Nie Wengyi (聶翁壹) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Nie Wengyi as a landowner and spy. This record brings together 4 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	Nie Wengyi	聶翁壹	Niè Wēngyī

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:108:s0079

Roles

Landowner
Spy

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 元光元年 · Western Year: BC 134
Explicit · shiji:108:s0079

Places and affiliations

Place: Mayi in Yanmen / 雁門馬邑 · Relation: resided-at
Explicit · shiji:108:s0079

Events and relationships

Kind: espionage · Role: agent · Action: lured · Other Person Id: Chanyu (單于) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 元光元年 · Western Year: BC 134
Explicit · shiji:108:s0079, shiji:108:s0080, shiji:108:s0082

References in the histories

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

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 108Biography of Han Changru · 4 passages

Open chapter

其明年，則元光元年，雁門馬邑豪聶翁壹因大行王恢言上曰：「匈奴初和親，親信邊，可誘以利。」 The next year, the first year of Yuanguang, Nie Wengyi, a wealthy man of Mayi in Yanmen, spoke to the Emperor through the Grand Herald Wang Hui, saying, "The Xiongnu have just made a marriage alliance and trust the border officials; they can be lured with profit."

陰使聶翁壹為閒，亡入匈奴，謂單于曰：「吾能斬馬邑令丞吏，以城降，財物可盡得。」 They secretly sent Nie Wengyi as an agent. He fled into the Xiongnu and told the Chanyu, "I can behead the magistrate, assistant, and clerks of Mayi and surrender the city, so that all its goods may be taken."

單于愛信之，以為然，許聶翁壹。 The Chanyu, who trusted and favored him, found the proposal reasonable and granted Nie Wengyi permission to proceed.

聶翁壹乃還，詐斬死罪囚，縣其頭馬邑城，示單于使者為信。 Nie Wengyi then returned, beheaded a prisoner condemned to death, and hung the head on the walls of Maiyi, displaying it to the Chanyu's envoy as proof.