Wang Jian (王建) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Wang Jian as a ruler. This record brings together 10 passages from 3 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Wang Jian	王建	Wáng Jiàn
Personal name	Wang Jian	王建	Wang Jian

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:017:s0180
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:071:s0130, xinwudaishi:044:s0026

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Explicit · jiuwudaishi:071:s0133

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 天祐二年至開平初 · Western Interval: Start: AD 905 · End: AD 907
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:017:s0160, jiuwudaishi:017:s0179, jiuwudaishi:017:s0180
Source Date: Text: 王建以為武信軍節度使 · Western Interval: Start: AD 907 · End: AD 918
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:044:s0026
Western Interval: Start: AD 907 · End: AD 918 · Source Date: Text: 王建僭號，以格為宰相。
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:071:s0130

Family

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

Parent of Wang Yan (王衍)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Kinship Term: successor/son / 嗣 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Parent of Wang Zongbi (王宗弼)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father

Kinship Role: sons · Count: 2
Explicit · xinwudaishi:044:s0030

Career and standing

Action: declared himself emperor · Polity: Former Shu
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:017:s0180

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker
Explicit · xinwudaishi:044:s0027

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: authority · Action: ordered-execution · Other Person Id: Liu Zhijun (劉知俊)
Explicit · xinwudaishi:044:s0031

References in the histories

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

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 17Volume 17 Book of Later Liang 17: Biographies 7: Cheng Rui, Du Hong, Tian Yun, Zhao Kuangning, Zhang Ji, Lei Man · 2 passages

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匡明懼，乃舉族上峽奔蜀，王建待以賓禮。 Kuangming fled upriver to Shu with his clan; Wang Jian received him as an honored guest.

及建稱帝，用為大理卿、工部尚書。 When Wang Jian became emperor he made him Grand Court director and Minister of Works.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 71Volume 71 Book of Later Tang 47: Biographies 23: Ma Yu, Si Kongting, Cao Tingyin, Xiao Xifu, Yao Zongzhi, Jia Fu, Ma Gao, Luo Guan, Chun Yuyan, Zhang Ge, Xu Ji, Zhou Xuanbao · 4 passages

Open chapter

王建僭號，以格為宰相。 When Wang Jian declared himself emperor, he made Ge his chief minister.

王建聞之，潛使人迎之入蜀，賜紫，加號慈福大師。 Wang Jian heard of it and secretly had her brought to Shu, granted her the purple robe, and gave her the title Great Master Cifu.

及建卒，蜀人以格為山陵使，格有難色。 When Jian died, Shu made Ge commissioner for the imperial tombs, and Ge looked uneasy.

歲餘，蜀主王建待以師禮，位至蜀相。 Within a year Wang Jian of Shu treated him as a teacher and raised him to chief minister.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 44Volume 44 Miscellaneous Biographies 24: Liu Zhijun, Ding Hui, He Delun, Yan Bao, Kang Yanxiao · 4 passages

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知俊乃奔於蜀，王建以為武信軍節度使，使返攻茂貞，取秦、鳳、階、成四州。 Zhijun fled to Shu. Wang Jian made him governor of Wuxin and sent him back against Maozhen; he took Qin, Feng, Jie, and Cheng.

建雖待知俊甚厚，然亦陰忌其材，嘗謂左右曰：「吾老矣，吾且死，知俊非爾輩所能制，不如早圖之！」 Jian favored him lavishly yet envied his talent in secret. He told his men once: “I am old and dying. You cannot hold Zhijun—deal with him while you can!”

建之諸子，皆以「宗」、「承」為名，乃於裏巷構為謠言曰：「黑牛出圈棕繩斷。」 Jian’s sons all bore “Zong” or “Cheng” in their names, so alley gossip ran: “The black ox leaves the pen—the brown rope snaps.”

建益惡之，遂見殺。 Jian hated him the more and had him killed.