Qin and Han · Commandant of the Capital

Wang Wenshu 王溫舒

Attested BC 120 - BC 107

Passages: 23
Chapters: 7
Histories: 3

Overview

Wang Wenshu was a Commandant of the Capital.

Life and dates

Death

Suicide
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 178

Attested activity

BC 120
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 85, passage 9
BC 110 元封元年冬
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passages 58, 60
BC 112 to BC 107 元鼎五年至元封
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 55, passages 56, 59
BC 112 元鼎至太初
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 103, passage 62
BC 114 義縱、尹齊、王溫舒等用慘急刻深為九卿
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 30, passages 172, 177
BC 120 to BC 115 而御史大夫張湯方貴用事
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 27, passage 180

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Nine Ministers 九卿
Became among
Directly stated · Book of Han 27, passage 180
Commandant of the Capital 中尉
BC 110 元封元年冬 · Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 58
one of the Nine Ministers 九卿
Held
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 30, passage 177
commandant of justice 廷尉
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 157
Guangping commandant 廣平都尉
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 141
Henei grand administrator 河內太守
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 145

Show 2 more source-backed claims

metropolitan commandant 中尉
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passages 154, 158
privy treasurer 少府
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 174

Places and affiliations

Polity Han 漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 27, passage 180
Polity Western Han 西漢 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 30, passage 177
At Yangling 陽陵
Directly stated · Book of Han 102, passage 136

Events and relationships

Enforced harsh law
Legal · Harsh law enforcer
Directly stated · Book of Han 55, passage 59

Assessments and attributes

Assessment notorious for tiger-hatted enforcers · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 85, passage 9
Assessment used cruel, urgent, harsh, and searching methods · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 30, passage 177
Assessment used harsh severity · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Han 27, passage 180

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 85, passage 9; Records of the Grand Historian 30, passage 177

References in the histories

Search passages

History

23 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 27Volume 24b: Treatise on Trade 2 · 1 passage

而御史大夫張湯方貴用事，減宣、杜周等為中丞，義縱、尹齊、王溫舒等用急刻為九卿，直指夏蘭之屬始出。 At this time the Censor-in-Chief Zhang Tang was powerful and in charge of affairs. Jian Xuan and Du Zhou served as Palace Assistant Censors; Yi Zong, Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu, and others, who used harsh severity, became Nine Ministers; and direct investigators such as Xia Lan first appeared.

Book of Han, Chapter 55Volume 46: The Lords of Wan, Wei, Zhi, Zhou and Zhang · 1 passage

公家用少，桑弘羊等致利，王溫舒之屬峻法，兒寬等推文學，九卿更進用事，事不關決於慶，慶醇謹而已。 Treasury was lean: Sang Hongyang squeezed revenue, Wang Wenshu’s faction wielded harsh codes, Ni Kuan’s circle pushed scholarship; ministers jostled for influence while Qing, ever cautious, scarcely decided a thing.

Book of Han, Chapter 102Volume 90: Cruel Officials · 17 passages

王溫舒等後起，治峻禹。 Men like Wang Wenshu who followed outdid him in severity.

後會更五銖錢白金起，民為奸，京師尤甚，乃以縱為右內史，王溫舒為中尉。 When debased coinage drove capital fraud, the court named Yi Zong right metropolitan superintendent and Wang Wenshu commandant of the guard.

溫舒至惡，所為弗先言縱，縱必以氣陵之，敗壞其功。 Wang Wenshu was vicious and freelanced his raids until Yi Zong sabotaged him out of sheer rivalry.

王溫舒 Wang Wenshu.

王溫舒，陽陵人也。 Wang Wenshu came from Yangling.

其頗不得，失之旁郡，追求，會春，溫舒頓足歎曰：「嗟乎，令冬月益展一月，足吾事矣！」 The few he had not caught escaped into neighboring commanderies, and he pursued them until spring arrived. Wenshu stamped his foot and sighed, "Ah, if only winter could be stretched one more month, I could finish my work!"

而尹齊為中尉坐法抵罪，溫舒復為中尉。 Yin Qi's conviction cleared the way for Wang Wenshu's second stint as commandant.

溫舒多諂，善事有勢者； Wang Wenshu curried favor with anyone influential;

溫舒擊東越還，議有不中意，坐以法免。 His Eastern Yue briefing annoyed the throne and cost him his post.

是時，上方欲作通天台而未有人，溫舒請復中尉脫卒，得數萬人作。 He volunteered convict gangs from the guard command to raise tens of thousands of laborers for the Tongtai project.

溫舒匿其吏華成，及人有變告溫舒受員騎錢，它奸利事，罪至族，自殺。 He concealed clerk Hua Cheng until informers tied him to bribery and capital graft; fearing execution he committed suicide.

夫古有三族，而王溫舒罪至同時而五族乎！」 The ancients wiped out three affines; Wang Wenshu destroyed five branches in one blow!"

溫舒死，家累千金。 Even dead he left a thousand pounds of gold.

王溫舒敗後數年，病死，家直不滿五十金。 Years after Wang Wenshu's crash he died sick, leaving less than fifty catties of gold.

與王溫舒俱破東越。 He joined Wang Wenshu to crush Eastern Yue.

王溫舒為中尉，而宣為左內史。 When Wang Wenshu commanded the guard, Xian Xuan governed as left metropolitan superintendent.

是時，郡守尉、諸侯相、二千石欲為治者，大抵盡效王溫舒等，而吏民益輕犯法，盜賊滋起。 Governors who wanted results copied Wang Wenshu until subjects shrugged at crime and bandit armies multiplied.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 85Volume 77: Biographies of Cruel Officials · 1 passage

致温舒有虎冠之吏，延年受屠伯之名，岂虚也哉！ So it was that Wang Wenshu produced underlings called “tiger-hatted” enforcers, and Yan Nian won the nickname “the butcher’s broker”—and those reputations were no idle tales.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 30Treatise on the Balanced Standard · 1 passage

而御史大夫張湯方隆貴用事，減宣、杜周等為中丞，義縱、尹齊、王溫舒等用慘急刻深為九卿，而直指夏蘭之屬始出矣。 At this time, Imperial Censor Zhang Tang was rising in power and controlling affairs. Jian Xuan, Du Zhou, and others were appointed assistant censors; Yi Zong, Yin Qi, Wang Wenshu, and others used cruel, urgent, harsh, and searching methods as ministers among the Nine Ministers. Officials such as the Direct Commissioner Xia Lan began to appear.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 103Biographies of Wan Shi and Zhang Shu · 1 passage

公家用少，桑弘羊等致利，王溫舒之屬峻法，兒寬等推文學至九卿，更進用事，事不關決於丞相，丞相醇謹而已。 The state coffers were running low. Sang Hongyang and his like raised revenue, Wang Wenshu and his sort enforced harsh laws, and Er Kuan and others advanced through scholarship to the rank of the Nine Ministers. Those who handled affairs were the ones promoted, and decisions were no longer referred to the Chancellor. The Chancellor was simply upright and cautious, nothing more.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 114Treatise on the Eastern Yue · 1 passage

中尉王溫舒出梅嶺； The Commandant of the Capital, Wang Wenshu, advanced from Meiling;