帝王生涯

即位

记载：帝喾有两个儿子──挚和放勋；帝喾死后，以其年龄最大的儿子挚继承帝位，为帝挚。尧好学而能干，十三岁时就受命辅佐帝挚。帝挚才干平庸，未能妥善管理国家。而尧仁慈爱民，明于察人，治理有方，盛德闻名天下。于是各部族首领纷纷背离帝挚，而归附于尧。帝挚也自觉不如尧之圣明，终于在继位九年以后，将帝位禅让于尧。

尧践帝位时二十三岁，以平阳（今山西临汾市境）为都城，以火德为帝，人称赤帝。他性格仁慈，十分聪明，年轻有为，当上天下共主，也不因而骄横傲慢。他勤于政事，未敢休息。礼仪简单，生活俭朴，绝不浪费百姓的一分一毫。例如他只吃用陶簋盛的粗饭淡汤，只求能饱。

实施政策

政治方面

尧为了管治天下，制定法度，禁止欺诈。他设置谏鼓，让普通人都能对国事发表意见。他树立谤木，鼓励百姓批评自己的过失。他说：「如果有一个人挨饿，就是我饿了他；如果有一个人受冻，就是我冻了他；如果有一个人获罪，就是我害了他。」尧无微不至地关心百姓，轻徭薄赋，因此百姓都十分拥戴他。他又大力提倡道德与和顺，使天下百姓能融洽相处，使天下万国和谐一致。

科技方面

帝尧任命羲和掌管天文，制定历法，授民农时。分派羲仲、羲叔、和仲、和叔分住四方，负责观察日月星辰万物生灵，以通报气候变化，使百姓能及时下种和收获。

晚年

发生洪水

帝尧年老以后，到处都出现洪水泛滥，影响百姓生活，于是问四岳谁可以治好洪水。四岳说：「鲧可以。」帝尧说：「鲧违背教命，败坏宗族，不行。」四岳说：「看法不同啊！让他试试，不成功再说。」 帝尧听从了四岳的意见，让鲧治水，鲧花了九年时间，还没有成功。

禅让

史记记载

帝尧与四岳讨论继承人问题（前2075年）。帝尧说：「四岳，我在位已经七十年了，您几位中间有谁能承天命、继帝位呢？」四岳齐声回答：「我等鄙陋无德，不能辱没神圣的帝位。」帝尧说：「那么，把近亲贵戚和隐匿民间的大德大才的人都推荐上来吧！」大家一致推举道：「有个民间的鳏夫，叫虞舜。」帝尧说：「噢，我听说过。这个人究竟怎样？」四岳说：「他是一个瞎子的儿子。父亲固执，母亲放肆，弟弟傲慢，他却能以孝道使得家庭和睦，不至于出乱子。」帝尧说：「那就让他试试吧！」于是帝尧将两个女儿娥皇、女英嫁给舜，来观察他的德性。舜让二妃回妫汭（河名，今山西）家中，去侍奉公婆，尽行妇道。帝尧很满意，又让九个儿子跟随舜，来观察他处理社会事务的能力。帝尧派舜负责协调民间父义、母慈、兄友、弟恭、子孝这五种人伦关系，取得成绩，连帝尧的九个儿子也受到教育，变得更加淳厚谨敬。帝尧又派舜轮流到几个官府任职。舜都尽职尽责，制定制度，使各官府的行政走上了正规。帝尧又派舜接待四方朝见的部族酋长和使者，舜态度严谨和睦，处事得当，使者都很敬仰中朝。帝尧派舜到山林川泽中去，在暴风雷雨交加中，舜都没有迷路。尧觉得，权力传给舜，天下人会受益，却不利于丹朱；如果将权力传给丹朱，就会使丹朱得益，而不利于天下人。他想：「我总不能让天下人受害而只对一个人有好处！」于是他召见舜，说：「你谋划事情详尽周到，言论意见都获得了实效，试用三年了，你就登上帝位吧！」舜推辞道：「我的德行不够，总觉得还不能稳妥地担当大任。」最后（前2072年，己丑），舜接受了尧的禅让，登上共主之位。

也有部分古籍记载，帝尧受舜的挑唆，认为自己的儿子丹朱不行，不能将天下交给他。舜让人在尧的面前举荐自己，让尧觉得舜很圣明，终于尧决定将权力交给舜。

另外，尧曾计划把天下让给许由，许由没有接受，尧又要把天下让给子州支父，子州支父也没有接受。

竹书纪年与法家记载

《竹书纪年》中记载，舜将尧放逐到平阳囚禁，先立丹朱为帝，后夺取帝位。

关于舜胁迫尧父子让位，在古代并非只有《竹书纪年》孤证，战国时期的荀子、韩非子亦先后有类似说法。《荀子·正论》：「夫曰尧舜禅让，是虚言也，是浅者之传，是陋者之说也。」而《韩非子·说疑》：「舜逼尧，禹逼舜，汤放桀，武王伐纣，此四人者，人臣弑其君者也。」；而成书时代约略同期的《山海经·海内南经》「苍梧之山，帝舜葬于阳，帝丹朱葬于阴」文中更称呼丹朱为帝，间接否定了尧直接禅位予舜的观点。因此后来的《汲冢琐语》依据《竹书纪年》，而对此提出了疑问：「舜放尧于阳，而书云某地有城，以囚尧为号，识者凭斯异说，颇以禅受为疑。」，从现实面来说，即使从《孟子·万章上》：「丹朱之不肖，舜之子亦不肖。」文中推测尧话认为丹朱不肖而有让国的个人想法，但仍须面对整个家族利益集团的反对，因为在空间资源有限的情况下，这个举动会涉及到急遽的权利与资源重分配，必然产生新旧团体间的纷争。也因此即使是舜受禅观点，亦有三苗不服，舜于是发动战争解决的记载。无论如何，在西汉后独尊儒术、采纳单一史观的发展下，有关舜逼尧让位的说法逐渐隐没，而不为人所重视。

《史通·疑古》引《汲冢琐语》文：「昔尧德衰，为舜所囚也。」

后世亦有人怀疑尧舜并非禅让：曹丕篡汉之后，感叹道：「舜禹之事，吾知之矣。」唐朝诗人李白在《远别离》写到：「尧幽囚，舜野死。」，怀疑尧舜禅让的说法。

驾崩

尧让位后，继续关注国事，经常巡视天下，做了许多利国利民的事。禅位二十八年以后（前2048年，癸丑），尧以一百一十八岁高龄逝世，安葬于济阴成阳（今山东省菏泽市牡丹区胡集乡）。百姓们听到尧逝世的消息，无不悲痛万分，如丧父母。在此后的三年中，人们自动停止了各种娱乐活动，以表达对尧的哀思。三年丧期结束，舜提出让位给丹朱，自己避居于南河以南的荒野。人们都不服丹朱的号令，还是向舜朝觐，百姓照样讴歌舜的盛德。舜说：「这是天意啊！」于是重新回到国都，再一次共主之位。

家庭

后妃

• 女皇，出自散宜氏，根据《世本》她是丹朱的母亲。《世本》：「尧娶散宜氏之子，谓之女皇。」宋忠：「女皇是生丹朱。」《帝系》《汉书》同。

• 女莹，根据《帝王世纪》她是丹朱的母亲。《帝王世纪》：女莹生丹朱。《汉书》亦云女莹。

子女

• 娥皇，尧的女儿，嫁给舜。

• 女英，尧的女儿，嫁给舜。

• 丹朱，从小极受尧的宠爱，但其个性刚烈，欠政治智慧，被尧视为「不肖之子」。

• 还有九个儿子，名字不详。

其他与尧有关的事

• 据传说，尧因命羿杀十日，夏人联合有仍氏、有虞氏复仇，灭戈，灭过，杀浇，尧王城成为一片废墟。

• 道教认为天官大帝为尧，与地官大帝（舜）、水官大帝（禹），合称三官大帝。

• 周武王时，追思元圣，褒封尧裔二十三世名京。迁至平阳（今山西省临汾县西南）。其裔改姓尧。

• 西汉宣帝，因为汉宣帝说尧有犯讳：「具奏曰：『唐尧乃百圣至圣，五帝盛帝，今京兆尉尧濙，实其后裔！应合避讳』。」故加食字改为饶。

• 《吕氏春秋·召类》记载：尧在丹水战胜三苗。

• 宋代的学者罗泌在《路史·后纪十》中记载：尧教儿子丹朱如何下围棋，想以此来改变丹朱的性情。

考古研究

陶寺遗址被认为是可能的尧的都城。

评价

• 《笠翁对韵》：「曹公奸似鬼，尧帝智如神。」

• 汉宣帝：「唐尧乃百圣至圣，五帝盛帝……」

注释

相关

• 澹台姓

• 三皇五帝

Ancestry and early life

Yao's ancestral name is Yi Qi (伊祁) or Qi (祁), clan name is Taotang (陶唐), given name is Fangxun (放勋), as the second son to Emperor Ku and Qingdu (庆都). He is also known as Tang Yao (唐尧).

Yao's mother has been worshipped as the goddess Yao-mu.

Legacy

Often extolled as the morally perfect and intelligent sage-king, Yao's benevolence and diligence served as a model to future Chinese monarchs and emperors. Early Chinese accounts often speak of Yao, Shun and Yu the Great as historical figures, and contemporary historians believed they may represent leader-chiefs of allied tribes who established a unified and hierarchical system of government in a transition period to the patriarchal feudal society. In the Classic of History, one of the Five Classics, the initial chapters deal with Yao, Shun and Yu.

Legends

According to the legend, Yao became the ruler at 20 and died at 119 when he passed his throne to Shun the Great, to whom he had given his two daughters in marriage. According to the Bamboo Annals, Yao abdicated his throne to Shun in his 73rd year of reign, and continued to live during Shun's reign for another 28 years.

It was during the reign of Emperor Yao that the Great Flood began, a flood so vast that no part of Yao's territory was spared, and both the Yellow River and the Yangtze valleys flooded. The alleged nature of the flood is shown in the following quote:

According to both historical and mythological sources, the flooding continued relentlessly. Yao sought to find someone who could control the flood, and turned for advice to his special adviser, or advisers, the Four Mountains (四岳 or 四岳, Sìyuè); who, after deliberation, gave Emperor Yao some advice which he did not especially welcome. Upon the insistence of Four Mountains, and over Yao's initial hesitation, the person Yao finally consented to appoint in charge of controlling the flood was Gun, the Prince of Chong, who was a distant relative of Yao's through common descent from the Yellow Emperor.

Even after nine years of the efforts of Gun, the flood continued to rage on, leading to the increase of all sorts of social disorders. The administration of the empire was becoming increasingly difficult; so, accordingly, at this point, Yao offered to resign the throne in favor of his special adviser(s), Four Mountains: however, Four Mountains declined, and instead recommended Shun – another distant relative to Yao through the Yellow Emperor; but one who was living in obscurity, despite his royal lineage.

Yao proceeded to put Shun through a series of tests, beginning with marrying his two daughters to Shun and ending by sending him down from the mountains to the plains below where Shun had to face fierce winds, thunder, and rain. After passing all of Yao's tests, not the least of which being establishing and continuing a state of marital harmony together with Yao's two daughters, Shun took on administrative responsibilities as co-emperor. Among these responsibilities, Shun had to deal with the Great Flood and its associated disruptions, especially in light of the fact that Yao's reluctant decision to appoint Gun to handle the problem had failed to fix the situation, despite having been working on it for the previous nine years. Shun took steps over the next four years to reorganize the empire, in such a way as to solve immediate problems and to put the imperial authority in a better position to deal with the flood and its effects.

Contributions

Of his many contributions, Yao is said to have invented the game of Weiqi, reportedly to favorably influence his vicious playboy son Danzhu. After the customary three-year mourning period after Yao's death, Shun named Danzhu as the ruler but the people only recognized Shun as the rightful heir.

Bamboo Annals

The Bamboo Annals represent Yao as having banished prince Danzhu to Danshui in his 58th year of reign. They add that following Yao's abdication in favor of Shun, Danzhu kept away from Shun, and that following the death of Yao, "Shun tried to yield the throne to him, but in vain."

However, an alternative account found elsewhere in the Annals offers a different story. It holds that Shun dethroned and imprisoned Yao, then raised Danzhu to the throne for a short time before seizing it himself.

Dynastic succession

Yao was claimed to be the ancestor of the Han Dynasty Emperor Liu Bang. Other important noble families have also claimed descent through Yellow Emperor.

Astronomical observations

According to some Chinese classic documents such as Yao Dian (Document of Yao) in Shang Shu (Book of Documents), and Wudibenji (Records for the Five Kings) in the Shiji (Historic Records), the King Yao assigned astronomic officers to observe celestial phenomena such as the sunrise, sunset, and the rising of the evening stars. This was done in order to make a solar and lunar calendar with 366 days for a year, also providing for the leap month.

Some recent archaeological work at Taosi, an ancient site in Shanxi, dating to 2300 BCE–1900 BCE, may have provided some evidence for this. A sort of an ancient observatory – the oldest in East Asia – was found at Taosi that seems to coincide with the ancient records.

Some Chinese archaeologists believe that Taosi was the site of a state Youtang (有唐) conquered by Emperor Yao and made to be his capital.

The structure consists of an outer semi-ring-shaped path, and a semi-round rammed-earth platform with a diameter of about 60 m; it was discovered in 2003–2004.