Qin and Han · Courtier

Dong Xian 董賢

Dǒng Xián

Attested BC 22 - BC 1

Passages: 71
Chapters: 8
Histories: 3

Overview

The translated histories identify Dong Xian as an aristocrat, courtier, general, and named individual. This record brings together 71 passages from 8 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Dong Xian	董賢	Dǒng Xián
Surname	Dong	董	Dong
Personal	Dong Xian	董賢	Dong Xian
Personal name	Dong Xian	董賢
Personal name	Dong Xian	董賢	Dong Xian
Personal name	Dong Xian	董	Dong Xian
Title	Grand Marshal	大司馬	Da Sima
Title	Lord Dong	董公	Dong Gong
Title	Marquis of Gao'an	高安侯	Gao'an Hou
Courtesy	Shengqing	聖卿	Shèngqīng
Given	Xian	賢
Given	Xian	賢	Xian

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:026:s0338, houhanshu:031:s0009
Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0158, hanshu:099:s0050, hanshu:105:s0220
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:012:s0115, hanshu:105:s0010

Roles

Aristocrat
Courtier
General
Named Individual
Official

Life and dates

Death

Text: suicide with his wife the same day he was dismissed · Unresolved: true
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0252

Age

Years: 22 · Text: twenty-two
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0212

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 元壽二年五月 · Western Year: BC 1
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:012:s0130
Source Date: Text: 哀帝之時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 7 · End: BC 1
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:031:s0009
Source Date: Text: 哀帝即位 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:026:s0327, hanshu:026:s0338
Source Date: Text: 哀帝時…董賢用事 · Western Interval: Start: BC 7 · End: BC 1
Explicit · hanshu:099:s0050, hanshu:099:s0184
Source Date: Text: 建平三年 · Western Year: BC 4
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0158
Source Date: Text: 建平四年三月 · Western Year: BC 3
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:012:s0115
Source Date: Text: 董 · Western Interval: Start: BC 22 · End: BC 1
Explicit · liangshu:014:s0220

Family

Sibling of Younger sister of Dong Xian
Kinship Term: younger sister / 女弟 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: elder

Career and standing

Label: Grand Commandant / 大司馬 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 元壽二年五月 · Western Year: BC 1
Explicit · hanshu:012:s0130
Label: Grand Marshal / 大司馬 · Action: appointed
Explicit · houhanshu:031:s0021
Label: one of the Three Dukes / 三公 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:099:s0185
大司馬
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0220, hanshu:105:s0242, hanshu:105:s0250, hanshu:105:s0251
Title: commandant of the imperial son-in-law and palace attendant
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0171
Title: gentleman of the household to the crown prince
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0166
Title: grand marshal and general of the guards
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0208
Title: palace attendant within and head of the secretariat
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0212
Title: yellow-gate gentleman
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0169
Title: marquis of Gao’an · Households: 1000
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0190
Title: marquis / 列侯 · Action: enfeoffed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建平四年三月 · Western Year: BC 3
Explicit · hanshu:012:s0115
Title: Marquis of Gao'an / 高安侯 · Action: held
Explicit · houhanshu:031:s0009
高安侯
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0250
Title: marquis of Gao’an
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0190
Status: exalted-rank · Action: entered
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0338
Status: imperial-favorite · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0158
收大司馬印綬，罷歸第
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0251

Places and affiliations

Polity: Western Han · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0338
Text: Yunyang
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0165

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: opponent · Action: opposed-land-limits
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0338
Kind: legal · Role: informant · Action: reported on King of Dongping · Other Person Id: King Yun of Dongping (東平王雲) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 建平四年三月 · Western Year: BC 3
Explicit · hanshu:012:s0115
Type: elder-brother-of · Person Id: Dong Xian's sister (賢女弟)
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0178
Type: father · Person Id: Dong Gong (董恭)
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0219, hanshu:105:s0227, hanshu:105:s0256
Type: son-of · Person Id: Dong Gong (董恭)
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0166
Relation: patron-channel-for · Person Id: Xi Fugong (息夫躬)
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0158
Type: elder-brother-of · Person Id: Dong Kuanxin (董寬信)
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0182
Type: younger-brother · Person Id: Dong Kuanxin (董寬信)
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0228, hanshu:105:s0260
Type: husband-of · Person Id: Dong Xian's wife (賢妻)
Explicit · hanshu:105:s0177

Source notes

Statement: Ding and Fu consort clans shared power with Dong Xian under Emperor Ai
Explicit · hanshu:099:s0050

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 12Volume 11: Annals of Emperor Ai · 3 passages

三月，侍中駙馬都尉董賢、光祿大夫息夫躬、南陽太守孫寵皆以告東平王封列侯。 In the third month, Chamberlain and Commandant of Equipage Dong Xian, Gentleman of the Interior Xi Fugong, and Governor Sun Chong of Nanyang were all enfeoffed as marquises for reporting on the King of Dongping.

語在賢傳。 The full story is told in Xian's biography.

大司馬衛將軍董賢為大司馬，丞相孔光為大司徒，御史大夫彭宣為大司空，封長平侯。 Dong Xian, formerly Grand Commandant and General of the Guard, became Grand Commandant; Chancellor Kong Guang became Grand Minister over the Masses; Censor-in-Chief Peng Xuan became Grand Minister of Works and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Changping.

Book of Han, Chapter 26Volume 24a: Treatise on Trade 1 · 1 passage

時田宅奴婢賈為減賤，丁、傅用事，董賢隆貴，皆不便也。 Field, residence, and slave prices had already fallen under the proposal; the Ding and Fu factions held power, Dong Xian was rising in rank, and all found it inconvenient.

Book of Han, Chapter 88Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He · 3 passages

崇又以董賢貴寵過度諫，由是重得罪。 He crossed the emperor again over Dong Xian's favor and paid for it.

時，侍中董賢方貴，上使中黃門發武庫兵，前後十輩，送董賢及上乳母王阿捨。 Eunuchs hauled ten wagonloads of arsenal weapons to Dong Xian and the nurse Wang.

今賢等便僻弄臣，私恩微妾，而以天下公用給其私門，契國威器共其家備。 He said giving state arms to Dong Xian and a nurse turned public gear into private toys.

Book of Han, Chapter 91Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan · 1 passage

建平三年，息夫躬、孫寵等共因幸臣董賢告之。 In Jianping 3, Xi Fu Gong, Sun Chong, and others denounced them through the favorite Dong Xian.

Book of Han, Chapter 99Volume 87b: Yang Xiong 2 · 3 passages

哀帝時，丁、傅、董賢用事，諸附離之者或起家至二千石。 Under Emperor Ai the Ding clan, the Fu clan, and the favorite Dong Xian ran the government, and hangers-on vaulted overnight to salaries of two thousand piculs.

哀帝之初，又與董賢同官。 Early in Emperor Ai’s reign he held office with the favorite Dong Xian.

當成、哀、平間，莽、賢皆為三公，權傾人主，所薦莫不拔擢，而雄三世不徙官。 Through Emperors Cheng, Ai, and Ping, Wang Mang and Dong Xian rose to the three highest posts and bent the throne to their will; every protégé they named leapt up the ladder, yet Yang Xiong never moved rank for three reigns.

Book of Han, Chapter 105Volume 93: Flatterers · 54 passages

孝哀時則有董賢。 and under Emperor Ai, Dong Xian.

董賢字聖卿，雲陽人也。 Dong Xian, styled Shengqing, was a native of Yunyang.

父恭，為御史，任賢為太子舍人。 His father Dong Gong served as imperial secretary and used his privilege to appoint Xian gentleman of the household to the crown prince.

哀帝立，賢隨太子官為郎。 When Ai ascended, Xian moved from the heir's staff into the corps of gentlemen.

二歲餘，賢傳漏在殿下，為人美麗自喜，哀帝望見，說其儀貌，識而問之，曰：「是舍人董賢邪？」 Two years later, while keeping the water-clock below the hall, he caught Ai's eye—handsome, self-possessed. The emperor recognized him and called out, "Is this Gentleman Dong Xian?"

賢寵愛日甚，為駙馬都尉侍中，出則參乘，入御左右，旬月間賞賜累巨萬，貴震朝廷。 Dong Xian rose to commandant of the imperial son-in-law and palace attendant, rode escort when the emperor went abroad, and stayed at his elbow within; in weeks the gifts ran to millions and his power shook the court.

嘗晝寢，偏藉上袖，上欲起，賢未覺，不欲動賢，乃斷袖而起。 Once Ai napped with him; Xian lay across his sleeve. Rather than wake him, Ai took a knife and cut the cloth free.

賢亦性柔和便辟，善為媚以自固。 Dong Xian was soft, pliant, and expert at ingratiating flattery.

上以賢難歸，詔令賢妻得通引籍殿中，止賢廬，若吏妻子居官寺捨。 To spare him trips home, Ai let Dong Xian's wife carry palace passes and live in his lodge inside, as if she were quartered in a ministry hostel.

昭儀及賢與妻旦夕上下，並侍左右。 The sister, Dong Xian, and his wife moved in a pack, attending the emperor morning and night.

遷賢父為少府，賜爵關內侯，食邑，復徙為衛尉。 Dong Gong was raised to chamberlain for the palace revenues, given a marquis-within-the-passes title with income, then shifted to defender of the capital.

詔將作大匠為賢起大第北闕下，重殿洞門，木土之功窮極技巧，柱檻衣以綈錦。 The director of works raised a mansion north of the palace gate—stacked halls, linked gateways, joinery and masonry pushed to the limit, pillars wrapped in brocade.

下至賢家僮僕皆受上賜，及武庫禁兵，上方珍寶。 Even Dong Xian's house servants received imperial largesse—arms from the state arsenal and curios from the palace workshops.

及至東園秘器，珠襦玉柙，豫以賜賢，無不備具。 Even the eastern-garden burial suit—pearl shroud, jade coffin panels—was signed over to Dong Xian in advance, nothing missing.

又令將作為賢起塚塋義陵旁，內為便房，剛柏題湊，外為徼道，周垣數里，門闕罘罳甚盛。 He had a mortuary park built beside Ai's own tomb mound—inner chambers, cypress outer coffin, patrol paths, miles of wall, and ornate gate towers.

上欲侯賢而未有緣。 Ai wanted to make Dong Xian a full marquis but lacked an excuse.

上於是令躬、寵為因賢告東平事者，乃以其功下詔封賢為高安侯，躬宜陵侯，寵方陽侯，食邑各千戶。 Ai rewrote the story: Xi and Sun had exposed the plot "through" Dong Xian. He credited that tale and enfeoffed Dong Xian as marquis of Gao'an, Xi as marquis of Yiling, and Sun as marquis of Fangyang, each for a thousand households.

頃之，復益封賢二千戶。 Soon another two thousand households were added to Dong Xian's appanage.

丞相王嘉內疑東平事冤，甚惡躬等，數諫爭，以賢為亂國制度，嘉竟坐言事下獄死。 Chancellor Wang Jia believed the Dongping case a frame job and loathed Xi Fugong's clique; he protested that Dong Xian was wrecking the polity—and died in prison for speaking out.

上舅丁明代為大司馬，亦任職，頗害賢寵，及丞相王嘉死，明甚憐之。 Ai's uncle Ding Ming succeeded him as grand marshal and checked Dong Xian's influence somewhat; when Wang Jia died, Ding Ming grieved openly.

上浸重賢，欲極其位，而恨明如此，遂冊免明曰：「前東平王雲貪慾上位，祠祭祝詛，雲後舅伍宏以醫待詔，與校秘書郎楊閎結謀反逆，禍甚迫切。 The emperor increasingly valued Dong Xian and wanted to raise him to the highest office, but he resented Ding Ming's attitude. He therefore dismissed Ming by written rescript: "Previously Yun, King of Dongping, coveted the throne and performed sacrifices with curse-prayers. Wu Hong, the maternal uncle of Yun's queen, was awaiting appointment as a physician and plotted rebellion with Yang Hong, Gentleman for Collating the Palace Library. The danger was extremely urgent.

賴宗廟神靈，董賢等以聞，咸伏其辜。 Thanks to the spirits of the ancestral temples, Dong Xian and the others reported it, and all confessed their guilt.

將軍位尊任重，既不能明威立義，折消未萌，又不深疾雲、宏之惡，而懷非君上，阿為宣、吳，反痛恨雲等揚言為群下所冤，又親見言伍宏善醫，死可惜也，賢等獲封極幸。 You, General, hold an honored and weighty office, yet you neither displayed authority and established justice to extinguish the plot before it sprouted, nor deeply abhorred the crimes of Yun and Hong. Instead you harbored thoughts unworthy of your ruler, sided with Xuan and Wu, and even claimed aloud that Yun and the others had been wronged by subordinates. You also personally said that Wu Hong was a good physician and that his death was regrettable, while Dong Xian and the others had received enfeoffment only through extraordinary good fortune.

遂以賢代明為大司馬衛將軍。 Dong Xian was named to replace Ding Ming as grand marshal and general of the guards.

是時，賢年二十二，雖為三公，常給事中，領尚書，百官因賢奏事。 Dong Xian was twenty-two, nominally one of the three dukes but in practice always "palace attendant within," running the secretariat so that every ministry reported through him.

弟寬信代賢為駙馬都尉。 His brother Dong Kuanxin took over as commandant of the imperial son-in-law.

單于怪賢年少，以問譯，上令譯報曰：「大司馬年少，以大賢居位。」 The Chanyu stared at the boyish grand marshal; through the interpreter the emperor explained, "He is young because true worth, not years, fills the office."

初，丞相孔光為御史大夫，時賢父恭為御史，事光。 Long before, when Kong Guang was imperial counsellor, Dong Gong had been his subordinate secretary.

及賢為大司馬，與光並為三公，上故令賢私過光。 Once Dong Xian joined him as a fellow "duke," Emperor Ai told Dong to call on Kong Guang informally.

光雅恭謹，知上欲尊寵賢，及聞賢當來也，光警戒衣冠出門待，望見賢車乃卻入。 Kong Guang, ever correct, knew the sovereign wished to exalt Dong Xian: he waited at his gate in full dress, then slipped back inside the moment Dong Xian's carriage appeared.

賢至中門，光入閣，既下車，乃出拜謁，送迎甚謹，不敢以賓客均敵之禮。 Dong Xian stopped at the inner gate while Kong hid in a side room, emerging only after Dong had stepped down—then he bowed low at every coming and going, never treating him as an equal.

賢歸，上聞之喜，立拜光兩兄子為諫大夫、常侍。 When Ai heard how Kong Guang had debased himself, he was delighted and on the spot promoted two of Kong's nephews to remonstrant and regular attendant.

賢由是權與人主侔矣。 After that, Dong Xian's authority matched the throne's own.

兄弟並列，賢父恭慕之，欲與結婚姻。 With both brothers prominent, Dong Gong courted an alliance by marriage.

閎為賢弟駙馬都尉寬信求咸女為婦，咸惶恐不敢當，私謂閎曰：「董公為大司馬，冊文言『允執其中』，此乃堯禪舜之文，非三公故事，長老見者，莫不心懼。 Wang Hong asked Xiao Xian for his daughter as wife for Dong Kuanxin; Xiao Xian panicked and whispered back, "The grand marshal's patent cited 'hold the mean'—words from the Yao-Shun abdication, not a normal appointment for one of the three excellencies. Elders who read it were inwardly afraid.

後上置酒麒麟殿，賢父子親屬宴飲，王閎兄弟侍中、中常侍皆在側。 Later Ai held a banquet in the Qilin Hall for the Dong clan; Wang Hong and his brothers, on duty as attendants, flanked the party.

上有酒所，從容視賢笑，曰「吾欲法堯禪舜，何如？」 When he had drunk, Ai turned to Dong Xian and smiled. "I wish to follow Yao and yield the throne to Shun—what do you think?"

賢第新成，功堅，其外大門無故自壞，賢心惡之。 Dong Xian's new mansion had just been finished when the main gate buckled without cause—a sign he hated to see.

太皇太后召大司馬賢，引見東廂，問以喪事調度。 The grand empress dowager called Dong Xian to the eastern gallery to quiz him on the funeral schedule.

賢內憂，不能對，免冠謝。 Dong Xian, terrified and empty-headed, could only doff his cap and apologize.

賢頓首幸甚。 Dong Xian kowtowed in relief.

既至，以太后指使尚書劾賢帝病不親醫藥，禁止賢不得入出宮殿司馬中。 When Wang Mang arrived, at the empress dowager’s instruction he had the Masters of Writing impeach Dong Xian for failing to oversee the emperor’s medicines personally during his illness, and forbade Xian to enter or leave the palace compound.

賢不知所為，詣闕免冠徒跣謝。 Dong Xian stumbled to the gate, capless and shoeless, to beg forgiveness.

莽使謁者以太后詔即闕下冊賢曰：「間者以來，陰陽不調，災害並臻，元元蒙辜。 Wang Mang had an usher intone a rescript at the foot of the wall: "Heaven and earth are out of joint; calamities pile up and the people bear the cost.

夫三公，鼎足之輔也，高安侯賢未更事理，為大司馬不合眾心，非所以折衝綏遠也。 The three dukes should steady the state; Marquis of Gao'an Dong Xian is green at government, sits as grand marshal against every expectation, and cannot keep the realm secure.

即日賢與妻皆自殺，家惶恐夜葬。 That evening Dong Xian and his wife killed themselves; kin buried them hastily in the dark.

莽疑其詐死，有司奏請發賢棺，至獄診視。 Wang Mang suspected a ruse and had officials demand that the coffin be opened and the body examined in jail.

莽復風大司徒光奏：「賢質性巧佞，翼奸以獲封侯，父子專朝，兄弟並寵，多受賞賜，治第宅，造塚壙，放效無極，不異王制，費以萬萬計，國家為空虛。 Wang Mang also prompted Kong Guang, Grand Minister over the Masses, to memorialize: "Dong Xian was by nature crafty and fawning. He assisted treachery and thereby won a marquisate; father and son monopolized the court, and brothers shared favor side by side. They received lavish gifts, built mansions and tomb chambers, and imitated royal scale without limit, no differently from the institutions of kings. Their expenses ran into the hundreds of millions and emptied the state.

賢自殺伏辜，死後父恭等不悔過，乃復以沙畫棺四時之色，左蒼龍，右白虎，上著金銀日月，玉衣珠璧以棺，至尊無以加。 Dong Xian killed himself and submitted to guilt, yet after his death his father Gong and the others showed no repentance. They painted the coffin with the colors of the four seasons, set the azure dragon on the left and the white tiger on the right, placed gold and silver sun and moon above, and put jade garments, pearls, and disks inside the coffin. Even the highest sovereign could add nothing more.

諸以賢為官者皆免。」 Everyone who had risen through Dong Xian must be stripped of rank."

賢既見發，裸診其屍，因埋獄中。 When the coffin was forced open, the body was stripped for inspection and dumped in the prison yard.

賢所厚吏沛硃詡自劾去大司馬府，買棺衣收賢屍葬之。 Zhu Xu of Pei, once a Dong Xian client, resigned from the grand marshal's staff, bought a coffin, and gave Dong Xian a secret burial.

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.

一朝帝崩，奸臣擅命，董賢縊死，丁、傅流放，辜及母后，奪位幽廢，咎在親便嬖，所任非仁賢。 When Ai died in a night, a usurper seized the brush; Dong Xian died on a rope, the Ding and Fu clans were swept into exile, and even the dowager paid for misrule—the price of filling office from the pillow instead of from virtue.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 5 passages

是時，高安侯董賢寵倖，女弟為昭儀，皇后日已疏，晏嘿嘿不得意。 Dong Xian of Gao'an was the emperor's favorite; his sister was a brilliant companion, while Empress Fu drifted daily into neglect—Fu Yan brooded in silence.

今董賢至愛而女弟尤幸，殆將有子夫之變，可不憂哉！” Today Dong Xian and his sister hold the inner palace—you may face the same coup in reverse; can you afford not to worry!"

後賢果風太醫令真欽，使求傅氏罪過，遂逮後弟侍中喜，詔獄無所得，乃解，故傅氏終全於哀帝之時。 Dong Xian later prompted the court physician Zhen Qin to dig up dirt on the Fu family and had the empress's brother Fu Xi, a palace attendant, thrown into the imperial jail—but nothing was proved, so the case collapsed and the Fu clan survived Emperor Ai's reign.

及董賢為大司馬，聞譚名，欲與之交。 When Dong Xian rose to grand marshal he sought Huan Tan's friendship by reputation.

譚先奏書於賢，說以輔國保身之術，賢不能用，遂不與通。 Huan Tan wrote first, offering Dong Xian ways to serve the state and save himself; Dong Xian ignored the counsel, so Huan Tan refused all further contact.

Book of Liang, Chapter 14Volume 14: Jiang Yan; Ren Fang · 1 passage

若其寵鈞董、石，權壓梁、竇。 Consider those who enjoy favor like Dong Xian and Shi Chong, whose power crushes Liang Ji and the Dou clan.