Zhou Yunyuan (周允元) (died January 29, 695), courtesy name Ruliang (汝良), was an official of Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, briefing serving as chancellor.

It is not known when Zhou Yunyuan was born, but it is known that he was from Yu Prefecture (豫州, roughly modern Zhumadian, Henan). He passed the imperial examination in his youth. He became deputy imperial censor reviewing central government affairs (左肅政中丞, Zuo Suzheng Zhongcheng) in early 694, and in winter 694 Wu Zetian made him acting Fengge Shilang (鳳閣侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (鳳閣, Fengge). She also gave him the designation of Tong Fengge Luantai Pingzhangshi (同鳳閣鸞臺平章事), making him a chancellor de facto. Soon thereafter, Zhou and the assistant chief judge of the supreme court Huangfu Wenbei (皇甫文備) submitted articles of impeachment against five chancellors -- Doulu Qinwang, Wei Juyuan, Du Jingjian, Su Weidao, and Lu Yuanfang, of being unable to curb the powerful chancellor Li Zhaode, whom Wu Zetian exiled in late 694. The five chancellors accused were demoted to be prefectural prefects.

On one occasion, when Wu Zetian held a feast for the chancellors, she asked them to quote good passages from books. The passage that Zhou selected was, "Be ashamed that your emperor is not as good as Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun." (Emperors Yao and Shun were mythical emperors said to be very benevolent.) Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Sansi believed that these words were hurtful and tried to rebuke Zhou, but Wu Zetian said, "These words are faithful and honest words. How can you treat them as wrong?"

Zhou died in 695. Wu Zetian personally wrote a poem to mourn him, considered a great honor at the time.

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周允元（？ - 695年），字汝良，武周官員，曾短暫擔任宰相。

周允元生年不詳，是豫州安城人，祖上為南朝梁義、衡二州刺史、襲蓬陵侯周表，父周基。他在弱冠之年即通過殿試中進士。延載（694年）初，他轉任左肅政御史中丞，十月在右肅政台御史中丞任上被武則天除檢校鳳閣侍郎，授同鳳閣鸞臺平章事，為實質宰相。証聖元年（695年）正月，周允元和酷吏司刑少卿皇甫文備上疏彈劾五位宰相豆盧欽望、韋巨源、杜景儉、蘇味道和陸元方附會于694年後期被武則天流放的權相李昭德且未能匡正，五位宰相都被貶為刺史。

一次，武則天與宰相們飲宴，要他們引用書中的善言。周允元說：「恥于君主不如堯、舜。」武則天之侄武三思想藉此斥責他，但武則天卻說：「周允元的這句話足以為戒，怎麼能怪罪他呢？」

証聖元年，周允元卒，追贈貝州刺史。武則天親自作七言詩一首以示哀悼，並親自書寫，時人以為榮。

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