Qin and Han · Official and Aristocrat

Wang Ling 王陵

First attested BC 209; died BC 181

Passages: 13
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wang Ling was an official and Aristocrat.

Life and dates

Death

BC 181 七年而卒
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 191

Attested activity

BC 181 七年而卒
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 191
BC 189 孝惠帝六年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 174
BC 188 孝惠帝崩
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passages 187-188, 190
BC 205 to BC 202 漢王之還攻項籍
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passages 178, 185
BC 209 to BC 206 高祖微時
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passages 175, 177

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Mother of Wang Ling (陵母)
mother 母
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 179

Career and standing

county strongman 縣豪
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 175
Right Chancellor 右丞相
BC 189 孝惠帝六年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 174
Right Chancellor 右丞相
BC 189 to BC 188 二歲，孝惠帝崩 · Held two years
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 187
Grand Tutor of the Emperor 帝太傅
Ostensibly promoted actually unused
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 190
Marquis of Anguo 安國侯
Received late
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 186
Pleaded illness shut gates
Resigned
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 191

Places and affiliations

Polity Han 漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passages 178, 185
At Pei 沛
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 175
At Nanyang 南陽 · Relation Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 177

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 188

Events and relationships

Brought forces under Han
Military · Commander · With Emperor Gaozu (高帝)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 178
Gathered followers held Nanyang
Military · Independent leader · At Nanyang 南陽
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 177
Helped pacify the realm
Military · Subordinate · With Emperor Gaozu (高帝)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 185
Opposed Lu kings
Political · Adviser
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 188
Relation Friend of · Person Yong Chi (雍齒)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 186

Assessments and attributes

few letters, spirited, fond of blunt speech
Character
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 56, passage 176

References in the histories

Search passages

History

13 passages

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 56House of Chancellor Chen · 13 passages

孝惠帝六年，相國曹參卒，以安國侯王陵為右丞相，陳平為左丞相。 In the sixth year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign, Chancellor Cao Shen died. Wang Ling, Marquis of Anguo, was appointed Right Chancellor, and Chen Ping became Left Chancellor.

王陵者，故沛人，始為縣豪，高祖微時，兄事陵。 Wang Ling was originally from Pei and had been a local strongman. In the days when Emperor Gaozu was still a commoner, he looked up to Ling as an elder brother.

陵少文，任氣，好直言。 Ling was a man of few letters, spirited in temperament, and fond of speaking bluntly.

及高祖起沛，入至咸陽，陵亦自聚黨數千人，居南陽，不肯從沛公。 When Emperor Gaozu rose from Pei and marched to Xianyang, Ling also gathered several thousand followers of his own and held Nanyang, refusing to join the Lord of Pei.

及漢王之還攻項籍，陵乃以兵屬漢。 Only when the King of Han returned to fight Xiang Ji did Ling bring his forces under Han's command.

項羽取陵母置軍中，陵使至，則東鄉坐陵母，欲以招陵。 Xiang Yu seized Ling's mother and held her in his camp. When Ling's envoy arrived, Xiang Yu seated Ling's mother in the place of honor facing east, hoping to use her to lure Ling over to his side.

陵母既私送使者，泣曰：「為老妾語陵，謹事漢王。 But Ling's mother, after secretly seeing the envoy off, wept and said, "Tell Ling for this old woman: serve the King of Han faithfully.

陵卒從漢王定天下。 Ling eventually followed the King of Han and helped pacify the realm.

以善雍齒，雍齒，高帝之仇，而陵本無意從高帝，以故晚封，為安國侯。 Because he had been friendly with Yong Chi—who was Emperor Gaozu's sworn enemy—and because he had originally had no intention of following Gaozu, he was enfeoffed late, receiving the title of Marquis of Anguo.

安國侯既為右丞相，二歲，孝惠帝崩。 After the Marquis of Anguo had served as Right Chancellor for two years, Emperor Xiaohui died.

高后欲立諸呂為王，問王陵，王陵曰：「不可。」 Empress Dowager Gao wished to enfeoff members of the Lu clan as kings. She asked Wang Ling, who replied, "It must not be done."

呂太后怒，乃詳遷陵為帝太傅，實不用陵。 Empress Dowager Lu was furious. She made a show of promoting Ling to Grand Tutor of the Emperor, but in reality stripped him of all power.

陵怒，謝疾免，杜門竟不朝請，七年而卒。 Ling was enraged. He pleaded illness, resigned his post, shut his gates, and never again attended court. He died seven years later.