中英雙語話中國歷史名人 第11期:張騫

Zhang Qian(?——114 B. C.)，born in Chenggu(present-day Chenggu county，ShaanXi Province)，was a famous explorer and imperial diplomat during the period referred to as the Western Han Dynasty.

張騫（?~前114)，西漢成固(今陝西城固)人，漢武帝時期著名的探險家、外交家。

In 139 B. C.，Zhang Qian was dispatched by Emperor Wudi to the Western Regions to seek a military alliance with the Greater Yuezhi (modern Tajikistan)，with the intent to execute a cooperative attack against the Xiongnu tribes. It took Zhang Qian 13 years to reach the Gui River where the people of the Greater Yuezhi lived.

公元前139年，漢武帝與大月氏相約聯合夾攻匈奴，派張騫西去聯絡。張騫抵達大月氏所居嬀水(今中亞阿姆河), 13年已經過去了。

On route he was captured twice by the Xiongnu and detained for over ten years. During his detention he married a Xiongnu woman and with her had a son，but his loyalty to the Han emperor never wavered.

張騫兩次被匈奴扣留民達十多年，還娶妻生子，但他一直“持漢節不失”。

When Zhang Qian finally reached the Yuezhi lands，he found that the population too satisfied by their status and would not wage a war against the Xiongnu.

張寒最終抵達大月氏時，他發現當地的居民安於現狀，無心與匈奴作戰。

Although the main objective of his expedition was not achieved，he documented the cultures and lifestyles of the peoples of the Western Regions，and for the first time，the Chinese emperor was informed about India，the Middle East and even some European countries.

儘管此次出使西域的主要目的並未完成，但是張騫充分了解了西域各地的風土人情，第一次給中國皇帝帶回一了關於印度、中東以及歐洲諸國的消息。

In 123 B. C.，Zhang Qian followed General Wei Qing in a major military raid against the Xiongnu. His guidance led to a number of victories，which succeeded in ending the harassment by the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty. Zhang Qian was therefore conferred the title of Marquis of Bowang.

公元前123年，張騫隨大將軍衛青出征匈奴，在他的引導下，平息了多年來北方匈奴對漢王朝的騷擾，張騫因此被封爲博望侯。

In 119 B. C.，he led a second expedition to the Western Regions and returned triumphantly with western envoys four years later. Zhang Qian's unprecedented expeditions heralded the establishment of the “Silk Road"，which fostered the commercial and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.

公元前119年，張騫再次出使西域。4年後，張騫帶着烏孫等國幾十名使者回到長安(今西安)，完成了通西域的空前壯舉。張騫經過的路線，大體也就是著名的古代中西商業與文化交流通道 “絲綢之路”。