Ancient China · Official

Wu Shang 伍尚

Attested BC 522

Passages: 7
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wu Shang was an official.

Life and dates

Death

Execution · Authority Chu
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 43

Attested activity

BC 522 伍尚至楚見殺
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 43

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Wu Zixu (伍子胥)
elder brother 兄 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 3
Child of Wu She (伍奢)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 2-3

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Wu Zixu (伍子胥) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 35-38

References in the histories

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 66Biography of Wu Zixu · 7 passages

員兄曰伍尚。 Yuan's elder brother was named Wu Shang.

伍奢曰：「尚為人仁，呼必來。 Wu She said: 'Shang is humane in character. If called, he will certainly come.

伍尚欲往，員曰：「楚之召我兄弟，非欲以生我父也，恐有脫者後生患，故以父為質，詐召二子。 Wu Shang wished to go, but Yuan said: 'Chu's summoning of us brothers is not to let our father live. They fear that escapees will later cause trouble, so they use our father as hostage and deceitfully summon the two sons.

伍尚曰：「我知往終不能全父命。 Wu Shang said: 'I know that going ultimately cannot save our father's life.

尚既就執，使者捕伍胥。 Shang having been captured, the envoy then tried to capture Wu Zixu.

伍尚至楚，楚并殺奢與尚也。 Wu Shang arrived in Chu, and Chu executed both She and Shang.

王者尚不能行之於臣下，況同列乎！ If even kings cannot indulge them toward ministers and subordinates, how much less can men of equal rank do so toward one another!