Sunshu Ao (孫叔敖) | 24 Histories

Overview

Sunshu Ao was an official and Statesman.

PeriodAncient China

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Death

BC 630 to BC 593 孫叔云亡
Mode quotation Speaker Zhu Yang (朱瑒)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 243

Attested activity

BC 630 to BC 593 孫叔云亡
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 243
BC 630 to BC 593 孫叔敖
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 83, passage 213
BC 630 to BC 593 相楚
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Wife of Sunshu Ao (孫叔敖妻)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214

Kinship Role descendants · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214

Key source chapters

Career and standing

reclusive scholar 處士
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 4
Chancellor of Chu 楚相
Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 5-6
minister of Chu 相楚
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214
chancellor 相
Left · three times without regret
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 83, passage 213
fief of Qiuqiu 寢丘之封
Descendants received · Mode speech Speaker Liu Kuang (劉匡)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214
Removed
Dismissed · Count 3
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 25

Places and affiliations

Polity Chu 楚 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 243
Polity Chu 楚 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214
At Chu 楚 · Relation From
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 4
At Shaobo 芍陂 · Relation Commemorated at · Mode quotation Speaker Zhu Yang (朱瑒)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 243

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With King Zhuang of Chu (楚莊)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 10, 12-15, 18-20

Events and relationships

Appointed chancellor three times without elation; dismissed three times without regret
Career · Chancellor
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 24-25
Had neighborhoods raise door thresholds so people raised carriages themselves
Policy · Chancellor · With King Zhuang of Chu (楚莊)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 17-22
Implemented teachings and guided the people; superiors and subordinates harmonized
Administration · Chancellor
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 6-7
Restored former currency after market disorder
Policy · Chancellor · With King Zhuang of Chu (楚莊)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passages 9-16
Spoke one word and the market of Ying was restored
Policy · Speaker · At Ying 郢
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 77
Trees planted at Shaobo
Ritual · Honored dead · Mode quotation Speaker Zhu Yang (朱瑒)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 243

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Relation Successor of · Person Yu Qiu (虞丘)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 5

Assessments and attributes

Assessment austere minister; descendants later enfeoffed at Qiuqiu · Mode speech Speaker Liu Kuang (劉匡)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 214
Assessment transformed the people without frequent decrees; near and far modeled themselves after him · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 23

Source notes

Value historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 119, passage 4

References in the histories

Search passages

History

18 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 32Volume 32 Biographies 24: Lu Fahe; Wang Lin (General) · 1 passage

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孫叔云亡，仍芍陂而植楸槚。 when Sun Shu died, catalpa and oak were planted still at Shaobo.

Book of Han, Chapter 76Volume 65: Dongfang Shuo · 1 passage

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譬若以周、邵為丞相，孔丘為御史大夫，太公為將軍，畢公高拾遺於後，弁嚴子為衛尉，皋陶為大理，後稷為司農，伊尹為少府，子贛使外國，顏、閔為博士，子夏為太常，益為右扶風，季路為執金吾，契為鴻臚，龍逢為宗正，伯夷為京兆，管仲為馮翊，魯般為將作，仲山甫為光祿，申伯為太僕，延陵季子為水衡，百里奚為典屬國，柳下惠為大長秋，史魚為司直，蘧伯玉為太傅，孔父為詹事，孫叔敖為諸侯相，子產為郡守，王慶忌為期門，夏育為鼎官，羿為旄頭，宋萬為式道候。」 Imagine the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao as your chancellors; Confucius as chief censor; the Grand Duke as commander; Duke Bi Gao as court remonstrant; Bian Zhuangzi as captain of the guard; Gao Yao as chief judge; Hou Ji as minister of agriculture; Yi Yin as palace treasurer; Zigong as foreign envoy; Yan Hui and Min Ziqian as court scholars; Zixia as master of rites; Yi as western capital intendant; Zilu as capital commandant; Xie as master of guest ceremonies; Guan Longpeng as keeper of the imperial genealogy; the minister Boyi as metropolitan governor; Guan Zhong as northern capital intendant; Lu Ban as chief engineer; Zhong Shanfu as palace chamberlain; the Earl of Shen as master of the horse; Prince Jizi of Yanling as keeper of parks and waters; Baili Xi as commissioner for dependent peoples; Liuxia Hui as chamberlain to the empress; Shi Yu as censor of conduct; Qu Boyu as grand tutor; Kong Fu as supervisor of the heir apparent's household; Sunshu Ao as chancellor to the feudal lords; Zichan as commandery governor; Prince Qingji as a palace gate guard; Xia Yu as cauldron officer; Yi the Archer as vanguard officer; and Song Wan as road-clearing scout."

Book of Later Han, Chapter 30Volume 27: Biographies of Xuan, Zang, Two Wangs, Du, Guo, Wu, Cheng, Zheng, Zhao · 1 passage

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宗正劉匡對曰：『昔孫叔敖相楚，馬不秣粟，妻不衣帛，子孫竟蒙寢丘之封。 Liu Kuang, director of the imperial clan, answered, 'Sunshu Ao served Chu with such austerity that his horses ate no grain and his wife wore no silk, yet his line still won the fief of Qiuqiu.'

Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 3 passages

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昔楚莊王問孫叔敖曰：“寡人未得所以為國是也。” King Zhuang of Chu once asked Sunshu Ao, "I cannot see what truly serves the state."

叔敖曰：“國之有是，眾所惡也，恐王不能定也。” Sunshu Ao replied, "The 'national consensus' everyone talks about is what the crowd hates—I fear Your Majesty cannot fix it alone."

願相國與諸大夫共定國是也。” I ask the chancellor and the high ministers to settle the matter together."

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 83Biographies of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang · 1 passage

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是以孫叔敖三去相而不悔，於陵子仲辭三公為人灌園。 This is why Sun Shuao was dismissed from the chancellorship three times without regret, and Zi Zhong of Yuling declined the position of one of the Three Excellencies to water gardens for others.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 119Biographies of Upright Officials · 10 passages

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孫叔敖者，楚之處士也。 Sun Shuao was a reclusive scholar from the state of Chu.

三月為楚相，施教導民，上下和合，世俗盛美，政緩禁止，吏無姦邪，盜賊不起。 Within three months of becoming Chancellor of Chu, he implemented policies to educate and guide the people. Superiors and subordinates worked in harmony, public morals flourished, governance was lenient, yet prohibitions were respected, officials committed no transgressions, and bandits ceased to arise.

市令言之相曰：「市亂，民莫安其處，次行不定。」 The market superintendent reported to the Chancellor: 'The marketplace is in chaos. The people cannot settle in their places, and the rows of stalls are in disarray.'

相曰：「如此幾何頃乎？」 The Chancellor asked, 'How long has this been going on?'

相曰：「罷，吾今令之復矣。」 The Chancellor said, 'Enough. I shall now have the old currency restored.'

後五日，朝，相言之王曰：「前日更幣，以為輕。 Five days later, at the morning audience, the Chancellor said to the king: 'The other day we changed the currency because it was deemed too light.

相曰：「令數下，民不知所從，不可。 The Chancellor said, 'If decrees are issued too frequently, the people will not know which to follow. This will not do.

故三得相而不喜，知其材自得之也； Thus, when he was appointed Chancellor three times, he felt no elation, knowing that his ability had earned it naturally;

三去相而不悔，知非己之罪也。 and when he was dismissed three times, he felt no regret, knowing it was not due to any fault of his own.

太史公曰：孫叔敖出一言，郢市復。 The Grand Historian remarks: Sun Shuao spoke a single word, and the market of Ying was restored.

Book of Zhou, Chapter 26Volume 26 Biographies 18: Zhang Sunjian; Zhangsun Shaoyuan; Younger Brother Cheng; Elder Brother Si; Hu Sizheng · 1 passage

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詔曰：「昔叔敖辭沃壤之地，蕭何就窮僻之鄉，以古方今，無慚曩哲。 An edict said: "Long ago Shu Ao refused rich land and Xiao He settled in a poor, remote place; measured against those ancients, Zhangsun Jian need not blush before the sages of old.