King Zhuang of Chu (Chinese: 楚莊王; pinyin: Chǔ Zhuāng wáng, reigned 613–591 BC) was a monarch of state of Chu under the Zhou dynasty during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Xiong Lü (熊旅; Xióng Lǚ), his ancestral name was Mi (芈; Mǐ), and his posthumous title was King Zhuang. He was one of the five rulers dubbed the Five Hegemons by Xunzi and attempted to wrest control of China from King Ding of Zhou.[1]
| Xiong Lü 熊旅 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Chu | |||||
| Reign | 613–591 BC | ||||
| Predecessor | King Mu of Chu | ||||
| Successor | King Gong | ||||
| Died | 591 BC | ||||
| Spouse | Lady Fan | ||||
| Issue | King Gong of Chu | ||||
| |||||
The son of King Mu of Chu, Zhuang ascended the throne in 613 BC. According to a legend in the Records of the Grand Historian, for the first three years of his reign Zhuang wasted time in pleasure-seeking, but, when challenged by two courtiers, reformed his ways.[2]
The king made Sunshu Ao his chancellor. Sunshu Ao began a series of major dam-works and an enormous planned reservoir in modern-day northern Anhui.
After some military successes, King Zhuang attempted to usurp King Ding of Zhou. According to a well-known story, probably an invention of the Warring States period, he asked a messenger from Zhou about the weight of the legendary Nine Tripod Cauldrons which Zhou possessed, a euphemism for seeking ultimate power in China, but was rebuffed. This incident gave rise to the chengyu "to enquire about ding in the central plains", i.e. to have great ambitions (問鼎中原; 问鼎中原; wèn dǐng zhōngyuán).[2]
In the Battle of Bi, his army defeated the state of Jin. His progress from lazy regent to hegemon gave rise to the Chinese chengyu "amaze others with one cry" (一鳴驚人; 一鸣惊人; yī míng jīngrén).
References
edit- ^ Zhao, Dingxin (2015). The Confucian-legalist State: A New Theory of Chinese History. Oxford University Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-19-935173-2.
- ^ a b Cook, Constance A.; Major, John S. (2004). Defining Chu: Image And Reality In Ancient China. University of Hawaiʻi Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-8248-2905-6.
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