Emperor Zhuanxu Gaoyang (顓頊帝高陽氏)

Overview

The translated histories identify Emperor Zhuanxu Gaoyang as a ruler. This record brings together 20 passages from 12 chapters across 6 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Emperor Zhuanxu Gaoyang	顓頊帝高陽氏	Zhuanxu
Title	Emperor	帝
Title	Emperor Zhuanxu	帝顓頊
Title	Emperor Zhuanxu	帝顓頊	Di Zhuanxu
Alternate	Gaoyang	高陽氏	Gaoyang
Personal name	Gaoyang	高陽	Gāoyáng
Clan	Gaoyang	高陽	Gaoyang
Personal	Zhuanxu	顓頊	Zhuanxu
Personal name	Zhuanxu	顓頊	Zhuanxu
Personal name	Zhuanxu	顓頊
Personal name	Zhuanxu	顓頊	Zhuānxū
Personal	Zhuanxu	顓頊	Zhuānxū

Identity

Historicity: Legendary
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:098:s0187, houhanshu:032:s0098, houhanshu:032:s0144, jinshi:035:s0062, jiuwudaishi:140:s0007, shiji:025:s0009
Sex: male
Explicit · jinshu:108:s0035, shiji:002:s0002
Value: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:013:s241

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Qualitative: legendary antiquity
Explicit · hanshu:025:s0020, hanshu:098:s0187, hanshu:099:s0119, houhanshu:032:s0098, houhanshu:032:s0144, jinshu:108:s0035, jiuwudaishi:140:s0007, shiji:002:s0002, shiji:013:s241, shiji:025:s0009, shiji:026:s0019
Source Date: Text: 泰和三年 · Western Year: AD 1203
Explicit event contextual date · jinshi:035:s0063

Family

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

Ancestor of Yu (禹)
Kinship Term: grandfather / 祖 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal
Descendant of Yellow Emperor (黃帝)
Kinship Term: grandson / 孫 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal
Child of Changyi (昌意)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Kinship Term: fathered / 生 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: child · Line: paternal
Parent of Gun (鯀)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Kinship Term: fathered / 生 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: child · Line: paternal
Parent of Qiong Chan (窮蟬)
Kinship Term: fathered / 生 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: child · Line: paternal

Career and standing

Emperor / 帝
Explicit · hanshu:020:s396

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: ruler · Action: campaigned against Gonggong · Other Person Id: Gonggong (共工氏)
Explicit · hanshu:025:s0020
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: fought · Other Person Id: Gonggong (共工氏)
Explicit · shiji:025:s0009
Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: restored-separation-of-people-and-spirits · Other Person Ids: Chong (重), Li (黎)
Explicit · shiji:026:s0019
Kind: scholarly · Role: adopter · Action: used-yimao-calendar
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:140:s0007
Relation: superior-of · Person Id: Li (黎)
Explicit · shiji:026:s0019
Relation: opponent-of · Person Id: Gonggong (共工氏)
Explicit · shiji:025:s0009
Relation: superior-of · Person Id: Chong (重)
Explicit · shiji:026:s0019

Source notes

Historicity: legendary
Explicit · jinshi:035:s0062, shiji:002:s0002, shiji:025:s0009

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 20Table of Ancient and Modern Persons · 1 passage

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顓頊帝高陽氏 Emperor Zhuanxu Gaoyang

Book of Han, Chapter 25Volume 23: Treatise on Punishment and Law · 1 passage

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自黃帝有涿鹿之戰以定火災，顓頊有共工之陳以定水害。 From the Yellow Emperor there was the battle of Zhuolu to settle the calamity of fire, and Zhuanxu had the campaign against Gonggong to settle the harm of water.

Book of Han, Chapter 98Volume 87a: Yang Xiong 1 · 1 passage

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於是玄冬季月，天地隆烈，萬物權輿於內，徂落於外，帝將惟田於靈之囿，開北垠，受不周之制，以終始顓頊、玄冥之統。 In deep winter, when life hides within and dies without, the emperor will hunt the sacred park, open the north, and complete the cycle ruled by Zhuanxu and the dark god.

Book of Han, Chapter 99Volume 87b: Yang Xiong 2 · 1 passage

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故《玄》三方、九州、二十七部、八十一家、二百四十三表、七百二十九贊，分為三卷，曰一二三，與《泰初歷》相慶，亦有顓頊之歷焉。 So the work maps three realms, nine domains, twenty-seven parts, eighty-one lineages, two hundred forty-three charts, and seven hundred twenty-nine appraisals in three books titled One, Two, Three—harmonizing with the 《Grand Inception》 calendar and echoing Zhuanxu’s old reckoning.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 32Volume 28b: Biography of Feng Yan · 2 passages

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高陽□其超遠兮，世孰可與論茲？ Gaoyang's line rose remote as heaven—who alive can weigh such things with me?

鑿巖石而為室兮，托高陽以養仙。 I hollow stone for a chamber and trust Gaoyang's line to school my soul toward transcendence.

History of Jin, Chapter 35Volume 35 Treatises 16: Rites 8: Consecration of Shrines to a Sages; Temple to the Warrior King Cheng of Zhou; Monarchs of Past Ages; Halls to Various Spirits in Changbai Shan, Dafang Shan, Amur River, Jia Yin Hou; Spirits of the Lu River; Spirits of Zhao Yin Shun; Spirits of Zhen an Gong, Rui Shen Gongl; Worshipping, Sacrifices, Vists, and State Ceremonies at Zhen Xian Jun Wang Temple · 2 passages

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三年一祭，于仲春之月祭伏犧于陳州，神農於亳州，軒轅於坊州，少昊於兗州，顓頊於開州，高辛於歸德府，陶唐於平陽府，虞舜、夏禹、成湯於河中府，周文王、武王於京兆府。 Sacrifices were held once every three years: in mid-spring Fuxi was honored at Chen Prefecture, Shennong at Bozhou, the Yellow Emperor at Fang Prefecture, Shaohao at Yan Prefecture, Zhuanxu at Kai Prefecture, Gaoxin at Guide Prefecture, Emperor Yao at Pingyang Prefecture, Shun, Yu, and Tang at Hezhong Prefecture, and Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou at Jingzhao Prefecture.

《開寶禮》犧、軒、顓頊、帝嚳、陶唐、女媧、成湯、文、武請禦署，自漢高祖以下二十七帝不署。 The Kaibao Rites require imperial endorsement for Fu Xi, the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu, Di Ku, Emperor Yao, Nüwa, Tang, and Kings Wen and Wu; from Han Gaozu downward twenty-seven emperors are not endorsed.

Book of Jin, Chapter 108Volume 108 Records 8: Murong Hui · 1 passage

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廆以大棘城即帝顓頊之墟也，元康四年乃移居之。 He rebuilt Greater Jicheng on Zhuanxu's legendary capital.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 140Volume 140: Treatises 2 Calendars · 1 passage

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故黃帝始用《辛卯曆》，顓頊次用《乙卯曆》，虞用《戊午曆》，夏用《丙寅曆》，商用《甲寅曆》，周用《丁巳曆》，魯用《庚子曆》，秦用《乙卯曆》。 The Yellow Emperor first adopted the Xinmao Calendar; Zhuanxu next the Yimao; the Yu dynasty the Wuwu; Xia the Bingyin; Shang the Jiayin; Zhou the Dingsi; Lu the Gengzi; and Qin the Yimao.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 2Annals of Xia · 2 passages

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禹之父曰鯀，鯀之父曰帝顓頊，顓頊之父曰昌意，昌意之父曰黃帝。 Yu's father was Gun; Gun's father was Emperor Zhuanxu; Zhuanxu's father was Changyi; Changyi's father was the Yellow Emperor.