Zhang Cang 張蒼 (253–152 BC) was a Chinese military general, philosopher, and politician during the Western Han dynasty.
In his youth, Zhang studied in Xun Kuang's circle, which was known for teaching prominent figures such as Han Fei and Li Si.
[1] During the rule of Er Shi huang, Zhang Cang broke the imperial law and fled to his hometown.
However, he was saved by Wang Ling (王陵), an old friend of Liu Bang and the commander-in-chief, who later succeeded Cao Can on the post of prime minister of the Han Empire.
Zhang Cang finished his military career after Han Empire put down the rebellion of King Yan.
Then Zhang Cang also took part in electing Liu Heng the King of Dai Kingdom as the future Emperor.
At the end of rule of Emperor Xiaowen (Liu Heng), he participated in the cosmological argument concerning the position of the Han dynasty in correlation with the wu xing.
Some scholars thought the Han dynasty corresponded to Earth, and must change the color of emperor and minister's uniforms into yellow.
Zhang Cang is described as a prominent master of the calendar and music theory of his time, making great contributions to System Construction of the Han dynasty according to Sima Qian's record.
Zhang Cang is regarded as the representative of Yin-Yang School; his writings edited into the book bearing his name.