Huo Qubing (霍去病) | 24 Histories

Overview

Huo Qubing was a general.

PeriodQin and Han

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Death

BC 117 居歲餘
died 死
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 109, passage 156

Attested activity

BC 140 to BC 117 BC 140-117
Uncertain · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 152
BC 119 元狩四年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 109, passages 116, 119
BC 121 to BC 117 前代
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 43, passage 111
BC 117 居歲餘
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 109, passage 156
BC 140 to BC 117 昔霍去病
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 83
BC 123 to BC 117 漢廷將帥
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 37

Show 3 more source-backed claims

BC 123 to BC 117 票骑
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 52
BC 123 to BC 117 衛、霍改節
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 104, passage 26
c. BC 140 to BC 117 霍去病冠軍之義
Strongly inferred · Book of Zhou 21, passage 55

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Han court general 漢廷將帥
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 37
military command 將帥
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282
Swift Cavalry General 票骑
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 52

Places and affiliations

Han 漢
Relation Served
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 37
Polity Han 漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 26; Records of the Grand Historian 112, passages 277, 282
Polity Western Han 西漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 105, passage 71

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Book of Wei 30, passage 83

Events and relationships

Campaigned north
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 52
Campaigned
Military · General · Summary Aspired to destroy the Xiongnu as a Han court general.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 37
Changed conduct regarding retainers
Political · General
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 26
Listed among Han talents of the era
Career · Exemplar · Mode quotation Speaker Ban Gu (班固)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282
Northern campaign
Military · Commander · Mode named-source-report Speaker Emperor Huan (桓帝)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 111
Shot and killed li gan
Violence · Killer · With Li Gan (李敢)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 109, passage 154

Show 2 more source-backed claims

Relation Colleague of · Person Wei Qing (韋)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 52
Relation Favorite of · Person Emperor Wu (武帝)
Directly stated · Book of Han 105, passage 71

Assessments and attributes

Assessment advanced by merit as well as favor · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Han 105, passage 71

Source notes

Value historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282

References in the histories

Search passages

History

16 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 104Volume 92: Youxias · 1 passage

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自魏其、武安、淮南之後，天子切齒，衛、霍改節。 After the Dou–Tian feud and the Huainan revolt, the emperor set his jaw, and even Wei Qing and Huo Qubing learned to keep clients at arm's length.

Book of Han, Chapter 105Volume 93: Flatterers · 2 passages

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附：衛青、霍去病 Appendix: Wei Qing and Huo Qubing

衛青、霍去病皆愛幸，然亦以功能自進。 Wei Qing and Huo Qubing enjoyed imperial favor, but they also earned their place by real achievement.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 43Volume 38: Biographies of Zhang, Fa, Teng, Feng, Du, Yang · 1 passage

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前代陳湯、馮、傅之徒，以寡擊眾，郅支、夜郎、樓蘭之戎，頭懸都街，衛、霍北征，功列金石，是皆將軍所究覽也。 Chen Tang, Feng Fengshi, Fu Jiezi, and others defeated vast armies with small forces; barbarian heads from Zhizhi, Yelang, and Loulan hung in the marketplace; Wei Qing and Huo Qubing marched north and earned inscriptions on bronze—all examples you know well.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 89Volume 80a: Biographies of Writers 1 · 1 passage

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遂命票骑，勤任卫青，勇惟鹰扬，军如流星，深之匈奴，割裂王庭，席卷漠北，叩勒祁连，横分单于，屠裂百蛮。 He charged the Swift Cavalry command and leaned hard on Wei Qing; armies swept like meteors and valor rose like hawks—deep into the steppe they shattered the royal court, rolled up the northern sands, stormed Qilian, split the Chanyu, and carved apart countless tribes.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 137Volume 137: Foreign States Biographies 1: Khitan · 1 passage

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霍去病，漢廷將帥，猶且誌滅匈奴，況帝王應運，而欲移都避寇哉！」 Huo Qubing was only a Han general, yet he burned to destroy the Xiongnu. How could an emperor who holds Heaven's mandate think of fleeing the capital before mere raiders?"

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 29: Yuan Tuan, Kong Zhigui, Liu Hui · 1 passage

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故衞霍出關，千隊不反，貳師入漠，百旅頓降，李廣敗於前鋒，李陵沒於後陣，其餘奔北，不可勝數。 Thus, when Wei Qing and Huo Qubing campaigned beyond the passes, a thousand companies failed to return; when the General of Ershi entered the desert, a hundred formations surrendered at once. Li Guang was defeated in the vanguard and Li Ling was lost in the rear; the others who fled in defeat were beyond counting.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 109Biography of General Li · 6 passages

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後二歲，大將軍、驃騎將軍大出擊匈奴，廣數自請行。 Two years later, the Grand General and the General of the Swift Cavalry launched a major campaign against the Xiongnu. Guang repeatedly petitioned to join them.

廣死軍時，敢從驃騎將軍。 At the time of Guang's death in the field, his son Gan was serving under the General of the Swift Cavalry.

李敢以校尉從驃騎將軍擊胡左賢王，力戰，奪左賢王鼓旗，斬首多，賜爵關內侯，食邑二百戶，代廣為郎中令。 Li Gan, serving as a colonel under the General of the Swift Cavalry, had fought valiantly against the Left Worthy King of the Xiongnu, seizing the enemy's war drums and battle standards and taking many heads. He was granted the title of Marquis Within the Passes with a fief of two hundred households, and succeeded his father as Superintendent of the Imperial Household.

驃騎將軍去病與青有親，射殺敢。 The General of the Swift Cavalry, Huo Qubing, who was related to Wei Qing, shot and killed Gan.

去病時方貴幸，上諱云鹿觸殺之。 Huo Qubing was at the height of imperial favor at the time, and the Emperor covered up the deed, declaring that Gan had been killed by a charging deer.

居歲餘，去病死。 A little more than a year later, Huo Qubing died.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 112Biographies of the Marquis of Pingjin and Zhufu · 1 passage

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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、朱買臣，歷數則唐都、落下閎，協律則李延年，運籌則桑弘羊，奉使則張騫、蘇武，將帥則衛青、霍去病，受遺則霍光、金日磾。 In Confucian scholarship, there were Gongsun Hong, Dong Zhongshu, and Er Kuan. In steadfast conduct, Shi Jian and Shi Qing. In forthright character, Ji An and Bu Shi. In advancing the worthy, Han Anguo and Zheng Dangshi. In codifying laws, Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang. In literary achievement, Sima Qian and Sima Xiangru. In wit and humor, Dongfang Shuo and Mei Gao. In eloquent debate, Yan Zhu and Zhu Maichen. In astronomy and calendrical science, Tang Du and Luoxia Hong. In harmonizing music, Li Yannian. In strategic finance, Sang Hongyang. In diplomatic missions, Zhang Qian and Su Wu. In military command, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. In receiving the imperial testamentary charge, Huo Guang and Jin Midi.

Book of Wei, Chapter 30Volume 25: Zhang Sunsong, Zhangsun Daosheng · 1 passage

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道生還，歎曰：「昔霍去病以匈奴未滅，無用家為，今強寇尚遊魂漠北，吾豈可安坐華美也！」 On his return Daosheng sighed: "Huo Qubing once said that while the Xiongnu were not destroyed a man had no business with a home — and mighty enemies still haunt the northern sands; how should I dwell in comfort and show?"

Book of Zhou, Chapter 21Volume 21 Biographies 13: Wei Chijiong; Wang Qian; Sima Xiaonan · 1 passage

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又以迥有平蜀之功，同霍去病冠軍之義，封寧蜀公。 For pacifying Shu—an achievement likened to Huo Qubing's title Champion—he was enfeoffed Duke of Ningshu.