Ancient China · Father of Shun

Gusou 瞽叟

Legendary antiquity

Passages: 4
Chapters: 2
Histories: 2

Overview

Gusou was a Father of Shun.

Life and dates

Attested activity

legendary antiquity
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 261; New History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 9

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Emperor Shun (帝舜)
father 父
fathered 生 · paternal line
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 9; Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 269
Child of Jiaoniu (蟜牛)
fathered 生 · paternal line
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 261

Key source chapters

Source notes

Historicity legendary
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 20, passage 9

References in the histories

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 13Genealogical Tables of the Three Dynasties · 2 passages

句望生蟜牛。蟜牛生瞽叟。 Gouwang fathered Jiaoniu. Jiaoniu fathered Gusou.

瞽叟生重華，是為帝舜。 Gusou fathered Chonghua, who was Emperor Shun.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 20Volume 20: Shizong of Later Zhou's Family · 2 passages

孟子言：舜為天子，而瞽叟殺人，則棄天下，竊負之而逃。 Mencius said that if Shun were emperor and his father Gusou killed a man, Shun would abandon the realm, secretly carry his father on his back, and flee.

然則為舜與世宗者，宜如何無使瞽叟、守禮至於殺人，則可謂孝矣！ For men like Shun and Shizong, true filial piety would mean keeping Gusou and Shouli from ever killing in the first place.