Ancient China · Chu official and tutor to Crown Prince Jian

Wu She 伍奢

Attested BC 522 - BC 522

Passages: 14
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Wu She was a Chu official and tutor to Crown Prince Jian.

Life and dates

Death

Execution · Authority Chu
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 43
executed 殺 · Authority King Ping of Chu (楚平王)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 88, passage 69

Attested activity

BC 522 楚平王囚伍奢並殺之
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 20, 43
BC 522 楚平王時
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 88, passage 69

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Wu Ju (伍舉)
ancestor 先
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 4
Parent of Wu Zixu (伍子胥)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 2
Parent of Wu Shang (伍尚)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passages 2-3

Kinship Role sons · Count 2
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 23

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Grand Tutor 太傅
Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 5
Entered
Imprisoned
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 20

Places and affiliations

Polity Chu 楚 · Relation Associated with
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 2
Polity Chu 楚 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 88, passage 69

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With King Ping of Chu (楚平王) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 66, passage 17

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 66Biography of Wu Zixu · 13 passages

員父曰伍奢。 Yuan's father was named Wu She.

楚平王有太子名曰建，使伍奢為太傅，費無忌為少傅。 King Ping of Chu had a crown prince named Jian. He made Wu She Grand Tutor and Fei Wuji Junior Tutor.

平王遂自取秦女而絕愛幸之，生子軫。 King Ping then took the Qin woman himself and doted on her exclusively. She gave birth to a son named Zhen.

平王乃召其太傅伍奢考問之。 King Ping therefore summoned Wu She, the crown prince's Grand Tutor, and questioned him.

伍奢知無忌讒太子於平王，因曰：「王獨柰何以讒賊小臣疏骨肉之親乎？」 Wu She knew Wuji was slandering the crown prince to King Ping, so he said: 'Why must Your Majesty listen to a slanderous, traitorous petty official and estrange your own flesh-and-blood kin?'

於是平王怒，囚伍奢，而使城父司馬奮揚往殺太子。 Then King Ping was angry, imprisoned Wu She, and sent the Chengfu commander Fu Yang to go kill the crown prince.

無忌言於平王曰：「伍奢有二子，皆賢，不誅且為楚憂。 Wuji spoke to King Ping, saying: 'Wu She has two sons, both worthy. If not executed, they will be a worry for Chu.

王使使謂伍奢曰：「能致汝二子則生，不能則死。」 The king sent an envoy to tell Wu She: 'If you can bring your two sons, then live; if you cannot, then die.'

伍奢曰：「尚為人仁，呼必來。 Wu She said: 'Shang is humane in character. If called, he will certainly come.

不來，今殺奢也。」 if you do not come, I will kill She now.'

奢聞子胥之亡也，曰：「楚國君臣且苦兵矣。」 When Wu She heard that Zixu had fled, he said: "The ruler and ministers of Chu will soon suffer the hardships of war."

伍尚至楚，楚并殺奢與尚也。 Wu Shang arrived in Chu, and Chu executed both She and Shang.

向令伍子胥從奢俱死，何異螻蟻。 If Wu Zixu had followed Wu She and died with him, how would he have differed from an ant?

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 88Biography of Meng Tian · 1 passage

楚平王殺伍奢。 King Ping of Chu executed Wu She.