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Fan Ye (398 – 23 January 446), courtesy name Weizong (蔚宗), was a Chinese historian, philosopher, and politician of the Liu Song dynasty during the Southern and Northern dynasties period. He was the compiler of the historical text Book of the Later Han. The fourth son of Fan Tai (范泰), Fan Ye was born in present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang, but his ancestral home was in Nanyang, Henan. After his birth, he was made heir of another male relative Fan Hongzhi (范弘之).

He was a noted atheist who heavily criticised Buddhism, Yin and Yang, and the concept of the Mandate of Heaven. To this end, he cited Zhang Heng's scientific studies as evidence.

In January 446, Fan Ye was accused of rebellion and executed, along with many associates including his son Fan Ai (范藹).

Appearance and personality

The Book of Song described Fan as "less than seven chi in height, fat and dark in complexion, with no eyebrows or beard".

When Fan Ye was young, his elder brother Fan Yan (范晏) frequently mentioned that Fan Ye was drawn towards advancing his interests and that this habit would bring disaster to their clan, which was what eventually happened.

References

1. According to Fan Ye's biography in Book of Song, he was 48 (by East Asian age reckoning) when he died. Thus by calculation, his birth year should be 398. Songshu 493, vol. 69, Biography of Fan Ye: "...諸所連及，並伏誅。曄時年四十八。"
2. According to the annals of Liu Yilong's reign in Book of Song, Fan Ye and his accomplices were executed on the yiwei day of the 12th month of the 22nd year of the Yuanjia regnal period. This corresponds to 23 Jan 446 on the Julian calendar. Songshu 493, vol. 05, 文帝: 元嘉 22: "十二月乙未，太子詹事范曄謀反，及黨與皆伏誅。"
3. The age order of Fan Ye and his brothers was listed in Songshu 493, vol. 60, Biography of Fan Tai.
4. Book of Jin 648, vol. 91, Biography of Fan Hongzhi.
5. (晔长不满七尺，肥黑，秃眉须。) Song Shu, vol. 69
6. (晔少时，兄晏常云：“此儿进利，终破门户。”终如晏言。) Song Shu, vol.69

Sources

• Shen Yue (1974) . Songshu 宋書 [Book of Song]. Zhonghua Shuju.
• Fang Xuanling; et al., eds. (1974) . Jinshu 晉書 [Book of Jin]. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju.
• Tan Jiajian (譚家健) (2000). "Hou Hanshu" ("Book of Later Han")". Encyclopedia of China (Chinese Literature Edition) (1st ed.).
• Knechtges, David R. (2010). "Fan Ye (范曄) (398–446), zi Weizong 蔚宗". In David Knechtges; Taiping Chang (eds.). Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide, vol. 1. Handbook of Oriental Studies, Section 4: China, volume 25/1. Brill. pp. 218–222. doi:10.1163/9789047444664_002. ISBN 978-90-47-44466-4.

Further reading

• The Western Regions, Xiongnu and Han, from the Shiji, Hanshu and Hou Hanshu. Translated by Yap, Joseph P. 2019. ISBN 978-1792829154. OCLC 1101181394.

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