Ancient China · Chu official and diplomat who secured Qin aid in BC 506

Shen Baoxu 申包胥

Attested BC 506 - BC 505

Passages: 13
Chapters: 8
Histories: 6

Overview

Shen Baoxu was a Chu official and diplomat who secured Qin aid in BC 506.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Alternate name	Shen Xu	申胥	Shen Xu

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 506 to BC 506 allusion
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 127, passage 102
BC 506 to BC 505 包胥
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 108, passage 119
BC 506 包胥之念
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 224
BC 506 包胥垂涕
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 36, passage 153
BC 506 to BC 506 春秋之世
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 31, passage 198
BC 506 楚昭王時乞秦師
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 128, passage 215

Show 2 more source-backed claims

BC 506 申包胥乞秦師
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 111, 113
BC 506 申重繭以存荊
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 117, passage 205

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Polity Chu 楚 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 224
Polity Chu 荊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 205

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Wu Zixu (伍子胥) · Direct quotation · Via messenger
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 107-109
Speech · Speaker · With Wu Zixu (伍子胥) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 104

Events and relationships

Preserved Chu by wearisome appeal
Diplomatic · Envoy · At Chu 荊
Directly stated · Book of Han 117, passage 205
Wept seven days at Qin court seeking aid
Diplomatic · Envoy
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 111, 113

Assessments and attributes

Assessment exemplar of resolve to restore the state · Mode quotation Speaker Zhu Yang (朱瑒)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 32, passage 224
Assessment loyal minister whose presence justifies preserving Chu · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Duke Ai of Qin (秦哀公)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 114

References in the histories

Search passages

History

13 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 32Volume 32 Biographies 24: Lu Fahe; Wang Lin (General) · 1 passage

而天厭梁德，上思匡繼，徒蘊包胥之念，終遘萇弘之眚。 Yet Heaven had turned from Liang; he still burned to restore the line—he kept Shen Baoxu's resolve, but met Chang Hong's fate.

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

木偃息以蕃魏兮，申重繭以存荊。 Duan Ganmu's retirement by moral example strengthened Wei; Shen Baoxu's bleeding feet saved Chu from ruin.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 1 passage

兵威屈辱，國權日損，三王背畔，赤眉害主，未見兼行倍道之赴，若墨翟累繭救宋，申包胥重胝存楚，衛女馳歸唁兄之志。 Arms were shamed, the throne's power ebbed, princes turned traitor, the sovereign fell to the Red Eyebrows—yet I saw no Mo Di racing to save Song, no Shen Baoxu weeping Chu home, no sister of Wei galloping to her brother's grave.

Book of Jin, Chapter 108Volume 108 Records 8: Murong Hui · 1 passage

君侯植根江陽，發曜荊、衡，杖葉公之權，有包胥之志，而令白公、伍員殆得極其暴，竊為丘明恥之。 He urged Tao Kan to emulate Chu loyalists against barbarians.

Book of Jin, Chapter 127Volume 12 Records 27: Murong De · 1 passage

思雖無申胥哭秦之效，猶慕君賓不生莽世。」 Though I, Si, lack Shen Baoxu’s effect of weeping at Qin, I still admire Junbin for refusing to live in Wang Mang’s age.”

Book of Jin, Chapter 128Volume 128 Records 28: Murong Chao · 1 passage

裕謂範曰：「卿欲立申包胥之功，何以虛還也？」 Yu said to Fan: “You wished to establish Shen Baoxu’s merit—why return empty?”

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 36Volume 36 Biographies 17: Xie Chaozong, Liu Xiang · 1 passage

故包胥垂涕，不荷肉食之謀； Thus Shen Baoxu wept for Chu though he held no place among its high ministers;

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 66Biography of Wu Zixu · 6 passages

始伍員與申包胥為交，員之亡也，謂包胥曰：「我必覆楚。」 Initially Wu Zixu and Shen Bao Xu were friends. When Zixu fled, he told Bao Xu: 'I must overturn Chu.'

包胥曰：「我必存之。」 Bao Xu said: 'I must preserve it.'

申包胥亡於山中，使人謂子胥曰：「子之報讎，其以甚乎！ Shen Baoxu fled into the mountains and sent someone to tell Wu Zixu: 'Has your revenge not gone too far?

伍子胥曰：「為我謝申包胥曰，吾日莫途遠，吾故倒行而逆施之。」 Wu Zixu said: 'Offer my apologies to Shen Baoxu and tell him: The sun is setting, and the road is long, so I must walk backward and act against the usual order.'

於是申包胥走秦告急，求救於秦。 Then Shen Baoxu went to Qin to report the emergency and seek aid.

包胥立於秦廷，晝夜哭，七日七夜不絕其聲。 Baoxu stood in the Qin court and wept day and night. For seven days and seven nights his cries did not cease.