Ancient China · Ruler

Fa Zhang 法章

Attested BC 284 - BC 265

Passages: 10
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

Fa Zhang was a ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Regnal name	King Xiang	襄王	Xiāng Wáng

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 279 乃迎襄王於莒
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 49
BC 284 淖齒之殺湣王也
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passages 56, 59
BC 273 破芒卯於華陽下…伐齊
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 72, passages 81, 83
BC 279 迎襄王於莒
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passage 37
BC 283 to BC 265 齊襄王
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 43, passage 27
BC 283 to BC 265 齊襄王時
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 74, passage 81

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Ancestor of Fa Xiong (法雄)
descendant of 之後 · paternal line
ancestor of 之後 · paternal line
Sources vary in certainty · Book of Later Han 43, passage 27
Child of King Min of Qi (齊愍王)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 56
Spouse of Queen Junwang (君王后)
husband 夫
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passages 58-59

Key source chapters

Career and standing

gardener 灌園
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 56
BC 283 共立法章為齊王
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 59

Places and affiliations

Qi
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passage 37
Polity Qi 齊 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 74, passage 81; Records of the Grand Historian 82, passages 49, 59
At household of Grand Historian Jiao 太史嬓之家 · Relation Sheltered in
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 56
At Ju 莒 · Relation Resided in
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passages 49, 59
At Linzi 臨菑 · Relation Entered to govern
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 49

Works and attributed material

Letter · Commissioner · With Su Dai (蘇代)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 72, passage 83

Events and relationships

Enfeoffed
Political · Enfeoffing ruler · With Tian Dan (田單)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 50

References in the histories

Search passages

History

10 passages

Book of Later Han, Chapter 43Volume 38: Biographies of Zhang, Fa, Teng, Feng, Du, Yang · 1 passage

法雄字文彊，扶風郿人也，齊襄王法章之後。 Fa Xiong, styled Wenqiang, was a native of Mei in Fufeng and traced his line to Fa Zhang, King Xiang of Qi.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 72Biography of the Marquis of Rang · 1 passage

齊襄王懼，使蘇代為齊陰遺穰侯書曰：「臣聞往來者言曰『秦將益趙甲四萬以伐齊』，臣竊必之敝邑之王曰『秦王明而熟於計，穰侯智而習於事，必不益趙甲四萬以伐齊』。 King Xiang of Qi was alarmed, and had Su Dai secretly send the Marquis of Rang a letter on Qi's behalf: "Your servant has heard travelers say, 'Qin is going to add forty thousand armored troops to Zhao for an attack on Qi.' I privately assured the king of my humble state: 'The King of Qin sees clearly and is skilled in planning, and the Marquis of Rang is wise and practiced in affairs; they surely will not add forty thousand armored troops to Zhao to attack Qi.'

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 74Biographies of Mengzi and Xun Qing · 1 passage

田駢之屬皆已死齊襄王時，而荀卿最為老師。 By the time of King Xiang of Qi, Tian Pian and men like him had all died, and Xun Qing was the senior teacher.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 80Biography of Yue Yi · 1 passage

齊田單後與騎劫戰，果設詐誑燕軍，遂破騎劫於即墨下，而轉戰逐燕，北至河上，盡復得齊城，而迎襄王於莒，入于臨菑。 Later, Qi's Tian Dan fought Qi Jie and set a trap to deceive the Yan army. He defeated Qi Jie below Jimo, turned the battle around, and drove Yan north to the river. He recovered all Qi cities, welcomed King Xiang at Ju, and entered Linzi.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 82Biography of Tian Dan · 6 passages

乃迎襄王於莒，入臨菑而聽政。 They then welcomed King Xiang from Ju, and he entered Linzi to take up the governance of the realm.

襄王封田單，號曰安平君。 King Xiang enfeoffed Tian Dan and bestowed upon him the title Lord of Anping.

初，淖齒之殺湣王也，莒人求湣王子法章，得之太史嬓之家，為人灌園。 Earlier, when Nao Chi killed King Min, the people of Ju searched for the king's son Fa Zhang. They found him in the household of the Grand Historian Jiao, where he had been working as a gardener.

後法章私以情告女，女遂與通。 In time, Fa Zhang secretly revealed his true identity to the girl, and she became his lover.

及莒人共立法章為齊王，以莒距燕，而太史氏女遂為后，所謂「君王后」也。 When the people of Ju jointly established Fa Zhang as King of Qi and used Ju as their stronghold against Yan, the daughter of the Grand Historian clan became his queen — the one known as "Queen Junwang."

乃相聚如莒，求諸子，立為襄王。 They gathered together and went to Ju, where they sought out the royal heirs and established one of them as King Xiang.