刁伯 / Diao Bo
刁伯 / Diao Bo enters the wiki through 《资治通鉴·周纪》81丨历史早期PUA记实录（1） as a capable but initially withdrawn 齐国 figure recommended by 田单. The episode says he had defended 莒城 for six years against 燕国 and had the wisdom and nerve to handle a 楚国 envoy at the Wu Tong palace.
His source role is less an independent biography than a political trigger. 齐襄王’s nine favored ministers first recommend him for a mission to Chu, then use 楚顷襄王’s warm reception of him as material for suspicion against Tian Dan. Their argument is that Diao Bo could not receive such treatment on his own status and must be relying on Tian Dan’s power.
The page therefore tracks Diao Bo as an example of how a minister’s talent network can become evidence in a treason accusation trap. In this source, recommending a worthy man no longer reads only as public service; in a suspicious court, it can be framed as building an independent faction.
《资治通鉴·周纪》81丨历史早期PUA记实录（2） gives Diao Bo the corrective role after the slander. Returning from Chu, he directly tells 齐襄王 that calling 田单 in as though he were an ordinary minister ignores the precedent of rulers honoring their greatest helpers. He compares Tian Dan’s achievement to the honored-minister relationships around 姜太公 and 管仲, then reminds the king that Tian Dan restored Qi without self-coronation. His remonstrance leads to the execution of the nine favored ministers and a larger grant for Tian Dan.
Connections
- 田单 - recommender whose political exposure Diao Bo becomes part of.
- 齐襄王 - ruler whose favored ministers weaponize Diao Bo’s mission before Diao Bo later rebukes him.
- 齐国, 莒城, and 燕国 - state and earlier defense setting.
- 楚国 and 楚顷襄王 - destination and ruler who receive Diao Bo warmly.
- 姜太公, 齐桓公, 管仲, 复国功臣威胁化, and 谋反指控陷阱 - honor precedents and concepts that explain why his diplomatic success first becomes dangerous and then corrective.