Sima Zhi 司馬芝 Zihua 子華

Contents

Biography

Early life and flight to Jing Province

Sima Zhi was from Wen County, Henei (in present-day Wen County, Henan). His courtesy name was Zihua. In his youth he was a student. At the end of the Eastern Han he fled the turmoil with his mother to Jing Province and lived in the south for over ten years, farming and keeping the seasons.

When they passed Luyang Mountain they met bandits. The rest of the party abandoned the elderly and weak and ran; only Sima Zhi stayed to guard his mother. When the bandits came with blades, he bowed and begged: “My mother is old—her fate rests only with you.” The bandits said: “This is a filial son; to kill him would be wrong,” and left. He and his mother escaped harm. His cousin Sima Lang had already made a name; Cui Yan once said that Sima Zhi’s ability surpassed Sima Lang’s, though people had not yet realised it.

Magistrate of Guan and the Liu Jie incident

In 208, when Cao Cao took Jing Province, Sima Zhi was made Magistrate of Guan. The north had only just been pacified and many people did not obey the law. The Chief Clerk of Jinan, Liu Jie, was a local magnate who kept retainers and guests and preyed on the people. When Sima Zhi assigned Liu Jie’s guest Wang Tong to conscript duty, Liu Jie had Wang Tong hide and instructed the county to ask for a substitute. The county had no choice but to request that Sima Zhi allow a substitute. Sima Zhi reported to the Grand Administrator of Jinan, Xu Yi, and Liu Jie was made to send Wang Tong in place of himself. The people of Qing Province therefore said that Sima Zhi “used the Chief Clerk as a soldier.” Later Liu Jie was imprisoned for conspiracy; those who had associated with him were implicated, but Sima Zhi was praised for not having colluded with Liu Jie.

Inspector, Grand Judge, and dismissal

Sima Zhi later served as Administrator of Ganling, Pei, and Yangping, and in each place had a good record. He was promoted to Governor of Henan. When Cao Pi succeeded, he was strict and forceful; even private requests from officials were not allowed. Sima Zhi encouraged his subordinates to enforce the law, carry out orders, and make their lords aware of their conduct and of shortcomings in administration. Under Emperor Ming (Cao Rui), he served as Grand Judge. There was a case of a woman who was accused and imprisoned; other officials had already decided she was guilty. Sima Zhi memorialised that in difficult inquisition cases it was appropriate to grant one amnesty to get at the truth and to win popular support. Cao Rui agreed.

In the winter of 231, when the King (Cao Rui) went to Luoyang for an audience, Sima Zhi had dealings with people from Henei and was dismissed. Later he was appointed Grand Minister of Agriculture. He memorialised that the Son of Heaven should emphasise agriculture, increase state grain reserves, and curb officials’ private schemes so that they could concentrate on farming. He died in office; his household had no surplus wealth. From the founding of Wei, those who served as Governor of Henan were said to have performed best when Sima Zhi held the post.

Personality and conduct

Sima Zhi was filial. He was caring toward subordinates and taught them how to hold office; when superiors questioned subordinates he would reason on their behalf and then instruct them how to respond, and matters often turned out as he had judged. He was upright and did not flatter or fawn. When discussing with guests, if something was wrong he would point it out to their faces but would not criticise or mock them afterwards.

Historical evaluations

Cui Yan: “Sima Zhi, though not yet as well known as Lang, actually surpasses him in ability.”
Chen Shou (in the list of Wei officials): Sima Zhi is grouped with those who served with integrity and good governance.

References

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Volume 12, Biography of Sima Zhi
Records of the Three Kingdoms, Volume 3, Annals of Emperor Ming