Thursday, April 11, 2024

89 All Princes Became Kings

A4.65|66|67|68|69

In the 23rd year of King Weilie (403 BC), an earthquake struck the capital city where the Nine Tripod Cauldrons were located. King Weilie appointed Han, Wei, and Zhao as vassal states.

In the 24th year (402 BC), King Weilie died and his son Jiao took over the throne as King An. In this year, a thief killed King Sheng of Chu. 

King An reigned for twenty-six years and then died, and his son Xi succeeded him as King Lie. In the second year of King Lie (374 BC), Senior Historian of Zhou Taishi Dan met with Duke Xian of Qin and said: "Initially Zhou and Qin were united and later separated. After 500 years of separation, they will be united again. And after 17 years of unity, a hegemon will emerge." 

In the tenth year, King Lie died and his younger brother Bian ascended to the throne, becoming King Xian. In the fifth year of King Xian (364 BC), he congratulated Duke Xian of Qin and made him the overlord. In the ninth year (360 BC), King Xian sent the sacrificial meat of King Wen and King Wu to Duke Xiao of Qin. In the twenty-fifth year (344 BC), Qin met with the princes in Zhou. In the twenty-sixth year (343 BC), the Zhou granted the title of overlord to Duke Xiao of Qin. In the thirty-third year (336 BC), Zhou congratulated King Hui of Qin. In the thirty-fifth year (334 BC), King Xian sent the sacrificial meat of King Wen and King Wu to King Hui of Qin. In the forty-fourth year (325 BC), King Hui of Qin officially claimed the title of king. From then on, all princes became kings.

In the 48th year (321 BC), King Xian died and his son Ding succeeded him as King Shenjing. King Shenjing reigned for six years and then died. His son Yan succeeded him as King Nan. During the reign of King Nan, the Western and Eastern Zhou dynasties were independent. King Nan moved the capital to the Western Zhou.


威烈王二十三年,九鼎震。命韩、魏、赵为诸侯。

二十四年,崩,子安王骄立。是岁盗杀楚声王。

安王立二十六年,崩,子烈王喜立。烈王二年,周太史儋见秦献公曰:“始周与秦国合而别,别五百载复合,合十七岁而霸王者出焉。”

十年,烈王崩,弟扁立,是为显王。显王五年,贺秦献公,献公称伯。九年,致文武胙於秦孝公。二十五年,秦会诸侯於周。二十六年,周致伯於秦孝公。三十三年,贺秦惠王。三十五年,致文武胙於秦惠王。四十四年,秦惠王称王。其後诸侯皆为王。

四十八年,显王崩,子慎靓王定立。慎靓王立六年,崩,子赧王延立。王赧时东西周分治。王赧徙都西周。


88 Three Families Divided Jin State

A4.58|59|60|61|62|63|64

In the thirty-ninth year (481 BC), Tian Chang of Qi killed his lord, Duke Jian.

In the 41st year (479 BC), the State of Chu destroyed the State of Chen. Confucius died.

In the 43rd year (477 BC), King Jing died and his son Ren succeeded him as King Yuan. King Yuan died after eight years of reign, his son Jie succeeded him as King Ding.

In the 16th year of King Ding (453 BC), Zhao, Wei and Han, three families of Jin, together destroyed the Zhibo family of Jin and divided his land.

In the 28th year (441 BC), King Ding died and his eldest son Quji succeeded him, who was King Ai. King Ai reigned for three months, and his younger brother Shu Xi killed King Ai and established himself as King Si. King Si reigned for five months, and his younger brother Wei attacked and killed King Si and established himself as King Kao. These three kings were all sons of King Ding.

In the 15th year of King Kao (426 BC), he died and his son Wu succeeded him as King Weilie.

King Kao granted one of his younger brothers a fiefdom in Henan, and this was Duke Huan of western Zhou, the successor of Duke Zhou’s official position. When Duke Huan died, his son Duke Wei succeeded him. When Duke Wei died, his son Duke Hui succeeded him. And then he appointed his youngest son to serve the king in Gong, with the title of Duke Hui of Eastern Zhou.


三十九年,齐田常杀其君简公。

四十一年,楚灭陈。孔子卒。

四十二年,敬王崩,子元王仁立。元王八年,崩,子定王介立。

定王十六年,三晋灭智伯,分有其地。

二十八年,定王崩,长子去疾立,是为哀王。哀王立三月,弟叔袭杀哀王而自立,是为思王。思王立五月,少弟嵬攻杀思王而自立,是为考王。此三王皆定王之子。

考王十五年,崩,子威烈王午立。

考王封其弟于河南,是为桓公,以续周公之官职。桓公卒,子威公代立。威公卒,子惠公代立,乃封其少子於巩以奉王,号东周惠公。


87 King Jing of Zhou

A4.54|55|56|57

In the 21st year (586 BC), King Ding died and his son Yi succeeded him as King Jian. In the 13th year (573 BC), Jin killed its ruler Duke Li and welcomed Zi Zhou from the capital of Zhou, making him Duke Dao.

In the 14th year (572 BC), King Jian died and his son Xiexin succeeded him as King Ling. In the 24th year (548 BC), Cui Zhu of Qi killed its ruler, Duke Zhuang.

In the 27th year (545 BC), King Ling died and his son Gui succeeded him as King Jing. In the 18th year (527 BC), the queen and the crown prince Shou died early. In the 25th year (520 BC), King Jing loved his son Chao and wanted to make him the crown prince, but he died at this time (translator’s note: Shiji mistook it as the 20th). His son Gai and his followers competed with Prince Chao for the throne. The people of the country supported the eldest son Meng as king, so Prince Chao attacked and killed Meng. Meng was King Dao. The people of Jin attacked Prince Chao and made Gai the king instead, who was King Jing.

In the first year of King Jing (519 BC), the people of Jin sent King Jing back to the Zhou capital. But Prince Chao had already declared himself the king, so King Jing could not go back and lived in Zeyi instead. In the fourth year (516 BC), Jin led the princes to send King Jing back to the Zhou capital. Prince Chao became a minister, and the princes built the walls of the Zhou capital. In the sixteenth year (504 BC), Prince Chao's followers rebelled again, and King Jing fled to Jin. In the seventeenth year (503 BC), Duke Ding of Jin finally sent King Jing back to the Zhou capital.


二十一年,定王崩,子简王夷立。简王十三年,晋杀其君厉公,迎子周於周,立为悼公。

十四年,简王崩,子灵王泄心立。灵王二十四年,齐崔杼弑其君庄公。

二十七年,灵王崩,子景王贵立。景王十八年,后太子圣而蚤卒。二十年,景王爱子朝,欲立之,会崩,子丐之党与争立,国人立长子猛为王,子朝攻杀猛。猛为悼王。晋人攻子朝而立丐,是为敬王。

敬王元年,晋人入敬王,子朝自立,敬王不得入,居泽。四年,晋率诸侯入敬王于周,子朝为臣,诸侯城周。十六年,子朝之徒复作乱,敬王饹于晋。十七年,晋定公遂入敬王于周。


86 Hegemon Duke Wen of Jin

A4.49|50|51|52|53

At first, Queen Hui wanted to establish Prince Dai as the king, so she sent her followers to help the Di people, and the Di people attacked the Zhou capital. King Xiang fled to Zheng State, and Zheng settled King Xiang in Fanyi. Prince Dai was established as king, married Queen Di, who was deposed by King Xiang, and lived together in Wenyi. In the 17th year (635 BC), King Xiang asked Jin State for help, and Duke Wen of Jin accepted King Xiang and killed Shu Dai. King Xiang rewarded Duke Wen of Jin with jade scepter, sacrificial wine, bow and arrow, and appointed him as overlord, and rewarded Jin with the land of Henei. In the 20th year (632 BC), Duke Wen of Jin summoned King Xiang, and King Xiang met with him in Heyang and Jiantu. All the princes came to pay homage to him. To avoid the taboo, Shangshu the Ancient Book put it this way that "the heavenly king went to Heyang for inspection".

In the 24th year (628 BC), Duke Wen of Jin died.

In the 31st year (621 BC), Duke Mu of Qin died.

In the 33rd year (619 BC), King Xiang died, and his son Renchen succeeded to the throne as King Qing. After six years on the throne King Qing died, and his son Ban succeeded him as King Kuang. King Kuang also died after six years on the throne, and his younger brother Yu succeeded him, who was King Ding.

In the first year of King Ding (606 BC), King Zhuang of Chu attacked the Rong people of Luhun and stationed in Luoyi. He sent people to inquire about the size and weight of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons. King Ding sent Wang Sun Man, the grandson of King Xiang, to answer with such words that “it's about virtue, not about tripod” and the Chu army withdrew. In the tenth year (597 BC), King Zhuang of Chu surrounded the capital of Zheng, and Earl Zheng Bo surrendered, and soon the country was restored. In the sixteenth year (591 BC), King Zhuang of Chu died.


初,惠后欲立王子带,故以党开翟人,翟人遂入周。襄王出奔郑,郑居王于氾。子带立为王,取襄王所绌翟后与居温。十七年,襄王告急于晋,晋文公纳王而诛叔带。襄王乃赐晋文公珪鬯弓矢,为伯,以河内地与晋。二十年,晋文公召襄王,襄王会之河阳、践土,诸侯毕朝,《书讳》曰:“天王狩于河阳。”

二十四年,晋文公卒。

三十一年,秦穆公卒。

三十二年,襄王崩,子顷王壬臣立。顷王六年,崩,子匡王班立。匡王六年,崩,弟瑜立,是为定王。

定王元年,楚庄王伐陆浑之戎,次洛,使人问九鼎。王使王孙满应设以辞,楚兵乃去。十年,楚庄王围郑,郑伯降,已而复之。十六年,楚庄王卒。