Ding Wei (Song dynasty)

Ding Wei (丁謂)
grand councilor of the Song dynasty
In office August 12, 1020 – July 26, 1022
Monarchs	Emperor Zhenzong, Emperor Renzong
Personal details
Born	966 or January 967 Sū Prefecture, Wuyue
Died	June 1037 (aged 70–71) Guāng Prefecture, Song dynasty
Spouse	Lady Dou (竇)
Children	Ding Gong (丁珙), son Ding Xu (丁珝), son Ding Qi (丁玘), son Ding Wu (丁珷), son 1 daughter
Parent	Ding Hao (丁顥) (father)

Ding Wei
Traditional Chinese	丁謂
Simplified Chinese	丁谓
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dīng Wèi Wade–Giles Ting1 Wei4
Ding Gongyan
Chinese	丁公言
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dīng Gōngyán

Template:Chinese name Ding Wei (c. 966 – June 1037), courtesy name Gongyan, was a Song dynasty chancellor, who dominated the courts during Emperor Zhenzong's later reign and Emperor Renzong's early reign.

Ding Wei's opponent Wang Zeng (王曾) claimed that Ding was considered one of the "Five Devils", along with Wang Qinruo, Lin Te (林特), Chen Pengnian (陳彭年) and Liu Chenggui (劉承珪), a group of high-ranking ministers unpopular at the time. In the centuries to follow, Ding Wei has almost always been portrayed as a treacherous minister in popular fiction.

Early career

When he was young, Ding Wei once wrote a prose essay with his friend Sun He (孫何) that quite impressed Wang Yucheng, a leading literati. Wang Yucheng considered their writing the best in China since Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan almost two centuries ago. In 992, Ding Wei passed the imperial examination and became the controller-general of Raozhou. A year later, he accompanied the crown prince Zhao Yuankan to inspect Fujian. Upon his return, he presented a report on salt and tea, and was made fiscal commissioner.

Notes and references

• Template:Zh icon Toqto'a; et al., eds. (1345). Song Shi (宋史) [History of Song].
• Template:Zh icon Li Tao (1183). Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian (續資治通鑑長編) [Extended Continuation to Zizhi Tongjian].