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Overview Names Identity Roles Life and dates Family Career and standing Events and relationships References in the histories
Overview The translated histories identify Li Gan as a family member, military officer, and official. This record brings together 10 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
Li Gan
李敢
Li Gan
Given
Gan
敢
Gan
Identity
Historicity Historical
Identification Named
Sex Male Roles Family Member Military Officer Official Life and dates Death Attested activity Family
Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.
Parent of Daughter of Li Gan (李敢女) Kinship Term: daughter / 女Parentage: biological
Child of Li Guang (李廣) Kinship Term: son / 子Parentage: biologicalSubject Role: sonObject Role: fatherSubject Birth Order: 3
Parent of Li Yu (李禹) Kinship Term: son / 男Parentage: biological
Sibling of Li Danghu (李當戶) Shared Parentage: full
Sibling of Li Jiao (李椒) Shared Parentage: full
Events and relationships Kind: violence ·
Role: attacker ·
Action: wounded-wei-qing ·
Other Person Id: Wei Qing (衛青) References in the histories Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 109 Biography of General Li · 10 passages
行可數百里，匈奴左賢王將四萬騎圍廣，廣軍士皆恐，廣乃使其子敢往馳之。
After they had advanced several hundred li, the Left Worthy King of the Xiongnu descended upon them with forty thousand cavalry and surrounded Guang. His soldiers were all terrified. Guang sent his son Li Gan to ride out against the enemy.
敢獨與數十騎馳，直貫胡騎，出其左右而還，告廣曰：「胡虜易與耳。」
Gan rode out alone with several dozen horsemen, charged straight through the barbarian cavalry, emerged on their flanks, and returned. He reported to Guang, "The Hu cavalry are easy to handle."
廣子三人，曰當戶、椒、敢，為郎。
Guang had three sons, named Danghu, Jiao, and Gan, all of whom served as Imperial Attendants.
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.
頃之，怨大將軍青之恨其父，乃擊傷大將軍，大將軍匿諱之。
Before long, Gan, harboring resentment against Grand General Qing for having driven his father to his death, attacked and wounded the Grand General. The Grand General concealed the incident.
居無何，敢從上雍，至甘泉宮獵。
Not long afterward, Gan accompanied the Emperor on a journey to Yong and went hunting at the Ganquan Palace.
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.
而敢有女為太子中人，愛幸，敢男禹有寵於太子，然好利，李氏陵遲衰微矣。
Gan had a daughter who served in the Crown Prince's household and was favored by him. Gan's son Li Yu also enjoyed the Crown Prince's patronage, but he was a man who cared only for profit, and the Li family gradually declined.