Qin and Han · Ruler

Emperor Cheng 成帝

Chengdi

Attested BC 33 - BC 7

Passages: 5
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Cheng as a ruler. This record brings together 5 passages from 3 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Cheng	成帝	Chengdi
Temple name	Cheng
Temple name	Chengdi
Title	Emperor	帝	dì
Temple name	Emperor Cheng	成帝	Chengdi
Temple name	Emperor Cheng	成帝	Cheng Di
Temple	Emperor Cheng	成帝	Chéngdì

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:026:s0283, hanshu:090:s0003
Sex: male
Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0221

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 成帝时 · Western Interval: Start: BC 33 · End: BC 7
Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0221
Source Date: Text: 成帝時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 33 · End: BC 7
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0283, hanshu:090:s0104
Source Date: Text: 永始二年 · Western Year: BC 15
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0284

Family

Kin of Wang Feng (王鳳)
Kinship Term: senior maternal uncle / 長舅 · Subject Role: maternal-uncle · Object Role: nephew

Places and affiliations

Polity: Western Han · Relation: ruled
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0283
Polity: Western Han / 西汉 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0221

Works and attributed material

Kind: edict · Role: author · About Person Id: Feng Can (馮參)
Explicit · hanshu:090:s0214, hanshu:090:s0215

Events and relationships

Kind: disaster · Role: ruler · Action: flood-famine-dismissals · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 永始二年 · Western Year: BC 15
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0284
Kind: administrative · Role: abolisher · Action: merged · Event: abolished Office of Dependent States and merged it into the Grand Herald / 省并大鸿胪 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 成帝时 · Western Interval: Start: BC 33 · End: BC 7
Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0221

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: peaceful-but-extravagant · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0283

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · houhanshu:126:s0221

References in the histories

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

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

成帝時，天下亡兵革之事，號為安樂，然俗奢侈，不以畜聚為意。 Under Cheng there was peace but high-consumption culture and weak saving behavior.

Book of Han, Chapter 90Volume 79: Feng Fengshi · 3 passages

成帝時，樂昌侯王商代奉世為左將軍，而千秋為右將軍，後亦為左將軍。 Under Cheng, Wang Shang of Lechang succeeded Fengshi as left general while Qianqiu held the right, then moved left in turn.

成帝立，有司奏野王王舅，不宜備九卿，以秩出為上郡太守，加賜黃金百斤。 At Cheng's accession the ministries barred maternal uncles from the nine ministers; Yewang went to Shang commandery with a hundred jin of gold as consolation.

是時，成帝長舅陽平侯王鳳為大司馬大將軍，輔政八九年矣，時數有災異，京兆尹王章譏鳳專權不可任用，薦野王代鳳。 Wang Feng, Cheng's senior uncle, had run the state nearly a decade when capital governor Wang Zhang attacked his monopoly and nominated Yewang to replace him.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 126Volume 115: Officials Part Two · 1 passage

本注曰：承秦有典属国，别主四方夷狄朝贡侍子，成帝时省并大鸿胪。 Qin's office of dependent states once handled foreign tribute and hostage princes until Emperor Cheng folded it into the Grand Herald.