Lady Zhang (張婕妤) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Lady Zhang as a consort. 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	Lady Zhang	張婕妤	Zhang Jieyu
Title	Lady Zhang the Honored Lady	張婕妤	Zhang Jieyu
Surname	Zhang	張	Zhang

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Female

Sex: female
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0004

Roles

Consort

Life and dates

Death

Date Context: Source Date: Text: 張婕妤已卒 · Western Year: BC 49
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0015

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 元康三年 · Western Year: BC 63
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:091:s0006

Family

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

Child of Maternal grandmother of Liu Qin (欽外祖母)
Kinship Term: maternal grandmother / 外祖母 · Line: maternal · Generation Distance: 2 · Subject Role: granddaughter · Object Role: grandmother
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: daughter
Parent of Liu Qin (劉欽)
Parentage: biological
Kinship Term: bore / 生 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Spouse of Emperor Xuan (宣帝)
Kinship Term: honored lady / 婕妤 · Union Category: concubinage · Relationship State: active

Career and standing

Status: imperial-favorite · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0006, hanshu:091:s0009

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 91Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan · 6 passages

Open chapter

許皇后生孝元帝，張婕妤生淮陽憲王欽，衛婕妤生楚孝王囂，公孫婕妤生東平思王宇，戎婕妤生中山哀王竟。 Empress Xu gave birth to Emperor Yuan. Lady Zhang the Honored Lady bore Prince Xian of Huaiyang, Qin; Lady Wei the Honored Lady bore Prince Xiao of Chu, Ao; Lady Gongsun the Honored Lady bore Prince Si of Dongping, Yu; and Lady Rong the Honored Lady bore Prince Ai of Zhongshan, Jing.

淮陽憲王欽，元康三年立，母張婕妤有寵於宣帝。 Prince Xian of Huaiyang, Qin, was established in the third year of Yuankang (63 BCE). His mother, Lady Zhang the Honored Lady, enjoyed Emperor Xuan’s favor.

霍皇后廢後，上欲立張婕妤為后。 After Empress Huo was cast aside, the emperor meant to raise Lady Zhang to empress.

後無寵，希御見，唯張婕妤最幸。 The new empress soon lost his attention and seldom saw him; Lady Zhang alone remained his favorite.

常有意欲立張婕妤與憲王，然用太子起於微細，上少依倚許氏，及即位而許后以殺死，太子蚤失母，故弗忍也。 He often toyed with making Lady Zhang and the prince his succession, yet the crown prince had come up from nothing: as a young man the emperor had leaned on the Xu clan, and after his accession Empress Xu had been executed, leaving the boy motherless—so he could not bring himself to replace him.

時，張婕妤已卒，憲王有外祖母，舅張博兄弟三人歲至淮陽見親，輒受王賜。 By then Lady Zhang was dead. The prince still had kin on his mother’s side: each year his uncles Zhang Bo and his two brothers visited Huaiyang and went home laden with the king’s largesse.