Ancient China · General

Pang Juan 龐涓

Páng Juān

First attested BC 354; died BC 341 to BC 318

Passages: 11
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

Pang Juan was a general.

Life and dates

Death

BC 318 宣王二年
Killed · At Ma Ling 馬陵
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 75, passage 8
BC 341 殺將軍龐涓
killed in battle 殺 · At Ma Ling 馬陵
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 68, passage 104
suicide by cutting throat 自剄
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passage 72

Attested activity

BC 341 殺將軍龐涓
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 68, passage 104
BC 354 to BC 341 為惠王將軍…自剄
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passages 38, 72

Key source chapters

Career and standing

general 將軍
Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passage 38
general of Wei 魏將
Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 75, passage 8

Places and affiliations

Polity Wei 魏 · Relation Of
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 75, passage 8
Polity Wei 魏 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passage 38

Learning and skills

Subject military strategy 兵法 · Relation Studied
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passage 37

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passages 65, 72

Events and relationships

Defeated and died at Maling
BC 341 龐涓死于此樹之下 · Military · Commander · At Maling 馬陵 · With Sun Bin (孫臏)
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 65, passage 72
Defeated and killed
Military · General · At Ma Ling 馬陵
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 68, passage 104
Killed
BC 318 宣王二年 · Military · General · At Ma Ling 馬陵
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 75, passage 8

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 75, passage 8

References in the histories

Search passages

History

11 passages

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 65Biographies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi · 9 passages

孫臏嘗與龐涓俱學兵法。 Sun Bin had once studied military strategy together with Pang Juan.

龐涓既事魏，得為惠王將軍，而自以為能不及孫臏，乃陰使召孫臏。 After Pang Juan entered Wei's service and became a general under King Hui of Wei, he considered himself no match for Sun Bin and secretly summoned him.

臏至，龐涓恐其賢於己，疾之，則以法刑斷其兩足而黥之，欲隱勿見。 When Bin arrived, Pang Juan feared that he was the better man, resented him, and had him punished by amputating his feet and branding his face, intending to keep him hidden from sight.

魏將龐涓聞之，去韓而歸，齊軍既已過而西矣。 When the Wei general Pang Juan heard this, he left Han and returned, but the Qi army had already passed by and gone west.

龐涓行三日，大喜，曰：「我固知齊軍怯，入吾地三日，士卒亡者過半矣。」 After Pang Juan had marched for three days, he was delighted and said: “I knew the Qi army was cowardly. After only three days in our territory, more than half their soldiers have deserted.”

馬陵道陜，而旁多阻隘，可伏兵，乃斫大樹白而書之曰「龐涓死于此樹之下」。 The Maling road was narrow, with many obstacles and defiles on the sides, suitable for ambushing troops. They stripped a large tree white and wrote on it: “Pang Juan dies beneath this tree.”

龐涓果夜至斫木下，見白書，乃鉆火燭之。 Pang Juan indeed arrived beneath the stripped tree at night, saw the pale writing, and lit a torch to read it.

龐涓自知智窮兵敗，乃自剄，曰：「遂成豎子之名！」 Pang Juan knew his stratagems were exhausted, and his army was defeated, so he cut his own throat, saying, “Now I have made that boy famous!”

孫子籌策龐涓明矣，然不能蚤救患於被刑。 Sun Bin clearly outplotted Pang Juan, yet he could not escape early from the disaster of mutilation.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 68Biography of Lord Shang · 1 passage

其明年，齊敗魏兵於馬陵，虜其太子申，殺將軍龐涓。 The next year, Qi defeated Wei troops at Ma Ling, captured their crown prince Shen, and killed general Pang Juan.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 75Biography of Lord Mengchang · 1 passage

宣王二年，田忌與孫臏、田嬰俱伐魏，敗之馬陵，虜魏太子申而殺魏將龐涓。 In King Xuan's second year, Tian Ji together with Sun Bin and Tian Ying attacked Wei, defeated them at Ma Ling, captured Wei's crown prince Shen, and killed Wei's general Pang Juan.