Ancient China · Proverbially wealthy merchant

Yi Dun 猗頓

Attested BC 500 - BC 400

Passages: 5
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

Yi Dun was a Proverbially wealthy merchant.

Life and dates

Attested activity

c. BC 400 先秦時期
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 48, passage 187
BC 400 猗頓用盬鹽起
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 103, passage 55
BC 500 to BC 400 陶朱、猗頓之富
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 139

Key source chapters

Career and standing

salt merchant of Anyi 用盬鹽起
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 129, passage 95
salt merchant 用盬鹽起
Directly stated · Book of Han 103, passage 55

Places and affiliations

At Anyi 盬/安邑 · Relation Traded in
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 129, passage 95

Assessments and attributes

Assessment paragon of wealth · Mode quotation Speaker Xu Le (徐樂)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 139
Assessment used as an exemplar of exceptional wealth · Mode quoted-source-judgment Source Person Id Jia Yi (賈誼)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 48, passage 187

Source notes

Value historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 139

References in the histories

Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 1 passage

陳涉無千乘之尊、疆土之地，身非王公大人名族之後，無鄉曲之譽，非有孔、曾、墨子之賢，陶朱、猗頓之富也。 Chen She owned no kingdom, no famous name, no village cheering him on—he was no sage and no millionaire.

Book of Han, Chapter 103Volume 91: Usurers · 1 passage

猗頓用盬鹽起，邯鄲郭縱以鑄冶成業，與王者埒富。 Yi Dun built an empire on lake-bed salt; Guo Zong of Handan smelted his way to wealth that matched a king's treasury.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 48House of Chen She · 1 passage

材能不及中人，非有仲尼、墨翟之賢，陶朱、猗頓之富也。 His talents did not surpass those of an ordinary man. He possessed neither the wisdom of Confucius or Mozi, nor the wealth of Tao Zhu or Yi Dun.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 112Biographies of the Marquis of Pingjin and Zhufu · 1 passage

陳涉無千乘之尊，尺土之地，身非王公大人名族之后，無鄉曲之譽，非有孔、墨、曾子之賢，陶朱、猗頓之富也，然起窮巷，奮棘矜，偏袒大呼而天下從風，此其故何也？ Chen She commanded neither the authority of a lord of a thousand chariots nor a single foot of territory. He was no descendant of kings or dukes or men of noble lineage. He had no reputation in his home village, nor the wisdom of Confucius, Mozi, or Master Zeng, nor the wealth of Tao Zhu or Yi Dun. Yet he rose from a wretched alleyway, seized a thorny staff, bared his shoulder, let out a great shout, and the entire empire followed him like wind bending the grass. What was the reason?

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 129Biographies of Money-Makers · 1 passage

猗頓用盬鹽起。 Yi Dun built his fortune through the salt trade of Anyi.