Life

Ma Midi was from Maoling County (茂陵縣), Youfufeng Commandery (右扶風郡), which is located northeast of present-day Xingping, Shaanxi. He was a relative of Ma Rong, an influential Confucian scholar and government official. Ma Midi studied under Ma Rong's tutelage in his younger days and later joined the government service as a Counsellor Remonstrant (諫議大夫). During this time, he and his colleagues Lu Zhi, Cai Yong, Yang Biao (楊彪) and others proofread, edited and annotated the official copies of the Four Books and Five Classics and Dongguan Han Ji (東觀漢記) stored in the imperial library. Later, he was reassigned to be a Household Counsellor (光祿大夫).

In 191, during the reign of Emperor Xian ( 189–220), Ma Midi was promoted to Grand Commandant (太尉) by Dong Zhuo, the warlord who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Emperor Xian from 189 to 192. In 192, Dong Zhuo was assassinated in Chang'an by Lü Bu and Wang Yun, who became the new head of the central government. When Cai Yong allegedly expressed grief at Dong Zhuo's death, Wang Yun had him imprisoned and sentenced to death. Ma Midi and other officials pleaded for leniency on Cai Yong's behalf, but Wang Yun refused and had Cai Yong executed.

Ma Midi became disappointed with Wang Yun and predicted that he would not remain in power for long. He was proven right: Later in 192, Dong Zhuo's followers, led by Li Jue and Guo Si, seized power from Wang Yun, killed him, and subsequently took control of the central government with Emperor Xian as a puppet ruler. Li Jue and Guo Si appointed Ma Midi as Grand Tutor (太傅) and Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing (錄尚書事).

One month later, Ma Midi and Zhao Qi were each granted a fu (a tally symbolising imperial authority) and ordered to pay official visits to high-ranking regional officials as representatives of the central government. Ma Midi was also tasked with conferring the appointment "General of the Left" (左將軍) and the noble title "Marquis of Yangzhai" (陽翟侯) on the warlord Yuan Shu in Shouchun (壽春; present-day Shou County, Anhui). When Ma Midi visited Yuan Shu, the latter treated him rudely, seized the fu from him and used it to consolidate his own power base in the Huai River region. Ma Midi, feeling ashamed of losing the fu, attempted to leave Shouchun, but Yuan Shu stopped him and tried to force him to be his adviser. Feeling frustrated and humiliated, Ma Midi vomited blood and died in Shouchun in 194.

生平

馬日磾年輕時已傳承了馬融的學說，並且以才學入仕朝廷。在東漢曾任諫議大夫，並與議郎盧植、議郎蔡邕、楊彪等一同在東觀典校官藏的《五經》記傳，並補續《東觀漢記》。後來轉任光祿大夫。初平二年（191年）轉任太尉。

初平三年（192年），司徒王允與呂布等殺死董卓，蔡邕因董卓被殺而嘆息，惹怒王允將他收捕下廷尉，士大夫大多都嘗試拯救但不果，馬日磾向王允勸說：「蔡邕是曠世逸才，並且熟知兩漢的事，應該讓他繼續修史，以為一代大典。而且蔡邕一向以忠孝著名，而現在他沒有犯甚麼罪名，這樣誅殺會令人民失望。」但王允卻辯駁：「當日漢武帝沒有殺司馬遷，令他寫了毀謗的書（史記）並流傳後世。現在東漢衰落，四處都有征戰，不可以讓佞臣在幼主（漢獻帝）身邊寫史書。不但無益於皇帝的聖德，更令我們等人遭到他的非議。」馬日磾亦向人稱王允殺蔡邕斷絕史書寫作是滅掉國紀、廢棄國典，並認為他不會在位太久。

同年，原董卓部將李傕等人攻陷長安，殺死主政的王允並把持朝政；馬日磾轉任太傅，錄尚書事。一個月後與太僕趙岐持節安撫天下，順道拜授袁術為左將軍、陽翟侯及假節。馬日磾到了壽春後多次有求於袁術，於是袁術輕侮馬日磾，藉故向他取符節觀看後搶奪不還，並促他徵闢其麾下將士。馬日磾見不能索回符節，於是要求離去，但又被袁術阻止，試圖強逼馬日磾任其軍師。馬日磾因符節被搶感到屈辱，於興平元年（194年）在壽春憂憤嘔血而死。

家族

父族

• 馬援

• 馬融

親族

• 馬騰

子嗣