Qin and Han · Han judicial official and statesman

Zhang Tang 張湯

Attested c. BC 120 - c. BC 115

Passages: 25
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

Zhang Tang was a Han judicial official and statesman.

Life and dates

Death

後一歲
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 134
suicide 自殺
Directly stated · Book of Han 74, passage 181
張湯死後
Text En after Zhang Tang died
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 393

Attested activity

c. BC 120 to c. BC 116 事下御史大夫張湯
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 38, passage 53
c. BC 120 其後人有上書欲通褒斜道
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 29, passage 45
c. BC 120 to c. BC 115 張湯
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passage 211
c. BC 120 to c. BC 115 薦之張湯
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passage 2

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Ang (卬)
son 子
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 29, passage 52
Parent of Zhang Ang (張卬)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Han 38, passage 61

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Censor-in-Chief 御史大夫
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 38, passage 53
Imperial Counselor 御史大夫
Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 29, passage 45
commandant of justice 廷尉
Directly stated · Book of Han 74, passages 130, 177
imperial counselor 御史大夫
Directly stated · Book of Han 74, passage 175
reached the Three Excellencies 三公
Directly stated · Book of Han 70, passage 211

Places and affiliations

Polity Han 漢 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 38, passage 53
Polity Han 漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 29, passage 45

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 29, passages 46-51

Events and relationships

Endorsed Bao Xie road
Policy · Investigator
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 29, passages 45-46
Examined the proposal to open the Baoxie road and transport route
Hydraulic · Reviewing official
Directly stated · Book of Han 38, passages 53-59
Zhang Tang appointed Du Zhou as a commandant-of-justice clerk.
Person Du Zhou (杜周) · Type patron
Directly stated · Book of Han 70, passage 2

References in the histories

Search passages

History

25 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 38Volume 29: Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 3 passages

其後人有上書，欲通褒斜道及漕，事下御史大夫張湯。 Later, a memorial proposed opening the Baoxie corridor and associated shipping routes. The case was referred to Censor-in-chief Zhang Tang.

湯問之，言「抵蜀從故道，故道多阪，回遠。 Zhang Tang examined the proposal. The memorial argued: "The old route to Shu is steep and winding.

拜湯子卬為漢中守，發數萬人作褒斜道五百餘里。 He appointed Zhang Tang's son Ang as Hanzhong governor and mobilized tens of thousands to open more than 500 li of road through Baoxie.

Book of Han, Chapter 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 3 passages

義縱為南陽太守，以周為爪牙，薦之張湯，為廷尉史。 When Yi Zong served as governor of Nanyang, he used Du Zhou as his enforcer and recommended him to Zhang Tang, who took him on as a clerk in the office of the commandant of justice.

宣為左內史，周為廷尉，其治大抵放張湯，而善候司。 When Jian Xuan held the left metropolitan superintendency, Du Zhou became commandant of justice. His judicial style broadly followed Zhang Tang's, but he was even better at reading the court and shadowing suspects.

贊曰：張湯、杜周並起文墨小吏，致位三公，列於酷吏。 The historian concludes: Zhang Tang and Du Zhou both climbed from scribal obscurity to the three highest offices and earned their place among the "cruel officials."

Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 7 passages

廷尉張湯爭，以為助出入禁門，腹心之臣，而外與諸侯交私如此，不誅，後不可治。 Zhang Tang, commandant of justice, protested: Yan Zhu passed freely through the inner palace as your confidant, yet trafficked with feudal princes—spare him and no law will ever hold.

張湯為御史大夫。 Zhang Tang held the seal of imperial counselor.

始，買臣與嚴助俱侍中，貴用事，湯尚為小吏，趨走買臣等前。 Once Zhu and Yan Zhu had stood high at court while Zhang Tang was a runner who scurried at their heels.

後湯以延尉治淮南獄，排陷嚴助，買臣怨湯。 When Zhang Tang as commandant of justice tried the Huainan case he destroyed Yan Zhu; Zhu Maichen never forgave him.

及買臣為長史，湯數行丞相事，知買臣素貴，故陵折之。 After Zhu became chief clerk, Zhang—often acting for the chancellor—knew how high Zhu had once stood and snubbed him at every turn.

買臣見湯，坐床上弗為禮。 When Zhu called, Zhang lounged on his couch and refused courtesy.

後遂告湯陰事，湯自殺，上亦誅買臣。 He struck back with a secret denunciation; Zhang Tang fell on his sword, and the emperor had Zhu executed as well.

Book of Han, Chapter 102Volume 90: Cruel Officials · 9 passages

與張湯論定律令，作見知，吏傳相監司以法，盡自此始。 With Zhang Tang he framed statutes, invented mutual-liability prosecutions, and chained clerks into watchdogging one another—precedents starting here.

是時，趙禹、張湯為九卿矣，然其治尚寬，輔法而行，縱以鷹擊毛摯為治。 Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang were harsh ministers already, but next to Yi Zong's eagle tactics they looked almost moderate.

後一歲，張湯亦死。 Zhang Tang died the following year.

事張湯，遷為御史，督盜賊，殺傷甚多。 Under Zhang Tang he became an imperial clerk hunting bandits with bloody zeal.

及縱死，張湯敗後，徙為廷尉。 Once Yi Zong and Zhang Tang were gone he rose to commandant of justice.

事張湯，湯數稱以為廉。 Zhang Tang repeatedly praised his honesty.

張湯以知阿邑人主，與俱上下，時辯當否，國家賴其便。 Zhang Tang curried the emperor yet kept the machinery turning.

張湯死後，罔密事叢，以寖耗廢，九卿奉職，救國不給，何暇論繩墨之外乎！ After Zhang Tang died the legal net tangled until institutions wasted away; ministers could not save the state, let alone debate rules beyond the statute book.

湯、周子孫貴盛，故別傳。」 Zhang Tang's and Du Zhou's prosperous heirs earn separate chapters.”

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 29Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 3 passages

其後人有上書欲通褒斜道及漕事，下御史大夫張湯。 Later, someone submitted a memorial proposing that the Bao-Xie road be opened and transport arranged through it. The matter was referred to Imperial Counselor Zhang Tang.

湯問其事，因言：「抵蜀從故道，故道多阪，回遠。 Tang investigated and said, “To reach Shu by the old route, one must cross many slopes, and the way is long and winding.

天子以為然，拜湯子卬為漢中守，發數萬人作褒斜道五百餘里。 The Son of Heaven approved. He appointed Tang's son Ang as governor of Hanzhong and mobilized tens of thousands of men to build the Bao-Xie road for more than five hundred li.