Qin and Han · Ruler of Han

Emperor Gaodi of Han 漢高帝

Hàn Gāodì

Attested BC 227 - BC 195

Passages: 22
Chapters: 6
Histories: 5

Overview

Emperor Gaodi of Han was a ruler of Han.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Emperor Gaozu	高皇帝
Temple name	Gaozu	高祖	Gāozǔ

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 206 to BC 195 天下既定
Directly stated · Book of Han 26, passage 313
BC 206 漢興
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 41
BC 202 to BC 195 漢高帝
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passages 183-184; New Book of Tang 22, passage 21
BC 227 燕太子使荆轲劫始皇
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 126, passage 267
BC 202 to BC 195 高祖
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 126, passage 45
BC 206 to BC 195 高祖乃令民得賣子
Directly stated · Book of Han 26, passage 312

Show 1 more source-backed claim

BC 209 to BC 195 高祖之為沛公初起
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 57, passage 4

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Empress Lü (呂后)
empress 后
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passages 41, 43

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Han 漢
Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 57, passage 34
Polity Han · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 41
Polity Han 漢 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 183; Book of Han 26, passages 310, 312; New Book of Tang 22, passage 21
At Gaozu's shrine 高庙 · Relation Enshrined at
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 126, passages 45, 49

Learning and skills

Belief water virtue 水德 · Relation Claimed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 41

Works and attributed material

Bayu 巴渝
Relation Commissioned
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 22, passage 21
Narrative · Subject
Directly stated · Book of Han 26, passage 314
Quoted passage · Subject · Speaker Lei Cizong (雷次宗) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passages 183-184
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 41

Events and relationships

Allowed selling children and migrating to Shu Han for food
Famine response · Ruler
Directly stated · Book of Han 26, passage 312
Established
BC 202 to BC 195 漢高帝 · Administrative · Founder · At Jiancheng 建城
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passages 183-184
Lightened land tax to one fifteenth and reduced prohibitions
Fiscal · Ruler
Directly stated · Book of Han 26, passage 314
laid aside arms and exchanged daggers for tablets 偃武行文，故易之以板
Institutional · Ruler · Replaced daggers with tablets
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 126, passage 267

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Han 26, passage 312

References in the histories

Search passages

History

22 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 7Volume 7: Empresses and Consorts · 1 passage

《太平寰宇記》引雷次宗《豫章記》云：「漢高帝置。 The Universal Gazetteer quotes Lei Cizong's Record of Yuzhang: "Emperor Gaodi of Han established it.

Book of Han, Chapter 26Volume 24a: Treatise on Trade 1 · 3 passages

高祖乃令民得賣子，就食蜀漢。 Gaozu then permitted families to sell children and migrate to Shu and Han for food.

天下既定，民亡蓋臧，自天子不能具醇駟，而將相或乘牛車。 After unification, stores were exhausted everywhere: the throne could not field a matched four-horse team, and some ministers rode in ox carts.

而山川園池市肆租稅之入，自天子以至封君湯沐邑，皆各為私奉養，不領於天子之經費。 Revenue from mountains, rivers, parks, ponds, and markets, from the throne down to feudal bath fiefs, funded private household upkeep rather than central routine expenditure.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 126Volume 115: Officials Part Two · 3 passages

高庙令一人，六百石。 One keeper of Emperor Gaozu’s shrine at six hundred bushels.

本注曰：如高庙。 His duties mirror those at Gaozu’s shrine.

昔燕太子使荆轲劫始皇，变起两楹之间，其后谒者持匕首刺腋，高祖偃武行文，故易之以板。」 Formerly the crown prince of Yan sent Jing Ke to seize the First Emperor; the crisis arose between the two pillars, and afterward receptionists carried daggers at the armpit. Gaozu laid aside arms and promoted culture, and therefore replaced them with tablets."

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 26Treatise on the Calendar · 1 passage

漢興，高祖曰「北畤待我而起」，亦自以為獲水德之瑞。 When Han rose, Gaozu said, “The northern altar waited for me before it arose,” and he too took himself to have received the auspicious sign of water virtue.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 57House of Zhou Bo, Marquis of Jiang · 13 passages

高祖之為沛公初起，勃以中涓從攻胡陵，下方與。 When the future Emperor Gaozu first rose in revolt as the Duke of Pei, Bo joined him as an attendant and took part in the attack on Huling, capturing Fangyu.

後章邯破殺項梁，沛公與項羽引兵東如碭。 Later, Zhang Han defeated and killed Xiang Liang, and the Duke of Pei and Xiang Yu led their troops east to Dang.

楚懷王封沛公號安武侯，為碭郡長。 King Huai of Chu bestowed upon the Duke of Pei the title of Marquis of Anwu and appointed him magistrate of Dang Commandery.

沛公拜勃為虎賁令，以令從沛公定魏地。 The Duke of Pei appointed Bo as Commander of the Tiger Guard, and in that capacity Bo followed the Duke to pacify the lands of Wei.

項羽至，以沛公為漢王。 When Xiang Yu arrived, he made the Duke of Pei the King of Han.

漢王賜勃爵為威武侯。 The King of Han conferred upon Bo the rank of Marquis of Weiwu.

以將軍從高帝反者燕王臧荼，破之易下。 As a general, he followed Emperor Gaozu against the rebel King of Yan, Zang Tu, and defeated him at Yi.

以將軍從高帝擊反韓王信於代，降下霍人。 As a general, he followed Emperor Gaozu to strike the rebel King of Han, Xin, in Dai, and accepted the surrender of the people of Huo.

最從高帝得相國一人，丞相二人，將軍、二千石各三人； In all, while following Emperor Gaozu, he captured one chancellor of state, two chancellors, and three each of generals and officials ranked at two thousand shi.

勃為人木彊敦厚，高帝以為可屬大事。 Bo was by nature plain-spoken, steadfast, and honest, and Emperor Gaozu believed he could be entrusted with great affairs.

勃既定燕而歸，高祖已崩矣，以列侯事孝惠帝。 By the time Bo pacified Yan and returned, Emperor Gaozu had already passed away. He served Emperor Hui as a marquis.

丞相議之，亞夫曰：「高皇帝約『非劉氏不得王，非有功不得侯。 When the matter was put to the chancellor, Yafu replied: "Emperor Gaozu's covenant states: 'None who is not of the Liu clan may be made king; none without merit may be made marquis.

及從高祖定天下，在將相位，諸呂欲作亂，勃匡國家難，復之乎正。 Yet when he followed Emperor Gaozu to pacify the realm and rose to the rank of general and chancellor, and when the Lu clan plotted to seize power, it was Bo who saved the state in its hour of peril and restored it to the rightful course.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 22Volume 22 Treatises 12: Rites and Music 12 · 1 passage

《巴渝》，漢高帝命工人作也； "Bayu," commissioned by Han Gaozu from his artisans;