Qin and Han · Royal Family Member

Pengzu 彭祖

Attested BC 155 - BC 141

Passages: 17
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Pengzu as an aristocrat, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 17 passages from 2 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Pengzu	彭祖	Pengzu
Title	King of Guangchuan	廣川王
Title	King of Guangchuan	廣川王	Guangchuan Wang
Title	King of Zhao	趙王	Zhao Wang
Title	King Pengzu of Zhao	趙王彭祖	Zhao Wang Pengzu
Given	Pengzu	彭祖	Pengzu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0048, shiji:059:s0004

Roles

Aristocrat
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 二年春三月 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0048
Source Date: Text: 十五年孝景帝崩 · Western Year: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:059:s0073
Source Date: Text: 四年徙為趙王 · Western Year: BC 152
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:059:s0072
Source Date: Text: 孝景前二年 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:059:s0070

Family

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

Spouse of Lady Nao (淖姬)
Kinship Term: consort / 姬 · Union Category: concubinage
Sibling of Sheng (勝)
Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Subject Relative Age: younger · Shared Parentage: maternal-half
Kinship Term: same-mother brother / 同母 · Shared Parentage: maternal-half
Child of Emperor Jing (孝景皇帝)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Parent of Liu Dan (丹)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological
Child of Emperor Xiaojing (孝景皇帝)
Kinship Term: imperial son / 皇子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Child of Lady Jia (賈夫人)
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son

Kinship Role: children-and-grandchildren · Qualifier: many · Quantity: many · Count: 2
Explicit · shiji:059:s0076
Kinship Role: favored-consorts · Qualifier: many · Quantity: many · Count: 2
Explicit · shiji:059:s0076

Career and standing

Title: King of Guangchuan / 廣川王 · Action: enfeoffed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 二年春三月 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0048
Title: King of Guangchuan / 廣川王 · Action: enfeoffed · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 孝景前二年 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit · shiji:059:s0070
Title: King of Zhao / 趙王 · Action: transferred
Explicit · shiji:059:s0072

Places and affiliations

Polity: Han / 漢 · Relation: royal-kinsman
Explicit · shiji:059:s0001
Place: Handan / 邯鄲 · Relation: patrolled
Explicit · shiji:059:s0087

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Sheng (勝)
Explicit · shiji:059:s0097

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: artful and fawning, outwardly deferential but ruthless · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · shiji:059:s0074

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 6Volume 5: Annals of Emperor Jing · 1 passage

春三月，立皇子德為河間王，閼為臨江王，餘為淮陽王，非為汝南王，彭祖為廣川王，發為長沙王。 In the third month of spring, he enfeoffed his imperial sons De as King of Hejian, Yan as King of Linjiang, Yu as King of Huaiyang, Fei as King of Runan, Pengzu as King of Guangchuan, and Fa as King of Changsha.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 59House of the Five Clans · 16 passages

賈夫人子曰彭祖、勝。 Lady Jia bore two sons: Pengzu and Sheng.

趙王彭祖，以孝景前二年用皇子為廣川王。 King Pengzu of Zhao was first enfeoffed as King of Guangchuan as an imperial prince in the second year of Emperor Jing's early reign.

趙王遂反破後，彭祖王廣川。 After King Sui of Zhao's rebellion was crushed, Pengzu ruled as King of Guangchuan.

彭祖為人巧佞卑諂，足恭而心刻深。 Pengzu was by nature artful, fawning, and obsequious, deferential in outward manner but ruthless and calculating at heart.

彭祖多內寵姬及子孫。 Pengzu kept a great number of favored consorts in his inner palace, and sired many children and grandchildren.

是以每相、二千石至，彭祖衣皁布衣，自行迎，除二千石舍，多設疑事以作動之，得二千石失言，中忌諱，輒書之。 For this reason, whenever a new chancellor or official of two-thousand-shi rank arrived, Pengzu would don coarse black cloth and personally go out to welcome him. He would prepare the official's quarters and contrive all manner of provocations to unsettle him. If the official let slip an indiscreet word or violated some taboo, Pengzu recorded it at once.

二千石欲治者，則以此迫劫； Should an official of two-thousand-shi rank attempt to govern, Pengzu would use these records to coerce and threaten him;

不聽，乃上書告，及汙以姦利事。 and if the official still refused to comply, Pengzu would submit a memorial of accusation to the throne, smearing him with charges of corruption and profiteering.

彭祖立五十餘年，相、二千石無能滿二歲，輒以罪去，大者死，小者刑，以故二千石莫敢治。 Over the course of Pengzu's reign of more than fifty years, not a single chancellor or official of two-thousand-shi rank lasted a full two years before being removed on charges. Those convicted of greater offenses died; those of lesser ones were punished. As a result, no official dared to govern.

而趙王擅權，使使即縣為賈人榷會，入多於國經租稅。 The King of Zhao thus monopolized all authority, dispatching agents to the counties to operate trading monopolies on his behalf, which brought in revenue exceeding the kingdom's regular rents and taxes.

以是趙王家多金錢，然所賜姬諸子，亦盡之矣。 As a result, the house of Zhao amassed a great fortune in gold and coin, yet what Pengzu lavished upon his consorts and sons consumed it all.

彭祖取笔江都易王寵姬王建所盜與姦淖姬者為姬，甚愛之。 Pengzu took as his own consort the very Lady Nao whom King Jian of Jiangdu had abducted from the late King Yi's inner palace and bedded unlawfully. Pengzu doted on her greatly.

彭祖不好治宮室、禨祥，好為吏事。 Pengzu took no interest in building palaces or pursuing auspicious omens; his passion lay in the business of governance.

諸使過客以彭祖險陂，莫敢留邯鄲。 Envoys and travelers who passed through all regarded Pengzu as dangerous and unpredictable, and none dared linger in Handan.

常與兄趙王相非，曰：「兄為王，專代吏治事。 He often quarreled with his elder brother, the King of Zhao, saying: "My brother, though a king, concerns himself solely with taking over the work of officials.

趙王亦非之，曰：「中山王徒日淫，不佐天子拊循百姓，何以稱為藩臣！」 The King of Zhao countered: "The King of Zhongshan does nothing but wallow in excess day after day. He does not assist the Son of Heaven in nurturing and guiding the people. How can he claim to be a worthy vassal?"