Ancient China · Official

Sunshu Ao 孫叔敖

Attested BC 630 - BC 591

Passages
16
Chapters
5
Histories
4

Overview

The translated histories identify Sunshu Ao as a hermit, official, and statesman. This record brings together 16 passages from 5 chapters across 4 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Sunshu Ao 孫叔敖 Sunshu Ao
Alternate name Shu Ao 叔敖
Personal name Shu Ao 叔敖 Shu Ao
Personal name Sun Shuao 孫叔敖 Sun Shuao
Personal Sun Shuao 孫叔敖 Sun Shuao
Personal name Sunshu Ao 孫叔敖 Sunshu Ao

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Hermit
  • Official
  • Statesman

Life and dates

Attested activity

  • Source Date: Text: 叔敖辭沃壤 · Western Year: BC 600
    Explicit · zhoushu:026:s0070
  • Source Date: Text: 孫叔敖 · Western Interval: Start: BC 630 · End: BC 593
    Explicit · shiji:083:s0213
  • Source Date: Text: 楚莊王之世 · Western Interval: Start: BC 613 · End: BC 591
    Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:031:s0030
  • Source Date: Text: 楚莊王時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 599 · End: BC 593

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

  • Assessment: transformed the people without frequent decrees; near and far modeled themselves after him · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:119:s0023

Source notes

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 76Volume 65: Dongfang Shuo · 1 passage
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 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 3 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 83Biographies of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 119Biographies of Upright Officials · 10 passages
Book of Zhou, Chapter 26Volume 26 Biographies 18: Zhang Sunjian; Zhangsun Shaoyuan; Younger Brother Cheng; Elder Brother Si; Hu Sizheng · 1 passage