Qin and Han · King and Rebel

Wu 戊

Died BC 154

Passages: 16
Chapters: 4
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Wu as an aristocrat, rebel, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 16 passages from 4 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Wu	戊	Wu
Title	king of Chu	楚王	Chu Wang
Title	King of Chu	楚王
Title	King of Chu	楚王	Chu Wang
Title	King Wu of Chu	楚王戊
Personal	Liu Wu	戊	Liu Wu
Given	Wu	戊	Wu
Personal name	Wu	戊	Wu
Title		楚王戊	Chu Wang Wu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0057, hanshu:044:s0268, shiji:011:s0024, shiji:050:s0012

Roles

Aristocrat
Rebel
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Manner: suicide · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 三年 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0064
Manner: suicide / 自殺 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 楚王戊自殺 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:050:s0017
suicide / 自殺
Explicit · hanshu:044:s0211

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 三年 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0057, shiji:011:s0024
Source Date: Text: 王戊立二十年…合謀反 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:050:s0013, shiji:050:s0014

Family

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

Child of Ying (郢)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father

Career and standing

Title: King of Chu / 楚王 · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:011:s0024
King of Chu / 楚王
Explicit · hanshu:044:s0191
Label: stripped of Donghai commandery / 削東海郡 · Action: punished · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 王戊立二十年，冬 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:050:s0013

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: attacked · Place: Liang / 梁 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 西攻梁 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:050:s0015
Kind: legal · Role: perpetrator · Action: executed · Other Person Id: Zhang Shang (張尚) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 戊則殺尚、夷吾 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:050:s0015
Kind: legal · Role: perpetrator · Action: executed · Other Person Id: Zhao Yiwu (趙夷吾) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 戊則殺尚、夷吾 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:050:s0015
Kind: military · Role: rebel-leader · Action: raised troops · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 三年 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0057
Kind: military · Role: rebel-leader · Action: rebelled-with · Other Person Id: King of Wu (吳王) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 春，戊與吳王合謀反 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:050:s0014
Kind: military · Role: rebel-leader · Action: rebelled · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 三年 · Western Year: BC 154
Explicit · shiji:011:s0024

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: should have heeded Master Shen · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment · Speaker Person Id: Sima Qian (太史公)
Explicit · shiji:050:s0049

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · shiji:050:s0012

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 6Volume 5: Annals of Emperor Jing · 2 passages

吳王濞、膠西王卬、楚王戊、趙王遂、濟南王辟光、菑川王賢、膠東王雄渠皆舉兵反。 Kings Pi of Wu, Ang of Jiaoxi, Wu of Chu, Sui of Zhao, Bi Guang of Jinan, Xian of Zichuan, and Xiong Qu of Jiaodong all raised troops in rebellion.

膠西王卬、楚王戊、趙王遂、濟南王辟光、菑川王賢、膠東王雄渠皆自殺。 Kings Ang of Jiaoxi, Wu of Chu, Sui of Zhao, Bi Guang of Jinan, Xian of Zichuan, and Xiong Qu of Jiaodong all committed suicide.

Book of Han, Chapter 44Volume 35: Princes of Jing, Yan and Wu · 7 passages

三年冬，楚王來朝，錯因言楚王戊往年為薄太后服，私姦服舍，請誅之。 In the winter of the third year, the King of Chu came to court. Chao Cuo then reported that in earlier years, while observing mourning for Empress Dowager Bo, the King of Chu, Wu, had had illicit relations in the mourning quarters, and he requested that Wu be executed.

大王誠幸而許之一言，則吳王率楚王略函谷關，守滎陽敖倉之粟，距漢兵，治次舍，須大王。 If you will but nod once, the king of Wu will lead the king of Chu to seize Hangu Pass, guard the grain at Ao Granary by Xingyang, hold the Han armies at bay, pitch camp, and wait for you.

發使遺諸侯書曰：「吳王劉濞敬問膠西王、膠東王、菑川王、濟南王、趙王、楚王、淮南王、衡山王、廬江王、故長沙王子：幸教！ His messengers carried a manifesto: “The king of Wu Liu Bi greets the kings of Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, Zichuan, Jinan, Zhao, Chu, Huainan, Hengshan, Lujiang, and the heir of old Changsha—may you instruct me!

告越、楚王、淮南三王，與寡人西面； Tell Yue, the king of Chu, and the three Huainan kings to wheel west with me;

今乃與楚王戊、趙王遂、膠西王卬、濟南王辟光、菑川王賢、膠東王雄渠約從謀反，為逆無道，起兵以危宗廟，賊殺大臣及漢使者，迫劫萬民，伐殺無罪，燒殘民家，掘其丘壟，甚為虐暴。 Now he leagues with Liu Wu, king of Chu, Liu Sui of Zhao, Liu Ang of Jiaoxi, Pi Guang of Jinan, Liu Xian of Zichuan, and Liu Xiongqü of Jiaodong—lawless traitors who menace the temples, butcher ministers and envoys, dragoon the people, kill the guiltless, burn homes, and open graves—monstrous cruelty.

初，吳王之度淮，與楚王遂西敗棘壁，乘勝而前，銳甚。 When Liu Bi crossed the Huai he and the king of Chu drove west, stormed the Han strongpoint at Ji, and swept on while their momentum was white-hot.

楚王戊軍敗，自殺。 Liu Wu, king of Chu, was broken in the field and took his own life.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 11Annals of the Xiaojing Emperor · 1 passage

吳王濞、楚王戊、趙王遂、膠西王卬、濟南王辟光、菑川王賢、膠東王雄渠反，發兵西鄉。 The Kings Bi of Wu, Wu of Chu, Sui of Zhao, Ang of Jiaoxi, Piguang of Jinan, Xian of Zichuan, and Xiongqu of Jiaodong rebelled, raised armies, and marched west.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 50House of Prince Yuan of Chu · 6 passages

夷王四年卒，子王戊立。 King Yi reigned for four years before his death, and his son Wu succeeded him.

王戊立二十年，冬，坐為薄太后服私姦，削東海郡。 In the twentieth year of King Wu's reign, during winter, he was found guilty of committing adultery during the mourning period for Empress Dowager Bo, and the commandery of Donghai was stripped from him.

春，戊與吳王合謀反，其相張尚、太傅趙夷吾諫，不聽。 In spring, King Wu of Chu joined the King of Wu in a conspiracy to rebel. His chancellor Zhang Shang and Grand Tutor Zhao Yiwu remonstrated with him, but he refused to listen.

戊則殺尚、夷吾，起兵與吳西攻梁，破棘壁。 Wu had Shang and Yiwu executed, raised his troops, and marched west with the forces of Wu against Liang, breaching the fortifications at Jibi.

漢絕吳楚糧道，士卒饑，吳王走，楚王戊自殺，軍遂降漢。 The Han forces cut off the supply lines of Wu and Chu. The soldiers starved. The King of Wu fled, and King Wu of Chu took his own life. The army then surrendered to Han.

使楚王戊毋刑申公，遵其言，趙任防與先生，豈有篡殺之謀，為天下僇哉？ Had King Wu of Chu not punished Master Shen but heeded his counsel, and had Zhao entrusted its affairs to Master Fangyu, how could there have been conspiracies of usurpation and bloodshed, bringing shame upon the realm?