Qin and Han · Imperial Favorite

Deng Tong 鄧通

Attested BC 209 - BC 141

Passages: 55
Chapters: 5
Histories: 3

Overview

The translated histories identify Deng Tong as an attendant, courtier, named individual, and official. This record brings together 55 passages from 5 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Deng Tong	鄧通	Deng Tong
Surname	Deng	鄧	Deng
Surname	Deng	鄧氏	Deng
Personal name	Deng Tong	鄧通	Deng Tong
Personal	Deng Tong	鄧通	Dèng Tōng
Personal	Deng Tong	鄧	Deng
Given	Tong	通	Tong
Given name	Tong	通	Tong
Given		通	Tōng
Surname		鄧	Dèng

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0113
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · nanqishu:056:s0008
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:105:s0006
Value: male
Explicit · shiji:125:s0009, shiji:125:s0013

Roles

Attendant
Courtier
Named Individual
Official

Life and dates

Death

Manner: died as a dependent in another's household without a coin to his name / 寄死人家，竟不得名一錢
Explicit · shiji:125:s0036
Text: died in poverty in another person's house
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0038

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 孝文時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 180 · End: BC 157
Explicit · shiji:125:s0009, shiji:125:s0013
Source Date: Text: 景帝立 · Western Interval: Start: BC 157 · End: BC 141
Explicit · shiji:125:s0031
Source Date: Text: 漢初 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:051:s0113
Source Date: Text: 漢文帝之世 · Western Interval: Start: BC 180 · End: BC 157
Explicit · nanqishu:056:s0008

Career and standing

Label: Yellow-Cap Boatman / 黃頭郎
Explicit · shiji:125:s0013
Label: Senior Grand Master / 上大夫 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:125:s0018
Label: Gentleman of the Palace / 郎中 · Action: held
Explicit · nanqishu:056:s0008
grandee
Explicit · hanshu:027:s0078
Title: senior grandee
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0022
Title: Yellow-Head Gentleman
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0016
Title: copper mines at Yandao in Shu with minting rights / 蜀嚴道銅山，得自鑄錢 · Action: granted
Explicit · shiji:125:s0024
Status: dismissed · Action: entered
Explicit · shiji:125:s0031
Status: indebted · Action: held · Quantity: tens of millions / 數巨萬
Explicit · shiji:125:s0033
Status: imperial-favorite · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:125:s0016
Label: investigation for illicit minting beyond the frontier / 盜出徼外鑄錢 · Action: prosecuted
Explicit · shiji:125:s0032, shiji:125:s0033
Label: confiscation of household property / 盡沒入鄧通家 · Action: suffered
Explicit · shiji:125:s0033

Places and affiliations

Place: Nan'an in the Commandery of Shu / 蜀郡南安
Explicit · shiji:125:s0013
Text: Nan'an in Shu commandery
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0016

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Emperor Wen of Han (漢文)
Explicit · shiji:125:s0028

Events and relationships

Kind: personal · Role: attendant · Action: identified-from-emperor-dream · Other Person Id: Emperor Wen of Han (漢文)
Explicit · shiji:125:s0014, shiji:125:s0015, shiji:125:s0016
Kind: medical · Role: caregiver · Action: sucked-abscess · Other Person Id: Emperor Wen of Han (漢文)
Explicit · shiji:125:s0026
Relation: rival-of · Person Id: Emperor Xiaojing (孝景皇帝)
Explicit · shiji:125:s0030

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: no skills; only careful flattery of the emperor · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Sima Qian (太史公)
Explicit · shiji:125:s0012, shiji:125:s0020
Item: Deng clan coins / 鄧氏錢 · Relation: produced
Explicit · shiji:125:s0024
Item: rewards totaling tens of millions / 賞賜巨萬以十數 · Relation: bestowed
Explicit · shiji:125:s0018

Source notes

Statement: physiognomist predicted death in poverty by starvation; emperor rejected the verdict
Explicit · shiji:125:s0021, shiji:125:s0022, shiji:125:s0023

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 27Volume 24b: Treatise on Trade 2 · 1 passage

鄧通，大夫也，以鑄錢財過王者。 Deng Tong's private mint fortune became politically notorious.

Book of Han, Chapter 51Volume 42: Zhang, Zhou, Zhao, Ren and Shentu · 11 passages

蒼凡好書，無所不觀，無所不通，而尤邃律曆。 Zhang Cang loved books in general—he read widely, missed little, and went deepest of all into law and calendrical science.

是時，太中大夫鄧通方愛幸，賞賜累巨萬。 At that time Deng Tong, a grandee of the palace, stood high in the emperor's favor, and the gifts heaped on him ran into tens of thousands in cash.

文帝常燕飲通家，其寵如是。 Emperor Wen often dropped in informally to drink at Deng Tong's house; such was the extent of his favor.

是時，嘉入朝而通居上旁，有怠慢之禮。 Once, when Shentu Jia came to court, Deng Tong was lounging at the emperor's side with a slovenly disregard for protocol.

罷朝坐府中，嘉為檄召通詣丞相府，不來，且斬通。 After court Shentu Jia returned to his compound and issued a written summons ordering Deng Tong to report to the chancellor's residence, warning that if he failed to appear he would be executed.

通恐，入言上。 Deng Tong was terrified and ran to the emperor.

通至丞相府，免冠，徒跣，頓首謝嘉。 Deng Tong presented himself at the chancellor's gate bareheaded and barefoot, kowtowing in apology to Shentu Jia.

嘉坐自如，弗為禮，責曰：「夫朝廷者，高皇帝之朝廷也，通小臣，戲殿上，大不敬，當斬。 Shentu Jia remained seated and did not return the courtesy. "This court," he said, "is the court of the High Emperor. Deng Tong is a minor official who has made a mockery of the throne—a capital offense.

通頓首，首盡出血，不解。 Deng Tong kowtowed until his forehead bled, but Shentu Jia would not relent.

上度丞相已困通，使使持節召通，而謝丞相：「此語弄臣，君釋之。」 When the emperor judged that the chancellor had Deng Tong sufficiently frightened, he dispatched an envoy with imperial credentials to recall him and sent word to Shentu Jia: "He is my household fool; let him go."

鄧通既至，為上泣曰：「丞相幾殺臣。」 When Deng Tong reached the palace, he wept before the emperor and said, "The chancellor came within a hair of killing me."

Book of Han, Chapter 105Volume 93: Flatterers · 21 passages

其後寵臣，孝文時士人則鄧通，宦者則趙談、北宮伯子； Later reigns had their own favorites: under Emperor Wen, the lay courtier was Deng Tong; the eunuchs were Zhao Tan and Beigong Bozi;

鄧通，蜀郡南安人也，以濯船為黃頭郎。 Deng Tong of Nan'an in Shu had been a Yellow-Turban boatman in the imperial service.

覺而之漸台，以夢中陰目求推者郎，見鄧通，其衣後穿，夢中所見也。 He went to the Jian Terrace and quietly searched for that attendant—and found Deng Tong, whose trousers were torn exactly where the dream had shown.

召問其名姓，姓鄧，名通。 Asked his name, the man said he was Deng Tong.

鄧猶登也，文帝甚說，尊幸之，日日異。 The emperor took "Deng" for "ascend" and was delighted; Deng Tong's favor climbed higher every day.

通亦願謹，不好外交，雖賜洗沐，不欲出。 Deng Tong was obliging and discreet, avoided outside contacts, and even on bath-leave preferred not to leave the palace.

於是文帝賞賜通巨萬以十數，官至上大夫。 Wen showered him with fortunes counted in the hundreds of thousands and promoted him to senior grandee.

文帝時間如通家遊戲，然通無他技能，不能有所薦達，獨自謹身以媚上而已。 Wen sometimes dropped in on Deng Tong's home for sport, but Deng had no talent for recommending men—only a knack for keeping himself in the emperor's good graces.

上使善相人者相通，曰：「當貧餓死。」 Wen had a face-reader study Deng Tong, who said, "This man will starve in poverty."

上曰：「能富通者在我，何說貧？」 "Who makes Deng Tong rich is me," replied the emperor. "How could he end poor?"

於是賜通蜀嚴道銅山，得自鑄錢。 So he gave Deng Tong the Yandao copper hills in Shu and let him cast his own cash.

鄧氏錢布天下，其富如此。 Deng Tong's money circulated across the empire—such was his wealth.

文帝嘗病癰，鄧通常為上嗽吮之。 When Wen developed an abscess, Deng Tong habitually drew the pus with his mouth.

通曰：「宜莫若太子。」 “Surely no one loves you more than the crown prince,” Deng Tong said.

已而聞通嘗為上齰之，太子慚，由是心恨通。 Learning that Deng Tong had done the same for his father, the prince was mortified and nursed a grudge against him.

及文帝崩，景帝立，鄧通免，家居。 When Wen died and Jing succeeded, Deng Tong was stripped of office and sent home.

居無何，人有告通盜出徼外鑄錢，下吏驗問，頗有，遂竟案，盡沒入之，通家尚負責數巨萬。 Soon he was accused of illegal minting beyond the frontier; the inquiry proved true, his property was seized, and he still owed tens of millions.

長公主賜鄧通，吏輒隨沒入之，一簪不得著身。 Whenever the princess tried to help him with gifts, officials seized them before they reached him—not even a hairpin stayed his.

趙談者，以星氣幸，北宮伯子長者愛人，故親近，然皆不比鄧通。 Zhao Tan rose on star-charts and portents; Beigong Bozi, a kindly elder, stayed close to the throne—but neither matched Deng Tong's hold.

上即位，欲事伐胡，而嫣先習兵，以故益尊貴，官至上大夫，賞賜擬鄧通。 Once enthroned, Wu planned war on the Xiongnu; Han Yan, already versed in military matters, rose to senior grandee with largesse to rival Deng Tong's.

觀籍、閎、鄧、韓之徒非一，而董賢之寵尤盛，父子並為公卿，可謂貴重人臣無二矣。 From Ji Ru and Hong Ru through Deng Tong and Han Yan, none matched Dong Xian: father and son both sat among the highest ministers, a peak of favor without parallel.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 56Volume 56 Biographies 37: Trusted Officials · 1 passage

漢文幸鄧通，雖錢徧天下，位止郎中。 Emperor Wen of Han favored Deng Tong; though his wealth reached every corner of the empire, his office never rose above Gentleman of the Palace.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 125Biographies of Flatterers · 21 passages

孝文時中寵臣，士人則鄧通，宦者則趙同、北宮伯子。 Among the favored intimates at Emperor Wen's court, the gentleman was Deng Tong, and the eunuchs were Zhao Tong and Beigong Bozi.

鄧通無伎能。 Deng Tong possessed no particular skill or talent.

鄧通，蜀郡南安人也，以濯船為黃頭郎。 Deng Tong hailed from Nan'an in the Commandery of Shu. He had entered palace service as a Yellow-Cap Boatman, poling vessels along the imperial waterways.

覺而之漸臺，以夢中陰目求推者郎，即見鄧通，其衣后穿，夢中所見也。 When he woke, the emperor made his way to the Jian Terrace and quietly scanned the attendants, searching for the man from his dream. His gaze fell at once on Deng Tong, whose robe was torn at the back—exactly as he had seen it in the dream.

召問其名姓，姓鄧氏，名通，文帝說焉，尊幸之日異。 The emperor summoned the man and asked his name. His surname was Deng, his given name Tong. Emperor Wen was delighted, and from that day forward his favor toward Deng Tong only grew.

通亦願謹，不好外交，雖賜洗沐，不欲出。 For his part, Tong was circumspect and cautious, with no taste for outside socializing. Even on his leave days for bathing, he preferred not to go out.

於是文帝賞賜通巨萬以十數，官至上大夫。 Emperor Wen showered him with gifts totaling tens of millions of cash, and raised his rank to Senior Grand Master.

文帝時時如鄧通家遊戲。 From time to time, Emperor Wen would visit Deng Tong's residence to amuse himself.

然鄧通無他能，不能有所薦士，獨自謹其身以媚上而已。 Yet Deng Tong had no other talent and never recommended a single person for office. He simply took care to conduct himself properly and please the emperor—nothing more.

上使善相者相通，曰「當貧餓死」。 The emperor summoned a skilled physiognomist to read Tong's face. The verdict was grim: "This man is fated to die in poverty, of starvation."

文帝曰：「能富通者在我也。 Emperor Wen said, "The power to make Tong rich rests with me.

於是賜鄧通蜀嚴道銅山，得自鑄錢，「鄧氏錢」布天下。 Thereupon he granted Deng Tong the copper mines at Yandao in Shu, with the right to mint his own coins. The "Deng coins" soon circulated throughout the empire.

文帝嘗病癰，鄧通常為帝唶吮之。 Once Emperor Wen developed an abscess, and Deng Tong would regularly suck the pus from it for him.

文帝不樂，從容問通曰：「天下誰最愛我者乎？」 Emperor Wen, ill at ease, asked Tong casually, "Who in all the realm loves me the most?"

通曰：「宜莫如太子。」 Tong replied, "Surely none more than the Crown Prince."

已而聞鄧通常為帝唶吮之，心慚，由此怨通矣。 Later, when the Crown Prince learned that Deng Tong had been doing this all along without complaint, he was filled with shame, and from that day bore a bitter grudge against Tong.

及文帝崩，景帝立，鄧通免，家居。 When Emperor Wen died and Emperor Jing took the throne, Deng Tong was removed from office and lived at home.

居無何，人有告鄧通盜出徼外鑄錢。 Before long, someone accused Deng Tong of illegal minting beyond the frontier passes.

下吏驗問，頗有之，遂竟案，盡沒入鄧通家，尚負責數巨萬。 The matter was handed to the officials for investigation. Substantial evidence was found, and the case was prosecuted to its end. The entire Deng household was stripped of its property, yet Tong still owed debts amounting to tens of millions of cash.

長公主賜鄧通，吏輒隨沒入之，一簪不得著身。 Whenever the Elder Princess sent gifts to Deng Tong, officials would swoop in at once to confiscate them. He was not allowed to keep so much as a hairpin.

上即位，欲事伐匈奴，而嫣先習胡兵，以故益尊貴，官至上大夫，賞賜擬於鄧通。 When the emperor took the throne and resolved to wage war against the Xiongnu, Yan's prior training in the military arts of the steppe peoples made him all the more valued. His rank rose to Senior Grand Master, and the gifts he received rivaled those once lavished on Deng Tong.