postgres Meng Tian was a general and calligrapher of the Qin, whose ancestors came from Qi and whose grandfather Meng Ao and father Meng Wu were both Qin generals. He led three hundred thousand men north against the Xiongnu, recovered the land south of the Yellow River and built the wall and a straight road. After the First Emperor's death he was ordered to die by Zhao Gao and Huhai's forged edict and took poison.[^wikidata][^zhwiki][^zhengshi] /en/people/meng-tian/relation.html person_cn_q1151702 person meng-tian 蒙恬

Meng Tian was a general and calligrapher of the Qin, whose ancestors came from Qi and whose grandfather Meng Ao and father Meng Wu were both Qin generals. He led three hundred thousand men north against the Xiongnu, recovered the land south of the Yellow River and built the wall and a straight road. After the First Emperor's death he was ordered to die by Zhao Gao and Huhai's forged edict and took poison.[^wikidata][^zhwiki][^zhengshi]

published category-history category-people category-historical-figures tag-ancient-china wikidata https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1151702 zhwiki https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%92%99%E6%81%AC zhengshi https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%8F%B2%E8%A8%98/%E5%8D%B7088 2026-10-25T00:00:00+08:00 2026-10-29T17:23:24+08:00 user:admin 7 Meng Tian was a famous general of the Qin. The Records of the Grand Historian say that his ancestors were from Qi, and Wikidata's Chinese label is also 蒙恬, so the title stays his personal name. His grandfather Meng Ao came to Qin from Qi and rose to a senior minister under King Zhaoxiang, his father Meng Wu was also a Qin general, and his brother was Meng Yi. Wikidata records his death in 210 BCE, while this site's earlier structured data gives 209 BCE. They differ by a year and this entry does not force them to agree.[^wikidata][^zhengshi] ## Family and early career The Records say that Meng Ao became a Qin general in the first year of King Zhuangxiang, took Chenggao and Xingyang from Han and set up Sanchuan commandery, later attacked Zhao and Wei, and died in the seventh year of the First Emperor. Meng Ao's son was Meng Wu and Meng Wu's son was Meng Tian. Meng Tian had once written up prison cases and literary texts, that is, served as an official in charge of legal documents. In the twenty-third year of the First Emperor, Meng Wu served as an assistant general of Qin and with Wang Jian attacked Chu and killed Xiang Yan. In the twenty-sixth year Meng Tian, thanks to his family, became a Qin general, defeated Qi, and was made interior minister.[^zhengshi] Chinese Wikipedia adds that in 224 BCE he was Li Xin's deputy in the attack on Chu and took Qinqiu.[^zhwiki] ## Driving out the Xiongnu and building the wall After Qin had united the empire, Meng Tian was sent with three hundred thousand men to drive the northern tribes back and recover the land south of the Yellow River. He built a wall along the terrain and made use of the strong points to form fortified passes, from Lintao to Liaodong, more than ten thousand li long. He crossed the river, held Yangshan and went on north in a winding line, spending over ten years in the field and stationed at Shang commandery, and his prestige shook the Xiongnu. The Records say the First Emperor honored and trusted the Meng family greatly and kept Meng Yi close, who rose to senior minister, rode in the same carriage when the emperor went out and stood at his side within, with Meng Tian handling external matters and Meng Yi counsel within, so that no general or minister dared contend with them. The emperor also wanted a road from Jiuyuan straight to Ganquan and had Meng Tian open it, cutting through mountains and filling valleys for eighteen hundred li, but the road was not finished.[^zhengshi] ## The quarrel with Zhao Gao The Records say that Zhao Gao was made director of the imperial carriage office by the King of Qin and privately served Prince Huhai, teaching him to decide lawsuits. When Zhao Gao committed a serious offence, the king ordered Meng Yi to try him by law. Meng Yi did not dare bend the law and sentenced Zhao Gao to death and struck him from the register of palace officials, but the emperor, because Zhao Gao was diligent in his work, pardoned him and restored his office and rank.[^zhengshi] ## The incident at Shaqiu, and his death In the winter of the thirty-seventh year the First Emperor went on tour and fell ill on the road, and sent Meng Yi back to pray to the mountains and rivers, and before Meng Yi returned the emperor died at Shaqiu, a fact that was kept secret. Zhao Gao, who favored Huhai and wanted to make him heir, also resented Meng Yi for punishing him by law and not taking his side, so he plotted with the chancellor Li Si and Huhai to make Huhai crown prince, and then sent a messenger to order Prince Fusu and Meng Tian to die for supposed crimes. After Fusu died Meng Tian doubted the order and asked again, and the messenger gave him to the officials and put another in his place. When the messenger reported, Huhai heard that Fusu was dead and wanted to release Meng Tian, but Zhao Gao feared the Meng family would become powerful again and held a grudge against them. When Meng Yi returned, Zhao Gao told Huhai that the late emperor had long wanted to name a crown prince and that Meng Yi had said it was not possible, so it would be best to execute him. Huhai agreed and held Meng Yi at Dai, having already imprisoned Meng Tian at Yangzhou.[^zhengshi] Ziying warned that the Meng family were great ministers and counselors of Qin, and that killing loyal ministers and promoting men without integrity would make the officials distrust one another and the fighters lose heart, but Huhai did not listen. He sent the censor Qu Gong to Dai to order Meng Yi to die, and Meng Yi argued his case but was killed all the same. The Second Emperor then sent a messenger to Yangzhou to tell Meng Tian that he had many faults and that his brother Meng Yi had committed a grave crime for which the law reached the interior minister too. Meng Tian answered that from his ancestors to his descendants the family had built up merit and trust in Qin over three generations, that he now commanded more than three hundred thousand men and, though imprisoned, had the power to rebel, but that knowing he must die he kept to duty, not daring to dishonor his ancestors' teaching or to forget the late emperor, and he argued from the story of the Duke of Zhou. The messenger said he was only carrying out the law on the general by order and dared not report his words to the throne. Meng Tian sighed and said, what sin have I committed against heaven, to die without fault. After a long time he said slowly that he surely deserved death, because in building walls and moats from Lintao to Liaodong for over ten thousand li he could not have avoided cutting the earth's veins. He then swallowed poison and killed himself.[^zhengshi] ## Assessment and legend Chinese Wikipedia says that Sima Qian held that Qin had only just been founded and the people needed rest, and that Meng Tian, a powerful man, ought to have urged the emperor not to abuse the people's labor but instead eagerly built the wall, which was a fault. Yang Xiong held that his loyalty had nothing worth imitating, while Sima Guang said that he understood the duty of a subject, and that though killed without fault he held to death without wavering, which also deserved praise. The article also mentions the tradition that he invented the brush, noting that brushes are archaeologically known before him, so he was more likely an improver.[^zhwiki] ## Basic facts - Name: Meng Tian[^zhengshi] - Description: Qin general and calligrapher[^wikidata] - State or dynasty: Qin[^wikidata] - Birthplace recorded: the state of Qin[^wikidata] - Death: 210 BCE (Wikidata) or 209 BCE (this site's earlier data)[^wikidata] /people/meng-tian.html en zh en -209 209 BC historical figure en zh en death_date Death 209 BC person_category Person category historical figure 1 50 0 0