Qin and Han · Royal Family Member

Taishang Huang 太上皇

Attested BC 202 - BC 181

Passages: 24
Chapters: 7
Histories: 3

Overview

The translated histories identify Taishang Huang as an aristocrat, family member, named individual, and royal family member. This record brings together 24 passages from 7 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Taishang Huang	太上皇	Taishang Huang
Title	Duke of Tai	太公	Taigong
Honorific title	Exalted Supreme Emperor	太上皇	Tàishànghuáng
Descriptive kinship	father of Emperor Gaozu of Han
Title	Grand Emperor Ancestor	太上皇	Taishang Huang
Title	Grand Emperor Ancestor	太上皇	Tàishàng Huáng
Title	Retired Emperor	太上皇	Taishang Huang
Title	Supreme Emperor	太上皇	Tàishànghuáng
Title	Supreme Emperor	太上皇	Taishang Huang
Title	Taishang Huang	太上皇	Taishang Huang

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:004:s0100
Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:010:s0202, hanshu:082:s0146, shiji:050:s0007, songshi:110:s0089
Value: male
Explicit · hanshu:002:s0139

Roles

Aristocrat
Family Member
Named Individual
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Text: 太上皇崩 · Date Text: 十年秋七月癸卯
Explicit · hanshu:002:s0203

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 昭靈夫人，太上皇妃也 · Western Year: BC 181
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:004:s0100
Source Date: Text: 永光五年十二月乙酉 · Western Year: BC 39
Explicit · hanshu:010:s0202
Source Date: Text: 漢初 · Western Year: BC 202
Explicit · hanshu:082:s0146, hanshu:082:s0156, hanshu:082:s0159
Source Date: Text: 漢書高皇帝五日一朝太上皇 · Western Interval: Start: AD 202 · End: AD 195
Explicit · songshi:110:s0089
Source Date: Text: 高祖為帝，封昆弟 · Western Year: BC 201
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:050:s0006, shiji:050:s0007

Family

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

Spouse of Lady Zhaoling (昭靈夫人)
Kinship Term: consort / 妃 · Union Category: secondary-marriage · Subject Role: husband · Object Role: consort
Parent of Emperor Gaozu (高祖)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Kinship Term: Retired Emperor / 太上皇 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Parent of Bo (伯)
Kinship Term: Retired Emperor / 太上皇 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parent of Liu Jiao (劉交)
Kinship Term: Retired Emperor / 太上皇 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parent of Liu Xi (劉喜)
Kinship Term: Retired Emperor / 太上皇 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parent of Emperor Gaozu of Han (漢高)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father

Career and standing

Title: Exalted Supreme Emperor / 太上皇 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:082:s0146, hanshu:082:s0156

Places and affiliations

Polity: Han · Relation: noble-of
Explicit · hanshu:082:s0146

Events and relationships

Type: father-of · Person Local Id: Emperor Gaozu (高祖)
Explicit · hanshu:002:s0138

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · shiji:050:s0007
Text: 尊太公曰太上皇
Explicit · hanshu:002:s0149

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 2Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 2 · 14 passages

上歸櫟陽，五日一朝太公。 The emperor returned to Queyang. He visited the Duke of Tai every five days.

太公家令說太公曰：「天亡二日，土亡二王。 The Duke of Tai's household steward advised the Duke of Tai: "Heaven has no two suns, earth has no two kings.

太公雖父，人臣也。 The Duke of Tai is father, but is a subject.

後上朝，太公擁彗，迎門卻行。 Later when the emperor came to court, the Duke of Tai held a broom and went backwards to meet him at the gate.

上大驚，下扶太公。 The emperor was greatly shocked and got down to support the Duke of Tai.

太公曰：「帝，人主，奈何以我亂天下法！」 The Duke of Tai said: "The emperor is the ruler of men. How can you disorder the world's laws for my sake!"

前日天下大亂，兵革並起，萬民苦殃，朕親被堅執銳，自帥士卒，犯危難，平暴亂，立諸侯，偃兵息民，天下大安，此皆太公之教訓也。 Previously the world was in great disorder, weapons and armor rose together, and the people suffered calamity. I personally wore armor and grasped sharp weapons, personally led the officers and soldiers, faced danger and difficulty, pacified violent disorder, established the feudal lords, laid down arms and gave the people rest, and brought great peace to the world. This is all due to the teaching and instruction of the Taigong.

諸王、通侯、將軍、群卿、大夫已尊朕為皇帝，而太公未有號。 The various kings, noble marquises, generals, ministers, and grandees have honored me as emperor, but the Duke of Tai has no title.

今上尊太公曰太上皇。」 Now I honor the Duke of Tai as Taishang Huang."

上奉玉卮為太上皇壽，曰：「始大人常以臣亡賴，不能治產業，不如仲力。 The emperor raised a jade goblet to toast the Taishang Huang, saying: "At first, Father often said that I was worthless and could not manage property, unlike my elder brother Zhong in ability.

秋七月癸卯，太上皇崩，葬萬年。 In the seventh month of autumn on the day guimao, the Taishang Huang passed away and was buried at Wannian.

八月，令諸侯王皆立太上皇廟于國都。 In the eighth month, he commanded all feudal lords to establish Taishang Huang temples in their capitals.

已下，皇太子群臣皆反至太上皇廟。 After descending, the imperial crown prince and ministers all returned to the Taishang Huang temple.

豐公，蓋太上皇父。 Lord of Feng — that is, the father of the Grand Emperor Father.

Book of Han, Chapter 4Volume 3: Annals of Empress Lü Zhi · 1 passage

夏五月辛未，詔曰：「昭靈夫人，太上皇妃也； In summer, on the xin-wei day of the fifth month, an edict declared: "Lady Zhaoling was consort of the Supreme Emperor;

Book of Han, Chapter 10Volume 9: Annals of Emperor Yuan · 3 passages

十二月乙酉，毀太上皇、孝惠皇帝寢廟園。 On Yiyou of the twelfth month, the sleeping temple gardens of the Grand Emperor Ancestor and Emperor Hui were destroyed.

秋七月庚子，復太上皇寢廟園、原廟、昭靈后、武哀王、昭哀后、衛思后園。 On Gengzi of the seventh month of autumn, the sleeping temple gardens of the Grand Emperor Ancestor, original temple, Zhao Ling Empress, Wu Ai King, Zhao Ai Empress, and Wei Si Empress gardens were restored.

毀太上皇、孝惠、孝景皇帝廟。 The temples of the Grand Emperor Ancestor, Filial Hui Emperor, and Filial Jing Emperor were destroyed.

Book of Han, Chapter 11Volume 10: Annals of Emperor Cheng · 1 passage

秋九月，復太上皇寢廟園。 In the ninth month of autumn, the Grand Emperor Ancestor's sleeping temple gardens were restored.

Book of Han, Chapter 82Volume 71: Jun, Shu, Yu, Xue, Ping and Peng · 3 passages

自元帝時，韋玄成為丞相，奏罷太上皇寢廟園，當上書言：「臣聞孔子曰：『如有王者，必世而後仁。』 Under Emperor Yuan, Chancellor Wei Xuancheng had persuaded the throne to close the shrine park of the Exalted Supreme Emperor. Ping Dang memorialized: "Confucius said, 'Give a true king one generation and benevolence will appear.'

高皇帝聖德受命，有天下，尊太上皇，猶周文、武之追王太王、王季也。 The High Emperor received heaven's mandate and ruled the world; he honored his father as Exalted Supreme Emperor just as Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou posthumously ennobled King Tai and Wang Ji.

上納其言，下詔復太上皇寢廟園。 The emperor accepted the argument and ordered the shrine park of the Exalted Supreme Emperor restored.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 50House of Prince Yuan of Chu · 1 passage

太上皇以為言，高祖曰：「某非忘封之也，為其母不長者耳。」 The Retired Emperor raised the matter, and Gaozu replied, "It is not that I forgot to grant him a fief—it is because his mother was no woman of virtue."

History of Song, Chapter 110Volume 110 Treatises 63: Rites 13 · 1 passage

於是禮部、太常寺言：“《漢書》高皇帝五日一朝太上皇，乞依此故事，每五日一次詣德壽宮朝見，如宮中禮。” The Ministry of Rites and the Temple of Rites then reported: "The 《Book of Han》 records that Emperor Gaozu of Han attended the Supreme Emperor once every five days. We request following this precedent and visiting Deshou Palace once every five days, using inner-palace ceremony."