Qin and Han · Ruler

King Huai of Chu (Xiong Huai) 楚懷王熊槐

Chǔ Huáiwáng Xióng Huái

Attested BC 208 - BC 208

Passages: 31
Chapters: 8
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify King Huai of Chu (Xiong Huai) as a ruler. This record brings together 31 passages from 8 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	King Huai of Chu (Xiong Huai)	楚懷王熊槐	Chǔ Huáiwáng Xióng Huái
Title
Personal
Title	King Huai	懷王	Huai Wang
Title	King Huai		Huai Wang
Posthumous	King Huai of Chu	楚懷王	Chǔ Huáiwáng
Title	King Huai of Chu	楚懷王	Chǔ Huáiwáng
Title	King Huai of Chu	楚懷王	Chu Huai Wang
Title	King Huai of Chu	楚懷王	Chǔ Huái wáng
Title	King Huai of Chu	楚懷王
Given	Xin	心	Xīn
Personal	Xiong Huai	熊槐	Xióng Huái
Personal	Xiong Xin	熊心	Xióng Xīn

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:054:s0020, shiji:057:s0025, shiji:090:s0018
Sex: male
Explicit · shiji:094:s0023
Value: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:042:s0016

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 楚懷王予魏豹數千人 · Western Year: BC 208
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:090:s0018
Source Date: Text: 楚懷王以沛公為碭郡長 · Western Year: BC 208
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:054:s0020
Source Date: Text: 楚懷王封沛公 · Western Year: BC 208
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:057:s0025
Source Date: Text: 楚懷王曰 · Western Year: BC 208
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:094:s0023

Origins and identity

Relation: grandson · Person Key: King Huai of Chu (Xiong Huai) (楚懷王熊槐)
Explicit · hanshu:001:s0122

Career and standing

Text: King Huai of Chu / 楚懷王
Explicit · hanshu:042:s0016
Title: King Huai of Chu · Installed By: liu-bang, xiang-liang
Explicit · hanshu:001:s0122

Places and affiliations

Label: Chu / 楚 · Relation: associated-with
Explicit · shiji:090:s0018

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:094:s0023

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: patron · Action: gave-troops · Other Person Id: Wei Bao (魏豹) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 楚懷王予魏豹數千人 · Western Year: BC 208
Explicit · shiji:090:s0018
Kind: political · Role: protector · Action: refused-to-kill-Tian-Jia · Other Person Id: Tian Jia (田假)
Explicit · shiji:094:s0023
Relation: grandfather · Person Key: King Huai of Chu (Xiong Huai) (楚懷王熊槐)
Explicit · hanshu:001:s0122

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Han, Chapter 1Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 1 · 21 passages

六月，沛公如薛，與項梁共立楚懷王孫心為楚懷王。 In the sixth month, Pei Gong went to Xue and together with Xiang Liang established Chu King Huai's grandson Xin as King Huai of Chu.

沛公、項羽方攻陳留，聞梁死，士卒恐，乃與將軍呂臣引兵而東，徙懷王自盱台都彭城。 Pei Gong and Xiang Yu were attacking Chenliu when they heard of Liang's death. The soldiers were terrified, so they joined with General Lü Chen and led troops east, moving King Huai from Xutai to Pengcheng as the capital.

後九月，懷王并呂臣、項羽軍自將之。 In the ninth month afterward, King Huai combined Lü Chen and Xiang Yu's armies and personally took command.

趙數請救，懷王乃以宋義為上將，項羽為次將，范增為末將，北救趙。 Zhao repeatedly requested rescue, so King Huai appointed Song Yi as supreme commander, Xiang Yu as deputy commander, and Fan Zeng as rear commander, to go north and rescue Zhao.

初，懷王與諸將約，先入定關中者王之。 Initially, King Huai had made an agreement with the generals that whoever first entered and pacified Guanzhong would be made king of it.

懷王諸老將皆曰：「項羽為人慓悍禍賊，嘗攻襄城，襄城無唣類，所過無不殘滅。 King Huai's veteran generals all said: "Xiang Yu is fierce and violent, a man of disaster. He once attacked Xiangcheng, leaving no survivors in Xiangcheng. Wherever he passes, nothing is left undestroyed.

諸將或言誅秦王，沛公曰：「始懷王遣我，固以能寬容，且人已服降，殺之不祥。」 Some of the generals said that the King of Qin should be executed. The Duke of Pei said, "When King Huai first sent me, it was precisely because I was able to be lenient. Moreover, the man has already submitted and surrendered; to kill him would be inauspicious."

羽使人還報懷王，懷王曰：「如約。」 Xiang Yu sent someone to report back to King Huai. King Huai said: "As agreed."

羽怨懷王不肯令與沛公俱西入關，而北救趙，後天下約。 Xiang Yu resented King Huai for refusing to let him enter the passes westward together with Pei Gong, instead sending him north to rescue Zhao, so that he came too late for the agreement over the realm.

懷王者，吾家所立耳，非有功伐，何以得專主約！ King Huai was installed by my family; he has won no merit in the conquest—why should he alone dictate the agreements!

春正月，陽尊懷王為義帝，實不用其命。 In the first month of spring, Xiang Yu nominally honored King Huai as the Righteous Emperor, but in reality did not obey his commands.

懷王柱國共敖為臨江王，都江陵。 King Huai's Pillar of State Gong Ao as King of Linjiang, capital at Jiangling.

二年冬十月，項羽使九江王布殺義帝於郴。 In the tenth month of winter in the second year, Xiang Yu ordered King Jiujiang Ying Bu to kill Righteous Emperor Huai at Chen.

於是漢王為義帝發喪，袒而大哭，哀臨三日。 So King Han held mourning rites for the Righteous Emperor, bared his shoulder and wept loudly, conducting the mourning rites for three days.

天下共立義帝，北面事之。 The realm jointly enthroned the Righteous Emperor and served him facing north.

今項羽放殺義帝江南，大逆無道。 Now Xiang Yu has deposed and killed the Righteous Emperor in Jiangnan. This is great rebellion without righteousness.

悉發關中兵，收三河士，南浮江漢以下，願從諸侯王擊楚之殺義帝者。」 Mobilize all Guanzhong troops, gather the warriors of the three rivers, float south along the Jiang and Han, and wish to follow the feudal lords in attacking Chu for killing the Righteous Emperor."

羽欲與漢王獨身挑戰，漢王數羽曰：「吾始與羽俱受命懷王，曰先定關中者王之。 Xiang Yu wanted to challenge the King of Han to single combat. The King of Han instead listed Xiang Yu's crimes: "At first, Xiang Yu and I both received King Huai's command, which said that whoever first pacified Guanzhong would be made king there.

懷王約入秦無暴掠，羽燒秦宮室，掘始皇帝冢，收私其財，罪四也。 King Huai's agreement was that whoever entered Qin should commit no violence or plunder, yet Xiang Yu burned the Qin palaces, dug up the First Emperor's tomb, and took the wealth for himself. This is the fourth crime.

出逐義帝彭城，自都之，奪韓王地，并王梁楚，多自與，罪八也。 He drove out the Righteous Emperor to Pengcheng, made it his own capital, seized King Cheng of Han's territory, merged the domains of Liang and Chu under himself, and kept most of the gain for himself. This is crime eight.

使人陰殺義帝江南，罪九也。 He sent people to secretly kill Righteous Emperor south of the Jiang. This is crime nine.

Book of Han, Chapter 2Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 2 · 1 passage

初，懷王封羽為魯公，及死，魯又為之堅守，故以魯公葬羽於穀城。 Initially, King Huai had enfeoffed Xiang Yu as Duke of Lu, and after his death Lu again defended firmly on his behalf. Therefore Xiang Yu was buried at Gucheng as Duke of Lu.

Book of Han, Chapter 42Volume 33: Wei Bao, Tian Dan and Hán Xin (King of Han) · 4 passages

楚懷王予豹數千人，復徇魏地。 King Huai of Chu gave Wei Bao several thousand men, and he again campaigned through Wei territory.

楚懷王曰：「田假與國之王，窮而歸我，殺之不誼。」 King Huai of Chu said, "Tian Jia was king of a friendly state who, in distress, came to me. It would be unrighteous to kill him."

項梁立楚懷王，燕、齊、趙、魏皆已前王，唯韓無有後，故立韓公子橫陽城君為韓王，欲以撫定韓地。 When Xiang Liang installed King Huai of Chu, Yan, Qi, Zhao, and Wei had all already restored kings, but Han alone had no successor. Therefore the Han prince Lord Hengyang was established as king of Han, in order to soothe and settle Han territory.

項梁死定陶，成奔懷王。 After Xiang Liang died at Dingtao, Lord Cheng fled to King Huai.

Book of Han, Chapter 48Volume 39: Xiao He and Cao Shen · 1 passage

楚懷王以沛公為碭郡長，將碭郡兵。 King Huai of Chu named the Duke of Pei governor of Dang and gave him command of its army.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 54House of Chancellor Cao · 1 passage

楚懷王以沛公為碭郡長，將碭郡兵。 King Huai of Chu appointed the Lord of Pei as the governor of Dang commandery and placed the commandery's troops under his command.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 57House of Zhou Bo, Marquis of Jiang · 1 passage

楚懷王封沛公號安武侯，為碭郡長。 King Huai of Chu bestowed upon the Duke of Pei the title of Marquis of Anwu and appointed him magistrate of Dang Commandery.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 90Biographies of Wei Bao and Peng Yue · 1 passage

楚懷王予魏豹數千人，復徇魏地。 King Huai of Chu gave Wei Bao several thousand troops to reclaim the Wei territories.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 94Biography of Tian Dan, King of Qi · 1 passage

楚懷王曰：「田假與國之王，窮而歸我，殺之不義。」 King Huai of Chu said, "Tian Jia was king of an allied state. He came to me in his hour of need—to kill him would be unjust."