Qin and Han · Official

He Wu 何武

Hé Wǔ

Attested BC 7 - BC 1

Passages: 15
Chapters: 7
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify He Wu as an aristocrat, official, and statesman. This record brings together 15 passages from 7 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	He Wu	何武	Hé Wǔ
Title	Grand Minister of Works He Wu	大司空何武
Surname	He	何	He
Personal	He Wu	何武	He Wu
Title	Marquis of Fanxiang	氾鄉侯
Title	Marquis of Fanxiang	氾鄉侯	Fanxiang Hou
Title	Marquis of Sixiang	汜鄉侯	Sixiang Hou
Given	Wu	武	Wu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:026:s0334
Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0253
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:012:s0039
Value: male
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0057

Roles

Aristocrat
Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Age

Age Text: boy · Context: selected among the choristers
Explicit · hanshu:075:s0137

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 哀帝即位 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:026:s0327, hanshu:026:s0334
Source Date: Text: 哀帝時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 7 · End: BC 1
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:093:s0057
Source Date: Text: 綏和二年 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:012:s0039

Career and standing

Label: Grand Minister of Works / 大司空 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:012:s0039, hanshu:026:s0334, hanshu:093:s0057
Name: grand minister of works / 大司空
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0266, hanshu:094:s0280, hanshu:094:s0311
Name: Grand Minister of Works / 大司空
Explicit · hanshu:038:s0186
Name: imperial secretary / 御史大夫
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0265
大司空
Explicit · hanshu:088:s0253
Title: Marquis of Fanxiang / 氾鄉侯 · Action: increased · Households: 1000 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 綏和二年 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit · hanshu:012:s0039
Name: marquis / 列侯
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0266
Name: Marquis of Sixiang / 汜鄉侯
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0266, hanshu:094:s0311
氾鄉侯
Explicit · hanshu:075:s0137

Places and affiliations

Polity: Western Han · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0334

Works and attributed material

Kind: joint memorial · Role: author · Other Person Id: Fu Xi (傅喜) · Provenance: Mode: direct-quotation · Speaker Person Id: He Wu (何武)
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0057, hanshu:093:s0058, hanshu:093:s0059, hanshu:093:s0060, hanshu:093:s0061
Kind: memorial · Role: author · Other Person Id: Emperor Ai (哀)
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0334, hanshu:026:s0335, hanshu:026:s0336, hanshu:026:s0337

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 12Volume 11: Annals of Emperor Ai · 1 passage

太僕安陽侯舜輔導有舊恩，益封五百戶，及丞相孔光、大司空氾鄉侯何武益封各千戶。 Grand Coachman Shun, Marquis of Anyang, had longstanding merits in guidance and support. His fief was increased by five hundred households. Chancellor Kong Guang and Grand Minister of Works He Wu, Marquis of Fanxiang, each had their fiefs increased by one thousand households.

Book of Han, Chapter 26Volume 24a: Treatise on Trade 1 · 1 passage

丞相孔光、大司空何武奏請：「諸侯王、列侯皆得名田國中。 Chief Chancellor Kong Guang and Grand Minister of Works He Wu memorialized: "Feudal kings and ranked marquises may all hold titled fields within their domains.

Book of Han, Chapter 38Volume 29: Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 1 passage

下丞相孔光、大司空何武，奏請部刺史、三輔、三河、弘農太守舉吏民能者，莫有應書。 The matter was sent down to Chancellor Kong Guang and Grand Minister of Works He Wu, who requested that provincial inspectors and the governors of the Three Adjuncts, the Three Henei commanderies, and Hongnong recommend capable officials and commoners, but no one responded to the order.

Book of Han, Chapter 75Volume 64b: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 2 · 3 passages

時氾鄉侯何武為僮子，選在歌中。 Among the choristers was the future Marquis of Fanxiang, He Wu, still a schoolboy.

久之，武等學長安，歌太學下，轉而上聞。 Years later, when He Wu and his companions were students in Chang'an, they sang the pieces below the walls of the Imperial Academy until word of them reached the throne.

宣帝召見武等觀之，皆賜帛，謂曰：「此盛德之事，吾何足以當之！」 Emperor Xuan called He Wu and his fellows in to perform, rewarded each with silk, and said, 'Such music belongs to a reign of supreme virtue; how can I deserve it?'

Book of Han, Chapter 88Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He · 2 passages

併為郡吏，至大司空掾，事何武。 He rose to staff under Grand Minister of Works He Wu.

武高其志節，舉能治劇，為長陵令，道不拾遺。 He Wu sent him to tough Changling, where honesty ran so high that lost goods stayed put.

Book of Han, Chapter 93Volume 82: Wang Shang, Shi Dan and Fu Xi · 1 passage

大司空何武、尚書令唐林皆上書言：「喜行義修潔，忠誠憂國，內輔之臣也，今以寢病，一旦遣歸，眾庶失望，皆曰傅氏賢子，以論議不合於定陶太后故退，百寮莫不為國恨之。 Grand Minister of Works He Wu and Secretary Director Tang Lin jointly wrote: 'Fu Xi is upright, scrupulous, and devoted to the state—exactly the kind of man who should stand at the emperor's side. To dismiss him overnight on grounds of illness will disappoint the empire. People will say the worthy son of the Fu clan was cashiered because he would not trim his opinions to suit the Dowager of Dingtao, and every official will feel the dynasty has wronged itself.

Book of Han, Chapter 94Volume 83: Xue Xuan and Zhu Bo · 6 passages

及成帝時，何武為九卿，建言：「古者民樸事約，國之輔佐必得賢聖，然猶則天三光，備三公官，各有分職。 Under Emperor Cheng, Minister He Wu argued: "In high antiquity life was simple and government lean; even sage assistants modeled the three lights of heaven, so the three dukes each had a clear portfolio.

時曲陽侯王根為大司馬票騎將軍，而何武為御史大夫。 Wang Gen, Marquis of Quyang, then held grand marshal with the agile-cavalry generalship, while He Wu was imperial secretary.

於是上賜曲陽侯根大司馬印綬，置官屬，罷票騎將軍官，以御史大夫何武為大司空，封列侯，皆增奉如丞相，以備三公官焉。 The throne gave Wang Gen the grand marshal seal and staff, dropped the separate agile-cavalry post, made He Wu grand minister of works with a marquisate and chancellor-level salary, rounding out the three excellencies.

初，何武為大司空，又與丞相方進共奏言：「古選諸侯賢者以為州伯，《書》曰『咨十有二牧』，所以廣聰明，燭幽隱也。 Earlier, when He Wu was Grand Minister of Works, he and Chancellor Zhai Fangjin jointly memorialized: "In antiquity worthy regional lords were selected as provincial chiefs. The Documents says, 'Consult the twelve shepherds'; this broadened intelligent hearing and illuminated what was hidden.

博惡獨斥奏喜，以故大司空汜鄉侯何武前亦坐過免就國，事與喜相似，即並奏：「喜、武前在位，皆無益於治，雖已退免，爵士之封非所當得也。 Unwilling to single out Fu Xi alone, Zhu Bo lumped in He Wu, former grand minister of works and Marquis of Sìxiang, who had also been cashiered to his fief: "Neither Fu Xi nor He Wu helped the government while in power; though removed, they should not keep their marquisates.

宣等劾奏：「博宰相，玄上卿，晏以外親封位特進，股肱大臣，上所信任，不思竭誠奉公，務廣恩化，為百寮先，皆知喜、武前已蒙恩詔決，事更三赦，博執正道，虧損上恩，以結信貴戚，背君鄉臣，傾亂政治，奸人之雄，附下罔上，為臣不忠不道； Peng Xuan and the others impeached them, saying: "Zhu Bo is chancellor, Zhao Xuan is an upper minister, and Yan, as an outside relative, holds enfeoffed rank as Specially Advanced. They are great ministers, arms and thighs of the state, trusted by the sovereign, yet they did not think to exhaust loyalty in serving the public, broaden grace and transformation, and lead the hundred offices. They all knew that Xi and Wu had already received a merciful edict and decision, and that the matter had passed through three amnesties. Bo abandoned the straight Way and damaged the sovereign's grace in order to bind trust with honored in-laws; he turned his back on the ruler and faced the ministers, overturned and disordered government, became a champion among wicked men, attached himself below and deceived above. As a minister he is disloyal and without the Way;