Kong Jin (孔僅) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Kong Jin as an artisan, merchant, and official. This record brings together 6 passages from 1 chapter across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Kong Jin	孔僅	Kong Jin
Personal	Kong Jin	僅	Jin

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Uncertain

Roles

Artisan
Merchant
Official

Career and standing

deputy grand minister of agriculture
Explicit · hanshu:027:s0135
Grand Minister of Agriculture
Explicit · hanshu:027:s0172
great smelter of Nanyang
Explicit · hanshu:027:s0136
managed salt and iron
Explicit · hanshu:027:s0247

Places and affiliations

Nanyang
Explicit · hanshu:027:s0136

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 27Volume 24b: Treatise on Trade 2 · 6 passages

Open chapter

於是以東郭咸陽、孔僅為大農丞，領鹽鐵事，而桑弘羊貴幸。 Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin were made deputy grand ministers of agriculture and put in charge of salt and iron, while Sang Hongyang rose in favor and influence.

咸陽，齊之大煮鹽，孔僅，南陽大冶，皆致產累千金，故鄭當時進言之。 Both appointees were private-sector magnates recruited for state fiscal operations.

大農上鹽鐵丞孔僅、咸陽言：「山海，天地之臧，宜屬少府，陛下弗私，以屬大農佐賦。 The Grand Minister of Agriculture presented Kong Jin and Xianyang, assistants for salt and iron, who said: 'Mountains and seas are the storehouses of Heaven and Earth and should belong to the Lesser Treasury; Your Majesty does not keep them for private use, but assigns them to the Grand Minister of Agriculture to assist taxation.

孔僅使天下鑄作器，三年中至大司農，列於九卿。 Kong Jin rose rapidly through the fiscal-administrative hierarchy.

而船有算，商者少，物貴，乃因孔僅言船算事。 A levy was also imposed on boats, reducing merchants and driving up prices; this followed Kong Jin's proposal on boat taxation.

而桑弘羊為治粟都尉，領大農，盡代僅斡天下鹽鐵。 Sang Hongyang became Superintendent for Grain and concurrently headed the Grand Minister of Agriculture, completely replacing Kong Jin in managing the empire's salt and iron.