Ancient China · Engineer

Zheng Guo 鄭國

Attested BC 246 - BC 246

Passages: 12
Chapters: 3
Histories: 3

Overview

The translated histories identify Zheng Guo as an artisan, engineer, envoy, and spy. This record brings together 12 passages from 3 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Zheng Guo	鄭國	Zheng Guo
Personal name	Zheng Guo	鄭國	Zheng Guo
Personal name		鄭	Zheng

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · yuanshi:066:s0205

Roles

Artisan
Engineer
Envoy
Spy

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 秦以富彊，卒并諸侯 · Western Year: BC 246
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018, shiji:029:s0023
Source Date: Text: 秦時 · Western Year: BC 246
Explicit event contextual date · yuanshi:066:s0205

Career and standing

Label: water engineer / 水工 · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018
Status: spy · Action: sent-as
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018, shiji:029:s0020
Status: threatened-execution · Action: nearly-killed · Negated: false
Explicit · yuanshi:066:s0206
Label: threatened with execution / 欲殺 · Action: threatened · Authority: Qin / 秦
Explicit · shiji:029:s0019

Places and affiliations

Label: Han (state) / 韓 · Relation: served
Explicit · yuanshi:066:s0205
Label: Qin / 秦 · Relation: served
Explicit · yuanshi:066:s0205, yuanshi:066:s0207
Polity: Han / 韓 · Relation: sent-by
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018
Polity: Qin / 秦 · Relation: served
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018, shiji:029:s0021

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:029:s0020, yuanshi:066:s0206

Events and relationships

Kind: engineering · Role: builder · Action: built-zheng-canal
Explicit · yuanshi:066:s0205, yuanshi:066:s0207
Kind: hydraulic · Role: engineer · Action: completed-Zheng-Guo-Canal
Explicit · shiji:029:s0021, shiji:029:s0022, shiji:029:s0023
Kind: legal · Role: defendant · Action: nearly-executed · Note: Qin wanted to kill him when plot discovered
Explicit · shiji:029:s0019
Kind: espionage · Role: agent · Action: secretly-advised-Qin-to-dig-canal · Other Polity: Qin / 秦
Explicit · shiji:029:s0018
Kind: diplomatic · Role: agent · Action: sent-by-han-to-exhaust-qin
Explicit · yuanshi:066:s0205, yuanshi:066:s0206

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: canal benefits Qin despite espionage origin · Provenance: Mode: self-report · Speaker Person Id: Zheng Guo (鄭國)
Explicit · shiji:029:s0020

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 38Volume 29: Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 6 passages

乃使水工鄭國間說秦，令鑿涇水，自中山西邸瓠口為渠，並北山，東注洛，三百餘里，欲以溉田。 Han therefore dispatched the water engineer Zheng Guo as an agent to lobby Qin into digging a canal from the Jing River, starting at Hugu mouth on Zhongshan's western bank, running along the north hills and east into the Luo for more than 300 li, ostensibly for irrigation.

中作而覺，秦欲殺鄭國。 The deception was discovered during construction, and Qin moved to kill Zheng Guo.

鄭國曰：「始臣為間，然渠成亦秦之利也。 Zheng Guo said, "Yes, I came at first as a spy, but once finished this canal will still profit Qin.

於是關中為沃野，無凶年，秦以富彊，卒并諸侯，因名曰鄭國渠。 As a result, Guanzhong became prime agricultural land and escaped bad-harvest years. Qin's wealth and power surged, enabling eventual unification. The canal was thereafter called the Zhengguo Canal.

自鄭國渠起，至元鼎六年，百三十六歲，而兒寬為左內史，奏請穿鑿六輔渠，以益溉鄭國傍高卬之田。 From the opening of the Zhengguo Canal to Yuanding year six, 136 years had passed. Then, as Left Director of the Inner Region, Er Kuan petitioned to excavate the Six Auxiliary Canals to irrigate elevated fields beside the Zhengguo system.

鄭國在前，白渠起後。 First came Zheng Guo, then came the Bai Canal.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 29Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 4 passages

而韓聞秦之好興事，欲罷之，毋令東伐，乃使水工鄭國閒說秦，令鑿涇水自中山西邸瓠口為渠，并北山東注洛三百餘里，欲以溉田。 When Han learned that Qin liked undertaking such works, it tried to stop him and forestall an eastern campaign, so it sent the water engineer Zheng Guo to secretly advise Qin to dig a canal from the Jing River at Zhongshan’s western shore to Hukou and then north along the mountains to the east for more than three hundred li, intending to use it for irrigation.

中作而覺，秦欲殺鄭國。 Halfway through the work, Qin discovered what was happening and wanted to kill Zheng Guo.

鄭國曰：「始臣為閒，然渠成亦秦之利也。」 Zheng Guo said: “At first I was sent as a spy, but once the canal is finished it will still benefit Qin.”

於是關中為沃野，無凶年，秦以富彊，卒并諸侯，因命曰鄭國渠。 Guanzhong thereby became fertile ground, harvests no longer failed, Qin grew rich and strong, and in the end it conquered the feudal lords. For this reason, the canal was named the Zheng Guo Canal.

History of Yuan, Chapter 66Volume 66 Treatises 19: Rivers and Canals 3 · 2 passages

涇渠者，在秦時韓使水工鄭國說秦，鑿涇水，自仲山西抵瓠口為渠，並北山，東註於洛三百餘里以溉田，蓋欲以罷秦之力，使無東伐。 The Jing Canal: in Qin times the state of Han sent the engineer Zheng Guo to persuade Qin to cut a channel from the Jing River at Zhongshan west to Hugu Mouth, running three hundred li east along the northern foothills into the Luo to irrigate farmland—intending to exhaust Qin's strength and forestall eastern campaigns.

秦覺其謀，欲殺之，鄭曰：「臣為韓延數年之命，而為秦建萬世之利。」 When Qin uncovered the plot and moved to execute him, Zheng Guo said: 'I have bought Han a few more years of life, yet built benefit for Qin that will last ten thousand generations.'