Qin and Han · Eunuch

Hou Lan 侯覽

Attested AD 162 - AD 189

Passages: 3
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

Hou Lan was an eunuch.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 168 中常侍侯览
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 114, passage 234
AD 162 延熹五年
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 43, passages 142, 146
AD 168 to AD 189 曹節、侯覽
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 178, passage 110

Key source chapters

Book of Later Han, Chapter 43 Volume 38: Biographies of Zhang, Fa, Teng, Feng, Du, Yang 1 passage
Book of Later Han, Chapter 114 Volume 103: Five Elements Part One 1 passage
New Book of Tang, Chapter 178 Volume 178 Biographies 103: Liu Fen 1 passage

Career and standing

Regular Attendant 中常侍
Held
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 114, passage 234

Places and affiliations

Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 178, passage 110
Polity Eastern Han 漢 · Relation Served
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 114, passage 234
At Shanyang 山陽 · Relation Native to
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 142

Events and relationships

Alluded as reborn threat
Political · Exemplar · With Cao Jie (曹節)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 178, passage 110
Memorialized transfer and killing
Political · Instigator · With Liu Shu (劉儵)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 114, passage 234
Relation Feared as rival · Person Liu Shu (劉儵)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 114, passage 234
Relation Patron of · Person Du Shang (度尚)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 142

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 114, passage 234; New Book of Tang 178, passage 110

References in the histories

Book of Later Han, Chapter 43Volume 38: Biographies of Zhang, Fa, Teng, Feng, Du, Yang · 1 passage

積困窮，乃為宦者同郡侯覽視田，得為郡上計吏，拜郎中，除上虞長。 Hard up, he took work surveying fields for the eunuch Hou Lan of his commandery, parlayed that into a post as tribute clerk, received appointment as a gentleman of the palace, and became magistrate of Shangyu.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 114Volume 103: Five Elements Part One · 1 passage

是時御史劉儵建議立靈帝，以儵爲侍中，中常侍侯览畏其亲近，必當間己，白拜儵泰山太守，因令司隸迫促殺之。 Liu You had urged Liu Hong's accession and won a palace post; Hou Lan, fearing a rival at the emperor's ear, had him packed off to Taishan and hounded to death by the metropolitan commandant.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 178Volume 178 Biographies 103: Liu Fen · 1 passage

奈何以褻近五六人總天下大政，外專陛下之命，內竊陛下之權，威懾朝廷，勢傾海內，群臣莫敢指其狀，天子不得制其心，禍稔蕭墻，奸生帷幄，臣恐曹節、侯覽復生於今日，此宮闈將變也。 Yet how can five or six men of intimate proximity monopolize the great affairs of the realm — outwardly monopolizing your commands, inwardly stealing your authority, their might terrifying the court and their power overturning the empire; the ministers dare not point to their conduct, the Son of Heaven cannot control their hearts; disaster ripens within the courtyard wall and treachery arises within the curtain — I fear Cao Jie and Hou Lan are reborn in our day: this is the inner palace about to change.