Qin and Han · General

Li Guangli 李廣利

Died BC 90

Passages
21
Chapters
2
Histories
2

Overview

The translated histories identify Li Guangli as an aristocrat, general, and military officer. This record brings together 21 passages from 2 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Li Guangli 李廣利 Li Guangli
Title Ershi 貳師 Ershi
Title Ershi General 貳師將軍 Èrshī Jiāngjūn
Title General Li Guangli of Ershi 貳師將軍李廣利
Title General of Ershi 貳師將軍
Given Guangli 廣利 Guǎnglì
Surname Li 李 Lǐ
Personal name Li Guangli 李廣利 Lǐ Guǎnglì
Title Marquis of Haixi 海西侯 Hǎixī Hóu

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Aristocrat
  • General
  • Military Officer

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

  • Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0209
  • Source Date: Text: 伐宛再反，凡四歲 · Western Interval: Start: BC 104 · End: BC 101
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0208, hanshu:071:s0134
  • Source Date: Text: 天漢二年秋 · Western Year: BC 99
    Explicit · shiji:109:s0163
  • Source Date: Text: 太初元年 · Western Year: BC 104
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0134

Family

  • Sibling of Lady Li (李夫人)
    Kinship Term: younger sister / 女弟 · Subject Relative Age: elder · Shared Parentage: full
    Kinship Term: younger sister / 女弟 · Subject Relative Age: younger

Career and standing

  • Label: Ershi General / 貳師
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0209
  • Label: Ershi General / 貳師將軍 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 太初元年 · Western Year: BC 104
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0134
  • Label: Ershi / 貳師 · Action: held · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0209
  • Title: Marquis of Haixi / 海西侯 · Action: enfeoffed · Fief Households: 8000
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0200
  • Status: surrender · Action: entered · Place: Xiongnu / 匈奴 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:071:s0210, hanshu:071:s0209

Places and affiliations

  • Polity: Xiongnu / 匈奴 · Relation: surrendered-to · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:071:s0210, hanshu:071:s0209
  • Label: Western Han / 漢 · Relation: served
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0128
  • Polity: Western Han / 漢 · Relation: served
    Strongly inferred · hanshu:071:s0209
  • Place: Wuyuan / 五原 · Relation: departed-from · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0209
  • Place: Zhiju River / 郅居水 · Relation: crossed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0209

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: attacked-dayuan · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 伐宛再反，凡四歲 · Western Interval: Start: BC 104 · End: BC 101
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0128, hanshu:071:s0134, hanshu:071:s0208
  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: attacked-right-worthy-king · Other Person Id: Right Worthy King (右賢王)
    Explicit · shiji:109:s0163
  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: defeated · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:071:s0210, hanshu:071:s0209
  • Kind: legal · Role: victim · Action: killed · Other Person Id: Chanyu (單于) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:071:s0210, hanshu:071:s0209
  • Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: led cavalry out of Wuyuan against the Xiongnu and crossed the Zhiju River · Place: Wuyuan / 五原 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 後十一歲，征和三年 · Regnal Year: 3 · Western Year: BC 90
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0209
  • Relation: killed-by · Person Id: Chanyu (單于)
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0210

Source notes

  • Statement: A fuller account of these events is given in the Xiongnu treatise (匈奴傳).
    Explicit · hanshu:071:s0211

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 71Volume 61: Zhang Qian and Li Guangli · 20 passages
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 109Biography of General Li · 1 passage
Open chapter
數歲，天漢二年秋，貳師將軍李廣利將三萬騎擊匈奴右賢王於祁連天山，而使陵將其射士步兵五千人出居延北可千餘里，欲以分匈奴兵，毋令專走貳師也。 Several years later, in the autumn of the second year of the Tianhan era, General Li Guangli of Ershi led thirty thousand cavalry to attack the Right Worthy King of the Xiongnu in the Qilian and Tianshan mountains. Li Ling was ordered to lead his five thousand archers and infantry north from Juyan, about a thousand li deep, to draw off part of the Xiongnu forces and prevent them from concentrating against Li Guangli.