Qin and Han · Official

Ji An 汲黯

Died BC 120

Passages: 129
Chapters: 10
Histories: 3

Overview

The translated histories identify Ji An as an administrator, courtier, named individual, and official. This record brings together 129 passages from 10 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Ji An	汲黯	Ji An
Personal	An	黯
Given name	An	黯
Given	An	黯	Àn
Courtesy name	Changru	長孺	Chángrú
Surname	Ji	汲	Jí
Personal	Ji An	汲黯
Personal name	Ji An	汲黯	Jí Àn
Personal name	Ji An	汲黯	Ji An
Personal	Ji An	汲黯	Jí Àn
Courtesy	Zhangru	長孺
Surname		汲	Ji
Given		黯	An

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:059:s0127
Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0271, hanshu:068:s0258, hanshu:101:s0022, hanshu:102:s0079, shiji:029:s0026, shiji:120:s0001
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:068:s0086

Roles

Administrator
Courtier
Named Individual
Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Death

Manner: died in office · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 七歲而卒 · Western Interval: Start: BC 120 · End: BC 110
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:120:s0117
Place: Huaiyang / 淮陽 · Statement: died after ten years at Huaiyang
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0234

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 今天子元光之中 · Western Year: BC 132
Explicit · shiji:029:s0025, shiji:029:s0026
Source Date: Text: 元光五年 · Western Year: BC 130
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:068:s0008, hanshu:068:s0086
Source Date: Text: 列為九卿 · Western Interval: Start: BC 141 · End: BC 87
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:059:s0271, hanshu:059:s0272
Source Date: Text: 太子即位 · Western Year: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:120:s0005
Source Date: Text: 孝景時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 157 · End: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:059:s0130
Source Date: Text: 孝景時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 157 · End: BC 141
Explicit · shiji:120:s0004
Source Date: Text: 更立五銖錢 · Western Year: BC 118
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:059:s0214
Source Date: Text: 武帝 · Western Interval: Start: BC 141 · End: BC 87
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:059:s0131, hanshu:101:s0094
Source Date: Text: 渾邪王來降 · Western Year: BC 121
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:059:s0197
Source Date: Text: 漢武帝時期 · Western Interval: Start: BC 141 · End: BC 112
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:120:s0021, shiji:120:s0117
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

Family

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

Kin of Sima An (司馬安)
Kinship Term: sister's son / 姊子 · Subject Role: sister's son · Object Role: maternal uncle · Line: maternal · Intermediary Person Ids: Sister of Ji An (汲黯姊)
Kinship Term: paternal aunt's son / 姑姊子 · Line: paternal · Intermediary Person Ids: Paternal aunt of Ji An (汲黯姑姊)
Sibling of Sister of Ji An (汲黯姊)
Kinship Term: elder sister / 姊 · Subject Relative Age: elder
Child of Father of Ji An (汲黯之父)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Child of Father of Ji An (汲黯父)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological
Parent of Ji Yan (汲偃)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Parent of Ji Yan (汲偃)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological
Sibling of Ji Ren (汲仁)
Kinship Term: younger brother / 弟 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: younger · Subject Role: younger-brother · Object Role: elder-brother
Sibling of Ji Ren (汲仁)
Kinship Term: younger brother / 弟 · Subject Relative Age: younger

Kinship Role: ancestors · Count: 10 · Statement: ten generations of ministers and grandees
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0129
Kinship Role: ancestors · Count: 7 · Note: seven generations of ministers including Ji An
Explicit · shiji:120:s0003

Origins and identity

Statement: Forebears favored by ancient rulers of Wei; seven generations of ministers / 其先有寵於古之衛君；至黯七世，世為卿大夫
Explicit · shiji:120:s0002, shiji:120:s0003

Career and standing

Label: minister and governor / 卿大夫、太守
Explicit · shiji:120:s0003, shiji:120:s0015
Label: Master of Ceremonies / 謁者 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太子即位 · Western Year: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:120:s0005
Label: Attendant to the Crown Prince / 太子洗馬 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 孝景時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 157 · End: BC 141
Explicit · shiji:120:s0004
Label: chief commandant for noble ranks / 主爵都尉 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0145
Label: Commandant of the Noble Ranks / 主爵都尉 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:120:s0021
Label: governor of Donghai / 東海太守 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0141
Label: governor of Huaiyang / 淮陽太守 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0215
Label: Governor of Huaiyang / 淮陽太守 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:120:s0100, shiji:120:s0101
Label: grand counsellor of the palace / 中大夫 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0140
Label: groom to the crown prince / 太子洗馬 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0130
Label: magistrate of Xingyang / 滎陽令 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0138
Label: Magistrate of Xingyang / 滎陽令 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:120:s0012
Label: Palace Grandee / 中大夫 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:120:s0014
Label: right metropolitan superintendent / 右內史 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0183
Label: usher / 謁者 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0131
Label: Commandant of Nobility Ranks / 主爵都尉 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0086
Label: Governor of Donghai / 東海太守 · Action: transferred
Explicit · shiji:120:s0015
Label: Right Prefect of the Capital / 右內史 · Action: transferred
Explicit · shiji:120:s0063, shiji:120:s0064
Status: resignation · Action: entered · Reason: claimed illness; considered post beneath him
Explicit · shiji:120:s0013
Status: dismissed from office after amnesty · Action: entered
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0212
Status: rank-of-feudal-chancellor · Action: granted · Label: rank and salary of a Chancellor to a feudal lord / 諸侯相秩
Explicit · shiji:120:s0116
Status: nine-ministers · Action: held · Label: Nine Ministers / 九卿
Explicit · shiji:120:s0021
Status: nine-ministers · Label: Nine Ministers / 九卿
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0271
Status: dismissal · Action: dismissed · Note: minor offense; amnesty spared punishment
Explicit · shiji:120:s0097
Status: pardon · Action: pardoned · Authority Person Id: Che (徹)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0012

Places and affiliations

Label: Han / 漢 · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0086
Label: Western Han / 漢 · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0271, hanshu:068:s0258
Polity: Han / 漢 · Relation: served
Explicit · shiji:029:s0026, shiji:120:s0004
Polity: Western Han / 漢 · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0131
Place: Puyang / 濮陽
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0127, shiji:120:s0001
Place: Donghai / 東海 · Relation: posted-to
Explicit · shiji:120:s0015
Place: Huaiyang / 淮陽 · Relation: posted-to
Explicit · shiji:120:s0100

Learning and skills

Belief: Huang-Lao teaching / 黃老 · Relation: adherent-of
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0142
Belief: Huang-Lao / 黃老 · Relation: adherent-of
Explicit · shiji:120:s0016
Skill: direct remonstrance / 直諫 · Level: renowned
Explicit · shiji:120:s0025

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Che (徹) · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:120:s0007, shiji:120:s0009, shiji:120:s0010, shiji:120:s0011, shiji:120:s0030, shiji:120:s0078, shiji:120:s0086, shiji:120:s0087, shiji:120:s0090, shiji:120:s0091, shiji:120:s0092, shiji:120:s0093, shiji:120:s0094, shiji:120:s0095, shiji:120:s0102, shiji:120:s0103
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Zhang Tang (張湯) · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:120:s0050, shiji:120:s0051, shiji:120:s0052, shiji:120:s0053, shiji:120:s0054
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Zhang Tang (張湯)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0173, hanshu:059:s0174, hanshu:059:s0175, hanshu:059:s0176
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true · Other Person Id: Gongsun Hong (公孫弘)
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0088
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Li Xi (李息) · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:120:s0107, shiji:120:s0108, shiji:120:s0109, shiji:120:s0110, shiji:120:s0111, shiji:120:s0112
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Li Xi (李息)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0223, hanshu:059:s0224, hanshu:059:s0225, hanshu:059:s0226, hanshu:059:s0227, hanshu:059:s0228, hanshu:059:s0229
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Emperor Wu (武帝)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0133, hanshu:059:s0135, hanshu:059:s0136, hanshu:059:s0137, hanshu:059:s0156, hanshu:059:s0195, hanshu:059:s0201, hanshu:059:s0202, hanshu:059:s0205, hanshu:059:s0206, hanshu:059:s0207, hanshu:059:s0208, hanshu:059:s0209, hanshu:059:s0210, hanshu:059:s0217, hanshu:059:s0218, hanshu:059:s0219
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0101, shiji:120:s0034, shiji:120:s0035, shiji:120:s0067
Kind: speech · Role: speaker
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0160, hanshu:059:s0161

Events and relationships

Kind: disaster-response · Role: commissioner · Action: blocked-Huzi-breach-unsuccessfully · Place: Huzi / 瓠子
Explicit · shiji:029:s0026
Kind: court-dispute · Role: accuser · Action: confronted Gongsun Hong over broken agreement and cloth quilt
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0088, hanshu:068:s0101
Kind: political · Role: remonstrant · Action: denounced · Other Person Id: Zhang Tang (張湯)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0050, shiji:120:s0051, shiji:120:s0052, shiji:120:s0053, shiji:120:s0054
Kind: administrative · Role: investigator · Action: opened-granaries · Place: Henan / 河南
Explicit · shiji:120:s0008, shiji:120:s0009, shiji:120:s0010, shiji:120:s0011
Kind: political · Role: remonstrant · Action: opposed-execution · Note: opposed death sentences for merchants trading with Hunye
Explicit · shiji:120:s0089, shiji:120:s0090, shiji:120:s0091, shiji:120:s0092, shiji:120:s0093, shiji:120:s0094, shiji:120:s0095, shiji:120:s0096
Kind: political · Role: remonstrant · Action: opposed-killing-Chang'an-traders
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0204, hanshu:059:s0205, hanshu:059:s0210
Kind: political · Role: remonstrant · Action: rebuked-emperor · Other Person Id: Che (徹)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0030, shiji:120:s0031
Kind: diplomatic · Role: envoy · Action: turned-back · Place: Wu / 吳 · Note: sent to Eastern Yue; returned without reaching
Explicit · shiji:120:s0006, shiji:120:s0007
Kind: political · Role: advisor · Action: urged-peace · Note: advocated heqin with Hu rather than war
Explicit · shiji:120:s0057
Relation: warned · Person Id: Li Xi (李息) · About Person Id: Zhang Tang (張湯)
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0094
Relation: rival-of · Person Id: Zhang Tang (張湯)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0182, shiji:120:s0050, shiji:120:s0062
Relation: friend-of · Person Id: Zheng Dangshi (鄭當時)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0152, shiji:120:s0026
Relation: admirer-of · Person Id: Yuan Ang (袁盎)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0025
Relation: friend-of · Person Id: Guan Fu (灌夫)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0152
Relation: colleague-of · Person Id: Gongsun Hong (公孫弘)
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0086
Relation: rival-of · Person Id: Gongsun Hong (公孫弘)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0182, shiji:120:s0061, shiji:120:s0062
Relation: friend-of · Person Id: Guan Fu (灌夫)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0026
Relation: admirer-of · Person Id: Fu Bai (傅柏)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0025
Relation: modeled-on · Person Id: Fu Bo (傅伯)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0151
Relation: friend-of · Person Id: Liu Qiji (劉棄疾)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0152
Relation: modeled-on · Person Id: Yuan Ang (爰盎)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0151
Relation: friend-of · Person Id: Liu Qi (劉棄)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0026

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: approaches the ancient ministers of the altars · Provenance: Mode: named-speaker · Speaker Person Id: Emperor Wu (武帝)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0167
Assessment: blunt and principled; near to a minister of the altars of state · Provenance: Mode: named-speaker · Speaker Person Id: Che (徹)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0042, shiji:120:s0043
Assessment: blunt stubbornness · Provenance: Mode: named-speaker · Speaker Person Id: Emperor Wu (武帝)
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0159
Assessment: plain straightforwardness (質直) · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · hanshu:068:s0258
Assessment: proud, blunt, intolerant of others' faults · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · shiji:120:s0023
Assessment: unyielding guardian for a young ruler · Provenance: Mode: named-speaker · Speaker Person Id: Zhuang Zhu (莊助)
Explicit · shiji:120:s0040, shiji:120:s0041
Assessment: uprightness · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · hanshu:059:s0278
Kind: character · Statement: proud, blunt, loved learning, associated with knight-errants
Explicit · shiji:120:s0023, shiji:120:s0025
Kind: health · Statement: frequently ill; prolonged sick leave
Explicit · shiji:120:s0018, shiji:120:s0037

Source notes

Statement: After death and mid-career dismissal, household left without surplus wealth
Explicit · shiji:120:s0156, shiji:120:s0157

References in the histories

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

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

上使汲黯、鄭當時興人徒塞之，輒復壞。 The emperor dispatched Ji An and Zheng Dangshi to mobilize workers for repairs, but each closure failed and broke open again.

Book of Han, Chapter 59Volume 50: Zhang, Feng, Ji and Zheng · 55 passages

卷五十張馮汲鄭傳第二十 Volume 50: The Biographies of Zhang, Feng, Ji, and Zheng (No. 20).

汲黯字長孺，濮陽人也。 Ji An, whose courtesy name was Zhangru, came from Puyang.

至黯十世，世為卿大夫。 For ten generations before him the family had filled ministerial posts.

武帝即位，黯為謁者。 When Wu succeeded, Ji An was appointed an usher.

東粵相攻，上使黯往視之。 When the Eastern Yue principalities turned on each other, the emperor dispatched Ji An to look into it.

河內失火，燒千餘家，上使黯往視之。 When fire ravaged a thousand homes in Henei, the emperor sent him again.

黯恥為令，稱疾歸田里。 Ji An found a county post beneath him, feigned illness, and went home to his fields.

黯學黃、老言，治官民，好清靜，擇丞史任之，責大指而已，不細苛。 Ji An followed Huang-Lao principles: he ran his command with a light hand, delegated to capable deputies, and cared about broad outcomes rather than petty rules.

黯多病，臥閤內不出。 Plagued by illness, he rarely left his inner office.

黯見□分，未嘗拜，揖之。 Ji An met him with a shallow bow, never a full prostration.

上方招文學儒者，上曰吾欲云云，默對曰：「陛下內多欲而外施仁義，奈何欲效唐、虞之治乎！」 While the court was recruiting literati and Confucians and the emperor aired his lofty plans, Ji An replied, "Your Majesty harbors many desires within, yet outwardly displays benevolence and righteousness—how then can you hope to emulate the governance of Yao and Shun?"

公卿皆為黯懼。 The high ministers trembled for Ji An's safety.

上退，謂人曰：「甚矣，汲黯之戇心！」 When the emperor withdrew he told someone, "Extreme indeed is Ji An's blunt stubbornness!"

群臣或數黯，黯曰：「天子置公卿輔弼之臣，寧令從諛承意，陷主於不誼乎？ When colleagues scolded him, Ji An shot back: "The throne appoints us as his brace and bracket—are we here to flatter him into moral disaster?

黯多病，病且滿三月，上常賜告者數，終不愈。 Ji An was chronically sick; as three months neared, the emperor kept extending his sick leave, but he did not mend.

上曰：「汲黯何如人也？」 Wu asked, "What kind of man is Ji An really?"

曰：「使黯任職居官，亡以愈人，然至其輔少主守成，雖自謂賁、育弗能奪也。」 Yan Zhu replied: "Set him to routine administration and he seems ordinary; but charge him with guarding a young heir and the legacy of the house—even Ben and Yu could not shake his resolve."

古有社稷之臣，至如汲黯，近之矣！」 In antiquity there were ministers for the altars of soil and grain; as for Ji An, he approaches that!"

至如見黯，不冠不見也。 For Ji An he always donned full court dress.

上嘗坐武帳，黯前奏事，上不冠，望見黯，避帷中，使人可其奏。 Once, seated in the war tent without his crown, he spotted Ji An approaching and slipped behind the screen, letting an attendant approve the memorial for him.

張湯以更定律令為廷尉，黯質責湯於上前，曰：「公為正卿，上不能褒先帝之功業，下不能化天下之邪心，安國富民，使囹圄空虛，何空取高皇帝約束紛更之為？ When Zhang Tang rewrote the code and became commandant of justice, Ji An cornered him in open court: "As chief minister you neither celebrate the founder's legacy nor reform public morals, bring peace to the realm, fill the granaries, nor clear the jails—why do you busy yourself tearing apart the statutes Gaozu left behind?

黯時與湯論議，湯辯常在文深小苛，黯憤發，罵曰：「天下謂刀筆吏不可為公卿，果然。 In policy debates Zhang Tang always hid behind legal hair-splitting; Ji An lost his temper and swore, "They say a clerk should never rise to high office—how true.

黯務少事，間常言與胡和親，毋起兵。 Ji An pushed for less government and urged marriage alliances with the steppe instead of new campaigns.

而黯常毀儒，面觸弘等徒懷詐飾智以阿人主取容，而刀筆之吏專深文巧詆，陷人於罔，以自為功。 Ji An, meanwhile, trashed the Ru scholars and accused Hong to his face of faking wisdom to please the throne, while clerks twisted the code to frame the innocent and pad their résumés.

上愈益貴弘、湯，弘、湯心疾黯，雖上亦不說也，欲誅之以事。 Wu prized Hong and Tang all the more; they loathed Ji An, and the emperor himself cooled—yet all three looked for a charge that would let them kill him.

弘為丞相，乃言上曰：「右內史界部中多貴人宗室，難治，非素重臣弗能任，請徙黯。」 Once Gongsun Hong became chancellor, he told the emperor, "The district under the right metropolitan superintendent contains many nobles and imperial clansmen and is difficult to govern. Only a minister of established weight can bear the charge. I request that Ji An be transferred there."

為右內史數歲，官事不廢。 Ji An held the post for years without letting administration slide.

大將軍青既益尊，姊為皇后，然黯與亢禮。 Even after Wei Qing's star rose and his sister became empress, Ji An refused to grovel.

或說黯曰：「自天子欲令群臣下大將軍，大將軍尊貴，誠重，君不可以不拜。」 Friends warned him: "The court wants everyone below the general-in-chief; his rank is real—you really should prostrate yourself."

黯曰：「夫以大將軍有揖客，反不重耶？」 Ji An retorted: "If the general-in-chief accepts a bow from a man who only inclines, does that not prove his stature?"

大將軍聞，愈賢黯，數請問以朝廷所疑，遇黯加於平日。 Wei Qing heard this, respected him the more, and sought his counsel on state questions, honoring him above his usual circle.

淮南王謀反，憚黯，曰：「黯好直諫，守節死義； The king of Huainan, plotting revolt, named Ji An as a danger: "He lives for blunt remonstrance and would die before betraying principle;

上既數征匈奴有功，黯言益不用。 After the northern campaigns began to succeed, nobody listened to Ji An's protests.

始黯列九卿矣，而公孫弘、張湯為小吏。 Ji An had been a nine-minister man when Hong and Tang were still clerks.

及弘、湯稍貴，與黯同位，黯又非毀弘、湯。 When they rose to his level, he still spoke of them with contempt.

已而弘至丞相，封侯，湯御史大夫，黯時丞史皆與同列，或尊用過之。 Soon Hong was chancellor and a marquis, Tang imperial counsellor, while Ji An's old subordinates passed him in rank.

黯褊心，不能無少望，見上，言曰：「陛下用群臣如積薪耳，後來者居上。」 Bitterness ate at him; he told the emperor, "You stack your ministers like firewood—the last logs tossed on end up on top."

黯罷，上曰：「人果不可以無學，觀汲黯之言，日益甚矣。」 After Ji An left, Wu remarked, "A man really must read his books—listen to Ji An now; he grows cruder by the day."

黯曰：「長安令亡罪，獨斬臣黯，民乃肯出馬。 Ji An said, "The magistrate of Chang'an is innocent; execute me instead, and the people will be willing to bring out their horses.

黯入，請間，見高門，曰：「夫匈奴攻當路塞，絕和親，中國舉兵誅之，死傷不可勝計，而費以巨萬百數。 Ji An requested a private audience at Gaomen and said, "When the Xiongnu attacked the strategic passes and severed peace marriages, the central states raised troops to punish them—the dead and wounded beyond counting, and expense reckoned in hundreds of millions.

上弗許，曰：「吾久不聞汲黯之言，今又復妄發矣。」 The emperor waved it off: "I have missed Ji An's voice—but there he goes again, sounding off without restraint."

後數月，黯坐小法，會赦，免官。 Months later Ji An caught a petty legal charge; a general amnesty spared him, but he lost his post.

於是黯隱於田園者數年。 He withdrew to his estate for several years.

上以為淮陽，楚地之郊也，召黯拜為淮陽太守。 The emperor judged Huaiyang the gateway into Chu and summoned Ji An to serve as its governor.

黯伏謝不受印綬，詔數強予，然後奉詔。 Ji An kowtowed and tried to refuse the seal until repeated edicts left him no choice but to accept.

召上殿，黯泣曰：「臣自以為填溝壑，不復見陛下，不意陛下復收之。 Called before the throne, he wept and said, "I had thought I would fill ditches and gullies and never again see Your Majesty; I did not expect Your Majesty would take me back.

黯既辭，過大行李息，曰：「黯棄逐居郡，不得與朝廷議矣。 On his way out Ji An stopped Grand Herald Li Xi: "Banished to the provinces, I shall no longer speak in council.

黯居郡如其故治，淮陽政清。 Ji An governed Huaiyang in his old style, and the region became a model of honest rule.

後張湯敗，上聞黯與息言，抵息罪。 When Zhang Tang fell, the emperor remembered Ji An's words to Li Xi and punished Li Xi for his silence.

令黯以諸侯相秩居淮陽。 He let Ji An remain at Huaiyang on the salary scale of a feudal chancellor.

卒後，上以黯故，官其弟仁至九卿，子偃至諸侯相。 After his death the emperor honored his memory by promoting his brother Ren among the nine ministers and his son Yan to a princely chancellorship.

黯姊子司馬安亦少與黯為太子洗馬。 His sister's son Sima An had once served with him as groom to the crown prince.

然衛人仕者皆嚴憚汲黯，出其下。 Yet every official from Wei still stood in awe of Ji An and conceded him the first place.

當時始與汲黯列為九卿，內行修。 He and Ji An had once stood together among the nine ministers, both men of scrupulous private conduct.

贊曰：張釋之之守法，馮唐之論將，汲黯之正直，鄭當時之推士，不如是，亦何以成名哉！ The historian's verdict: without Zhang Shizhi's fidelity to statute, Feng Tang's counsel on commanders, Ji An's blunt spine, and Zheng Zhuang's zeal for talent, none of them would be remembered.

Book of Han, Chapter 68Volume 58: Gongsun Hong, Bu Shi and Er Kuan · 7 passages

常與主爵都尉汲黯請間，黯先發之，弘推其後，上常說，所言皆聽，以此日益親貴。 He habitually sought private audience together with Ji An, Commandant of Nobility Ranks. Ji An would speak first, and Hong would then add his own view; the emperor was always pleased and accepted everything they said, so Hong grew more intimate and honored by the day.

汲黯庭詰弘曰：「齊人多詐而無情，始為與臣等建此議，今皆背之，不忠。」 Ji An challenged him in open court: "Qi men are smooth and faithless—first he pledged this plan with us ministers, then they all break the bargain; that is disloyalty."

汲黯曰：「弘位在三公，奉祿甚多，然為布被，此詐也。」 Ji An said, "Hong sits among the Three Excellencies on a fat stipend yet sleeps under a homespun quilt—that is a pose."

夫九卿與臣善者無過黯，然今日庭詰弘，誠中弘之病。 Of the nine ministers none is closer to me than Ji An, yet he rebuked me in open court—and he put his finger on my fault.

今臣弘位為御史大夫，為布被，自九卿以下至於小吏無差，誠如黯言。 I am imperial counselor yet share a peasant's bedding with every clerk from the nine ministers down—Ji An had the right of it.

且無黯，陛下安聞此言？」 Moreover, without Ji An, how would Your Majesty ever have heard this?"

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 76Volume 65: Dongfang Shuo · 1 passage

是時，朝廷多賢材，上復問朔：「方今公孫丞相，兒大夫、董仲舒、夏侯始昌、司馬相如、吾丘壽王、主父偃、硃買臣、嚴助、汲黯、膠倉、終軍、嚴安、徐樂、司馬遷之倫，皆辯知閎達，溢於文辭，先生自視，何與比哉？」 The court at that time teemed with talent, and the emperor pressed Shuo again: "Consider Chancellor Gongsun Hong, Censor-in-Chief Er Kuan, Dong Zhongshu, Xiahou Shichang, Sima Xiangru, Wuqiu Shouwang, Zhufu Yan, Zhu Maichen, Yan Zhu, Ji An, Jiao Cang, Zhong Jun, Yan An, Xu Le, Sima Qian, and men of that stamp. They are learned, articulate, and prolific writers. How do you measure yourself against such company?"

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 1 passage

汲黯身外思內，發憤舒憂，遺言李息。 Ji An, though outwardly aloof, nursed grief for the state and left his last plea with Li Xi.

Book of Han, Chapter 101Volume 89: Upright Officials · 2 passages

昔汲黯為淮陽守，辭去之官，謂大行李息曰：『御史大夫張湯懷詐阿意，以傾朝廷，公不早白，與俱受戮矣。』 Long ago, when Ji An left for his post as governor of Huaiyang, he warned Grand Herald Li Xi: "Imperial Clerk Zhang Tang schemes and flatters to undermine the court. If you do not speak up soon, you will die beside him."

後湯誅敗，上聞黯與息語，乃抵息罪而秩黯諸侯相，取其思竭忠也。 After Zhang Tang fell and died, the emperor learned of that conversation, punished Li Xi, and made Ji An a kingdom chancellor to reward his stubborn loyalty.

Book of Han, Chapter 102Volume 90: Cruel Officials · 1 passage

汲黯為忮，司馬安之文惡，俱在二千石列，同車未嘗敢均茵馮。 Ji An's vinegar temper and Sima An's poison pen shared two-thousand-bushel rank, yet neither would share a carriage seat evenly with Zhouyang You.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 29Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 1 passage

於是天子使汲黯、鄭當時興人徒塞之，輒復壞。 The Son of Heaven accordingly sent Ji An and Zheng Dangshi to raise laborers and block the breach, but each repair broke open again.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 120Biographies of Ji and Zheng · 59 passages

汲黯字長孺，濮陽人也。 Ji An, whose courtesy name was Changru, was a native of Puyang.

至黯七世，世為卿大夫。 For seven generations down to Ji An himself, every generation had produced ministers and grandees.

黯以父任，孝景時為太子洗馬，以莊見憚。 Through the privilege of his father's rank, Ji An served as Attendant to the Crown Prince during the reign of Emperor Jing, and his solemn bearing inspired awe in all who knew him.

孝景帝崩，太子即位，黯為謁者。 When Emperor Jing passed away and the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Ji An was appointed Master of Ceremonies.

東越相攻，上使黯往視之。 When the tribes of Eastern Yue fell to fighting among themselves, the Emperor dispatched Ji An to investigate.

河內失火，延燒千餘家，上使黯往視之。 When a fire broke out in Henei and spread to consume more than a thousand homes, the Emperor once again sent Ji An to investigate.

黯恥為令，病歸田里。 Ji An considered a mere magistrate's post beneath his dignity and, claiming illness, retired to his country home.

上聞，乃召拜為中大夫。 When the Emperor learned of this, he summoned Ji An back to court and appointed him Palace Grandee.

黯學黃老之言，治官理民，好清靜，擇丞史而任之。 Ji An was a student of Huang-Lao philosophy. In governing, he preferred tranquility and non-interference, carefully selecting able deputies and entrusting them with the administration.

黯多病，臥閨閤內不出。 Ji An was frequently ill and would remain bedridden in his private quarters, rarely venturing out.

上聞，召以為主爵都尉，列於九卿。 When the Emperor heard of his success, he summoned Ji An to court and appointed him Commandant of the Noble Ranks, elevating him to the ranks of the Nine Ministers.

黯為人性倨，少禮，面折，不能容人之過。 By temperament, Ji An was proud and blunt, sparing little thought for social niceties. He would rebuke people to their faces and could not abide the failings of others.

然黯見蚡未嘗拜，常揖之。 Yet when Ji An encountered Tian Fen, he never once performed a full bow, offering only a casual salute with cupped hands.

天子方招文學儒者，上曰吾欲云云，黯對曰：「陛下內多欲而外施仁義，柰何欲效唐虞之治乎！」 The Emperor was at that time actively courting men of letters and Confucian scholars. When the Emperor spoke of his grand ambitions, Ji An replied: 'Your Majesty harbors boundless desires within, yet makes an outward show of benevolence and righteousness—how can you hope to emulate the governance of Yao and Shun!'

公卿皆為黯懼。 Every minister and grandee at court trembled for Ji An's sake.

上退，謂左右曰：「甚矣，汲黯之戇也！」 After withdrawing, the Emperor said to his attendants: 'How blunt Ji An is!'

群臣或數黯，黯曰：「天子置公卿輔弼之臣，寧令從諛承意，陷主於不義乎？ When some other ministers rebuked him, Ji An replied: 'The Son of Heaven appoints his ministers to advise and assist him—surely not to have them merely flatter and fawn, leading the sovereign into unrighteousness?

黯多病，病且滿三月，上常賜告者數，終不愈。 Ji An was plagued by illness, and on one occasion was bedridden for nearly three months. The Emperor repeatedly granted him sick leave, yet he never fully recovered.

上曰：「汲黯何如人哉？」 The Emperor asked: 'What sort of man is this Ji An, after all?'

助曰：「使黯任職居官，無以踰人。 Zhuang Zhu replied: 'If Ji An were judged solely on his ability to handle official duties, he would be no better than any other man.

古有社稷之臣，至如黯，近之矣。」 The ancients spoke of ministers devoted to the altars of state—Ji An comes close to that ideal.'

至如黯見，上不冠不見也。 But when Ji An sought an audience, the Emperor would never receive him unless he was properly capped and dressed.

上嘗坐武帳中，黯前奏事，上不冠，望見黯，避帳中，使人可其奏。 Once, the Emperor was sitting informally in the military tent when Ji An approached to present a report. Caught without his cap, the Emperor spotted Ji An in the distance, retreated behind the curtains, and sent an attendant to approve the memorial on his behalf.

張湯方以更定律令為廷尉，黯數質責湯於上前，曰：「公為正卿，上不能褒先帝之功業，下不能抑天下之邪心，安國富民，使囹圄空虛，二者無一焉。 Zhang Tang had recently been appointed Commandant of Justice, tasked with revising the laws. Ji An repeatedly challenged him before the Emperor, declaring: 'You serve as Chief Justice, yet you have neither upheld the legacy of the former emperors above nor suppressed the wickedness in the hearts of the people below. You have failed to bring peace and prosperity to the nation, and the prisons remain full—you have accomplished neither of these goals.

黯時與湯論議，湯辯常在文深小苛，黯伉厲守高不能屈，忿發罵曰：「天下謂刀筆吏不可以為公卿，果然。 Whenever Ji An debated with Zhang Tang, Tang would invariably retreat into the fine print and petty technicalities of the law. Ji An, unbending and holding to his lofty principles, refused to yield, and at last erupted in fury: 'Everyone says that petty clerks should never be made ministers—and indeed it is true!

黯務少事，乘上閒，常言與胡和親，無起兵。 Ji An advocated simplicity in governance and, seizing every opportunity when the Emperor was at ease, would urge him to pursue peace through marriage alliances with the Hu rather than resorting to war.

而黯常毀儒，面觸弘等徒懷詐飾智以阿人主取容，而刀筆吏專深文巧詆，陷人於罪，使不得反其真，以勝為功。 Ji An was relentless in his criticism of the Confucians, confronting Gongsun Hong and others to their faces with the charge that they harbored nothing but deceit, dressing up their cleverness to flatter the Emperor. As for the legal clerks, he accused them of twisting the law and crafting specious accusations to entrap the innocent, denying them any chance of vindication—and counting each conviction as a triumph.

上愈益貴弘、湯，弘、湯深心疾黯，唯天子亦不說也，欲誅之以事。 Yet the Emperor continued to elevate Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang, who in turn harbored a deep hatred of Ji An. The Emperor too had grown weary of Ji An and wished to find some pretext to put him to death.

弘為丞相，乃言上曰：「右內史界部中多貴人宗室，難治，非素重臣不能任，請徙黯為右內史。」 When Gongsun Hong became Chancellor, he said to the Emperor: 'The district of the Right Prefect of the Capital is filled with nobles and members of the imperial clan—it is exceedingly difficult to govern. Only a minister of proven authority can manage it. I recommend that Ji An be transferred to the post of Right Prefect of the Capital.'

為右內史數歲，官事不廢。 Ji An served as Right Prefect of the Capital for several years, and the administration ran smoothly under his watch.

大將軍青既益尊，姊為皇后，然黯與亢禮。 Even after the Grand General Wei Qing had risen to ever greater eminence—his own sister having become Empress—Ji An continued to treat him as an equal.

人或說黯曰：「自天子欲群臣下大將軍，大將軍尊重益貴，君不可以不拜。」 Someone advised Ji An: 'The Son of Heaven expects every minister to defer to the Grand General, and his honor and rank only continue to grow. Surely you must bow before him.'

黯曰：「夫以大將軍有揖客，反不重邪？」 Ji An replied: 'For the Grand General to have a guest who offers only a casual salute rather than a bow—does that not, in fact, add to his stature?'

大將軍聞，愈賢黯，數請問國家朝廷所疑，遇黯過於平生。 When the Grand General heard this, his admiration for Ji An only grew. He frequently sought Ji An's counsel on difficult matters of state, treating him with greater courtesy than he had shown in all their years of acquaintance.

淮南王謀反，憚黯，曰：「好直諫，守節死義，難惑以非。 When the King of Huainan plotted his rebellion, he was wary of Ji An and said: "He delights in blunt remonstrance and would sooner die than abandon his principles—he cannot be deceived or led astray.

天子既數征匈奴有功，黯之言益不用。 As the Emperor's repeated campaigns against the Xiongnu bore fruit, Ji An's counsel was increasingly ignored.

始黯列為九卿，而公孫弘、張湯為小吏。 When Ji An first took his place among the Nine Ministers, Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang were still petty officials.

及弘、湯稍益貴，與黯同位，黯又非毀弘、湯等。 As Gongsun Hong and Zhang Tang gradually rose to stand at his level, Ji An continued to denounce them.

故黯時丞相史皆與黯同列，或尊用過之。 and men who had once served as clerks under the Chancellor now held the same rank as Ji An—or had even surpassed him.

黯褊心，不能無少望，見上，前言曰：「陛下用群臣如積薪耳，后來者居上。」 Ji An, being a man of narrow patience, could not conceal his resentment. In an audience with the Emperor, he stepped forward and declared: 'Your Majesty employs his ministers the way one stacks firewood—the latest additions always end up on top.'

有閒黯罷，上曰：「人果不可以無學，觀黯之言也日益甚。」 After Ji An had withdrawn, the Emperor remarked: 'A man truly cannot afford to neglect his studies. Just look at how Ji An's remarks grow more outrageous by the day.'

黯曰：「長安令無罪，獨斬黯，民乃肯出馬。 Ji An said: 'The Magistrate of Chang'an bears no guilt. If you must behead someone, behead me, and the people will willingly bring out their horses.

黯請閒，見高門，曰：「夫匈奴攻當路塞，絕和親，中國興兵誅之，死傷者不可勝計，而費以巨萬百數。 Ji An requested a private audience at the High Gate and said: 'When the Xiongnu attacked our frontier passes and severed the marriage alliance, China raised armies to punish them. The dead and wounded were beyond counting, and the costs ran to hundreds of millions.

上默然，不許，曰：「吾久不聞汲黯之言，今又復妄發矣。」 The Emperor said nothing and refused the request, remarking: 'It has been a long time since I last heard from Ji An, and now he is spouting nonsense once again.'

後數月，黯坐小法，會赦免官。 Several months later, Ji An was found guilty of a minor infraction. Though an amnesty spared him punishment, he was dismissed from office.

於是黯隱於田園。 And so Ji An withdrew into retirement on his country estate.

上以為淮陽，楚地之郊，乃召拜黯為淮陽太守。 The Emperor, recognizing that Huaiyang bordered the troubled Chu region, summoned Ji An from retirement and appointed him Governor of Huaiyang.

黯伏謝不受印，詔數彊予，然後奉詔。 Ji An prostrated himself and repeatedly declined to accept the seal of office. Only after repeated imperial insistence did he finally submit to the appointment.

詔召見黯，黯為上泣曰：「臣自以為填溝壑，不復見陛下，不意陛下復收用之。 When summoned to a final audience, Ji An wept before the Emperor and said: 'I had resigned myself to dying in some ditch, never to see Your Majesty again. I never imagined you would call upon me once more.

黯既辭行，過大行李息，曰：「黯棄居郡，不得與朝廷議也。 After taking his leave, Ji An visited Li Xi, the Grand Herald, and said: 'I am being cast aside to a distant commandery, cut off from the deliberations of the court.

黯居郡如故治，淮陽政清。 Ji An governed Huaiyang in his accustomed style, and the administration of the commandery became clear and well-ordered.

後張湯果敗，上聞黯與息言，抵息罪。 In time, Zhang Tang did indeed meet his downfall. When the Emperor learned of what Ji An had said to Li Xi, he punished Li Xi for his failure to speak up.

令黯以諸侯相秩居淮陽。 He ordered Ji An to continue at Huaiyang, now with the rank and salary of a Chancellor to a feudal lord.

卒後，上以黯故，官其弟汲仁至九卿，子汲偃至諸侯相。 After his death, the Emperor, out of regard for Ji An, elevated his younger brother Ji Ren to the rank of the Nine Ministers and his son Ji Yan to the post of Chancellor to a feudal lord.

黯姑姊子司馬安亦少與黯為太子洗馬。 Sima An, the son of Ji An's paternal aunt, had likewise served alongside him as an Attendant to the Crown Prince in their youth.

然衛人仕者皆嚴憚汲黯，出其下。 And yet every official from Wei stood in awe of Ji An and acknowledged his superiority.

鄭莊、汲黯始列為九卿，廉，內行修絜。 When Zheng Zhuang and Ji An first took their places among the Nine Ministers, both were incorruptible, with personal conduct that was upright and beyond reproach.

太史公曰：夫以汲、鄭之賢，有勢則賓客十倍，無勢則否，況眾人乎！ The Grand Historian remarks: Even for men as worthy as Ji An and Zheng Dangshi, when they held power their guests multiplied tenfold, and when they lost it those same guests vanished. How much truer must this be for ordinary men!

汲、鄭亦云，悲夫！ The same could be said of Ji An and Zheng Dangshi. How sorrowful it is!

Book of Song, Chapter 69Volume 69 Biographies 29: Liu Zhan, Fan Ye · 1 passage

湛負其志氣，常慕汲黯、崔琰為人，故名長子曰黯字長孺，第二子曰琰字季珪。 Proud of his own spirit, Zhan often admired the examples of Ji An and Cui Yan; he therefore named his eldest son An, courtesy name Changru, and his second son Yan, courtesy name Jigui.