Lü Buwei (呂不韋) | 24 Histories

Overview

Lü Buwei was a statesman and Merchant.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Alternate name	Master Lü	呂子	Lǚzǐ

Life and dates

Death

BC 236 to BC 235 歲餘
Suicide by poison · Cause Fear of execution
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 90
BC 235 to BC 235 秦货既贵，厥宗亦隧
Downfall and destruction with his clan
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 246

Attested activity

BC 250 to BC 237 事秦相文信侯呂不韋
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passage 187
BC 249 以呂不韋為相，封為文信侯
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 78, passage 115
BC 238 呂不韋廢
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 78, passage 169
BC 238 始皇九年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 76, 78
BC 250 to BC 235 戰國秦相
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 157
BC 236 to BC 235 歲餘
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 84, 90

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BC 241 to BC 240 甘羅說趙、張唐相燕
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passages 190, 194, 211
BC 257 秦昭王五十年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 44-45
BC 265 秦昭王四十二年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 4, 12
BC 237 秦王十年十月
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 82
BC 249 to BC 235 秦王時
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 93, passage 108
BC 250 to BC 235 秦货既贵，厥宗亦隧
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 117, passages 244, 246
BC 241 茂既死後，甘羅年十二
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passage 187
BC 249 莊襄王元年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 52
BC 247 莊襄王即位三年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 53

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of First Emperor of Qin (秦始皇)
biological father in the reported account 有身 · Claimed parentage
Uncertain · Book of Han 93, passage 108
Spouse of Mother of Zheng
consort 姬 · Concubinage · Ended
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 39, 41
Parent of Zheng (政)
father 父
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 39, 41-42
Spouse of Presented Wife of Lü Buwei (呂不韋所獻妻)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Book of Han 93, passage 108

his clan went down to the grave with him
Kinship Role clan members · Quantity unspecified
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 246

Key source chapters

Career and standing

wealthy merchant 大賈人
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 1
Prime Minister of Qin 相
BC 249 春申君相十四年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 78, passage 115
chancellor 丞相
BC 249 莊襄王元年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 52
prime minister 相國
BC 247 莊襄王即位三年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 53
prime minister 相國
BC 237 秦王十年十月 · Dismissed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 82
prime minister of Qin 秦相
BC 250 to BC 237 事秦相文信侯呂不韋 · Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passage 187

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chancellor of Qin 秦丞相
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 93, passage 108
Marquis of Wenxin 文信侯
BC 249 莊襄王元年 · Enfeoffed · At Luoyang, Henan 河南雒陽 · Households 100000
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 52
Second Father 仲父
Bestowed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 53
Lord Wenxin 文信侯
BC 249 春申君相十四年 · Granted
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 78, passage 115
Marquis Wenxin 文信侯
Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passage 187
Removed
BC 238 呂不韋廢 · Dismissed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 78, passage 169
Suffered
BC 237 秦王十年十月 · Dismissal · Authority Zheng (政)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 82

Places and affiliations

Polity Qin 秦 · Relation Of
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 52
Polity Qin 秦 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 246; Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 157; Records of the Grand Historian 71, passages 187, 194
At Yangzhai 陽翟
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 1
At Handan 邯鄲 · Relation Traveled to
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 12
At Henan 河南 · Relation Exiled to
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 83
At Luoyang, Henan 河南雒陽 · Relation Enfeoffed at
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 52

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At Shu 蜀 · Relation Ordered to
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 89
At Xianyang 咸陽 · Relation Activity at
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 61

Works and attributed material

The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü 呂氏春秋
Relation Compiler
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 59-60
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to First Emperor of Qin (秦始皇) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passages 211-213
Speech · Speaker · Addressed to Gan Luo (甘羅) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passages 194, 196-197
Letter · Addressee · With Zheng (政) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 85-89
Speech · Speaker · With King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 12-13, 15, 17-20, 23-24

Events and relationships

The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü 呂氏春秋
Scholarly · Sponsor · Compiled and displayed · At Xianyang 咸陽
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 59-61
Invoked as the model of Lü Buwei's rare commodity (a usurped heir)
BC 250 to BC 235 戰國秦 · Allusion · Historical comparison
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 55, passage 157
Practiced fraud to traffic in the state
Political · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 244
Recommended Gan Luo to Shi Huang
BC 241 to BC 240 甘羅說趙、張唐相燕 · Political · Chancellor · With Gan Luo (甘羅)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 71, passages 211, 213
Secured heir designation
Political · Agent · With King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 28, 37
When his price for Qin grew costly, his clan perished with him
Political · Victim
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 246

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Relation Patron of · Person Lao Ai (嫪毐)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 63, 65
Relation Lover of · Person Mother of Zheng
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 54
Relation Patron of · Person King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 27, 38
Relation Tutor of · Person King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 38

Assessments and attributes

Assessment practiced fraud to buy the state · Mode speaker-judgment Speaker Host (主人)
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 244

Source notes

household servants numbered ten thousand
家僮萬人
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 55
retainers numbered three thousand
食客三千人
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 57

References in the histories

Search passages

History

53 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 93Volume 82: Wang Shang, Shi Dan and Fu Xi · 1 passage

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臣聞秦丞相呂不韋見王無子，意欲有秦國，即求好女以爲妻，陰知其有身而獻之王，產始皇帝。 I have heard that Qin's chancellor Lü Buwei, seeing that the king had no heir, plotted to seize Qin: he found a beautiful woman, knew she was pregnant, and presented her to the king, and she bore the First Emperor.

Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 2 passages

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且功不可以虛成，名不可以偽立，韓設辯以徼君，呂行詐以賈國。 Merit cannot be faked nor name bought: Han Fei angled his prince with rhetoric, Lü Buwei sold the realm by deceit.

秦貨既貴，厥宗亦隧。 once Lü Buwei's Qin merchandise had fetched its high price, his clan too sank into the grave.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 55Volume 55 Book of Later Tang 31: Biographies 7: Kang Junli, Xue Zhiqin, Shi Jiantang, Li Chengsi, Shi Yan, Gai Yu, Yi Guang, Li Chengxun, Shi Jingrong · 1 passage

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呂不韋之奇貨，可見奸邪； Like Lü Buwei's rare commodity, their treachery is plain to see;

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 71Biographies of Shu Lizi and Gan Mao · 13 passages

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茂既死後，甘羅年十二，事秦相文信侯呂不韋。 After Gan Mao died, Gan Luo at age twelve served Qin's prime minister Wenxin Hou Lü Buwei.

張唐謂文信侯曰：「臣嘗為秦昭王伐趙，趙怨臣，曰：『得唐者與百里之地。』 Zhang Tang addressed Wenxin Hou: "Your subject once attacked Zhao for King Zhao of Qin. Zhao resents your subject and says: 'Whoever captures Tang will receive a hundred li of land.'

文信侯不快，未有以彊也。 Wenxin Hou was displeased but had no way to compel him.

甘羅曰：「君侯何不快之甚也？」 Gan Luo asked: 'Why is my lord so extremely displeased?'

文信侯曰：「吾令剛成君蔡澤事燕三年，燕太子丹已入質矣，吾自請張卿相燕而不肯行。」 Wenxin Hou declared: 'I had Gangcheng Jun Cai Ze serve Yan for three years, and Crown Prince Dan of Yan has already entered as hostage. I personally requested that Zhang Qing serve as prime minister of Yan, but he refuses to go.'

文信侯叱曰：「去！ Wenxin Hou scolded: 'Away with you!

今臣生十二歲於茲矣，君其試臣，何遽叱乎？」 Now your subject has lived twelve years here already. My lord should test your subject—why scold so hastily?'

甘羅曰：「應侯之用於秦也，孰與文信侯專？」 Gan Luo asked: 'How did Lord Ying's employment in Qin compare with Wenxin Hou's exclusive power?'