Lü Buwei (呂不韋) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Lü Buwei as a merchant, official, and statesman. This record brings together 39 passages from 4 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Lü Buwei	呂不韋	Lǚ Bùwéi
Given name	Buwei	不韋	Buwei
Title	Lord Wenxin	文信侯	Wenxin Hou
Surname	Lü	呂	Lü
Personal	Lü Buwei	呂	Lü
Personal name	Lü Buwei	呂不韋	Lü Buwei
Title	Marquis of Wenxin	文信侯	Wénxìn Hóu
Alternate name	Master Lü	呂子	Lǚzǐ
Title	Second Father	仲父	Zhòngfù

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · shiji:078:s0115, shiji:085:s0001
Value: male
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0108

Roles

Merchant
Official
Statesman

Life and dates

Death

Manner: suicide by poison · Cause: fear of execution · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 歲餘 · Western Interval: Start: BC 236 · End: BC 235
Explicit · shiji:085:s0090
Note: clan destroyed after Qin dealings grew costly
Explicit · hanshu:117:s0246

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 以呂不韋為相，封為文信侯 · Western Year: BC 249
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:078:s0115
Source Date: Text: 呂不韋廢 · Western Year: BC 238
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:078:s0169
Source Date: Text: 始皇九年 · Western Year: BC 238
Explicit · shiji:085:s0076, shiji:085:s0078
Source Date: Text: 歲餘 · Western Interval: Start: BC 236 · End: BC 235
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:085:s0084, shiji:085:s0090
Source Date: Text: 秦昭王五十年 · Western Year: BC 257
Explicit · shiji:085:s0044, shiji:085:s0045
Source Date: Text: 秦昭王四十二年 · Western Year: BC 265
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:085:s0004, shiji:085:s0012
Source Date: Text: 秦王十年十月 · Western Year: BC 237
Explicit · shiji:085:s0082
Source Date: Text: 秦王時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 249 · End: BC 235
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:093:s0108
Source Date: Text: 莊襄王元年 · Western Year: BC 249
Explicit · shiji:085:s0052
Source Date: Text: 莊襄王即位三年 · Western Year: BC 247
Explicit · shiji:085:s0053

Family

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

Parent of Qin Shihuang (秦始皇帝)
Kinship Term: biological father in the reported account / 有身 · Parentage: claimed · Provenance: Mode: hearsay · Speaker Person Id: Zhang Kuang (張匡)
Spouse of Mother of Zheng
Kinship Term: consort / 姬 · Union Category: concubinage · Relationship State: ended
Parent of Zheng (政)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Spouse of Presented Wife of Lü Buwei (呂不韋所獻妻)
Kinship Term: wife / 妻 · Union Category: marriage

Career and standing

Label: wealthy merchant / 大賈人
Explicit · shiji:085:s0001
Label: Prime Minister of Qin / 相 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 春申君相十四年 · Western Year: BC 249
Explicit · shiji:078:s0115
Label: chancellor / 丞相 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 莊襄王元年 · Western Year: BC 249
Explicit · shiji:085:s0052
Label: prime minister / 相國 · Action: appointed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 莊襄王即位三年 · Western Year: BC 247
Explicit · shiji:085:s0053
Label: prime minister / 相國 · Action: dismissed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 秦王十年十月 · Western Year: BC 237
Explicit · shiji:085:s0082
Label: chancellor of Qin / 秦丞相 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0108
Title: Marquis of Wenxin / 文信侯 · Action: enfeoffed · Place: Luoyang, Henan / 河南雒陽 · Households: 100000 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 莊襄王元年 · Western Year: BC 249
Explicit · shiji:085:s0052
Title: Second Father / 仲父 · Action: bestowed
Explicit · shiji:085:s0053
Title: Lord Wenxin / 文信侯 · Action: granted · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 春申君相十四年 · Western Year: BC 249
Explicit · shiji:078:s0115
Status: dismissed · Action: removed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 呂不韋廢 · Western Year: BC 238
Explicit · shiji:078:s0169
Status: dismissal · Action: suffered · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 秦王十年十月 · Western Year: BC 237 · Authority Person Id: Zheng (政)
Explicit · shiji:085:s0082

Places and affiliations

Polity: Qin · Unresolved: true
Explicit · hanshu:117:s0246
Polity: Qin / 秦 · Relation: of
Explicit · shiji:085:s0052
Place: Yangzhai / 陽翟
Explicit · shiji:085:s0001
Place: Handan / 邯鄲 · Relation: traveled-to
Explicit · shiji:085:s0012
Place: Henan / 河南 · Relation: exiled-to
Explicit · shiji:085:s0083
Place: Luoyang, Henan / 河南雒陽 · Relation: enfeoffed-at
Explicit · shiji:085:s0052
Place: Shu / 蜀 · Relation: ordered-to
Explicit · shiji:085:s0089
Place: Xianyang / 咸陽 · Relation: activity-at
Explicit · shiji:085:s0061

Works and attributed material

Work: The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü / 呂氏春秋 · Relation: compiler
Explicit · shiji:085:s0059, shiji:085:s0060
Kind: letter · Role: addressee · Other Person Id: Zheng (政) · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:085:s0085, shiji:085:s0086, shiji:085:s0087, shiji:085:s0088, shiji:085:s0089
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王) · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:085:s0012, shiji:085:s0013, shiji:085:s0015, shiji:085:s0017, shiji:085:s0018, shiji:085:s0019, shiji:085:s0020, shiji:085:s0023, shiji:085:s0024

Events and relationships

Kind: scholarly · Role: sponsor · Action: compiled-and-displayed · Work: The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü / 呂氏春秋 · Place: Xianyang / 咸陽
Explicit · shiji:085:s0059, shiji:085:s0060, shiji:085:s0061
Kind: political · Role: agent · Action: secured-heir-designation · Other Person Id: King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
Explicit · shiji:085:s0028, shiji:085:s0037
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Lao Ai (嫪毐)
Explicit · shiji:085:s0063, shiji:085:s0065
Relation: lover-of · Person Id: Mother of Zheng
Explicit · shiji:085:s0054
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
Explicit · shiji:085:s0027, shiji:085:s0038
Relation: tutor-of · Person Id: King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
Explicit · shiji:085:s0038