Qin and Han · Official

Chao Cuo 晁錯

Cháo Cuò

Died BC 154

Passages
135
Chapters
15
Histories
4

Overview

The translated histories identify Chao Cuo as an official, scholar, statesman, and writer. This record brings together 135 passages from 15 chapters across 4 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Chao Cuo 晁錯 Cháo Cuò
Nickname Bag of Wisdom 智囊
Surname Chao 晁 Cháo
Surname Chao 晁 Chao
Personal name Chao Cuo 晁錯 Chao Cuo
Personal name Chao Cuo 晁錯 Cháo Cuò
Personal Chao Cuo 朝錯 Chao Cuo
Personal Chao Cuo 晁錯 Chao Cuo
Personal name Chao Cuo 朝錯 Cháo Cuò
Personal name Chao Cuo 朝錯 Chao Cuo
Personal Chao Cuo 晁 Chao
Personal name Chao Cuo 鼂錯 Cháo Cuò
Given Cuo 錯 Cuò
Given Cuo 錯 Cuo
Personal Cuo 錯 Cuo
Personal name Cuo 錯 Cuo
Alternate Cuo 錯 Cuo
Title erudite clerk 太常掌故
Title Grandee Secretary Chao Cuo 御史大夫晁錯
Title household commandant to the heir apparent 太子家令
Title household commandant to the heir apparent 太子家令 Taizi Jialing
Title Household Steward to the Crown Prince 太子家令
Title Imperial Counselor 御史大夫 Yushi Dafu
Title Imperial Counselor 御史大夫
Title Imperial Secretary Chao Cuo 御史大夫晁錯
Alternate wisdom bag 智囊
Alternate wisdom satchel 智囊

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Official
  • Scholar
  • Statesman
  • Writer

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

  • Source Date: Text: 三年 · Western Year: BC 154
    Explicit · hanshu:006:s0060, shiji:011:s0025
  • Source Date: Text: 孝文帝時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 180 · End: BC 157
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:101:s0153
  • Source Date: Text: 孝文時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 180 · End: BC 157
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:085:s0086, hanshu:085:s0087
  • Source Date: Text: 孝景帝時坐晁錯 · Western Year: BC 155
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:050:s0035
  • Source Date: Text: 孝景時…天子誅錯 · Western Year: BC 154
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:023:s0023, shiji:023:s0025
  • Source Date: Text: 文帝從錯之言 · Western Year: BC 168
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:026:s0196
  • Source Date: Text: 晁錯復說上曰 · Western Interval: Start: BC 180 · End: BC 157
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:026:s0142
  • Source Date: Text: 景帝之世 · Western Interval: Start: BC 157 · End: BC 141
    Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:031:s0041
  • Source Date: Text: 景帝即位後吳楚反 · Western Year: BC 154
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:101:s0161, shiji:101:s0181
  • Source Date: Text: 漢初 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 141
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:051:s0128
  • Source Date: Text: 漢興以來 · Western Interval: Start: BC 200 · End: BC 100
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:085:s0041
  • Source Date: Text: 論曰比擬 · Western Interval: Start: AD 996 · End: AD 1055
    Explicit event contextual date · liaoshi:103:s0154

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

  • Child of Chao Cuo's father (錯父)
    Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Learning and skills

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

Source notes

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Han, Chapter 5Volume 4: Annals of Emperor Wen · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 6Volume 5: Annals of Emperor Jing · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 26Volume 24a: Treatise on Trade 1 · 3 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 44Volume 35: Princes of Jing, Yan and Wu · 18 passages
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及景帝即位，錯為御史大夫，說上曰：「昔高帝初定天下，昆弟少，諸子弱，大封同姓，故孽子悼惠王王齊七十二城，庶弟元王王楚四十城，兄子王吳五十餘城。 When Emperor Jing came to the throne, Chao Cuo became Imperial Counselor. He urged the emperor, "When Gaozu first settled the realm, he had few brothers and his sons were young, so he gave large fiefs to men of his own surname. Thus his secondary son, King Dao Hui, ruled Qi with seventy-two cities; his younger brother, King Yuan, ruled Chu with forty cities; and his nephew ruled Wu with more than fifty cities.
召入見，上問以吳楚之計，盎對曰：「吳楚相遺書，曰『賊臣朝錯擅適諸侯，削奪之地』，以故反，名為西共誅錯，復故地而罷。 Yuan Ang was summoned to audience, and the emperor asked him about the plans of Wu and Chu. Ang replied, "Wu and Chu have exchanged letters saying, 'The wicked minister Chao Cuo has arbitrarily punished the feudal lords and stripped away their lands.' That is why they have rebelled. Their stated aim is to march west together, execute Chao Cuo, restore their former territories, and then disband.
Book of Han, Chapter 51Volume 42: Zhang, Zhou, Zhao, Ren and Shentu · 7 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 58Volume 49: Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo · 60 passages
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平陽侯臣窋、汝陰侯臣灶、潁陰侯臣何、廷尉臣宜昌、隴西太守臣昆邪所選賢良太子家令臣錯昧死再拜言：臣竊聞古之賢主莫不求賢以為輔翼，故黃帝得力牧而為五帝先，大禹得咎繇而為三王祖，齊桓得管子而為五伯長。 The men who recommended me as Worthy and Good were your servants the Marquis of Pingyang, Cao Zhu; the Marquis of Ruyin, Xiahou Zao; the Marquis of Yingyin, Guan He; the Commandant of Justice, Yichang; and the Administrator of Longxi, Kunxie. Your servant Chao Cuo bows twice and, risking death, states: I have heard that every worthy ruler of antiquity sought worthy men as his wings and helpers. Thus the Yellow Emperor obtained Limu and became foremost of the Five Thearchs; Great Yu obtained Gao Yao and became progenitor of the Three Kings; and Duke Huan of Qi obtained Guan Zhong and became leader of the Five Hegemons.
上卒問盎，對曰：「吳、楚相遺書，言高皇帝王子弟各有分地，今賊臣晁錯擅適諸侯，削奪之地，以故反名為西共誅錯，復故地而罷。 The emperor finally asked Yuan Ang, who replied, "Wu and Chu have exchanged letters saying that Gaozu's sons and younger brothers were each granted allotted territories, but now the wicked minister Chao Cuo has arbitrarily punished the feudal lords and cut away their lands. For this reason, they have raised the banner of marching west to join in executing Chao Cuo, restoring their former lands, and then standing down.
Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 85Volume 74: Wei Xiang and Bing Ji · 2 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 102Volume 90: Cruel Officials · 1 passage
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Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 1 passage
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History of Liao, Chapter 103Volume 103 Biographies 33: Literature 1 · 1 passage
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Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 11Annals of the Xiaojing Emperor · 2 passages
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太史公曰：漢興，孝文施大德，天下懷安，至孝景，不復憂異姓，而晁錯刻削諸侯，遂使七國俱起，合從而西鄉，以諸侯太盛，而錯為之不以漸也。 The Grand Historian says: When Han arose, Emperor Wen practiced great virtue, and the realm rested in peace. By Emperor Jing's time, there was no longer any fear of kings from other surnames. But Chao Cuo cut sharply into the power of the feudal lords, causing the seven states to rise together, join in alliance, and march west. The problem was that the feudal lords had grown too powerful, and Cuo did not proceed gradually.
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 23Treatise on Ritual · 2 passages
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Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 50House of Prince Yuan of Chu · 1 passage
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Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 101Biographies of Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo · 34 passages
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