Qin and Han · Chancellor

Zhai Fangjin 翟方進

Attested BC 8 - BC 7

Passages: 20
Chapters: 5
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Zhai Fangjin as an official, scholar, and statesman. This record brings together 20 passages from 5 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Zhai Fangjin	翟方進	Zhai Fangjin
Title	Chancellor	丞相
Title	Chancellor Zhai Fangjin	丞相翟方進	Chengxiang Zhai Fangjin
Personal name	Fangjin	方進
Given	Fangjin	方進	Fangjin
Title	Imperial Counselor	御史大夫
Title	Metropolitan Governor	京兆尹
Personal name	Zhai Fangjin	方進	Zhái Fāngjìn
Personal name	Zhai Fangjin	翟方進	Zhai Fangjin
Personal	Zhai Fangjin	方進	Fangjin
Personal name	Zhai Fangjin	翟方進

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:011:s0291, hanshu:070:s0244, hanshu:090:s0003
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:070:s0195

Roles

Official
Scholar
Statesman

Life and dates

Death

Date Text: 綏和二年二月壬子 · Unresolved: true
Explicit · hanshu:011:s0291
Text: Chancellor Fangjin died (薨)
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0244
Text: suddenly died of illness (卒病死)
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0261

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 綏和中 · Western Interval: Start: BC 8 · End: BC 7
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:090:s0217, hanshu:090:s0210

Career and standing

chancellor / 丞相
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0195, hanshu:094:s0111
Chancellor / 丞相
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0244, hanshu:070:s0251
Imperial Counselor / 御史大夫
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0248, hanshu:070:s0250
Metropolitan Governor / 京兆尹
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0249
rectifier / 司直
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0109
Name: chancellor / 丞相
Explicit · hanshu:094:s0280, hanshu:094:s0289
Office: Chancellor / 丞相
Explicit · hanshu:011:s0291

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Addressee Person Id: Feng Can (馮參)
Explicit · hanshu:090:s0217, hanshu:090:s0218, hanshu:090:s0219

Events and relationships

Type: associate · Person Id: Shi Dan (師丹) · Text: long friendly with Shi Dan
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0250
Type: associate · Person Id: Chunyu Chang (淳于長) · Text: deeply bound in friendship; recommended each other
Explicit · hanshu:070:s0244

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 11Volume 10: Annals of Emperor Cheng · 1 passage

二月壬子，丞相翟方進薨。 On Renzi of the second month, Chancellor Zhai Fangjin passed away.

Book of Han, Chapter 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 11 passages

數言得失，不事權貴，與丞相翟方進、衛尉定陵侯淳于長不平。 He often criticized policy, refused to truckle to the mighty, and was on bad terms with Chancellor Zhai Fangjin and Commandant of the Guards Chunyu Chang, marquis of Dingling.

其春，丞相方進薨，業上書言：「方進本與長深結厚，更相稱薦，長陷大惡，獨得不坐，苟慾障塞前過，不為陛下廣持平例，又無恐懼之心，反因時信其邪辟，報睚眥怨。 That spring Chancellor Zhai Fangjin died. Du Ye submitted a memorial saying, "Fangjin had been deeply bound in friendship with Chang and repeatedly recommended each other. Chang fell into great wickedness yet alone escaped punishment. Fangjin wished to cover his former faults, did not extend evenhanded standards for Your Majesty, and lacked fear; instead he seized the moment to trust Chang's perverse ways and repay a grudge for a trifle.

紅陽侯立坐子受長貨賂故就國耳，非大逆也，而方進復奏立黨友後將軍朱博、巨鹿太守孫宏、故少府陳咸，皆免官，歸咸故郡。 Wang Li, marquis of Hongyang, was punished because his son accepted Chang's bribes and therefore went to his fief—this was not great treason. Yet Fangjin again memorialized against Li's partisan associates: Rear General Zhu Bo, Administrator of Julu Sun Hong, and former Chamberlain for the Palace Revenues Chen Xian. All were dismissed, and Chen Xian was sent to his native commandery.

刑罰無平，在方進之筆端，眾庶莫不疑惑，皆言孫宏不與紅陽侯相愛。 Punishment lacked fairness—it lay at the tip of Fangjin's brush. The common people were all puzzled and said Sun Hong was not on friendly terms with the marquis of Hongyang.

宏前為中丞時，方進為御史大夫，舉掾隆可侍御史，宏奉隆前奉使欺謾，不宜執法近侍，方進以此怨宏。 When Sun Hong had earlier been imperial secretary, Fangjin was imperial counselor and recommended the clerk Long as attendant imperial secretary. Hong upheld that Long had earlier deceived on a mission and was unfit to enforce the law in close attendance; Fangjin resented Hong for this.

又方進為京兆尹時，陳咸為少府，在九卿高弟，陛下所自知也。 Moreover, when Fangjin was metropolitan governor, Chen Xian served as Chamberlain for the Palace Revenues, occupying one of the highest places among the Nine Ministers; Your Majesty knows this personally.

方進素與司直師丹相善，臨御史大夫缺，使丹奏咸為奸利，請案驗，卒不能有所得，而方進果自得御史大夫。 Fangjin had long been friendly with the supervisor Shi Dan. When the office of Imperial Counselor became vacant, he had Dan submit a memorial accusing Chen Xian of illicit profiteering and requesting an investigation. In the end nothing could be found, while Fangjin himself did indeed obtain the office.

眾人皆言國家假方進權太甚。 Everyone said the state had lent Fangjin too much power.

案師丹行能無異，及光祿勳許商被病殘人，皆但以附從方進，嘗獲尊官。 Consider Shi Dan: there was nothing exceptional in his conduct or ability. Xu Shang, Superintendent of the Imperial Household, suffered from a disabling illness. Both obtained high office only by attaching themselves to Fangjin.

方進終不舉白，專作威福，阿黨所厚，排擠英俊，托公報私，橫厲無所畏忌，欲以熏轑天下。 Yet Fangjin never reported the matter. He monopolized power and patronage, protected those close to his faction, drove out men of talent, used public office to repay private resentment, and acted violently without fear or restraint, intending to overawe the whole realm.

今聞方進卒病死，不以尉示天下，反覆賞賜厚葬，唯陛下深思往事，以戒來今。」 Now I hear that Fangjin suddenly died of illness, yet he was not exposed as a warning to reassure the realm; instead, repeated rewards and a lavish burial were granted. May Your Majesty think deeply on past events and use them to admonish the future."

Book of Han, Chapter 90Volume 79: Feng Fengshi · 1 passage

丞相翟方進亦甚重焉，數謂參：「物禁太甚。 Chancellor Zhai Fangjin also esteemed him and often told Shen, "Things forbid excess.

Book of Han, Chapter 94Volume 83: Xue Xuan and Zhu Bo · 5 passages

初，宣為丞相，而翟方進為司直。 When Xue Xuan first became chancellor, Zhai Fangjin held the post of rectifier.

宣知方進名儒，有宰相器，深結厚焉。 Xue Xuan knew Zhai Fangjin was a noted scholar with chancellor timber and cultivated him warmly.

後方進竟代為丞相，思宣舊恩，宣免後二歲，薦宣明習文法，練國制度，前所坐過薄，可復進用。 When Zhai Fangjin eventually succeeded him, he remembered that debt; two years after Xue Xuan's dismissal he recommended him as a master of statute and state institutions whose earlier fault had been small and who deserved another chance.

初，何武為大司空，又與丞相方進共奏言：「古選諸侯賢者以為州伯，《書》曰『咨十有二牧』，所以廣聰明，燭幽隱也。 Earlier, when He Wu was Grand Minister of Works, he and Chancellor Zhai Fangjin jointly memorialized: "In antiquity worthy regional lords were selected as provincial chiefs. The Documents says, 'Consult the twelve shepherds'; this broadened intelligent hearing and illuminated what was hidden.

前丞相方進奏罷刺史，更置州牧，秩真二千石，位次九卿。 Chancellor Zhai Fangjin had replaced them with provincial shepherds at full two-thousand-dan, just below the nine ministers.

Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 2 passages

丞相方進復奏，富平侯竟就國。 After another memorial from Chancellor Fangjin, Zhang Fang finally went to his estate for good.

初，成帝性寬，進入直言，是以王音、翟方進等繩法舉過，而劉向、杜鄴、王章、朱雲之徒肆意犯上，故自帝師安昌侯，諸舅大將軍兄弟及公卿大夫、後宮外屬史許之家有貴寵者，莫不被文傷詆。 Cheng's easy temper invited blunt speech, so ministers such as Wang Yin and Zhai Fangjin policed the law while scholars like Liu Xiang, Du Ye, Wang Zhang, and Zhu Yun flayed the throne; from the imperial tutor the marquis of Anchang through the Wang uncles and every powerful consort kin of the Shi and Xu lines, no favorite escaped their written attacks.