Qin and Han · Warlord

Xiang Yu 項羽

Xiàng Yǔ

Died BC 202

Passages
260
Chapters
33
Histories
7

Overview

The translated histories identify Xiang Yu as a general, rebel, ruler, and warlord. This record brings together 260 passages from 33 chapters across 7 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Xiang Yu 項羽 Xiàng Yǔ
Personal
Given
Title Duke of Lu 魯公 Lǔ Gōng
Title Duke of Lu 魯公 Lu Gong
Personal name Ji
Personal name Ji
Given Ji
Given Ji Ji
Title King of Chu 楚王 Chǔ Wáng
Title King of Xiang 項王 Xiang Wang
Title King of Xiang 項王
Title King of Xiang 項王 Xiàng Wáng
Title King Xiang 項王 Xiang Wang
Title King Xiang 項王
Title King Xiang 項王 Xiàng Wáng
Title Lord Xiang 項王 Xiang Wang
Title Marquis of Chang'an 長安侯 Cháng'ān Hóu
Surname Xiang Xiàng
Alternate Xiang Ji 項籍 Xiang Ji
Personal Xiang Ji 項籍 Xiang Ji
Personal name Xiang Ji 項籍 Xiang Ji
Personal name Xiang Ji 項籍 Xiàng Jí
Personal Xiang Ji 項籍 Xiàng Jí
Personal Xiang Ji 項籍
Personal name Xiang Yu 項羽 Xiang Yu
Personal Xiang Yu 項羽 Xiang Yu
Personal Xiang Yu 項籍 Xiàng Jí
Alternate Xiang Yu Xiàng Yǔ
Alternate Xiang Yu Xiang Yu
Personal Xiang Yu 項籍 Xiang Ji
Personal name Xiang Yu 項籍 Xiàng Jí
Alternate name Xiang Yu 項羽
Personal name Xiang Yu
Title Xiang Yu 項王 Xiang Wang
Personal name Xiang Yu Xiang Yu
Personal name Xiang Yu 項羽 Xiàng Yǔ
Personal name Xiang Yu Xiang Yu
Personal name Xiang Yu Xiang
Alternate name Xiang Yu 項羽 Xiàng Yǔ
Personal Xiang Yu 項羽
Given Yu
Given Yu Yu
Courtesy Yu
Surname Xiang
Alternate name 頊王

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • General
  • Rebel
  • Ruler
  • Warlord

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

  • Qualitative: early Han founding wars
    Explicit · shiji:053:s0012
  • Source Date: Text: 二世時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 207
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:113:s0004
  • Source Date: Text: 以入項羽軍 · Western Year: BC 206
    Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:131:s0087, houhanshu:131:s0090
  • Source Date: Text: 及項羽滅 · Western Year: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:100:s0004
  • Source Date: Text: 擊項籍 · Western Interval: Start: BC 205 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:098:s0007, shiji:098:s0045
  • Source Date: Text: 救趙至垓下 · Western Interval: Start: BC 207 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:091:s0019, shiji:091:s0088
  • Source Date: Text: · Western Interval: Start: BC 206 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:034:s0016
  • Source Date: Text: 沛公與項羽 · Western Interval: Start: BC 208 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:057:s0023
  • Source Date: Text: 沛公與項羽引而東 · Western Year: BC 208
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:054:s0019
  • Source Date: Text: 漢三年 · Western Year: BC 204
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:053:s0022
  • Source Date: Text: 漢二年 · Western Year: BC 205
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0104, shiji:099:s0103
  • Source Date: Text: 漢五年 · Western Year: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:051:s0005, shiji:051:s0007, shiji:053:s0026
  • Source Date: Text: 漢五年前後 · Western Year: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0021
  • Source Date: Text: 漢元年 · Western Year: BC 206
    Explicit · shiji:090:s0022
  • Source Date: Text: 漢初 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 141
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:051:s0034
  • Source Date: Text: 漢四年 · Western Year: BC 203
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:051:s0003
  • Source Date: Text: 漢王元年 · Western Year: BC 206
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:051:s0002
  • Source Date: Text: 漢興 · Western Interval: Start: BC 232 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:025:s0104
  • Source Date: Text: 當是之時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 206 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:114:s0004
  • Source Date: Text: 秦末楚漢 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 202
  • Source Date: Text: 秦漢之際 · Western Interval: Start: AD 209 · End: AD 202
    Explicit event contextual date · suishu:043:s0044
  • Source Date: Text: 與項籍爭 · Western Year: AD 206
    Explicit · songshi:359:s0029
  • Source Date: Text: 鉅鹿 · Western Year: BC 207
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:041:s0118
  • Source Date: Text: · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 202
    Explicit · liangshu:014:s0067
  • Source Date: Text: 項籍使將兵…項籍滅 · Western Interval: Start: BC 206 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:046:s0002, hanshu:046:s0003
  • Source Date: Text: 項籍使將兵 · Western Interval: Start: BC 208 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:100:s0003
  • Source Date: Text: 項籍已死 · Western Year: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:054:s0071
  • Source Date: Text: 項羽已破秦…(五年)項籍已死 · Western Interval: Start: BC 207 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:090:s0019, shiji:090:s0080
  • Source Date: Text: 項羽往救趙 · Western Interval: Start: BC 207 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:094:s0032, shiji:094:s0067
  • Source Date: Text: 項羽救趙,擊秦軍,果虜王離 · Western Year: BC 207
    Explicit · shiji:073:s0179
  • Source Date: Text: 項羽立諸侯 · Western Year: BC 206
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:041:s0138
  • Source Date: Text: 項羽與范增時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:093:s0058
  • Source Date: Text: 高祖東擊項籍 · Western Year: BC 205
    Explicit · hanshu:055:s0005
  • Source Date: Text: 高祖東擊項籍 · Western Year: BC 205
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:103:s0003
  • Source Date: Text: 高祖誅項 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 202
    Explicit event contextual date · sanguozhi:062:s0087

Family

  • Kin of Xiang Bo (項伯)
    Kinship Term: uncle / 季父 · Subject Role: uncle · Object Role: nephew
  • Kin of Xiang Liang (項梁)
    Kinship Term: Xiang clan kin / 項 · Line: paternal
    Kinship Term: Xiang-clan kinsman / 項 · Line: paternal

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 1Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 1 · 92 passages
羽聞之,令其將擊齊,而自以精兵三萬人從魯出胡陵,至蕭,晨擊漢軍,大戰彭城靈壁東睢水上,大破漢軍,多殺士卒,睢水為之不流。 When Xiang Yu heard of this, he ordered his generals to attack Qi, while he himself led thirty thousand picked troops from Lu through Huling to Xiao. At dawn he attacked the Han army and fought a great battle east of Pengcheng, at Lingbi on the Sui River. He inflicted a crushing defeat on Han, killing many officers and soldiers, so that the Sui River stopped flowing.
Book of Han, Chapter 2Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 2 · 15 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 25Volume 23: Treatise on Punishment and Law · 1 passage
Book of Han, Chapter 41Volume 32: Zhang Er and Chen Yu · 9 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 42Volume 33: Wei Bao, Tian Dan and Hán Xin (King of Han) · 19 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 44Volume 35: Princes of Jing, Yan and Wu · 4 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 46Volume 37: Ji Bu, Luan Bu and Tian Shu · 6 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 48Volume 39: Xiao He and Cao Shen · 10 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 51Volume 42: Zhang, Zhou, Zhao, Ren and Shentu · 4 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 55Volume 46: The Lords of Wan, Wei, Zhi, Zhou and Zhang · 1 passage
Book of Han, Chapter 93Volume 82: Wang Shang, Shi Dan and Fu Xi · 1 passage
Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 2 passages
Book of Later Han, Chapter 34Volume 30a: Biographies of Su Jing; Yang Hou · 1 passage
Book of Later Han, Chapter 131Volume 120: Treatise on Carriages and Dress, Part Two · 2 passages
Book of Liang, Chapter 14Volume 14: Jiang Yan; Ren Fang · 1 passage
Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 62Volume 62: Book of Wu 17: Biographies of Shi Yi and Hu Zong · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 51Houses of Jing and Yan · 4 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 53House of Chancellor Xiao · 3 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 54House of Chancellor Cao · 6 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 57House of Zhou Bo, Marquis of Jiang · 5 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 73Biographies of Bai Qi and Wang Jian · 2 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 90Biographies of Wei Bao and Peng Yue · 10 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 91Biography of Qing Bu · 21 passages
夫漢王戰於彭城,項王未出齊也,大王宜騷淮南之兵渡淮,日夜會戰彭城下,大王撫萬人之眾,無一人渡淮者,垂拱而觀其孰勝。 When the King of Han was fighting at Pengcheng, the King of Xiang was still in Qi. Your Majesty should have rallied the forces of Huainan to cross the Huai River and rush to join battle at Pengcheng day and night. Yet with tens of thousands of troops at your command, you did not send a single soldier across the Huai, content to fold your arms and watch from the sidelines to see who would prevail.
然而楚王恃戰勝自彊,漢王收諸侯,還守成皋、滎陽,下蜀、漢之粟,深溝壁壘,分卒守徼乘塞,楚人還兵,閒以梁地,深入敵國八九百里,欲戰則不得,攻城則力不能,老弱轉糧千里之外; The King of Chu may rely on his battle victories to assert his strength, but the King of Han has rallied the feudal lords, fortified Chenggao and Xingyang, and secured the grain supplies of Shu and Han. He has dug deep trenches, raised high ramparts, and stationed troops at every pass and strategic point. The Chu army, meanwhile, must march through the territory of Liang, advancing eight or nine hundred li deep into hostile territory. They seek battle but cannot force it; they attack fortified cities but lack the strength to take them. Their old and infirm must haul supplies over a thousand li;
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 94Biography of Tian Dan, King of Qi · 14 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 98Biographies of Fu, Jin, and the Marquis of Kuaicheng · 4 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 99Biographies of Liu Jing and Shusun Tong · 2 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 100Biographies of Ji Bu and Luan Bu · 10 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 103Biographies of Wan Shi and Zhang Shu · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 113Treatise on the Nanyue · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 114Treatise on the Eastern Yue · 2 passages
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 120Biographies of Ji and Zheng · 3 passages
History of Song, Chapter 359Volume 359 Biographies 118: Li Gang 2 · 2 passages
Book of Sui, Chapter 43Volume 43 Biographies 8: He Jian Wanghong, Yang Chugang, Yang Zichong, Guang De, Wang Xiong · 1 passage