Empress Du Lingyang – The Empress of the Eastern Jin Dynasty whose name was tabooed

Empress Du Lingyang was the empress consort of Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Her great-grandfather was the famous poet and general Du Yu.^[1] Empress Du Lingyang did not have any children.^[2] After her death, her name was tabooed.^[3]

In 321 C.E., Empress Du Lingyang was born.^[4] She was from the prestigious Du family. Her personal name may have been Ling or Lingchung.^[5] Lingyang may have been a mistake penned by later ancient chroniclers.^[6] Her father was Du Yi (the Marquis of Dangyang). Marquis Du Yi was the grandson of the famous Du Yu. Du Yu was a famous general and poet during Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty’s reign.^[7] Her mother was Lady Pei. She had no siblings. Her father, Du Yi, died when she was young. Therefore, she was raised by her mother, Lady Pei.

In 336 C.E., Du Lingyang was chosen to be Emperor Cheng’s empress.^[8] Emperor Cheng married Du Lingyang. On 17 March 336 C.E., Du Lingyang was invested as Empress of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. She was sixteen years old. Emperor Cheng was fifteen years old. Empress Du Lingyang remained childless and did not produce any children with Emperor Cheng.^[9]

During Empress Du Lingyang’s and Emperor Cheng’s reign, Daoism was revived.^[10] Daoism fostered the emergence of new schools.^[11] Many scholars began to interpret Confucianism through Daoism.^[12] In 337 C.E., the National University was founded.^[13] This university was opened to reinterpret the classic Confucian texts through the use of Daoism.^[14]

In 341 C.E., Empress Du Lingyang died.^[15] She was twenty-one years old. As a sign of respect to the late empress, Empress Du Lingyang’s name was tabooed.^[16] For instance, the county of Lingyang was changed to Guangyang.^[17] Empress Du Lingyang’s posthumous name was Empress Chenggong.^[18]

On 26 July 342 C.E., Emperor Cheng died of illness.^[19] He was twenty-one years old. He was buried next to his empress, Du Lingyang, in Mound Xingping.^[20] Emperor Cheng was succeeded by his eldest son, Sima Pi. Sima Pi ascended the throne of the Eastern Jin Dynasty as Emperor Ai.

There are very few facts known about Empress Du Lingyang.^[21] She was empress for five years.^[22] She did not have any children and was barren.^[23] She also died at the age of twenty-one. Even though we know so little about her, it is clear that she was respected during and after her lifetime.^[24] Her name was tabooed, and her subjects could not use her name.^[25] Nevertheless, Empress Du Lingyang still remains one of China’s most forgotten empresses.^[26]

Sources:

Adamek, P. (2017). Good Son is Sad If He Hears the Name of His Father: The Tabooing of Names in China as a Way of Implementing Social Values. London: Taylor & Francis.

Theobald, U. (2018, June 16). “Jin Chengdi 晉成帝 Sima Yan 司馬衍”. Chinaknowledge.de- An Encyclopedia on Chinese History, Literature, and Art. Retrieved on January 31, 2025 from http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/personsjinchengdi.html.

Venning, T. (2023). A Compendium of World Sovereigns: Ancient. Volume I. London: Routledge.