Li Ling (李陵) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Li Ling as a family member, general, military officer, and writer. This record brings together 13 passages from 6 chapters across 5 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Li Ling	李陵	Li Ling
Personal name	Li Ling	李陵	Li Ling
Personal name	Li Ling	李陵
Personal	Li Ling	李陵
Given	Ling	陵	Ling
Courtesy	Shaoqing	少卿	Shaoqing

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · beiqishu:006:s0008, shiji:109:s0148
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:071:s0063, liaoshi:076:s0094, nanqishu:048:s0152

Roles

Family Member
General
Military Officer
Writer

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: BC 99 · Western Year: BC 99
Uncertain · nanqishu:048:s0152
Source Date: Text: 天漢二年秋 · Western Year: BC 99
Explicit · shiji:109:s0163
Source Date: Text: 書信引用 · Western Year: BC 99
Explicit event contextual date · beiqishu:003:s0045
Source Date: Text: 漢之李陵 · Western Year: BC 99
Explicit · liaoshi:076:s0094
Source Date: Text: 漢書·李陵傳 · Western Year: BC 99
Explicit · beiqishu:006:s0008
Source Date: Text: 漢李陵 · Western Interval: Start: BC 99 · End: BC 74
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:071:s0063

Family

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

Child of Mother of Li Ling (李陵母)
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Child of Li Danghu (李當戶)
Kinship Term: posthumous son / 遺腹子 · Parentage: biological
Spouse of Wife of Li Ling (李陵妻)
Kinship Term: wife / 妻 · Union Category: marriage
Spouse of Daughter of the Chanyu (單于女)
Kinship Term: wife / 妻 · Union Category: marriage · Relationship State: formed

Career and standing

Label: Commandant of Cavalry / 騎都尉 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:109:s0162
Label: Superintendent of the Jianzhang Palace / 建章監 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:109:s0158
Status: surrendered · Action: entered
Explicit · shiji:109:s0168

Works and attributed material

Work: Li Ling's letter / 李陵書 · Relation: author
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:071:s0063

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: surrendered-to-xiongnu · Other Person Id: Chanyu (單于)
Explicit · shiji:109:s0164, shiji:109:s0168

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: conduct admired by Xiaozhao · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report · Source Person Id: Emperor Xiaozhao (孝昭帝)
Explicit · beiqishu:006:s0008

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 3Volume 3 Annals 3: Emperor Wenxiang · 1 passage

Open chapter

闔門大小，悉在司寇，意謂李氏未滅，猶言少卿可反。 Your whole household, great and small, is in the hands of the Minister of Justice; I thought that since the Li clan was not yet destroyed, one might still say the Lesser Minister could return.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 6Volume 6 Annals 6: Emperor Xiaozhao · 1 passage

Open chapter

遂篤志讀《漢書》，至《李陵傳》，恒壯其所為焉。 He then applied himself to the Book of Han; when he came to the biography of Li Ling, he always took fierce pride in Li Ling's conduct.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 71Volume 71 Book of Later Tang 47: Biographies 23: Ma Yu, Si Kongting, Cao Tingyin, Xiao Xifu, Yao Zongzhi, Jia Fu, Ma Gao, Luo Guan, Chun Yuyan, Zhang Ge, Xu Ji, Zhou Xuanbao · 1 passage

Open chapter

人有引漢李陵書以譏之曰：「老母終堂，生妻去室。」 Someone mocked him with a line from Li Ling's letter to the Han: "His old mother died at home; his living wife abandoned their house."

History of Liao, Chapter 76Volume 76 Biographies 6: Yelu Jieli, Yelu Balide, Yelu Shuogu, Yelu Lubugu, Zhao Yanshou, Gao Mohan, Zhao Siwen, Yelu Oulisi, Zhang Li · 1 passage

Open chapter

手詔褒美，比漢之李陵。 The emperor wrote him a personal edict of praise, comparing him to Li Ling of Han.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 29: Yuan Tuan, Kong Zhigui, Liu Hui · 1 passage

Open chapter

故衞霍出關，千隊不反，貳師入漠，百旅頓降，李廣敗於前鋒，李陵沒於後陣，其餘奔北，不可勝數。 Hence when Wei Qing and Huo Qubing went beyond the passes, a thousand companies did not return; when the Second Division entered the desert, a hundred hosts collapsed in surrender; Li Guang was defeated at the vanguard, Li Ling lost at the rear—the rest fled north in numbers beyond counting.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 109Biography of General Li · 8 passages

Open chapter

當戶有遺腹子名陵。 Danghu left behind a posthumous son named Li Ling.

李陵既壯，選為建章監，監諸騎。 When Li Ling came of age, he was selected to serve as Superintendent of the Jianzhang Palace, in charge of the cavalry.

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.

陵既至期還，而單于以兵八萬圍擊陵軍。 When Ling had reached the appointed rendezvous and was turning back, the Chanyu descended upon him with eighty thousand men and surrounded his army.

陵軍五千人，兵矢既盡，士死者過半，而所殺傷匈奴亦萬餘人。 Ling's army of five thousand fought until their weapons and arrows were exhausted. More than half his men were killed, but they had also killed or wounded more than ten thousand of the Xiongnu.

且引且戰，連鬬八日，還未到居延百餘里，匈奴遮狹絕道，陵食乏而救兵不到，虜急擊招降陵。 Fighting as they retreated, they battled for eight days straight. When they were still more than a hundred li from Juyan, the Xiongnu blocked the narrow passes and cut off their route. Ling's provisions were spent and no reinforcements came. The enemy pressed their attack and called on Ling to surrender.

陵曰：「無面目報陛下。」 Ling said, "I have no face with which to report back to Your Majesty."

單于既得陵，素聞其家聲，及戰又壯，乃以其女妻陵而貴之。 After the Chanyu had taken Ling captive, he had long heard of the Li family's reputation, and Ling had fought with great valor. He therefore gave Ling one of his own daughters in marriage and honored him.