Qin and Han · Official

Sima An 司馬安

Attested BC 157 - BC 87

Passages: 9
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

Sima An was an official.

Life and dates

Death

Died as Governor of Henan
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 120
died as governor of Henan
At Henan 河南
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 237

Attested activity

BC 141 to BC 87 司馬安為淮陽太守
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 59, passage 267
BC 157 to BC 141 少為太子洗馬
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 119
BC 120 to BC 100 後為淮陽太守
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 151
BC 141 to BC 87 武帝
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 59, passage 236

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Kin of Ji An (汲黯)
sister's son 姊子 · maternal line · Through Sister of Ji An (汲黯姊)
paternal aunt's son 姑姊子 · paternal line · Through Paternal aunt of Ji An (汲黯姑姊)
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 236; Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 119
Child of Paternal aunt of Ji An (汲黯姑姊)
mother 母
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 119
Child of Sister of Ji An (汲黯姊)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 236

Kinship Role brothers and cousins · Count 10 · ten simultaneously at two-thousand-bushel rank
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 121
ten kinsmen simultaneously reached two-thousand-picul posts
Kinship Role kinsmen · Count 10
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 238

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Attendant to the Crown Prince 太子洗馬
BC 157 to BC 141 少與黯為太子洗馬 · Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 119
Governor of Henan 河南太守
Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 120
governor of Huaiyang 淮陽太守
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 267
Governor of Huaiyang 淮陽太守
Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 151
groom to the crown prince 太子洗馬
Held
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 236
Nine Ministers 九卿
Held · four times
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 120, passage 120

Places and affiliations

Western Han 漢
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 267

Events and relationships

Relation Exposed · Person Zheng Dangshi (鄭當時)
Directly stated · Book of Han 59, passage 267

References in the histories

Search passages

History

9 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 59Volume 50: Zhang, Feng, Ji and Zheng · 4 passages

黯姊子司馬安亦少與黯為太子洗馬。 His sister's son Sima An had once served with him as groom to the crown prince.

安文深巧善宦，四至九卿，以河南太守卒。 Sima An was a subtle stylist and a born bureaucrat; he rose four times to the nine ministers and died as governor of Henan.

昆弟以安故，同時至二千石十人。 On his account as many as ten kinsmen held posts at the two-thousand-picul level at once.

司馬安為淮陽太守，發其事，當時在此陷罪，贖為庶人。 Sima An, then governor of Huaiyang, exposed the scheme; Zheng Dangshi paid a ransom and was reduced to commoner.

Book of Han, Chapter 102Volume 90: Cruel Officials · 1 passage

汲黯為忮，司馬安之文惡，俱在二千石列，同車未嘗敢均茵馮。 Ji An's vinegar temper and Sima An's poison pen shared two-thousand-bushel rank, yet neither would share a carriage seat evenly with Zhouyang You.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 120Biographies of Ji and Zheng · 4 passages

黯姑姊子司馬安亦少與黯為太子洗馬。 Sima An, the son of Ji An's paternal aunt, had likewise served alongside him as an Attendant to the Crown Prince in their youth.

安文深巧善宦，官四至九卿，以河南太守卒。 Sima An was a master of legal subtleties, clever, and adept at navigating the bureaucracy. He attained the rank of the Nine Ministers four separate times and eventually died while serving as Governor of Henan.

昆弟以安故，同時至二千石者十人。 Thanks to Sima An's influence, ten of his brothers and cousins simultaneously held positions at the two-thousand-bushel rank.

司馬安為淮陽太守，發其事，莊以此陷罪，贖為庶人。 When Sima An, then serving as Governor of Huaiyang, exposed the scandal, Zheng Zhuang was convicted and reduced to the status of a commoner, allowed to pay a fine in lieu of harsher punishment.