生平

年轻时师从战国时期儒学大师荀子，受《左传》，后仕秦为御史，负责管理图籍文书（因侍立于殿柱下，故称为柱下史），后因犯罪逃归故乡阳武，刘邦的军队经过阳武时，张苍投靠刘邦。

后来从攻南阳时，张苍有罪，被判斩首，适逢王陵路过，见张苍高大、白皙而俊美，向刘邦请求赦免其罪。张苍获赦免后，从此对王陵感恩，父事王陵，几十年如一日。王陵死后，张苍拜相后，仍然每天坚持下朝后先去向王陵夫人问安，并侍候其吃饭才回家。

前206年，刘邦受封为汉王，张苍随从入汉中。后来常山王张耳归汉，刘邦任命张苍为常山太守，随从刘邦灭赵。赵地平定后，张苍获任命为代之相，负责防备匈奴。不久又迁为赵相。张耳去世，张苍复相赵王张敖，不久再迁为代相防备匈奴。燕王臧荼反，张苍以代相从攻燕有功，封为北平侯，1200户。

张苍明于历法、术数，萧何为相国时，以列侯身份出任计相，为相国萧何的副手，驻于相府。淮南王黥布造反平定后，刘邦立子刘长为淮南王，张苍出任淮南相。汉高后七年，迁为御史大夫。高后八年，以周勃、陈平为首的功臣集团和朱虚侯刘章为首的刘氏皇族联合，发动政变，诛除诸吕。张苍亦参加，并与功臣列侯们一同拥立汉文帝。

汉文帝四年（前176年），丞相灌婴去世，张苍接任丞相。张苍为相十馀年，汉文帝时鲁人公孙臣上书言「五德终始说」，称汉应当为「土德」，改服色。汉文帝下丞相议，张苍认为他说法有误。不久见「黄龙」于成纪，于是汉文帝召公孙臣为博士，并草拟土德时历制度，更元年。张苍由是自黜，称病谢免。与此同时，由于张苍推举的一个官员贪污，汉文帝藉故责备张苍，张苍遂以老病正式辞职。

张苍免职后，已届老年，口中无齿，以人奶为食，妻妾以百数，但凡曾经怀孕者则不再同房。孝景帝五年（前152年）去世，活了100多岁，谥文。

家庭

• 父亲：张□

• 母亲：□氏

• 妻子：□氏

• 长子：张奉，儿媳：□氏

学术思想

张苍早年师从荀子，与其同学李斯、韩非不同，其为人博览群书，深通律历，明于历算，为战国秦汉时期阴阳家代表人物之一。汉初确定正朔律历，张苍认为汉仍属「水德」，故而仍须以十月为岁首，服饰尚黑。其说为汉朝采纳，历法仍采用秦的《颛顼历》。

汉朝建立后，张苍删补增订整理古代的数学著作《九章算术》。张苍另著《张苍》16篇，在《汉书·艺文志》视为阴阳家的代表作品。

张苍亦是汉初儒家的代表人物之一。与当时大多数儒家知识分子不同，张苍治《春秋左氏传》，属于西汉时期居于非主流派的古文经学，张苍以此授洛阳人贾谊。

参考

延伸阅读

参考书目

• 《史记·张丞相列传》

• 《汉书·张周张赵任申屠传》

• 《史记·高祖侯功臣年表》

• 《汉书·高惠高后方功臣表》

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|colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|汉

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|colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|汉帝国官衔

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|colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|汉帝国封爵

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Early life

Zhang Cang was born in Yangwu 阳武 (present day Yuanyang, Henan Province).

In his youth, Zhang studied in Xun Kuang's circle, which was known for teaching prominent figures such as Han Fei and Li Si. When the state of Qin conquered other vassal states of the Zhou dynasty, he came to Qin's capital Xianyang and became an official to manage the imperial books. During the rule of Er Shi huang, Zhang Cang broke the imperial law and fled to his hometown. At that time, people, and the nobles of the former six vassal states rose up against the Qin's rule. Liu Bang, a general from Chu, was ordered by King Huai of Chu to lead his army westward. Zhang Cang enrolled Liu Bang's troops upon their passing of Yangwu.

Military career

Zhang Cang became a general in Liu Bang's army and arrived in Nanyang. When the Chu troops attacked Nanyang, Zhang's misbehavior became the reason for his condemnation to death. However, he was saved by Wang Ling (王陵), an old friend of Liu Bang and the commander-in-chief, who later succeeded Cao Can on the post of prime minister of the Han Empire. Zhang Cang appreciated Wang Ling greatly from that day on, and regarded him as his father. Later on, after becoming the prime minister, Zhang would always visit Wang Ling's residence after court meeting to care Wang Ling's wife as his mother after Wang Ling died. According to the Book of Han, Wang Ling saw the stripped Zhang Cang on the spot of execution and wondered at his impressively tall and beautiful body and persuaded Liu Bang to spare Zhang.

In BC 206, Liu Bang was named King of Han by Xiang Yu, another Chu general and claimant on the succession of the rule in China and Liu Bang's future arch-rival. Liu Bang went to Han, his kingdom. Zhang Cang followed him and went to Hanzhong. Some months late, some former generals who had no gains from Xiang Yu's post-war arrangement rebelled (cf. Tian Rong and his activity in reestablishing the unified Kingdom of Qi, despite Xiang Yu's will). Xiang Yu drove Emperor Yi of Chu, the lord to all the kings in name, to Chen (modern Chenzhou, Hunan Province), and then ordered King of Jiujiang and King of Linjiang secretly to murder the Emperor Yi.

Liu Bang was also unsatisfied with Xiang Yu. After Xiang Yu went eastward to Pengcheng (modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province), he conquered three kingdoms in modern Shaanxi which Xiang Yu founded. Then Han's troops matched eastward and the small kingdoms between Han and Chu surrendered to Han troops and joined the war against Xiang Yu's West Chu. Zhang Cang was one of the generals. Liu Bang ordered his generals to attack West Wei, Zhao and Dai. The three kingdoms were conquered, their kings surrendered or killed. Liu Bang nominated Zhang Er as the King of Zhao, and Zhang Cang as the Prime Minister to Zhang Er. Then Zhang Cang was changed as the governor of Dai, and then as the Prime Minister when Dai became a kingdom.

Zhang Cang finished his military career after Han Empire put down the rebellion of King Yan.

Political career

For his merits, Zhang Cang was titled Marquis of Beiping. When Xiao He became the empire's prime minister, Zhang Cang was appointed as the Minister of Audit, working as assistant to Prime Minister, because of his expertise in mathematics and music.

In 195 BC, Ying Bu the King of Huainan Kingdom rose up against Han Empire and soon was defeated and killed, Liu Bang nominated his youngest son Liu Chang as the King of Huainan Kingdom. Zhang Cang was appointed as the Prime Minister of Huainan. In 181, Zhang Cang came back to Chang'an, the capital of Han Empire, and took the position of Yushi Daifu, the vice Prime Minister and the Supreme Justice of the Empire. The next year, as the member of the clique of meritorious generals and minister, Zhang Cang took part in the coup d'état against Empress Dowager Lü and extinguished the Lü's family as soon as she died. Then Zhang Cang also took part in electing Liu Heng the King of Dai Kingdom as the future Emperor.

In BC176, Guan Ying died, and Zhang Cang succeeded to his position of Prime Minister of the Empire; staying in the position for more than ten years. At the end of rule of Emperor Xiaowen (Liu Heng), he participated in the cosmological argument concerning the position of the Han dynasty in correlation with the wu xing. Some scholars thought the Han dynasty corresponded to Earth, and must change the color of emperor and minister's uniforms into yellow. Meanwhile, the right correlate was Water, and so the empire must continue to use black as the noblest color as usual. The current correlate was established by Zhang Cang upon the foundation of the empire. However, a yellow dragon was found in Chengji (modern Gansu Province) was used as an argument against his theory. Correspondingly, the Emperor established a new era, to Zhang's discontent. As a result, Zhang Cang resigned his post saying that he was enough old and ill.

Zhang Cang died in 152 BC, being more than 100 years of age. He was given the posthumous title "Wen" (文), and entered history as Marquis Wen of Beiping.

Scholarly legacy

Zhang Cang is described as a prominent master of the calendar and music theory of his time, making great contributions to System Construction of the Han dynasty according to Sima Qian's record. Zhang Cang is regarded as the representative of Yin-Yang School; his writings edited into the book bearing his name.

It is believed that The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, the most important book in early history of Chinese mathematics, was edited by him.

Zhang Cang was also a representative Confucian scholar of the transition period from the Warring States to Han. Kong Yingda (574 – 648) names him as recipient of Xunzi's transmission of the Zuo Zhuan (The Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Chronicle) His expertise in the Zuo Zhuan did not constitute the mainstream in the field, since the Zuo Commentary was related to the Old Text school, while in his time the New Text school was more popular (see New Text Confucianism).

Being a student of Xunzi, he transmitted his teaching to Jia Yi.