Qin and Han · Statesman

Huo Guang 霍光

Huò Guāng

Died BC 68

Passages
94
Chapters
23
Histories
9

Overview

The translated histories identify Huo Guang as an aristocrat, general, named individual, and official. This record brings together 94 passages from 23 chapters across 9 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Huo Guang 霍光 Huò Guāng
Title General Huo 霍將軍 Huo Jiangjun
Title General-in-Chief Huo Guang 大將軍霍光 Da jiangjun Huo Guang
Title Grand General 大將軍
Title Grand General 大將軍 dà jiāngjūn
Title Grand General 大將軍 Da Jiangjun
Title Grand General Huo Guang 大將軍霍光 Da Jiangjun Huo Guang
Title Grand General Huo Guang 大將軍光 Da Jiangjun Guang
Title Grand Marshal 大司馬
Given Guang 光 Guāng
Given Guang 光 Guang
Personal Guang 光 Guāng
Given name Guang 光
Given name Guang 光 Guang
Surname Huo 霍 Huò
Surname Huo 霍
Surname Huo 霍 Huo
Personal Huo 霍 Huo
Personal name Huo Guang 霍光 Huò Guāng
Personal Huo Guang 霍 Huo Guang
Personal name Huo Guang 霍 Huò
Personal Huo Guang 霍光 Huo Guang
Personal name Huo Guang 霍光 Huo Guang
Personal name Huo Guang 霍光
Personal Huo Guang
Personal Huo Guang 霍光
Personal name Huo Guang 霍
Title Marquis of Bolu 博陸侯
Courtesy name Zimeng 子孟 Zimeng
Given 光 Guang
Surname 霍 Huo

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Aristocrat
  • General
  • Named Individual
  • Official
  • Statesman

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

  • Source Date: Text: 伊霍之舉 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Strongly inferred · nanqishu:004:s0076
  • Source Date: Text: 其后霍光、王凤等皆然 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Strongly inferred · houhanshu:125:s0079
  • Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68 · Source Date: Text: 周霍
    Explicit event contextual date · weishu:027:s0137
  • Source Date: Text: 大將軍霍光 · Western Year: BC 68
    Explicit · hanshu:069:s0198
  • Source Date: Text: 始元二年春正月 · Western Year: BC 85
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:008:s0033
  • Source Date: Text: 始元五年 · Western Year: BC 82
    Explicit · hanshu:082:s0028, hanshu:082:s0030
  • Source Date: Text: 子孟 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Explicit · liangshu:014:s0130
  • Source Date: Text: 孝昭幼沖，霍光秉政 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:101:s0010
  • Source Date: Text: 建武三十二年二月 · Western Year: AD 56
    Explicit · houhanshu:108:s0118, houhanshu:108:s0101
  • Source Date: Text: 後元二年 · Western Year: BC 87
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:008:s0005
  • Source Date: Text: 故當其有事也，非蕭、曹… · Western Year: BC 80
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:099:s0070
  • Source Date: Text: 昭帝崩 · Western Year: BC 74
    Explicit · hanshu:082:s0210
  • Source Date: Text: 武昭宣 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:085:s0010, hanshu:085:s0228
  • Source Date: Text: 漢興六十餘載 · Western Interval: Start: BC 141 · End: BC 87
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:068:s0254, hanshu:068:s0258
  • Source Date: Text: 量交 · Western Year: c. BC 68
    Explicit event contextual date · liangshu:014:s0246
  • Source Date: Text: 霍光 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:050:s0056
  • Source Date: Text: 霍光 · Western Interval: Start: BC 87 · End: BC 68
    Explicit · songshu:055:s0014, xintangshu:121:s0123
  • Source Date: Text: 霍光 · Western Year: BC 87
    Explicit event contextual date · qingshigao:445:s0199
  • Source Date: Text: 霍光薨 · Western Year: BC 68
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:085:s0228
  • Source Date: Text: 霍光輔政 · Western Year: AD 87
    Strongly inferred · beiqishu:028:s0089
  • Source Date: Text: 韋、彭、伊、霍 · Western Interval: Start: AD 550 · End: AD 559
    Explicit · beiqishu:048:s0043

Family

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

  • Kin of Huo Shan (霍山)
    Kinship Term: elder brother's son / 兄子 · Generation Distance: 1
  • Parent of Daughter of Huo Guang (霍光女)
    Kinship Term: daughter / 女 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: daughter
  • Sibling of Brother of Huo Guang (霍光兄)
    Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Subject Relative Age: younger · Subject Role: younger-brother · Object Role: elder-brother
    Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Subject Relative Age: elder
  • Parent of Huo Yu (霍禹)
    Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological
    Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
  • Spouse of Huo Xian (霍顯)
    Kinship Term: wife / 夫人 · Union Category: marriage
    Kinship Term: wife / 夫人 · Union Category: marriage · Subject Role: husband · Object Role: wife
  • Kinship Role: brothers and sons-in-law · Quantity: unspecified
    Explicit · hanshu:085:s0231
  • Kinship Role: daughters · Quantity: unspecified
    Explicit · hanshu:085:s0232

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

  • Assessment: loyal minister of the state · Provenance: Mode: quoted-speech · Speaker Person Id: Emperor Zhao (孝昭皇帝)
    Explicit · hanshu:008:s0086
  • Assessment: testamentary appointee (受遺) · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · hanshu:068:s0258
  • Assessment: understood what the times required; lightened corvée and reduced taxes · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · hanshu:008:s0147

Source notes

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 28Volume 28 Biographies 20: Yuan Tan (Eastern Wei); Yuan Bin; Yuan Xiaoyou; Yuan Huiye; Yuan Bi; Yuan Shao (Eastern Wei) · 1 passage
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Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 40: Imperial Affines · 1 passage
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Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 50Volume 50 Biographies 42: Favored by Nobles · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 8Volume 7: Annals of Emperor Zhao · 12 passages
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冬十月，詔曰：「左將軍安陽侯桀、票騎將軍桑樂侯安、御史大夫弘羊皆數以邪枉干輔政，大將軍不聽， 而懷怨望，與燕王通謀，置驛往來相約結。 In the tenth month of winter, an edict stated: 'Left General Marquis Jie of Anyang, Flying Cavalry General Marquis An of Sang Le, and Imperial Secretary Hongyang all repeatedly interfered in the auxiliary government with crooked and perverse actions. The Grand General would not listen, so they harbored resentment and communicated with King Yan in plotting, establishing post stations for coming and going and mutually agreeing to join together.
燕王遣壽西長、孫縱之等賂遺長公主、丁外人、謁者杜延年、大將軍長史公孫遺等，交通私書，共謀令長公主置酒，伏兵 殺大將軍光，徵立燕王為天子，大逆毋道。 King Yan sent Shou Xichang, Sun Zongzhi, and others to bribe and give gifts to the Elder Princess, Ding Wai, Usher Du Yannian, the Grand General's Chief Secretary Gongsun Yi, and others. They communicated with private letters and together plotted to have the Elder Princess host a wine banquet with ambush troops to kill Grand General Guang, and summon and establish King Yan as Son of Heaven - a great rebellion against the proper way.
Book of Han, Chapter 27Volume 24b: Treatise on Trade 2 · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 42Volume 33: Wei Bao, Tian Dan and Hán Xin (King of Han) · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 68Volume 58: Gongsun Hong, Bu Shi and Er Kuan · 1 passage
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漢之得人，於茲為盛，儒雅則公孫弘、董仲舒、兒寬，篤行則石建、石慶，質直則汲黯、卜式，推賢則韓安國、鄭當時，定令則趙禹、張湯，文章則司馬遷、相如，滑稽則東方朔、枚皋，應對則嚴助、硃買臣，歷數則唐都、洛下閎，協律則李延年，運籌則桑弘羊，奉使則張騫、蘇武，將率則衛青、霍去病，受遺則霍光、金日磾，其餘不可勝紀。 Never did the dynasty gather talent so thickly: Hong, Dong, and Kuan for classical breadth; the Shi brothers for steadfast service; Ji An and Bu Shi for blunt loyalty; Han Anguo and Zheng Dangshi for lifting others; Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang for codifying law; Sima Qian and Xiangru for voice; jesters Dongfang Shuo and Mei Gao; debaters Yan Zhu and Zhu Maichen; calendar-makers Tang Du and Luoxia Hong; the harmonist Li Yan'nian; the reckoner Sang Hongyang; envoys Zhang Qian and Su Wu; blades Wei Qing and Huo Qubing; regents Huo Guang and Jin Midi—and a cloud of names besides.
Book of Han, Chapter 69Volume 59: Zhang Tang · 15 passages
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會左將軍上官桀父子及御史大夫桑弘羊皆與燕王、蓋主謀反誅，光以朝無舊臣，白用安世為右將軍光祿勳，以自副焉。 When Left General Shangguan Jie and his son, together with Grand Minister of Finance Sang Hongyang, were executed for plotting with the King of Yan and the Princess of Gai, Huo Guang—finding the court bereft of senior ministers—recommended Anshi as general of the right and superintendent of the masters of writing to serve as his deputy.
車騎將軍光祿勳富平侯安世，宿衛忠正，宣德明恩，勤勞國家，守職秉義，以安宗廟，其益封萬六百戶，功次大將軍光。」 General of chariots and cavalry, superintendent of the masters of writing, and Marquis of Fuping Anshi has guarded the palace with loyal rectitude, spread virtue abroad, toiled for the state, and upheld righteousness to secure the ancestral temple. Increase his fief by ten thousand six hundred households; his merit ranks next to Grand General Huo Guang."
安世尊為公侯，食邑萬戶，然身衣弋綈，夫人自紡績，家童七百人，皆有手技作事，內治產業，累織纖微，是以能殖其貨，富於大將軍光。 Though ennobled at the highest rank with a fief of ten thousand households, he dressed in plain black silk and his wife spun the household's cloth herself. Seven hundred retainers were each put to skilled manual labor. He micromanaged the family estates, pinching every cash, until his private wealth outstripped even Grand General Huo Guang's.
Book of Han, Chapter 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 15 passages
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見國家承武帝奢侈師旅之後，數為大將軍光言：「年歲比不登，流民未盡還，宜修孝文明政，示以儉約寬和，順天心，說民意，年歲宜應。」 Seeing the empire still reeling from Emperor Wu's wars and waste, he urged Huo Guang more than once: "Harvests have failed year after year and refugees have not all come home. We should revive the restrained, humane government of Emperor Wen, teach frugality and mercy, and align policy with Heaven and the common people—then the seasons will answer in kind."
Book of Han, Chapter 82Volume 71: Jun, Shu, Yu, Xue, Ping and Peng · 3 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 85Volume 74: Wei Xiang and Bing Ji · 15 passages
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吉奏記光曰：「將軍事孝武皇帝，受襁褓之屬，任天下之寄，孝昭皇帝早崩亡嗣，海內憂懼，欲亟聞嗣主，發喪之日以大誼立後，所立非其人，復以大誼廢之，天下莫不服焉。 Bing Ji wrote Huo Guang: ‘General, you served Emperor Wu, received the charge of the swaddling-clothes regency, and bear the empire’s trust; when Emperor Zhao died without heir the realm was anxious; you established a successor on the day mourning was announced, and when he proved unworthy you deposed him again by great duty—none under Heaven failed to submit.
Book of Han, Chapter 89Volume 78: Xiao Wangzhi · 5 passages
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Book of Han, Chapter 99Volume 87b: Yang Xiong 2 · 1 passage
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Book of Han, Chapter 101Volume 89: Upright Officials · 3 passages
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昭帝立，幼，大將軍霍光秉政，大臣爭權，上官桀等與燕王謀作亂，光既誅之，遂遵武帝法度，以刑罰痛繩群下，由是俗吏上嚴酷以為能，而霸獨用寬和為名。 Emperor Zhao came to the throne as a child while Huo Guang held power. Court factions clashed until Huo executed Shangguan Jie and his allies in the plot with the Prince of Yan. Thereafter the regime clung to Emperor Wu's harsh precedents, and petty bureaucrats climbed by proving how cruel they could be—except Huang Ba, who made his name with lenience.
Book of Han, Chapter 102Volume 90: Cruel Officials · 10 passages
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Book of Later Han, Chapter 108Volume 97: Rituals and Worship Part One · 1 passage
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Book of Later Han, Chapter 125Volume 114: Officials Part One · 1 passage
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Book of Liang, Chapter 14Volume 14: Jiang Yan; Ren Fang · 2 passages
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Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 4Volume 4 Annals 4: Prince of Yulin · 1 passage
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Draft History of Qing, Chapter 445Volume 445 Biographies 232: Wu Kedu, Zhu Yixin, Tu Keshou, An Weijun, Wen Ti, Jiang Chunlin · 1 passage
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Book of Song, Chapter 55Volume 55 Biographies 15: Zang Dao, Xu Guang, F Long · 1 passage
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Book of Wei, Chapter 27Volume 22: Emperor Xiaowen's Five Princes · 1 passage
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New Book of Tang, Chapter 121Volume 121 Biographies 46: Liu, Zhong, Cui, and the Two Kings · 1 passage
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