Qin and Han · Family Member

Wife of Bo 巨嫂

Attested BC 210 - BC 206

Passages: 4
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wife of Bo was a Family Member.

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 210 to BC 206 始高祖微時
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 50, passage 3

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Bo (伯)
brother's wife 嫂
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 50, passages 3-4
Parent of Xin (信)
his mother 其母
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 50, passage 7

Events and relationships

Feigned empty stew
Personal · Host
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 50, passages 4-5

Assessments and attributes

Assessment not virtuous · Mode speech Speaker Liu Bang (劉邦)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 50, passage 7

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 50, passage 3

References in the histories

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 50House of Prince Yuan of Chu · 4 passages

始高祖微時，嘗辟事，時時與賓客過巨嫂食。 In the early days, when Gaozu was still a man of humble station, he would shirk his duties and often bring guests to dine at his eldest brother's wife's home.

嫂厭叔，叔與客來，嫂詳為羹盡，櫟釜，賓客以故去。 His sister-in-law grew tired of her brother-in-law. Whenever he arrived with guests, she would pretend the stew had run out and scrape the pot loudly, so the guests would take their leave.

已而視釜中尚有羹，高祖由此怨其嫂。 But when they looked in the pot afterward, there was still plenty of stew. From that day on, Gaozu bore a grudge against his sister-in-law.

太上皇以為言，高祖曰：「某非忘封之也，為其母不長者耳。」 The Retired Emperor raised the matter, and Gaozu replied, "It is not that I forgot to grant him a fief—it is because his mother was no woman of virtue."