Gao Yao (minister)
Gao Yao | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 臯陶 | |||||||||||
 Painting of Gao Yao, made during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, Qing dynasty. | |||||||||||
| Other names | Family name: Gao (臯) Given name: Yao (陶) | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Minister | ||||||||||
| Known for | Serving Emperor Shun | ||||||||||
| Minister of Law for the Youyu clan | |||||||||||
| In office c. 2,255-2,120 BCE – c. 2,207 - 2,072 BCE[1] | |||||||||||
| Monarchs | Emperor Shun Yu the Great | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 臯陶 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 皋陶 | ||||||||||
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Gao Yao (traditional Chinese: 臯陶; simplified Chinese: 皋陶; pinyin: Gāo Yáo; Wade–Giles: Kao Yao), also known as Jiu Tao (咎陶),[1] Gao Yao (皋繇)[2] or Jiu Yao (咎繇),[3] was the Minister for Law of Emperor Shun in Youyu clan-era China according to tradition. Gao Yao became a political senior advisor of Yu the Great. His father was Shaohao. He was considered the ancestor of the imperial house of Li of the Tang dynasty, which honoured him with the posthumous name Emperor Deming (德明皇帝).[4]
In traditional historiography
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Gao Yao served Emperor Shun very early into his reign, being recruited in the latter's third year to devise punishments and laws.[5] Western Han scholar Shi You records these as prisons, which is annotated in the Guangyun as being two types called youfei (囿扉) and one called youtu (囿土). [6] The Book of Documents records Gao Yao as putting the Five Punishments into practice against the manyi (蠻夷).[7]
Later in the Book of Documents, Gao Yao has a dedicated chapter, detailing him giving counsel to Yu the Great. Here, he defines nine moral powers (九德) as a balance between seemingly opposing traits:[8]
- Broad-minded yet discerning (寬而栗)
- Gentle yet firm (柔而立)
- Honest yet respectful (愿而恭)
- Chaotic yet reverent (亂而敬)
- Yielding yet steadfast (擾而毅)
- Upright yet warm (直而溫)
- Simple yet meticulous (簡而廉)
- Bold yet substantial (剛而塞)
- Resolute yet just (彊而義)
Gao Yao is cited as remonstrating Shun: "Heaven can see and hear, and does so through the eyes and ears of the people; Heaven rewards the virtuous and punishes the wicked, and does it through the people."[9]
Taiping Yulan, a later sources, records Gao Yao as having served Qi of Xia, giving now-lost quotes from the Guicang and Records of the Grand Historian.[10]
Identification with Ye the Great
Some Chinese scholars have argued he is the same person as Ye the Great, said by Sima Qian to have been the father of Fei the Great who was later known as Boyi. Ye was reckoned as one of the ancestors of the House of Ying in the Qin and of the ruling house of Zhao. Gao Yao is sometimes considered the father of Boyi.
References
- 1 2 Donald Sturgeon (ed.). "帝禹夏后氏". 竹書紀年. Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
二年，咎陶薨。
- ↑ Donald Sturgeon (ed.). "壽命". 白虎通德論 (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project.
冉伯牛危言正行而遭惡疾，孔子曰：「命矣夫！斯人也而有斯疾也！」夫子過鄭與弟子相失獨立郭門外，或謂子貢曰：東門有一人，其頭似堯，其頸似皋繇，其肩似子產，然自腰以下不及禹三寸，儡儡如喪家之狗，子貢以告孔子，孔子喟然而笑，曰：「形狀未也，如喪家之狗。然哉乎，然哉乎。」
- ↑ Donald Sturgeon (ed.). "政理". 說苑 (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project.
明日朝，以告管仲，管仲正衿再拜曰：「此夷吾之愚也，使堯在上，咎繇為理，安有取人之駒者乎？若有見暴如是叟者，又必不與也，公知獄訟之不正，故與之耳，請退而修政。」
- ↑ 范祖禹《唐鑑·卷九》：（天寶）二年三月追尊周上御大夫為先天太皇，臯繇為德明皇帝。
- ↑ Donald Sturgeon (ed.). "帝舜有虞氏". 竹書紀年. Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
三年，命咎陶作刑。
- ↑ 西汉史游《急就章》记载:“皋陶造狱法律存。”《廣韵》彭氏注中记载:“皋陶作狱，其制为圆，象斗，墙曰囿扉，名曰囿土。”
- ↑ "舜典". 尚書 (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Donald Sturgeon (ed.). "皋陶謨". 尚書 (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project.
皋陶曰：「寬而栗。柔而立，愿而恭，亂而敬，擾而毅，直而溫，簡而廉，剛而塞，彊而義，彰厥有常。吉哉！日宣三德，夙夜浚明有家。日嚴祗敬六德，亮采有邦，翕受敷施。九德咸事，俊乂在官。百僚師師，百工惟時。撫于五辰，庶績其凝。無教逸欲。有邦兢兢業業，一日二日萬幾。無曠庶官，天工人其代之。天敘有典，勑我五典五惇哉！天秩有禮，自我五禮有庸哉！同寅協恭和衷哉！天命有德，五服五章哉！天討有罪，五刑五用哉！政事懋哉懋哉！天聰明，自我民聰明，天明畏自我民明威。達于上下，敬哉有土。」
- ↑ «New Vitality from Cultural Regeneration» Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, Taiwan Review, Vol. 57, No. 12, Dec. 2007
- ↑ 《太平御覽》卷八二引《歸藏》曰：“昔夏后啟筮享神于大陵而上鈞臺，枚占皋陶曰：不吉。”《史記》曰：“昔夏后啟筮乘龍以登於天，枚占于皋陶曰：吉而必同，與神交通。以身為帝，以王四鄉。”