Ancient China · Statesman

Fan Ju 范雎

Attested BC 273 - BC 270

Passages: 11
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Fan Ju as an official, statesman, and strategist. This record brings together 11 passages from 5 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Fan Ju	范雎	Fan Ju
Surname	Fan	范
Personal name	Fan	范
Personal name	Fan Ju	范雎
Personal name	Fan Ju	范睢	Fàn Jū
Personal name	Fan Sui	范睢	Fàn Suī
Alternate name	Master Zhanglu	張祿先生	Zhāng Lù Xiānsheng
Changed name	Zhang Lu	張祿	Zhāng Lù
Personal name		范睢

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · shiji:072:s0107, shiji:077:s0003
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:070:s0163

Roles

Official
Statesman
Strategist

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 昔三仁去而殷虛… · Western Year: BC 270
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:099:s0069
Source Date: Text: 昭王三十六年 · Western Year: BC 271
Explicit · shiji:072:s0106, shiji:072:s0107
Source Date: Text: 秦兵圍大梁，破魏華陽下軍 · Western Year: BC 273
Explicit · shiji:077:s0003

Career and standing

Label: advisor to King Zhao of Qin / 說秦昭王
Explicit · shiji:072:s0107, shiji:072:s0108
Label: Chancellor of Qin / 相秦 · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:077:s0003

Places and affiliations

Polity: Qin · Relation: served
Explicit · shiji:077:s0003
Place: Wei / 魏 · Relation: native-of
Explicit · shiji:072:s0107

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: King Zhao of Qin (昭王)
Explicit · shiji:072:s0107, shiji:072:s0109

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: actor · Action: fled-Wei-to-Qin
Explicit · shiji:077:s0003
Relation: rival-of · Person Id: Wei Qi (魏齊)
Explicit · shiji:077:s0003

Source notes

From: Fan Ju / 范睢 · To: Master Zhanglu / 張祿先生
Explicit · shiji:072:s0107

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 2 passages

穰侯，昭王之舅也，權重於秦，威震鄰敵，有旦莫偃伏之愛，心不介然有間，然范雎起徒步，由異國，無雅信，開一朝之說，而穰侯就封。 Marquis Rang, uncle to King Zhao of Qin, dominated that state and awed its neighbors; he shared the king's pillow and board without a shadow between them—yet Fan Ju, a stranger on foot, won a single hearing and sent Rang packing to his domain.

願將軍由周公之謙懼，損穰侯之威，放武安之欲，毋使范雎之徒得間其說。」 I urge you to keep the Duke of Zhou's humility, shed Marquis Rang's arrogance, and curb the appetites that ruined the Marquis of Wu'an—lest another Fan Ju find a crack through which to speak."

Book of Han, Chapter 99Volume 87b: Yang Xiong 2 · 4 passages

昔三仁去而殷虛，二老歸而周熾，子胥死而吳亡，種、蠡存而粵伯，五□入而秦喜，樂毅出而燕懼，范睢以折□而危穰侯，蔡澤雖噤吟而笑唐舉。 The Three Worthies left and Shang collapsed; the Two Elders came home and Zhou flourished; Wu died with Wu Zixu; Yue rose while Zhong and Fan Li lived; five captives entered Xianyang to Qin’s delight; Yue Yi’s exile struck terror into Yan; Fan Ju’s stratagem toppled the Marquis of Rang; Cai Ze, stammering all the while, still got the laugh on the physiognomist Tang Ju.

范、蔡以下何必《玄》哉？」 Men like Fan and Cai never needed such a book—why should you?"

揚子曰：「范雎，魏之亡命也，折脅拉髂，免於微索，翕肩蹈背，扶服入橐，激卬萬乘之主，界涇陽抵穰侯而代之，當也。 Yang Xiong replied: "Fan Ju fled Wei with a broken body, dodged the searchers, crept into a sack to reach Qin, roused the king of ten thousand chariots, blocked Lord Jingyang, and unseated the Marquis of Rang—that was exactly the right moment for such a man.

有談范、蔡之說於金、張、許、史之間，則狂矣。 To peddle the stratagems of Fan Ju and Cai Ze in the antechambers of the Jin, Zhang, Xu, and Shi clans would be madness.

Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 1 passage

或譏以無功，又感東方朔、揚雄自諭以不遭蘇、張、范、蔡之時，曾不折之以正道，明君子之所守，故聊復應焉。 Critics mocked his want of deeds; remembering how Dongfang Shuo and Yang Xiong excused their obscurity by the absence of Su or Zhang, yet never rebuked opportunism with the true Way, he felt compelled to answer.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 72Biography of the Marquis of Rang · 3 passages

於是魏人范睢自謂張祿先生，譏穰侯之伐齊，乃越三晉以攻齊也，以此時奸說秦昭王。 At this time the Wei man Fan Ju, calling himself Master Zhanglu, ridiculed the Marquis of Rang's attack on Qi as crossing the Three Jin to attack Qi, and craftily advised King Zhao of Qin.

昭王於是用范睢。 King Zhao thereupon employed Fan Ju.

范睢言宣太后專制，穰侯擅權於諸侯，涇陽君、高陵君之屬太侈，富於王室。 Fan Ju spoke of Empress Dowager Xuan monopolizing authority, the Marquis of Rang usurping power among the feudal lords, and the likes of Lord Jingyang and Lord Gaoling being too extravagant and wealthier than the royal house.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 77Biography of the Prince of Wei · 1 passage

是時范睢亡魏相秦，以怨魏齊故，秦兵圍大梁，破魏華陽下軍，走芒卯。 At this time, Fan Sui had fled Wei to become Chancellor of Qin, driven by resentment toward Wei Qi. Qin forces besieged Daliang, crushed Wei's army at Huayang, and sent Mang Mao fleeing in defeat.