Qin and Han · Official

Ren Ao 任敖

Died BC 179

Passages: 10
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Ren Ao as an aristocrat and official. This record brings together 10 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	Ren Ao	任敖	Ren Ao
Personal name	Ao	敖	Ao
Title	Censor-in-Chief	御史大夫
Title	Marquis of Guang'a	廣阿侯
Posthumous	Marquis Yi	懿侯
Personal name	Ren Ao	任敖	Ren Ao

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0082

Roles

Aristocrat
Official

Life and dates

Death

Date Context: Source Date: Text: 孝文元年 · Western Year: BC 179
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0151

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 孝文元年 · Western Year: BC 179
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0151
Source Date: Text: 敖 · Western Interval: Start: BC 206 · End: BC 179
Explicit · liangshu:014:s0108
Source Date: Text: 高后元年 · Western Year: BC 187
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0082

Family

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

Ancestor of Ren Fang (任昉)
Kinship Term: descendant / 後
Parent of Son of Ren Ao (任敖子)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son

Career and standing

Label: imperial counsellor / 御史大夫 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0082, hanshu:051:s0150
Title: Marquis of Guang'a / 廣阿侯 · Action: enfeoffed · Households: 1800
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0149

Places and affiliations

Place: Pei / 沛
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0144

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: employed for old virtue · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0142

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 51Volume 42: Zhang, Zhou, Zhao, Ren and Shentu · 9 passages

高後元年，怨堯前定趙王如意之畫，乃抵堯罪，以廣阿侯任敖為御史大夫。 In the first year of Empress Gao's reign she remembered how Zhao Yao had engineered the plan to protect Prince Ruyi as king of Zhao, found a charge against him, and replaced him with Ren Ao, marquis of Guang'a, as imperial counsellor.

任敖，沛人也，少為獄吏。 Ren Ao was a native of Pei who began his career as a prison clerk.

任敖素善高祖，怒，擊傷主呂後吏。 Ren Ao, who had long been friendly with the High Ancestor, flew into a rage and beat the officer who had detained Empress Lü.

及高祖初起，敖以客從為御史，守豐二歲。 When the uprising began, Ren Ao followed as a retainer, was made an imperial clerk, and held Feng for two years.

高祖立為漢王，東擊項羽，遨遷為上黨守。 After the High Ancestor became King of Han and marched east against Xiang Yu, Ren Ao was transferred to govern Shangdang.

陳豨反，敖堅守，封為廣阿侯，食邑千八百戶。 When Chen Xi rebelled, Ren Ao held his post steadfastly and was enfeoffed as marquis of Guang'a with eighteen hundred households.

孝文元年薨，諡曰懿侯。 He died in the first year of Emperor Wen's reign and was given the posthumous title Yi—the Gracious Marquis.

初任敖免，平陽侯曹窋代敖為御史大夫。 When Ren Ao was removed from office, Cao Zhu, marquis of Pingyang, succeeded him as imperial counsellor.

任敖以舊德用。 Ren Ao rose on the strength of long-standing loyalty.

Book of Liang, Chapter 14Volume 14: Jiang Yan; Ren Fang · 1 passage

任昉，字彥昇，樂安博昌人，漢御史大夫敖之後也。 Ren Fang, styled Yansheng, came from Bochang in Le'an—a line from Han's censor-in-chief Ao.