丁明 / Ding Ming (Western Han)

Overview

丁明 / Ding Ming is synthesized as a Western Han Ding-family Da Sima whose office first appears as part of 汉哀帝’s Jianping 2 personnel reset and whose later grief over 王嘉 becomes politically punishable. Hanji 578 identifies him as 丁太后 / 丁姬’s elder brother and says Aidi appoints him Da Sima Wei General with subordinate officials after restoring the Yushi Dafu office. Hanji 599 later shows that the same high status does not protect him when sympathy for Wang Jia reads as dissent.

Current Profile

Hanji 578 places Ding Ming in the opening personnel reset. After Zhu Bo’s Yushi Dafu proposal is accepted, Aidi appoints Ding Ming as Da Sima Wei General and permits him to have subordinate officials. The episode treats the move as part of Aidi’s power consolidation and consort-kin placement: old office language can be restored while top-level access and military-political standing are redistributed.

Hanji 599 later presents Ding Ming narrowly but sharply. He is identified as a high official who had long respected Wang Jia. After Wang Jia dies in prison, Ding Ming grieves deeply. Aidi learns of this grief and issues an order dismissing Ding Ming and sending him home.

Ding Ming therefore carries two connected meanings. His appointment shows how outer-relative office placement can be built into an institutional reset; his removal shows how even a top officeholder remains vulnerable when visible sympathy crosses Aidi’s factional line.

Key Characteristics

• Western Han Ding-family figure appointed Da Sima Wei General in Jianping 2.
• Consort-kin officeholder whose appointment belongs to Aidi’s office-sequence and personnel reset.
• High official in the immediate Wang Jia aftermath.
• Longtime admirer or respecter of Wang Jia in the episode’s account.
• Publicly or visibly grieves Wang Jia’s prison death.
• Removed by Han Aidi because that grief itself becomes politically charged.

Evidence

• Appointment: Hanji 578 says Aidi appoints Ding Ming as Da Sima Wei General and permits him to have subordinate officials.
• Ding-family link: Hanji 578 identifies Ding Ming as Ding Taihou’s elder brother.
• Office and respect: Hanji 599 identifies Ding Ming as Da Sima and says he had always respected Wang Jia.
• Punishable grief: Hanji 599 says Aidi dismisses Ding Ming after learning he grieved Wang Jia’s death.

Qualifications

This page is currently source-scoped to Hanji 578 and Hanji 599. Hanji 578 supports Ding Ming’s appointment and Ding-family identity, but not his prior career, policy role, or actual use of subordinate staff. Hanji 599 supports his respect for Wang Jia and later dismissal, but not his full motive, legal status, or later life.

What Changed

• Added Hanji 578’s earlier Da Sima Wei General appointment and Ding-family placement layer.
• Preserved Hanji 599’s grief-punishment case.

Relationships

• 王嘉 - official whose death Ding Ming mourns.
• 汉哀帝 - ruler who removes Ding Ming after learning of the grief.
• 丁姬 - Ding-family connection used to identify Ding Ming in Hanji 578.
• 朱博 - official whose Yushi Dafu proposal precedes Ding Ming’s Da Sima appointment.
• 官职序列重组式权力再分配 - concept frame for the appointment context.
• 西汉 - dynastic setting for Ding Ming’s office.