Sima Lang (171–217),
courtesy name
A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
Boda, was a government official who lived during the late
Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest among the eight sons of
Sima Fang, who served as the Intendant of the Capital () during the reign of
Emperor Ling, He was described as a big and tall man (approximately 1.91 metres). In his early years, he took the tests required to serve as an official in the Han government and briefly held the position of a civil service cadet. In 189, when the warlord
Dong Zhuo seized control of the Han central government, Sima Lang managed to escape with his family and return to his hometown.
Later in 202, Sima Lang reentered government service and served in the central government, then under the control of the warlord
Cao Cao
Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...
. In his early career, Cao Cao served as a district security chief in the imperial capital
Luoyang after Sima Lang's father Sima Fang, then the Intendant of the Capital, recommended him for the job. Now that Cao Cao had become the ''de facto'' head of the central government, he wanted to repay Sima Fang's favour by treating Sima Lang well. Over the subsequent years, he appointed Sima Lang to various positions as either a county prefect or county chief. When he held office, Sima Lang adopted policies which benefited the common people, and thus earned their respect in return.
In 208, after he assumed office as
Imperial Chancellor, Cao Cao recruited Sima Lang to be his Registrar (). Some time later, Cao Cao appointed Sima Lang as the Inspector () of
Yan Province. Sima Lang performed well in office and gained much respect from the people in Yan Province. Despite his accomplishments, however, he never ceased to praise his younger brother,
Sima Yi. He went so far as to say, "I don't even come close to matching his abilities."
In the year 217, Sima Lang accompanied Cao Cao's generals
Xiahou Dun and
Zang Ba on a military campaign against a rival warlord,
Sun Quan. During the campaign, an epidemic broke out in the army and many soldiers fell sick. While distributing medicine to the soldiers, Sima Lang caught the disease himself and became ill too. He eventually succumbed to his illness and died.
Sima Lang had a son, Sima Yi (司馬遺; note the different Chinese character for ''Yi'' from the one in
Sima Yi's name), who died prematurely so he had no heir. However, some time later,
Sima Wang, one of Sima Lang's nephews, was transferred to Sima Lang's lineage (i.e. "adopted" as Sima Lang's son) to continue Sima Lang's family line.
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
Notes
References
*
Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi'').
*
Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''
Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi zhu'').
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sima, Lang
171 births
217 deaths
Government officials under Cao Cao
Politicians from Jiaozuo