Deng Yu (鄧禹) | 24 Histories

Overview

Deng Yu was an official and Marquis of Gaomi.

PeriodQin and Han

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 56 建武三十二年二月
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 108, passage 102
AD 23 to AD 58 張宗裨禹，敢殿後拒
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 43, passage 218
AD 25 to AD 26 從鄧禹西征
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 24, passage 225
AD 25 to AD 57 昔
Strongly inferred · Book of Chen 18, passage 176
AD 25 to AD 58 東漢初
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 39, passage 265
AD 25 東漢初
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 47, passage 121

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AD 25 to AD 57 東漢初（史臣譬喻鄧禹）
Strongly inferred · Book of Chen 11, passage 169
AD 25 to AD 58 漢光武功臣
Strongly inferred · Book of Liang 9, passage 207
AD 25 to AD 58 鄧禹
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 101, passage 260
AD 25 to AD 36 鄧禹笑人
Strongly inferred · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance 138, passage 128
AD 23 to AD 30 鄧禹西征
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 5
AD 25 鄧禹西征關中
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 30, passage 57

Key source chapters

Career and standing

general 將
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 218
Left Administrator of Fengyi 左馮翊
AD 25 禹在領左馮翊 · Held concurrently
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 58
Former General 前將軍
AD 25 鄧禹西征關中 · Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 57
Acting Minister over the Masses 行司徒事
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 108, passage 102
Grand Minister of Education 大司徒
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 5
Special Advancement 特进
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 108, passage 102

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Marquis of Gaomi 高密侯
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 108, passage 102
Received
Dismissal · claimed illness and neglected affairs
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 58

Places and affiliations

Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Lived under
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 39, passage 265
Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 57
Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 43, passage 218

Learning and skills

literary study 文學
Relation Studied
Directly stated · Book of Chen 18, passage 176

Works and attributed material

Historian comment · Subject · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 18, passage 176
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passages 10, 16

Events and relationships

Attended feng
AD 56 建武三十二年二月 · Ritual · Attending minister
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 108, passage 102
Campaigned west into Guanzhong; army provisions lacking
AD 25 鄧禹西征關中 · Military · Commander · At Guanzhong 關中
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 57
Led western campaign
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 24, passage 225
Received rear guard support
Military · Commander · With Zhang Zong (張宗)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 218
Western campaign
Military · Commander · At Hedong 河東
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 5
achieved military merit 卒致軍功
Military · Commander · Won merit · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 18, passage 176

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Relation Commander of · Person Zhang Zong (張宗)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passages 5-6

Assessments and attributes

Assessment began in literary study yet achieved military merit and lasting fame · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 18, passage 176
Assessment exemplar of loyal bond compared to Zhaoda and Emperor Wen · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 11, passage 169
Assessment would laugh at Wang Rong's obscurity · Mode speaker-judgment Speaker Wang Rong (王融)
Directly stated · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance 138, passage 128

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 3; Book of Later Han 39, passage 265

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 11Volume 11: Huang Faqu; Chunyu Liang; Zhang Zhaoda · 1 passage

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昭達與世祖鄉壤惟舊，義等鄧、蕭，世祖纂曆，委任隆重，至於戰勝攻取，累平寇難，斯亦良臣良將，一代之吳、耿矣。 Zhaoda and Emperor Wen were old friends from the same country; their bond was like that of Deng Yu and Xiao He. When Wen took the throne he gave Zhaoda great trust; in battle and siege he again and again crushed rebellion—a worthy minister and general, a Wu Han and Geng Yan for his age.

Book of Chen, Chapter 18Volume 18: Shen Zhong; Yuan Bi; Liu Zhongwei; Lu Shancai; Wang Zhi; Wei Zai · 1 passage

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史臣曰：昔鄧禹基於文學，杜預出自儒雅，卒致軍功，名著前代。 The historian writes: Deng Yu began in the classics and Du Yu in pure scholarship, yet both won fame in war and live in the histories of old.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 24Volume 21: Biographies of Ren, Li, Wan, Pi, Liu, Geng · 1 passage

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訢為赤眉將軍，封著武侯，從鄧禹西征，戰死雲陽。 Geng Xin ended as a Red Eyebrows general and marquis of Zhuwu; he followed Deng Yu west and fell at Yunyang.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 30Volume 27: Biographies of Xuan, Zang, Two Wangs, Du, Guo, Wu, Cheng, Zheng, Zhao · 2 passages

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會前將軍鄧禹西征關中，軍糧乏，丹率宗族上表二千斛。 When General Deng Yu marched into Guanzhong and supplies ran short, Wang Dan led his kinsmen in offering two thousand hu of grain to the throne.

禹在領左馮翊，稱疾不視事，免歸。 Deng Yu was also left administrator of Fengyi; he pleaded illness, neglected the yamen, and was removed to go home.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 39Volume 34: Biography of Liang Tong · 1 passage

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於是有司奏冀入朝不趨，斂履上殿，謁贊不名，禮儀比蕭何，悉以定陶、成陽餘戶增封為四縣，比鄧禹，賞賜金錢、奴婢、采帛、車馬、衣服、甲第，比霍光，以殊元勛。 Offices proposed that Liang Ji need not hasten at audience, might enter with shoes tied and go unnamed in obeisance—rites like Xiao He's; that Dingtao and Chengyang surplus households be added for four counties like Deng Yu's; and gifts of gold, slaves, silks, horses, carriages, clothes, and mansions like Huo Guang's—to mark singular founding merit.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 43Volume 38: Biographies of Zhang, Fa, Teng, Feng, Du, Yang · 8 passages

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及大司徒鄧禹西征，定河東，宗詣禹自歸。 When Grand Minister of Education Deng Yu marched west and secured Hedong, Zong presented himself to Yu and placed himself under his command.

禹聞宗素多權謀，乃表為偏將軍。 Yu knew Zong for his resourcefulness and recommended him for the rank of lieutenant general.

禹軍到栒邑，赤眉大眾且至，禹以栒邑不足守，欲引師進就堅城，而眾人多畏賊追，憚為後拒。 When Yu's forces reached Xunyi and the main Red Eyebrow army closed in, Yu judged the town indefensible and wanted to withdraw to stronger walls, yet most of his men dreaded being caught from behind by the enemy and nobody wanted the rear-guard post.

禹乃書諸將名於竹簡，署其前後，亂著笥中，令各探之。 Yu wrote each general's name on a bamboo slip, labeled front and back, jumbled them in a box, and had the officers draw lots.

禹歎息謂曰：「將軍有親弱在營，奈何不顧？」 Yu sighed and said, "You have vulnerable family in the camp—how can you ignore them?"

禹到前縣，議曰：「以張將軍之眾，當百萬之師，猶以小雪投沸湯，雖欲戮力，其埶不全也。」 Yu reached the next county and told his staff, "Pitting Zhang's detachment against a horde in the millions is like tossing a flake of snow into a cauldron—however hard they fight, they cannot survive it."

及鄧禹徵還，光武以宗為京輔都尉，將突騎與征西大將軍馮異共擊關中諸營保，破之，遷河南都尉。 After Deng Yu was withdrawn, Emperor Guangwu named Zong commandant of the capital districts; with Feng Yi, the western expedition commander, he rode against the fortified camps of Guanzhong, broke them, and was promoted to commandant of Henan.

贊曰：張宗裨禹，敢殿後拒。 The ode runs: Zhang Zong served Deng Yu and dared hold the rear guard alone.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 108Volume 97: Rituals and Worship Part One · 1 passage

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從臣太尉熹、行司徒事特进高密侯禹等。 Attending ministers included Grand Commandant Xi, Acting Minister over the Masses and Special Advancement Marquis of Gaomi Yu, and others.

Book of Jin, Chapter 101Volume 101 Records 1: Liu Yuanhai and Liu Xuan · 1 passage

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每讀《漢書》，至《蕭何》、《鄧禹傳》，未曾不反覆詠之，曰：「大丈夫若遭二祖，終不令二公獨擅美於前矣。」 Reading the Book of Han chapters on Xiao He and Deng Yu he would chant, "Had I served Han's founders I would not leave those two alone the laurels."

Book of Liang, Chapter 9Volume 9: Wang Mao; Cao Jingzong; Liu Qingyuan · 1 passage

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昔漢光武全愛功臣，不過朝請、特進，寇、鄧、耿、賈咸不盡其器力。 Han's Guangwu cherished his merit-holders yet gave them only Palace Attendant or Special Advance; Kou, Deng, Geng, and Jia never exhausted their talents.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 47Volume 47 Biographies 28: Wang Rong, Xie Tiao · 1 passage

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直中書省，夜歎曰：「鄧禹笑人。」 One night at the Secretariat he sighed, "Deng Yu would laugh at me."

Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Chapter 138Volume 138 Qi Records 4 · 1 passage

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嘗夜直省中，撫案歎曰：「為爾寂寂，鄧禹笑人！」 Once, on night duty in the secretariat, he leaned on his desk and sighed, "To live so obscurely—Deng Yu would laugh at me!"