Shusun Tong (叔孫通)

Overview

The translated histories identify Shusun Tong as an official, scholar, statesman, and teacher. This record brings together 41 passages from 8 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Shusun Tong	叔孫通	Shusun Tong
Title	Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent	太子太傅
Title	Lord Jisi	稷嗣君	Jisi Jun
Title	Lord Successor of Ji	稷嗣君	Jisi Jun
Alternate name	Master Shusun	叔孫生	Shusun Sheng
Surname	Shusun	叔孫	Shusun
Surname	Shusun	叔孫
Surname	Shusun	叔孫	Shūsūn
Personal name	Shusun Tong	叔孫通	Shusun Tong
Personal name	Shusun Tong	叔孫通
Personal name	Shusun Tong	叔孫通	Shūsūn Tōng
Given name	Tong	通	Tong
Personal name	Tong	通
Given	Tong	通	Tōng

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:003:s0065, hanshu:085:s0080, shiji:099:s0082
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · nanqishu:017:s0119, shiji:023:s0020

Roles

Official
Scholar
Statesman
Teacher

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 二世時 · Western Year: BC 209
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0084, shiji:099:s0082
Source Date: Text: 叔孫通…作君臣之儀 · Western Year: BC 200
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:099:s0098
Source Date: Text: 孝惠時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 195 · End: BC 188
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0170, shiji:099:s0173
Western Interval: Start: BC 195 · End: BC 188 · Source Date: Text: 惠帝之世
Strongly inferred · hanshu:003:s0065
Source Date: Text: 漢七年 · Western Year: BC 200
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0139
Source Date: Text: 漢九年 · Western Year: BC 198
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0160
Source Date: Text: 漢二年 · Western Year: BC 205
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0104
Source Date: Text: 漢五年 · Western Year: BC 202
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0114
Source Date: Text: 漢十二年 · Western Year: BC 195
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0161
Source Date: Text: 漢書叔孫通傳 · Western Interval: Start: BC 206 · End: BC 188
Explicit · nanqishu:017:s0119
Source Date: Text: 漢興 · Western Year: BC 200
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:025:s0105
Source Date: Text: 至于高祖…叔孫通 · Western Year: BC 202
Strongly inferred · shiji:023:s0020
Source Date: Text: 高帝時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 206 · End: BC 195
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:085:s0080, hanshu:085:s0081, hanshu:085:s0084

Career and standing

Label: ritual official / 禮官
Strongly inferred · shiji:023:s0020
Label: court erudite / 博士 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:099:s0097
Label: erudite / 博士 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:099:s0113
Label: Grand Master of Ceremonies / 太常 · Action: appointed
Explicit · shiji:099:s0154
Label: erudite awaiting imperial orders / 待詔博士 · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:099:s0083
Label: Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent / 太子太傅 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:085:s0081
Label: Grand Master of Ceremonies / 太常 · Action: transferred
Explicit · shiji:099:s0171
Label: Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince / 太子太傅 · Action: transferred
Explicit · shiji:099:s0160
Title: Lord Successor of Ji / 稷嗣君 · Action: granted
Explicit · shiji:099:s0113

Places and affiliations

Label: Han / 漢 · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:085:s0081, shiji:023:s0020, shiji:099:s0104, shiji:099:s0105
Label: Qin / 秦 · Relation: served
Explicit · shiji:099:s0083
Place: Xue / 薛
Explicit · shiji:099:s0082

Works and attributed material

Text: 叔孫通制禮儀
Explicit · hanshu:002:s0364
Work: Han ceremonial regulations / 漢諸儀法 · Relation: author
Explicit · shiji:099:s0172
Work: Biography of Shusun Tong in the Book of Han / 漢書叔孫通傳 · Relation: subject-of
Explicit · nanqishu:017:s0119
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Emperor Xiaohui (孝惠帝)
Explicit · shiji:099:s0174, shiji:099:s0175, shiji:099:s0177, shiji:099:s0178, shiji:099:s0179, shiji:099:s0182
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Qin Ershi (秦二世)
Explicit · shiji:099:s0088, shiji:099:s0089, shiji:099:s0090, shiji:099:s0091, shiji:099:s0092
Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Emperor Gao (高帝)
Explicit · shiji:099:s0117, shiji:099:s0118, shiji:099:s0120, shiji:099:s0121, shiji:099:s0122, shiji:099:s0123, shiji:099:s0161, shiji:099:s0162, shiji:099:s0163, shiji:099:s0164, shiji:099:s0165, shiji:099:s0167
Kind: speech · Role: speaker
Explicit · shiji:099:s0099, shiji:099:s0110, shiji:099:s0111, shiji:099:s0112

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: speaker · Action: admonished-emperor · Other Person Id: Emperor Xiaohui (孝惠帝)
Explicit · hanshu:003:s0065
Kind: ritual · Role: designer · Action: created-han-court-ceremony · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 漢七年 · Western Year: BC 200
Explicit · shiji:099:s0139, shiji:099:s0153, shiji:099:s0154
Kind: political · Role: remonstrant · Action: opposed-replacing-crown-prince · Other Person Id: Emperor Gao (高帝) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 漢十二年 · Western Year: BC 195
Explicit · shiji:099:s0161, shiji:099:s0165, shiji:099:s0168
Kind: ritual · Role: reviser · Action: revised-Qin-rites · Other Person Id: Emperor Gaozu (高祖) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 叔孫通頗有所增益減損 · Western Year: BC 202
Explicit · shiji:023:s0020
Relation: employed-by · Person Id: Emperor Gaozu of Han (高祖) · Function: ceremonial system
Explicit · hanshu:025:s0105
Relation: served · Person Id: Emperor Gaozu (高祖)
Explicit · shiji:023:s0020

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: became the Confucian patriarch of the Han house · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Source Person Id: Sima Qian (太史公)
Explicit · shiji:099:s0191
Assessment: truly a sage who understands essential affairs of the age · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report
Explicit · shiji:099:s0158
Item: five hundred catties of gold / 金五百斤 · Relation: bestowed
Explicit · shiji:099:s0154
Item: twenty bolts of silk and a set of clothes / 帛二十匹，衣一襲 · Relation: bestowed
Explicit · shiji:099:s0097