æz ˈɛmpɚɹɚ, ˈɛmpɚɹɚ zˈaɪənwən wʌz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd æz hˈɑːɹdwɜːkɪŋ ænd ɐpɹˈoʊpɹɪət ɪn hɪz ɐwˈɔːɹdz ænd pˈʌnɪʃmənts—ɪn pɚtˈɪkjʊlɚ, ɪn pɹəmˈoʊɾɪŋ ˈɑːnɪst əfˈɪʃəlz ænd dᵻmˈoʊɾɪŋ kɚɹˈʌpt wˌʌnz, ænd ɪt wʌz sˈɛd ðæt ˈoʊnli stˈɑːɹɾɪŋ ɪn hɪz ɹˈeɪn wɜː nˈɔːɹðɚn wˈaɪ əfˈɪʃəlz pɹˈeɪzd fɔːɹ bˌiːɪŋ ˈɑːnɪst.
As emperor, Emperor Xianwen was described as hardworking and appropriate in his awards and punishments—in particular, in promoting honest officials and demoting corrupt ones, and it was said that only starting in his reign were Northern Wei officials praised for being honest.