Qin and Han · Official

Zhou Ke 周苛

Zhōu Kē

Attested BC 209 - BC 141

Passages: 18
Chapters: 6
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Zhou Ke as a general, military officer, and official. This record brings together 18 passages from 6 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Zhou Ke	周苛	Zhōu Kē
Personal
Title	Grandee Secretary	御史大夫
Given	Ke	苛	Ke
Personal name	Zhou Ke	周苛	Zhou Ke
Personal	Zhou Ke	周苛	Zhou Ke

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0088, hanshu:051:s0027, shiji:011:s0056
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:090:s0031
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:042:s0027

Roles

General
Military Officer
Official

Life and dates

Death

Manner: boiled alive · Authority Person Id: Xiang Yu (項羽)
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0034

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 中元年 · Western Year: BC 149
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0088, shiji:011:s0056
Source Date: Text: 楚圍之急，周苛遂殺魏豹 · Western Year: BC 204
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:090:s0031
Source Date: Text: 漢初 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 141
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:051:s0027

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Ancestor of Ping (平)
Kinship Term: grandson / 孫 · Generation Distance: 2
Parent of Child of Zhou Ke (周苛子)
Kinship Term: child / 子 · Parentage: biological
Kinship Term: child / 子 · Parentage: biological
Sibling of Zhou Chang (周昌)
Kinship Term: cousin / 從兄 · Shared Parentage: uncertain · Subject Relative Age: elder
Parent of Zhou Cheng (周成)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son

Kinship Role: grandsons · Note: grandsons enfeoffed as marquises; unnamed (count not stated; recorded as plural minimum 2) · Count: 2
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0088

Career and standing

Label: Grandee Secretary / 御史大夫 · Action: held
Explicit · shiji:011:s0056

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · hanshu:051:s0032, hanshu:051:s0033

Events and relationships

Kind: legal · Role: executioner · Action: killed · Other Person Id: Wei Bao (魏豹) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 楚圍之急 · Western Year: BC 204
Explicit · shiji:090:s0031

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 · 6 passages

令御史大夫周苛、魏豹、樅公守滎陽。 He ordered Imperial Secretary Zhou Ke, Wei Bao, and Lord Song to defend Xingyang.

而周苛、樅公相謂曰：「反國之王，難與守城。」 Zhou Ke and Lord Song said to each other: "He is a rebel king—we cannot hold the city with him."

六月，羽已破走彭越，聞漢復軍成皋，乃引兵西拔滎陽城，生得周苛。 In the sixth month, after Xiang Yu had defeated and driven off Peng Yue, he heard that Han had again stationed troops at Chenggao. He therefore led his army west, took the city of Xingyang, and captured Zhou Ke alive.

羽謂苛：「為我將，以公為上將軍，封三萬戶。」 Xiang Yu said to Ke: "Be my general. I will make you supreme general and enfeoff you with 30,000 households."

周苛罵曰：「若不趨降漢，今為虜矣！ Zhou Ke cursed: "If you do not quickly surrender to Han, you will now become a captive!

羽亨周苛，并殺樅公，而虜韓王信，遂圍成皋。 Xiang Yu boiled Zhou Ke and also killed Lord Song. He captured King Han Xin and then surrounded Chenggao.

Book of Han, Chapter 6Volume 5: Annals of Emperor Jing · 1 passage

封故御史大夫周苛、周昌孫子為列侯。 He enfeoffed the grandsons of the former Grandee Secretaries Zhou Ke and Zhou Chang as marquises.

Book of Han, Chapter 42Volume 33: Wei Bao, Tian Dan and Hán Xin (King of Han) · 2 passages

楚圍之急，周苛曰：「反國之王，難與共守。」 As the Chu siege tightened, Zhou Ke said, "A king who has rebelled against his own realm is not someone we can hold the city with."

漢王使信與周苛等守滎陽，楚拔之，信降楚。 The Han king ordered Xin and Zhou Ke to guard Xingyang. Chu captured the city, and Xin surrendered to Chu.

Book of Han, Chapter 51Volume 42: Zhang, Zhou, Zhao, Ren and Shentu · 7 passages

其從兄苛，秦時皆為泗水卒史。 His cousin Zhou Ke had served with him under the Qin as clerks of the corps for the Sishui commandery.

及高祖起沛，擊破泗水守監，於是苛、昌以卒史從沛公，沛公以昌為職志，苛為客。 When the High Ancestor rose at Pei and overthrew the Sishui governor and his inspector, the Zhou brothers followed the Lord of Pei in their old clerkships; the Lord of Pei named Zhou Chang duty officer and Zhou Ke a guest-retainer.

沛公立為漢王，以苛為御史大夫，昌為中尉。 When the Lord of Pei became King of Han, he appointed Zhou Ke imperial counsellor and Zhou Chang commandant of the guard.

漢三年，楚圍漢王滎陽急，漢王出去，而使苛守滎陽城。 In the third year of Han, Chu forces had Xingyang in a stranglehold; the King of Han slipped away but left Zhou Ke to hold the city.

楚破滎陽城，欲令苛將，苛罵曰：「若趣降漢王！ When Chu took Xingyang, they tried to make Zhou Ke switch sides. He shouted back at them, "Surrender to the King of Han at once!

項羽怒，亨苛。 Enraged, Xiang Yu had Zhou Ke executed in the cauldron.

苛子成以父死事，封為高景侯。 Zhou Ke's son Cheng was enfeoffed as marquis of Gaojing in recognition of his father's sacrifice.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 11Annals of the Xiaojing Emperor · 1 passage

中元年，封故御史大夫周苛孫平為繩侯，故御史大夫周昌（子）［孫］左車為安陽侯，四月乙巳，赦天下，賜爵一級。 In the first year of the middle period, he enfeoffed Ping, grandson of the former Grandee Secretary Zhou Ke, as Marquis of Sheng, and Zuoju, grandson of the former Grandee Secretary Zhou Chang, as Marquis of Anyang. On the yisi day of the fourth month, he granted a general amnesty throughout the empire and bestowed one grade of noble rank.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 90Biographies of Wei Bao and Peng Yue · 1 passage

楚圍之急，周苛遂殺魏豹。 When Chu pressed the siege fiercely, Zhou Ke put Wei Bao to death.