Qin and Han · Official

Gai Kuangrao 盍寬饒

Attested BC 49

Passages: 28
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Gai Kuangrao as an official and scholar. This record brings together 28 passages from 2 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Gai Kuangrao	盍寬饒	Gai Kuangrao
Courtesy	Cigong	次公	Cigong
Personal	Gai Kuangrao	蓋寬饒	Gai Kuangrao
Title	Lord Gai	蓋君	Gai Jun

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:010:s0006
Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0309

Roles

Official
Scholar

Life and dates

Death

Text: cut his own throat below the northern gate tower
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0054

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 宣帝時 · Western Year: BC 49
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:010:s0006

Career and standing

司臣
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0309
Text: Grandee Remonstrant; acting household colonel; Guard Sima; Metropolitan Governor; Palace Grandee
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0005
Status: executed · Action: executed · Label: executed for satirical speech / 坐刺譏辭語為罪而誅
Explicit · hanshu:010:s0006

Places and affiliations

Text: Wei Commandery
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0003

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 10Volume 9: Annals of Emperor Yuan · 1 passage

見宣帝所用多文法吏，以刑名繩下，大臣楊惲、盍寬饒等坐刺譏辭語為罪而誅，嘗侍燕從容言：「 He saw that Emperor Xuan employed many officials versed in statutes, used penal law to restrain his subordinates, and had executed high ministers such as Yang Yun and Gai Kuangrao for words of criticism or satire. Once, while attending an informal banquet, he said, “

Book of Han, Chapter 88Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He · 27 passages

卷七十七蓋諸葛劉鄭孫毋將何傳第四十七 Volume 77: Biographies of Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang, and He—the forty-seventh series.

蓋寬饒 Gai Kuangrao.

蓋寬饒字次公，魏郡人也。 Gai Kuangrao, styled Cigong, came from Wei Commandery.

彭祖時實下門，寬饒坐舉奏大臣非是，左遷為衛司馬。 Pengzu had in fact dismounted; Kuangrao was convicted of wrongly impeaching a great minister and was demoted to colonel of the palace guards.

先是時，衛司馬在部，見衛尉拜謁，常為衛官繇使市買。 Before Kuangrao, the guard colonel had to kowtow to the commandant of guards and was treated like a messenger boy for shopping runs.

寬饒視事，案舊令，遂揖官屬以下行衛者。 On day one he reopened the statute book and replaced the kowtow with a ranked salute for men under him on escort duty.

衛尉私使寬饒出，寬饒以令詣官府門上謁辭。 When the commandant tried to send him on a private chore, he walked to the yamen gate and entered a written refusal on the books.

寬饒初拜為司馬，未出殿門，斷其禪衣，令短離地，冠大冠，帶長劍，躬案行士卒廬室，視其飲食居處，有疾病者身自撫循臨問，加致醫藥，遇之甚有恩。 Fresh to the colonelcy he shortened his robe, belted on a long sword, toured every barrack, tasted the gruel, nursed the sick himself, and paid doctors out of his own pocket.

及歲盡交代，上臨饗罷衛卒，衛卒數千人皆叩頭自請，願復留共更一年，以報寬饒厚德。 When the year-end muster came and the emperor feasted the retiring guards, thousands begged on their knees to serve another tour under Kuangrao.

宣帝嘉之，以寬饒為太中大夫，使行風俗，多所稱舉貶黜，奉使稱意。 Xuan made him a palace grandee and sent him circuit-riding as moral inspector; his promotions and sackings matched what the court wanted to hear.

平恩侯許伯入第，丞相、御史、將軍、中二千石皆賀，寬饒不行。 The whole peerage turned out for Xu Bo's housewarming; Kuangrao stayed home.

許伯自酌曰：「蓋君後至。」 Xu poured the wine himself and said, "Our late guest is Lord Gai."

寬饒曰：「無多酌我，我乃酒狂。」 Kuangrao said, "Pour sparingly—I turn wild after a few cups."

丞相魏侯笑曰：「次公醒而狂，何必酒也？」 The marquis of Wei laughed and said, "Cigong is mad while sober—what need of wine?"

寬饒不說，卬視屋而歎曰：「美哉！ Kuangrao was displeased; he lifted his eyes to the rafters and sighed, "How splendid!

寬饒為人剛直高節，志在奉公。 He was rigidly upright and of lofty integrity; his ambition was to serve the public good.

同列後進或至九卿，寬饒自以行清能高，有益於國，而為凡庸所越，愈失意不快，數上疏諫爭。 Juniors leapt past him to the Nine Ministers while he stewed, convinced his integrity should have won him more.

太子庶子王生高寬饒節，而非其如此，予書曰：「明主知君潔白公正，不畏強禦，故命君以司察之位，擅君以奉使之權，尊官厚祿已施於君矣。 Wang Sheng, attendant to the heir, esteemed Kuangrao's integrity but disapproved of this conduct, and wrote him a letter: "An enlightened ruler knows that you are pure, upright, and just, and that you do not fear the mighty. For this reason he assigned you an office of inspection and gave you the authority of an imperial commissioner; high rank and generous stipend have already been granted to you.

寬饒不納其言。 Kuangrao ignored the letter.

是時，上方用刑法，信任中尚書宦官，寬饒奏封事曰：「方今聖道浸廢，儒術不行，以刑余為周、召，以法律為《詩》、《書》。」 Kuangrao submitted a sealed memorial saying, "Today the sage way is gradually abandoned, Confucian learning does not prevail; mutilated convicts are treated as the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao, and statutes are taken for the Odes and Documents."

書奏，上以寬饒怨謗終不改，下其書中二千石。 The emperor read it as slander and bounced the paper to the high ministers.

時，執金吾議，以為寬饒指意欲求禪，大逆不道。 The Bearer of the Mace read the passage as a call for the emperor to yield the throne—capital treason.

諫大夫鄭昌愍傷寬饒忠直憂國，以言事不當意而為文吏所詆挫，上書頌寬饒曰：「臣聞山有猛獸，藜藿為之不採； Remonstrance Grandee Zheng Chang pitied Kuangrao's loyal bluntness and his concern for the state, and grieved that because his words on affairs did not suit the ruler's wishes, he had been attacked and broken by clerical officials. Zheng Chang submitted a memorial praising Kuangrao, saying: "I have heard that where mountains hold fierce beasts, brambles and greens are not gathered;

司隸校尉寬饒居不求安，食不球飽，進有憂國之心，退有死節之義，上無許、史之屬，下無金、張之托，職在司察，直道而行，多仇少與，上書陳國事，有司劾以大辟，臣幸得從大夫之後，官以諫為名，不敢不言。」 Metropolitan Commandant Kuangrao does not seek comfort in his dwelling or fullness in his food. When he advances, he carries a heart anxious for the state; when he withdraws, he holds to the duty of dying for principle. Above, he has no patronage from the Xu and Shi clans; below, he has no backing from the Jin and Zhang houses. His office is one of inspection, and he follows the straight path, making many enemies and few friends. He submits memorials on affairs of state, and the responsible agencies impeach him for a capital crime. I have had the fortune to serve among the grandees, and since my office bears the name of remonstrance, I dare not be silent."

上不聽，遂下寬饒吏。 The emperor would not listen and sent Kuangrao down to the clerks.

寬饒引佩刀自剄北闕下，眾莫不憐之。 He opened his own throat below the northern watchtower; the capital wept.

贊曰：蓋寬饒爲司臣，正色立於朝，雖詩所謂「國之司直」無以加也。 The appraisal says Gai Kuangrao as censor stood in court with unbending color, surpassing even the Odes' "upright officer of the state."