Qin and Han · Ruler

Emperor Wu of Han 漢武帝

Attested BC 140 - BC 104

Passages: 24
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Wu of Han as a ruler. This record brings together 24 passages from 1 chapter across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Wu of Han	漢武帝
Title	Son of Heaven	天子
Title	the emperor	上

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Title only
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:071:s0026

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 元朔六年 · Western Year: BC 123
Explicit · hanshu:071:s0049, hanshu:071:s0041
Source Date: Text: 太初元年 · Western Year: BC 104
Explicit · hanshu:071:s0134, hanshu:071:s0128
Source Date: Text: 建元中 · Western Interval: Start: BC 140 · End: BC 135
Explicit · hanshu:071:s0002, hanshu:071:s0026

Family

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

Parent of Prince Ai of Changyi (昌邑哀王)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological
Kinship Term: bore / 產 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Spouse of Lady Li (李夫人)
Kinship Term: favored consort / 寵姬 · Union Category: concubinage
Kinship Term: favored consort / 寵姬 · Union Category: concubinage · Relationship State: active

Works and attributed material

Kind: edict · Role: author
Explicit · hanshu:071:s0196, hanshu:071:s0197, hanshu:071:s0198, hanshu:071:s0199, hanshu:071:s0200

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: ruler · Action: accepted-zhang-qian-counsel
Explicit · hanshu:071:s0041

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 71Volume 61: Zhang Qian and Li Guangli · 24 passages

拜騫太中大夫，堂邑父為奉使君。 The emperor appointed Zhang Qian grand counsellor of the palace and ennobled Ganfu as Lord Fengshi for his part in the embassy.

騫身所至者，大宛、大月氏、大夏、康居，而傳聞其旁大國五六，具為天子言其地形所有，語皆在《西域傳》。 In person he had reached Dayuan, the Greater Yuezhi, Daxia, and Kangju, and by report knew five or six other great kingdoms nearby; he laid all of this—lands and resources—before the emperor, as recorded in the Western Regions treatise.

天子既聞大宛及大夏、安息之屬皆大國，多奇物，土著，頗與中國同俗，而兵弱，貴漢財物； The emperor had learned that Dayuan, Daxia, Parthia, and their neighbors were large, settled kingdoms rich in curiosities, with customs not unlike China's, weak armies, and a hunger for Han wealth;

天子欣欣以騫言為然。 The emperor was delighted and accepted Zhang Qian's counsel.

天子數問騫大夏之屬。 The emperor often pressed Zhang Qian for news of Daxia and the western states.

天子以為然，拜騫為中郎將，將三百人，馬各二匹，牛、羊以萬數，齎金幣帛直數千巨萬，多持節副使，道可便遣之旁國。 The emperor agreed, named Zhang Qian general of the household with three hundred followers, two mounts each, vast herds of stock, and treasure worth tens of millions in cash and silk, with many credentialled deputies who could be sent on to neighboring courts as the route allowed.

初，天子發書《易》，曰「神馬當從西北來」。 The emperor had once consulted the Changes and read the omen: "A spirit horse will come from the northwest."

而天子好宛馬，使者相望於道，一輩大者數百，少者百餘人，所齎操，大放博望侯時。 The emperor's passion for Ferghana horses filled the highways with embassies—some missions ran to hundreds of men, none to fewer than a hundred—with baggage trains dwarfing Zhang Qian's first expedition.

天子為其絕遠，非人所樂，聽其言，予節，募吏民無問所從來，為具備人眾遣之，以廣其道。 The emperor knew the journey was grim and uninviting, yet he heard them out, issued staffs of office, and recruited clerks and commoners of any origin, fitting out full parties to widen the traffic in every direction.

來還不能無侵盜幣物，及使失指，天子為其習之，輒復按致重罪，以激怒令贖，復求使。 Returning missions could not help embezzling part of the imperial gifts, or bungling their instructions; the emperor, used to the pattern, would indict them on grave charges, let them buy their way out, and watch them volunteer for another posting.

於是天子遣從票侯破奴將屬國騎及郡兵數萬以擊胡，胡皆去。 The emperor sent Marquis Congpiao Punu at the head of tens of thousands of allied horsemen and local levies; the nomads melted away.

而大宛諸國發使隨漢使來，觀漢廣大，以大鳥卵及犛靬眩人獻於漢，天子大悅。 Dayuan and its neighbors sent retinues back with Han missions to see the empire for themselves, bringing ostrich eggs and conjurers from Lijian; the emperor was delighted.

而漢使窮河源，其山多玉石，採來，天子案古圖書，名河所出山曰崑崙雲。 Han scouts tracked the Yellow River to its source, where jade-strewn peaks yielded specimens for the throne; comparing old maps, the court declared those heights Kunlun.

是時，上方數巡狩海上，乃悉從外國客，大都多人則過之，散財帛賞賜，厚具饒給之，以覽視漢富厚焉。 The emperor was touring the coast; he brought foreign guests in his train, detouring through populous cities, showering them with silk and cash and lavish rations so they could see how rich Han was.

漢使往既多，其少從率進孰於天子，言大宛有善馬在貳師城，匿不肯示漢使。 So many missions had returned that junior attendants routinely reported to the throne what they had seen: Ferghana kept its best bloodstock at Ershi and refused to show Han's envoys.

天子既好宛馬，聞之甘心，使壯士車令等待千金及金馬以請宛王貳師城善馬。 The emperor, already horse-mad, sent Che Ling with a fortune in gold and a golden horse to buy the Ershi studs from the king of Ferghana.

天子大怒。 The emperor was furious.

天子以嘗使浞野侯攻樓蘭，以七百騎先至，虜其王，以定漢等言為然，而欲侯寵姬李氏，乃以李廣利為將軍，伐宛。 The emperor remembered how Zhuoye marquis had taken Loulan with seven hundred horsemen, believed the optimists, and wanting a fief for his favorite Lady Li's kin, named Li Guangli general and sent him against Ferghana.

李廣利，女弟李夫人有寵於上，產昌邑哀王。 Li Guangli's sister, the favored Lady Li, had borne Prince Ai of Changyi.

天子聞之，大怒，使使遮玉門關，曰：「軍有敢入，斬之。」 The emperor raged and posted guards at the Jade Gate, saying, "If any in the army dares enter, behead him."

天子業出兵誅宛，宛小國而不能下，則大夏之屬漸輕漢，而宛善馬絕不來，烏孫、輪台易苦漢使，為外國笑。 The emperor had already committed the host: if Han could not crush so small a kingdom, Daxia and the rest would lose respect, Ferghana's horses would never flow east, Wusun and Luntai would bully every envoy, and the western courts would mock the empire.

初，貳師後行，天子使使告烏孫大發兵擊宛。 During Ershi's second march the emperor sent word to Wusun to mobilize heavily against Ferghana.

貳師將軍之東，諸所過小國聞宛破，皆使其子弟從入貢獻，見天子，因為質焉。 On Ershi's return march every petty state along the road, hearing Ferghana had fallen, sent princes in his train to court with tribute and stayed as hostages.

天子為萬里征伐，不錄其過，乃下詔曰：「匈奴為害久矣，今雖徙幕北，與旁國謀共要絕大月氏使，遮殺中郎將江、故雁門守攘。 For a march of ten thousand li the emperor overlooked their faults and proclaimed: "The Xiongnu have long plagued the border; though driven north of the desert, they still league with neighbors to ambush Greater Yuezhi embassies and have cut down Palace Gentleman Jiang and former Yanmen warden Rang.