Ancient China · Ruler

King Hui of Wei 魏惠

Wei Hui

Attested BC 370 - BC 319

Passages: 9
Chapters: 4
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify King Hui of Wei as a ruler. This record brings together 9 passages from 4 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	King Hui of Wei	魏惠	Wei Hui
Title	King Hui	惠王	Hui Wang
Title	King Hui
Title	King Hui of Liang	梁惠王	Liang Hui Wang
Posthumous	King Hui of Wei	魏惠王	Wei Hui Wang
Title	King Hui of Wei	魏惠王	Wei Hui Wang
Title	King Hui of Wei	惠王

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:045:s0004
Sex: male
Explicit · shiji:065:s0038
Value: male
Explicit · shiji:068:s0004

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 惠王將軍 · Western Interval: Start: BC 370 · End: BC 341
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:065:s0038
Source Date: Text: 懿侯五年 · Western Year: BC 367
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:045:s0053
Source Date: Text: 戰國 · Western Interval: Start: BC 370 · End: BC 319
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:025:s0060
Source Date: Text: 魏惠王 · Western Interval: Start: BC 370 · End: BC 319
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:068:s0004, shiji:068:s0118

Places and affiliations

Polity: Wei / 魏 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · hanshu:025:s0060, shiji:068:s0004

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · shiji:068:s0120

Events and relationships

Kind: diplomatic · Role: ruler · Action: ceded-territory · Place: west of the Yellow River / 河西
Explicit · shiji:068:s0118
Kind: administrative · Role: ruler · Action: moved-capital · Place: Da Liang / 大梁
Explicit · shiji:068:s0119
Kind: military policy · Action: relied on elite infantry
Explicit · hanshu:025:s0060

Source notes

From: King Hui of Wei / 魏惠王 · To: King Hui of Liang / 梁惠王 · Note: after capital move to Da Liang
Strongly inferred · shiji:068:s0119, shiji:068:s0120

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 25Volume 23: Treatise on Punishment and Law · 1 passage

齊愍以技擊彊，魏惠以武卒奮，秦昭以銳士勝。 King Min of Qi drew strength from skilled fighters, King Hui of Wei rose through elite troops, and King Zhao of Qin prevailed through crack soldiers.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 45House of Han · 1 passage

五年，與魏惠王會宅陽。 In the fifth year, they met with King Hui of Wei at Zhaiyang.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 65Biographies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi · 1 passage

龐涓既事魏，得為惠王將軍，而自以為能不及孫臏，乃陰使召孫臏。 After Pang Juan entered Wei's service and became a general under King Hui of Wei, he considered himself no match for Sun Bin and secretly summoned him.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 68Biography of Lord Shang · 6 passages

會座病，魏惠王親往問病，曰：「公叔病有如不可諱，將柰社稷何？」 Just then Gongshu fell ill. King Hui of Wei went in person to inquire after his health and asked, "If the chancellor should pass away, what will become of the state?"

公叔曰：「座之中庶子公孫鞅，年雖少，有奇才，願王舉國而聽之。」 Gongshu replied, "My junior aide, Gongsun Yang, is young but possesses extraordinary talent. I urge Your Majesty to entrust the entire state to his care."

王且去，座屏人言曰：「王即不聽用鞅，必殺之，無令出境。」 As the king was about to depart, Gongshu dismissed his attendants and said in private, "If Your Majesty will not employ Yang, then you must kill him. Do not allow him to leave our borders."

惠王既去，而謂左右曰：「公叔病甚，悲乎，欲令寡人以國聽公孫鞅也，豈不悖哉！」 After King Hui left, he remarked to his attendants, "Gongshu is gravely ill—how unfortunate! He wants me to entrust the entire state to Gongsun Yang. Is this not madness?"

魏惠王兵數破於齊秦，國內空，日以削，恐，乃使使割河西之地獻於秦以和。 King Hui of Wei had his troops repeatedly defeated by Qi and Qin. The state was internally empty and daily diminishing. Fearful, he sent an envoy to cede the territory west of the Yellow River to Qin to make peace.

梁惠王曰：「寡人恨不用公叔座之言也。」 King Hui of Liang said: 'I regret not using Gongshu Zuo's words.'