Qin and Han · Governor of Shu and Educator

Wen Weng 文翁

Attested BC 141 - BC 87

Passages: 9
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Wen Weng as an administrator, official, scholar, and teacher. This record brings together 9 passages from 2 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Wen Weng	文翁	Wen Weng
Personal name	Lord Wen	文翁
Title	Lord Wen	文翁
Surname	Wen	文
Personal name	Wen Weng	文翁	Wen Weng

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0022, qingshigao:366:s0112

Roles

Administrator
Official
Scholar
Teacher

Life and dates

Death

Place: Shu / 蜀
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0035

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 文翁之世 · Western Year: BC 141
Strongly inferred · qingshigao:366:s0112
Source Date: Text: 景帝末 · Western Year: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:101:s0025
Source Date: Text: 武帝時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 141 · End: BC 87
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:101:s0034

Career and standing

Label: Governor of Shu Commandery / 蜀郡守 · Action: appointed
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0025

Places and affiliations

Label: Western Han / 漢 · Relation: served
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0023
Place: Shu in Lujiang / 廬江舒
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0023
Place: Shu Commandery / 蜀郡 · Relation: posted-to
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0025

Works and attributed material

Work: Stone Chamber of Lord Wen / 文翁石室 · Relation: associated-with
Explicit · qingshigao:366:s0112

Events and relationships

Kind: educational · Role: founder · Action: established-schools · Place: Chengdu / 成都
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0029
Kind: educational · Role: patron · Action: sent-students-to-capital · Other Person Id: Zhang Shu (張叔)
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0026

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: civilizing influence on Ba and Shu · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · hanshu:101:s0036

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 101Volume 89: Upright Officials · 8 passages

是時，循吏如河南守吳公、蜀守文翁之屬，皆謹身帥先，居以廉平，不至於嚴，而民從化。 Among them were model officials like the governor of Henan, Lord Wu, and the governor of Shu, Wen Weng: each kept his own conduct strict, led by example, governed with integrity and even-handed justice without leaning on harshness, and the people willingly came round.

文翁，廬江舒人也。 Wen Weng came from Shu District in Lujiang Commandery.

見蜀地辟陋有蠻夷風，文翁欲誘進之，乃選郡縣小吏開敏有材者張叔等十餘人親自飭厲，遣詣京師，受業博士，或學律令。 Shu struck him as backward, almost frontier in manners. To lift it up he picked a dozen sharp young clerks like Zhang Shu, drilled them himself, and sent them to the capital to study under the court academicians or to train in the law codes.

數歲，蜀生皆成就還歸，文翁以為右職，用次察舉，官有至郡守刺史者。 Within a few years his protégés finished their studies and came home. He placed them in senior posts, recommended them in turn for higher office, and some rose to governorships or regional inspectorates.

至武帝時，乃令天下郡國皆立學校官，自文翁為之始雲。 By Emperor Wu's reign every commandery and kingdom was ordered to maintain official schools; the precedent is traced to Wen Weng.

文翁終於蜀，吏民為立祠堂，歲時祭祀不絕。 Wen Weng died in office in Shu. Officials and commoners built him a shrine and kept seasonal offerings without interruption.

至今巴蜀好文雅，文翁之化也。 Even today Ba and Shu cherish letters and refinement—that is Wen Weng's lasting influence.

元始四年，詔書祀百辟卿士有益於民者，蜀郡以文翁，九江以召父應詔書。 An edict in Yuanshi 4 ordered sacrifices to former ministers who had served the people; Shu Commandery nominated Wen Weng and Jiujiang nominated Father Shao.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 366Volume 366 Biographies 153: Sun Yuting, Jiang Youxian, Li Hongbin · 1 passage

重修文翁石室，興學造士。 He rebuilt the Stone Chamber of Lord Wen and promoted learning to nurture scholars.