Shun (舜) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Shun as a ruler. This record brings together 9 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	Shun	舜	Shun
Title	Emperor Shun	帝舜
Title	Emperor Shun of Yu	虞帝

Identity

Historicity: Legendary
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · shiji:001:s0264, shiji:001:s0265

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Place: wilds of Cangwu / 蒼梧之野 · Manner: died on southern tour · After Years On Throne: 39
Explicit · shiji:001:s0262
Label: died seventeen years after recommending Yu / 十七年而崩
Explicit · shiji:001:s0267

Age

Age: 20 · Label: famed for filial piety
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261
Age: 30 · Label: raised by Yao
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261
Age: 50 · Label: acted as regent
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261
Age: 58 · Label: Yao died
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261
Age: 61 · Label: succeeded Yao
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261

Attested activity

Qualitative: legendary antiquity
Explicit · shiji:001:s0258

Family

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

Child of Gu Sou (瞽叟)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parent of Shangjun (商均)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Sibling of Xiang (象)
Kinship Term: younger brother / 弟 · Subject Relative Age: elder · Subject Role: elder-brother · Object Role: younger-brother · Shared Parentage: uncertain

Origins and identity

Label: same surname line from Huangdi / 同姓
Explicit · shiji:001:s0273

Career and standing

Label: regent acting as Son of Heaven / 攝行天子事 · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261
Title: feudal lord / 諸侯 · Action: bestowed · Other Person Id: Xiang (象)
Explicit · shiji:001:s0265
Label: mounted the imperial seat / 踐帝位
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261

Places and affiliations

Label: Youyu / 有虞 · Relation: ruled-as
Explicit · shiji:001:s0274
Place: Cangwu / 蒼梧 · Relation: died-at
Explicit · shiji:001:s0262
Place: Jiuyi / Lingling / 九疑 / 零陵 · Relation: buried-at
Explicit · shiji:001:s0263

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: recommender · Action: commended-Yu-to-Heaven
Explicit · shiji:001:s0266
Kind: filial · Role: son · Action: paid-court-to-father-as-emperor
Explicit · shiji:001:s0264
Kind: political · Role: subject · Action: virtue-began-bright-rule
Explicit · shiji:001:s0260
Relation: selected-by · Person Id: Yao (堯)
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261
Relation: successor-of · Person Id: Yao (堯)
Explicit · shiji:001:s0261

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: virtue praised within the four seas · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · shiji:001:s0258

References in the histories

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

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 1Annals of the Five Emperors · 9 passages

Open chapter

南撫交阯、北發，西戎、析枝、渠廋、氐、羌，北山戎、發、息慎，東長、鳥夷，四海之內咸戴帝舜之功。 South to Jiaozhi and Beifa, west to the Rong tribes, north to Mount Rong, Fa, and Sushen, east to the long coast and bird Yi—all within the seas praised Shun’s virtue.

天下明德皆自虞帝始。 The luminous virtue that spread through the realm began with Emperor Shun of Yu.

舜年二十以孝聞，年三十堯舉之，年五十攝行天子事，年五十八堯崩，年六十一代堯踐帝位。 Famed for filial piety at twenty, chosen at thirty, regent at fifty, he mourned Yao’s death at fifty-eight, and at sixty-one inherited the throne.

舜之踐帝位，載天子旗，往朝父瞽叟，夔夔唯謹，如子道。 On taking the throne he rode with imperial pennons to visit blind Gu Sou, trembling with the awe a son owes a father.

舜子商均亦不肖，舜乃豫薦禹於天。 His son Shangjun proved unworthy, so Shun long before had commended Yu to heaven.

三年喪畢，禹亦乃讓舜子，如舜讓堯子。 After mourning Yu yielded to Shun’s son as Shun had once yielded to Yao’s son.

自黃帝至舜、禹，皆同姓而異其國號，以章明德。 From Huangdi through Shun and Yu the line shared one surname yet changed dynastic titles to mark their shining virtue.

故黃帝為有熊，帝顓頊為高陽，帝嚳為高辛，帝堯為陶唐，帝舜為有虞。 Thus, Huangdi styled his house Youxiong, Zhuanxu Gaoyang, Ku Gaoxin, Yao Taotang, Shun Youyu.

余嘗西至空桐，北過涿鹿，東漸於海，南浮江淮矣，至長老皆各往往稱黃帝、堯、舜之處，風教固殊焉，總之不離古文者近是。 I have traveled west to Kongtong, north beyond Zhuolu, east to the sea, and south along the Yangzi and Huai; everywhere elders still pointed out where Huangdi, Yao, and Shun dwelt, though local lore varied. In the end, what agrees with the old documents is nearest the truth.