Ancient China · Official

Gun 鯀

Legendary antiquity

Passages: 6
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Gun was an official.

Life and dates

Attested activity

legendary antiquity
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 1, passages 93-94, 96, 137, 142

Career and standing

Executed
Execution · At Mount Yu 羽山 · Authority Emperor Shun (帝舜)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 1, passage 142

Source notes

Historicity legendary
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 1, passage 93

References in the histories

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 1Annals of the Five Emperors · 6 passages

皆曰鯀可。 All cried, “Let Gun try.”

堯曰：「鯀負命毀族，不可。」 Yao said, “Gun defies orders and shames his clan; he will not do.”

堯於是聽嶽用鯀。 Yao yielded to the Peaks and gave Gun the work.

九歲，功用不成。 Nine years passed and Gun accomplished nothing.

四嶽舉鯀治鴻水，堯以為不可，嶽彊請試之，試之而無功，故百姓不便。 The Four Peaks urged Gun to master the flood; Yao doubted him, yet at their insistence gave him trial; Gun failed, and the people suffered for it.

殛鯀於羽山，以變東夷：四罪而天下咸服。 He slew Gun on Mount Yu’s slopes to warn the eastern Yi—with these four punishments the realm submitted.