The office list includes the Hanlin appointment Yingfeng Hanlin wenzi.
   • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical passages give the sequence from Yingfeng Hanlin wenzi through Yannan service to the Southern Regional Office.
10. [10] Impeachment and demotion After impeaching powerful figures, he was demoted at Zhenjiang, later served as a Jiangnan branch censor, and was again demoted in Huaxi–Jiangbei.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The office list gives the Zhenjiang lusi darughachi and the Huaxi Suzheng lianfangsi jingli posts.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical passages describe the impeachment, Zhenjiang demotion, Jiangnan branch censorate, and Huaxi–Jiangbei demotion in sequence.
11. [11] Additional offices His other appointments included censorate zhaomo, Minhai and Hebei inspection posts, a Fujian yibing baihu appointment in 1335, and Suzheng lianfangsi jingli posts associated with Yannan–Hebei and Huaxi.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The office list includes the censorate zhaomo, the yibing baihu in Fujian dated to the first year of Zhiyuan or 1335, and Suzheng lianfangsi jingli posts in two circuits.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical texts list the Yannan–Hebei censorate zhaomo, the Minhai inspection post, and the Hebei inspection post.
12. [12] Chronologically uncertain office The Southern Regional Commissioner office is dated to 1361, after all of the reported death dates, so its chronology is uncertain.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The office list assigns Southern Regional Commissioner to 1361 while the principal fields give a death year of 1340.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical material gives death years of 1340 and 1355, both earlier than 1361.
    • WikidataSa Dula (Q4404896)The date statement gives 1355 as the death year, also earlier than 1361.
13. [13] Official conduct He was described as upright and effective in office, unwilling to curry favor with the powerful, and demoted after offending them.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical text describes clean government, achievements, refusal to curry favor, and demotion after offending powerful figures.
14. [14] Later life and landscapes In later life he lived in Hangzhou, explored mountains and ravines with simple equipment, wrote poetry when inspired, climbed Mount Sikong’s Taibai Terrace, and built a retreat below it.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical passages describe his Hangzhou residence, landscape excursions, verse-making, ascent of Taibai Terrace on Mount Sikong, and retreat below the mountain.
15. [15] Fang Guozhen tradition His alleged entry into Fang Guozhen’s staff in later life is presented as an uncertain account.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical text introduces the claim that he entered Fang Guozhen’s staff with an uncertainty marker.
16. [16] Poetic style His prose was vigorous, his poetry fresh and flowing, and his ci lyrics strong in historical reminiscence; later criticism also emphasized force, ruggedness, and refined clarity.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical texts describe vigorous prose, fresh and flowing poetry, historical lyrics, and a style that is broad, forceful, clear, and beautiful without excess.
17. [17] Representative poems Several named pieces are praised for graceful fluency, while the named regulated poems are praised for harmony and classical dignity.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The literary passage names the poems and gives the corresponding judgments of graceful fluency and classical harmony.
18. [18] Works and titles His collected poetry is associated with Yanmen ji and with the titles Sa Tianxi shiji and Sa Tianxi ji.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The works list contains 薩天錫詩集 and 雁門集.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The biographical passages mention 雁門集 and the alternate title 薩天錫集.
19. [19] Textual transmission The transmitted collection has variant titles and versions, mixed attributions, and losses from the older corpus.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The literary passage discusses variant titles and editions, poems attributed elsewhere or to anonymous authors, and the dispersal of older volumes.
20. [20] Literary associations Gan Wenzhuan wrote a preface to Yanmen ji, and Huang Jin, Lu Zhi, Ma Zuchang, Zhang Yu, and Li Xiaoguang exchanged poems with Sa Dula.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The association entries record Gan Wenzhuan’s preface and reciprocal poetic exchanges with Huang Jin, Lu Zhi, Ma Zuchang, Zhang Yu, and Li Xiaoguang.
    • Souyun薩都剌 (40281)The literary passage explicitly identifies Gan Wenzhuan as the author of a preface to his poetry.
21. [21] Calligraphic and pictorial colophons He wrote colophons for works by Li Shixing and Chen Qian, and a work called Sa Tianxi huaping is associated with him.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The association entries record colophons for Li Shixing’s and Chen Qian’s works and the title 薩天錫畫屏.
22. [22] Family His relatives included a younger brother, two nephews, and two lineal descendants; one account identifies Lianru as Longguang’s daughter and associates Longguang with editing his poetry.
    • CBDBSa Dula (28439)The kinship fields list the brother Sa Lahu-ding, nephews Sa Zhongli and Sa Zhongming, descendants Sa Longguang and Sa Lianru, and the note identifying Lianru as Longguang’s daughter and linking Longguang to the editing of Sa Dula’s poems.