Qin and Han · Scholar

Zhang Song 張竦

Zhāng Sǒng

First attested BC 7; died AD 23

Passages: 10
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

Zhang Song was a scholar.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Bosong	伯松	Bosong

Life and dates

Death

AD 23 王莽敗
Killed by rebel troops · At Chiyang 池陽
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 104, passage 211

Attested activity

BC 1 to AD 1 哀帝之末
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 104, passage 163
AD 23 王莽敗
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 104, passage 211
BC 7 to AD 23 西漢末至王莽
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 30, passage 111

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Kin of Du Lin (杜林)
maternal relative 外氏 · maternal line
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 111
Parent of Son of Zhang Song (張竦之子)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 111

Key source chapters

Career and standing

ducal-mansion clerk 公府掾史
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 164
Governor of Danyang 丹陽太守
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 194
Metropolitan clerk 京兆史
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 162
Marquis of Shude 淑德侯
Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 194
Marquis of Shude 淑德侯
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 194
Entered
Dismissal
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 195

Places and affiliations

Polity Western Han 西漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passages 162-163
Polity Xin 新 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passages 194, 211
AD 23 王莽敗
At Chiyang 池陽 · Relation Sojourned at
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 104, passage 211
At Chang'an 長安 · Relation Returned to
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 195
At Danyang 丹陽 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 194

Learning and skills

Skill belles lettres 文采 · Level fond
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 111

Works and attributed material

Each has his nature; those who imitate me are easy to hold, those who imitate you hard to lead
Speech · Speaker · With Chen Zun (陳遵)
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passages 208-210

Events and relationships

Relation Teacher of · Person Du Lin (杜林)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 111
Relation Friend of · Person Chen Zun (陳遵)
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 163

Assessments and attributes

Assessment broadly learned, penetrating, frugal and self-restrained · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 163
lived in poverty without guests, occasionally answered questions on the Classics
Circumstances
Directly stated · Book of Han 104, passage 196

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 111

References in the histories

Search passages

History

10 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 2 passages

初，鄴從張吉學，吉子竦又幼孤，從鄴學問，亦著於世，尤長小學。 Ye had studied under Zhang Ji; Ji's orphaned son Song studied under Ye in turn and won fame, especially in philology.

其正文字過於鄴、竦，故世言小學者由杜公。 He surpassed father and master in textual criticism, so later scholars trace philology to the Du house.

Book of Han, Chapter 104Volume 92: Youxias · 7 passages

遵少孤，與張竦伯松俱為京兆史。 Orphaned young, Chen Zun served as a clerk in the Metropolitan District alongside Zhang Song, courtesy name Bosong.

竦博學通達，以廉儉自守，而遵放縱不拘，操行雖異，然相親友，哀帝之末俱著名字，為後進冠。 Zhang Song was bookish and abstemious; Chen Zun was a rake—opposites who stayed fast friends and, by Aidi's end, topped every young blade's list.

而張竦亦至丹陽太守，封淑德侯。 Zhang Song meanwhile rose to governor of Danyang and the marquisate of Shude.

竦居貧，無賓客，時時好事者從之質疑問事，論道經書而已。 Zhang Song lived poor and alone except when curious visitors dropped by to debate the canon.

遵大喜之，常謂張竦：「吾與爾猶是矣。 Chen Zun loved the parable and told Zhang Song, "That wineskin is you and me.

竦曰：「人各有性，長短自裁。 Zhang Song answered, "Nature sets each man his span.

及王莽敗，二人俱客於池陽，竦為賊兵所殺。 When Wang Mang fell they fled to Chiyang, where bandits cut down Zhang Song.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 30Volume 27: Biographies of Xuan, Zang, Two Wangs, Du, Guo, Wu, Cheng, Zheng, Zhao · 1 passage

林少好學沈深，家既多書，又外氏張竦父子喜文采，林從竦受學，博洽多聞，時稱通儒。 Du Lin loved learning from boyhood and had a reflective cast of mind; his family owned a large library, and his maternal relatives Zhang Song and son delighted in belles lettres—Du Lin studied under Zhang Song, became encyclopedic in learning, and his generation hailed him as a consummate scholar.