Qin and Han · Royal Family Member

Liu Yu 劉宇

First attested BC 52; died BC 20

Passages: 17
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Liu Yu was a Royal Family Member.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Prince Si	思王	Siwang

Life and dates

Death

BC 20 立三十三年薨
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 155

Attested activity

BC 52 甘露二年立
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 99

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Ancestor of Marquis Qing of Taoxiang (桃鄉頃侯)
grandson-line 孫
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 91, passage 194
Ancestor of Liu Chengdu (劉成都)
grandson 孫 · 2 generations
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passages 165, 194
Child of Emperor Xuan of Han (漢宣帝)
begot 生
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 4
Child of Lady Gongsun (公孫婕妤)
bore 生
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 4
Spouse of Qu Nai (朐臑)
concubine 姬 · Ended
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 131
Child of Queen mother of Dongping (東平王太后)
mother 太后
queen mother 太后
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passages 102, 111
Parent of Liu Yun (劉雲)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 155

Career and standing

King of Dongping 東平王
BC 52 甘露二年立 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 99
adultery and lawbreaking 通姦犯法
Committed
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 101
territory stripped 削樊、亢父二縣
Punished
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 135
counties restored 復前所削縣
Restored
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 143

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Xin (信)
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passages 127-129

Events and relationships

Requested books
Petition · Petitioner · With Sima Qian (司馬遷)
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 144
Strangled
Violence · Perpetrator · With Qu Nai (朐臑)
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 134
Went to fief
BC 49 元帝即位，就國 · Travel · Subject
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 100

References in the histories

Search passages

History

17 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 91Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan · 17 passages

許皇后生孝元帝，張婕妤生淮陽憲王欽，衛婕妤生楚孝王囂，公孫婕妤生東平思王宇，戎婕妤生中山哀王竟。 Empress Xu gave birth to Emperor Yuan. Lady Zhang the Honored Lady bore Prince Xian of Huaiyang, Qin; Lady Wei the Honored Lady bore Prince Xiao of Chu, Ao; Lady Gongsun the Honored Lady bore Prince Si of Dongping, Yu; and Lady Rong the Honored Lady bore Prince Ai of Zhongshan, Jing.

明年，成帝復立文弟平陸侯衍，是為思王。 The next year Emperor Cheng re-established Wen's younger brother Yan, marquis of Pinglu, as Prince Si.

東平思王宇 Prince Si of Dongping, Yu

東平思王宇，甘露二年立。 Prince Si of Dongping, Yu, was enfeoffed in the second year of Ganlu (52 BCE).

元帝即位，就國。 When Yuan became emperor, Yu proceeded to his fief.

上於是遣太中大夫張子蟜奉璽書敕諭之，曰：「皇帝問東平王。 The emperor then sent Palace Grandee Zhang Zijiao with a sealed edict: “The Son of Heaven addresses the king of Dongping.

今東平王出襁褓之中而托於南面之位，以年齒方剛，涉學日寡，驁忽臣下，不自它於太后，以是之間，能無失禮義者，其唯聖人乎！ The King of Dongping came out of swaddling clothes and was entrusted with a south-facing throne. His age is just becoming vigorous, his study has been scant, he treats his ministers and officers arrogantly, and he does not humble himself before the empress dowager. In such circumstances, only a sage could avoid losing ritual and righteousness.

字慚俱，因使者頓首謝死罪，願灑心自改。 Yu was stricken with shame and fear; through the envoy he kowtowed for a capital crime and vowed to cleanse his heart and mend his ways.

宇立二十年，元帝崩。 Twenty years after Yu took the throne, Yuan died.

宇謂中謁者信等曰：「漢大臣議天子少弱，未能治天下，以為我知文法，建欲使我輔佐天子。 Yu told the usher Xin and others, “The great ministers think the boy emperor too weak to rule and, because I know the statutes, mean to set me at his elbow.

比至下，宇凡三哭，飲酒食肉，妻妾不離側。 When the edict of mourning arrived, Yu wept three times for show, then feasted on wine and meat while his wives and concubines never left his side.

宇聞，斥朐臑為家人子，掃除永巷，數笞擊之。 Yu heard it, reduced her to menial rank, put her to sweeping the palace lane, and beat her repeatedly.

宇覺知，絞殺朐臑。 When Yu found out, he strangled her.

前東平王有闕，有司請廢，朕不忍。 When Dongping erred before, some urged me to depose him; I could not.

今東平王幸得來朝，不思制節謹度，以防危失，而求諸書，非朝聘之義也。 Dongping should be tightening his belt, not courting danger by begging for books—that is not what a court visit is for.

元始元年，王莽欲反哀帝政，白太皇太后，立雲太子開明為東平王，又立思王孫成都為中山王。 In Yuanshi 1, Wang Mang, undoing Ai’s policies, persuaded the grand empress dowager to make Yun’s heir Kai Ming king of Dongping and to enfeoff Chengdu, grandson of the Prince of Dongping, as king of Zhongshan.

太皇太后以帝為成帝後，故立東平思王孫桃鄉頃侯子成都為中山王，奉孝王後。 The grand empress dowager, treating Ping as Cheng’s heir, enfeoffed Chengdu—son of Marquis Qing of Taoxiang and grandson of Prince Si of Dongping—as king of Zhongshan to carry on Xing’s line.