Ancient China · Ruler

Goujian 勾踐

Attested BC 496 - BC 465

Passages
8
Chapters
7
Histories
3

Overview

The translated histories identify Goujian as a ruler. This record brings together 8 passages from 7 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Goujian 勾踐 Goujian
Personal Goujian 句踐 Goujian
Personal name Goujian 勾踐 Gōujiàn
Personal name Goujian 句踐 Goujian
Personal name Goujian 句踐 Gōu Jiàn
Personal name Goujian 句踐 Gōujiàn
Personal Goujian 句踐 Gōujiàn
Title King Goujian of Yue 粵王勾踐 Yuè wáng Gōujiàn
Title King Goujian of Yue 越王句踐
Title King Goujian of Yue 越王句踐 Yuè Wáng Gōujiàn
Title King of Yue 粵王 Yue Wang

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

  • Source Date: Text: 十年國富…報強吳 · Western Interval: Start: BC 494 · End: BC 473
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:103:s0035
  • Source Date: Text: 句踐 · Western Interval: Start: BC 496 · End: BC 465
    Explicit event contextual date · jinshu:108:s0121
  • Source Date: Text: 句踐 · Western Interval: Start: BC 496 · End: BC 465
    Explicit · shiji:084:s0191
  • Source Date: Text: 昔粵王勾踐困於會稽之上 · Western Year: BC 494
    Explicit · hanshu:103:s0032
  • Source Date: Text: 越王句踐…霸天下 · Western Interval: Start: BC 496 · End: BC 465
    Explicit · shiji:127:s0064
  • Source Date: Text: 越王句踐 · Western Interval: Start: BC 496 · End: BC 465
    Explicit · shiji:114:s0001

Family

  • Ancestor of Yao (搖)
    Kinship Term: descendant / 後 · Line: paternal
  • Ancestor of Wuzhu (亡諸)
    Kinship Term: descendant / 後 · Line: paternal

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 65Volume 56: Dong Zhongshu · 1 passage
Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 1 passage
Book of Han, Chapter 103Volume 91: Usurers · 1 passage
Book of Jin, Chapter 108Volume 108 Records 8: Murong Hui · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 84Biographies of Qu Yuan and Master Jia · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 114Treatise on the Eastern Yue · 2 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 127Biographies of Soothsayers · 1 passage