Qin and Han · Official

Shi Dan 師丹

Attested BC 7 - BC 1

Passages: 20
Chapters: 7
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Shi Dan as an official, scholar, and statesman. This record brings together 20 passages from 7 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Shi Dan	師丹	Shi Dan
Personal name	Dan	丹
Given	Dan	丹	Dan
Title	Grand Minister of Works	大司空
Title	Grand Minister of Works	大司空	Da Sikong
Surname	Shi	師	Shi
Personal name	Shi Dan	師丹	Shī Dān
Personal name	Shi Dan	師丹
Personal	Shi Dan (師丹)	師丹	Shī Dān
Title	Supervisor	司直

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:026:s0327, hanshu:070:s0250
Value: male
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0183

Roles

Official
Scholar
Statesman

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 哀帝即位 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0327
Source Date: Text: 哀帝時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 7 · End: BC 1
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:093:s0183

Career and standing

Label: Grand Marshal / 大司馬 · Action: appointed · Predecessor Person Id: Wang Mang (王莽)
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0183
Label: General of the Left / 左將軍 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0183
Label: Grand Minister of Works / 大司空 · Action: transferred · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 明年正月 · Western Interval: Start: BC 7 · End: BC 1
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0063
Grand Minister of Works / 大司空
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0202, hanshu:094:s0146
Supervisor / 司直
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0250
Name: grand minister of works / 大司空
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0298
Action: accused-of-defiance · Authority Person Id: Consort Fu (傅昭儀) · Provenance: Mode: allegation · Source Person Id: Consort Fu (傅昭儀)
Uncertain · hanshu:093:s0069
Action: dismissed-from-office · Authority Person Id: Emperor Ai (哀)
Explicit · hanshu:093:s0066
Result: dismissed
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0300

Places and affiliations

Polity: Western Han · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0327

Works and attributed material

Kind: memorial · Role: author · Other Person Id: Emperor Ai (哀)
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0327, hanshu:026:s0328, hanshu:026:s0329, hanshu:026:s0330, hanshu:026:s0331, hanshu:026:s0332

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: assistant-regent · Action: assisted-governance
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0327
Relation: aided-in-governance · Person Id: Emperor Ai (哀)
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0327

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 26Volume 24a: Treatise on Trade 1 · 1 passage

哀帝即位，師丹輔政，建言：「古之聖王莫不設井田，然後治乃可平。 When Emperor Ai took the throne, Shi Dan assisted in governance and proposed: "The sage kings of antiquity all established well-field systems; only then could government be made even.

Book of Han, Chapter 38Volume 29: Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 1 passage

滿昌、師丹等數言百姓可哀，上數遣使者處業振贍之。 Man Chang, Shi Dan, and others repeatedly urged compassion for the people, and the emperor repeatedly dispatched envoys for resettlement and relief.

Book of Han, Chapter 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 6 passages

方進素與司直師丹相善，臨御史大夫缺，使丹奏咸為奸利，請案驗，卒不能有所得，而方進果自得御史大夫。 Fangjin had long been friendly with the supervisor Shi Dan. When the office of Imperial Counselor became vacant, he had Dan submit a memorial accusing Chen Xian of illicit profiteering and requesting an investigation. In the end nothing could be found, while Fangjin himself did indeed obtain the office.

案師丹行能無異，及光祿勳許商被病殘人，皆但以附從方進，嘗獲尊官。 Consider Shi Dan: there was nothing exceptional in his conduct or ability. Xu Shang, Superintendent of the Imperial Household, suffered from a disabling illness. Both obtained high office only by attaching themselves to Fangjin.

丹前親薦邑子丞相史能使巫下神，為國求福，幾獲大利。 Dan had earlier personally recommended a fellow townsman, a clerk in the chancellor's office, claiming that he could use shamans to bring down spirits and seek blessings for the state, almost securing great advantage thereby.

假令丹知而白之，此誣罔罪也； If Dan had known and reported it, this would be the crime of false accusation;

大司空師丹等劾宏誤朝不道，坐免為庶人，業復上書訟宏。 Grand Minister of Works Shi Dan and others impeached Dong Hong for misleading the court; Hong was stripped of rank and reduced to commoner status. Du Ye then filed another memorial in his defense.

業因勢而抵垝，稱硃博，毀師丹，愛憎之議可不畏哉 Du Ye exploited every shift in power to drive wedges: he extolled Zhu Bo and ruined Shi Dan. When favor and spite steer memorials at court, the lesson should give us pause.

Book of Han, Chapter 88Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He · 1 passage

於是中朝左將軍辛慶忌、右將軍廉褒、光祿勳師丹、太中大夫谷永俱上書曰：「臣聞明王垂寬容之聽，崇諫爭之官，廣開忠直之路，不罪狂狷之言，然後百僚在位，竭忠盡謀，不懼後患，朝廷無諂諛之士，元首無失道之伥。 Thereupon Left General Xin Qingji, Right General Lian Bao, Chamberlain for Ceremonies Shi Dan, and Palace Grandee Gu Yong jointly submitted a memorial saying, "We have heard that an enlightened king extends a tolerant hearing, honors the offices of remonstrance and dispute, opens wide the path for loyal and upright men, and does not punish reckless or uncompromising words. Only then can the hundred officials in office exhaust their loyalty and offer all their plans without fearing later disaster; the court has no flatterers, and the sovereign has no guides who would lead him from the Way.

Book of Han, Chapter 93Volume 82: Wang Shang, Shi Dan and Fu Xi · 5 passages

上於是用左將軍師丹代王莽爲大司馬，賜喜黃金百斤、上將軍印綬，以光祿大夫養病。 The emperor then replaced Wang Mang with General of the Left Shi Dan as Grand Marshal, gave Fu Xi one hundred jin of gold and the seal and sash of Upper General, and allowed him to convalesce with the rank of Grand Master of the Household.

明年正月，乃徙師丹為大司空，而拜喜為大司馬，封高武侯。 The following first month the emperor moved Shi Dan into the grand minister of works post, appointed Fu Xi grand marshal, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Gaowu.

又傅太后欲求稱尊號，與成帝母齊尊，喜與丞相孔光、大司空師丹共執正議。 When Grand Empress Dowager Fu demanded a title equal to Emperor Cheng's mother, Fu Xi stood with Chancellor Kong Guang and Grand Minister of Works Shi Dan on the side of precedent.

傅太后大怒，上不得已，先免師丹以感動喜，喜終不順。 The grand empress dowager raged. Cornered, the emperor first dismissed Shi Dan, hoping to intimidate Fu Xi into yielding; Fu Xi still refused to bend.

傅太后又自詔丞相、御史曰：「高武侯喜無功而封，內懷不忠，附下罔上，與故大司空丹同心背畔，放命圮族，虧損德化，罪惡雖在赦前，不宜奉朝請，其遣就國。」 Grand Empress Dowager Fu then issued her own order to the chancellor and censor: 'Marquis of Gaowu Fu Xi received a fief without merit. In his heart he is disloyal: he panders to factions below while misleading the throne, and he conspired with the former grand minister of works Shi Dan in mutinous defiance. Such conduct tears down the moral order. Even though his offenses predate the last amnesty, he must not continue at court; send him back to his fief.'

Book of Han, Chapter 94Volume 83: Xue Xuan and Zhu Bo · 3 passages

丞相孔光、大司空師丹以中丞議是，自將軍以下至博士、議郎皆是廷尉。 Chancellor Kong Guang and Grand Minister of Works Shi Dan agreed with the censor's bench; from the generals down through the academicians everyone backed the commandant of justice.

初，哀帝祖母定陶太后欲求稱尊號，太后從弟高武侯傅喜為大司馬，與丞相孔光、大司空師丹共持正議。 When Emperor Ai's grandmother, the Dowager of Dingtao, demanded an imperial-style title, her cousin Fu Xi as grand marshal stood with Kong Guang and Shi Dan on the side of precedent.

由是師丹先免，博代為大司空，數燕見奏封事，言：「丞相光志在自守，不能憂國； Shi Dan was therefore dismissed first, and Zhu Bo replaced him as Grand Minister of Works. Several times, during private audiences after banquets, Bo submitted sealed memorials saying, "Chancellor Kong Guang is intent on protecting himself and cannot worry for the state;

Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 3 passages

伯少受《詩》於師丹。 Ban Bo studied the Odes under Shi Dan while he was still young.

是時許商為少府，師丹為光祿勳，上於是引商、丹入為光祿大夫，伯遷水衡都尉，與兩師並侍中，皆秩中二千石。 At the time Xu Shang was Minister of the Lesser Treasury and Shi Dan was Chamberlain for Attendants. The emperor brought Shang and Dan into court as grand counselors of the household, promoted Ban Bo to chief commandant of waters and parks, and had him serve as Palace Attendant together with his two teachers; all held the salary rank of fully two thousand piculs.

斿博學有俊材，左將軍師丹舉賢良方正，以對策為議郎，遷諫大夫、右曹中郎將，與劉向校祕書。 Ban You had a capacious mind; Shi Dan nominated him worthy and upright, his policy essay won him a consultant post, and he rose to remonstrant grandee and right colonel of the gentlemen while collating palace archives beside Liu Xiang.