Ancient China · Ruler

King Wu of Zhou 武王

Wǔ wáng

Attested BC 1050 - BC 1040

Passages: 49
Chapters: 31
Histories: 13

Overview

The translated histories identify King Wu of Zhou as a general and ruler. This record brings together 49 passages from 31 chapters across 13 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	King Wu of Zhou	武王	Wǔ wáng
Title	King Wu	武王
Regnal	King Wu	武王
Title	King Wu	武王	Wu Wang
Title	King Wu		Wu Wang
Personal	King Wu	武王	Wu Wang
Title	King Wu	武王	Wǔ Wáng
Title	King Wu	武王	Wu wang
Personal name	King Wu
Personal name	King Wu	武王	Wǔ Wáng
Title	King Wu	武王	Wǔ wáng
Temple name	King Wu	武王	Wu Wang
Temple name	King Wu	武	Wǔ
Title	King Wu	武王	Wǔwáng
Personal	King Wu	武
Title	King Wu of Zhou	武王
Regnal	King Wu of Zhou	周武王
Posthumous	King Wu of Zhou	周武王	Zhou Wu Wang
Personal name	King Wu of Zhou	周武王
Title	King Wu of Zhou	周武王
Title	King Wu of Zhou	周武王	Zhōu Wǔ Wáng
Alternate	Wu	武	Wu
Personal	Wu	武	Wu
Personal name	Wu	武	Wu
Regnal	Wu	武	Wu
Personal name	Wu	武
Personal name	Wu	武	Wǔ
Title	Wu	武
Title	Wu of Zhou	武

Identity

Historicity: Uncertain
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · beiqishu:006:s0076, beiqishu:030:s0002, hanshu:105:s0268, houhanshu:034:s0041, jiuwudaishi:141:s0002, liaoshi:078:s0064, sanguozhi:062:s0086, shiji:003:s0209, shiji:061:s0022, shiji:065:s0111, shiji:084:s0022, songshu:055:s0041, suishu:043:s0044, yuanshi:171:s0114
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:076:s0259, jiuwudaishi:140:s0003, shiji:025:s0003, shiji:124:s0013, songshi:107:s0190
Value: male
Explicit · shiji:068:s0066, xintangshu:184:s0042
Value: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:074:s0040

Roles

General
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Qualitative: legendary antiquity
Explicit · liangshu:004:s0023, liaoshi:078:s0064, shiji:061:s0022, shiji:061:s0028, shiji:065:s0111, shiji:099:s0015, songshi:107:s0190, suishu:043:s0044, yuanshi:171:s0114
Qualitative: legendary antiquity
Explicit event contextual date · xintangshu:184:s0042
Source Date: Text: 周武王 · Western Interval: Start: BC 1046 · End: BC 1043
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:003:s0209, shiji:003:s0230
Source Date: Text: 周武王 · Western Interval: Start: BC 1050 · End: BC 1043
Explicit · songshu:055:s0041
Source Date: Text: 周武王 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit · beiqishu:030:s0118
Source Date: Text: 文武不以其故貶王 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit · shiji:124:s0013
Source Date: Text: 昔武王以仁義伐紂而王 · Western Interval: Start: BC 1050 · End: BC 1040
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:074:s0040
Source Date: Text: 昔武王克商 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:141:s0002
Source Date: Text: 昔武王克殷 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit · beiqishu:006:s0076
Source Date: Text: 武王 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit · shiji:084:s0022
Source Date: Text: 武王之得箕子 · Western Year: BC 1046
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:140:s0003
Source Date: Text: 武王伐殷 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit event contextual date · sanguozhi:062:s0086
Source Date: Text: 武王伐紂 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:025:s0003
Source Date: Text: 武王將伐紂 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:034:s0041
Source Date: Text: 武王諤諤以昌 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:068:s0140
Source Date: Text: 武王載旆 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:025:s0069
Source Date: Text: 湯武不循古而王 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:068:s0066

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Sibling of Bo Yi Kao (伯邑考)
Kinship Term: elder brother / 兄 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: elder
Child of King Wen of Zhou (周文王)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Line: paternal
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son · Line: paternal
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Child of King Wen (文王)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Parent of King Cheng (成王)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son

Career and standing

Action: became king · Means: conquest with benevolence and righteousness
Explicit · shiji:074:s0040
Role: Son of Heaven
Explicit · shiji:003:s0230

Places and affiliations

Label: Zhou / 周 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · shiji:061:s0028
Polity: Zhou / 周 · Relation: ruled
Strongly inferred · shiji:025:s0003

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Text: 無辜籲天
Explicit · liaoshi:078:s0064

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: attacked Zhou and became king · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂)
Explicit · shiji:074:s0040
Kind: military · Role: attacker · Action: attacked-Zhou · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂)
Explicit · liaoshi:078:s0064
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: attacked · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂) · Place: En: Unknown · Zh: Unknown
Explicit · shiji:025:s0003
Kind: political · Role: founder-king · Action: became-king-without-following-antiquity
Explicit · shiji:068:s0066
Kind: ritual · Role: agent · Action: blew-pitch-pipes-and-listened
Explicit · shiji:025:s0003
Kind: ritual · Role: son · Action: carried-wooden-spirit-tablet-and-styled-father-King-Wen · Other Person Id: King Wen of Zhou (周文王)
Explicit · shiji:061:s0022
Kind: military · Role: conqueror · Action: conquered Yin/Shang
Explicit · beiqishu:006:s0076
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: defeated · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂) · Place: Muye / 牧野 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 甲子日 · Western Year: BC 1046
Explicit · shiji:003:s0222, shiji:003:s0223
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: marched-east-to-attack · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂)
Explicit · shiji:061:s0022
Kind: military · Role: victor · Action: pacified-Yin-disorder · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂)
Explicit · shiji:061:s0028
Kind: military · Role: attacker · Action: prepared to attack Shang · Other Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂)
Explicit · houhanshu:034:s0041
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: raised banners, bore the axe, and campaigned with moral legitimacy
Explicit · hanshu:025:s0069, hanshu:025:s0087
Relation: opponent-of · Person Id: King Zhou of Shang (紂)
Explicit · shiji:025:s0003
Relation: successor-of · Person Id: King Wen of Zhou (周文王)
Strongly inferred · shiji:003:s0209
Relation: received-counsel-from · Person Id: Jizi (箕子)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:140:s0003
Relation: lord-of · Person Id: Grand Duke (太公)
Strongly inferred · shiji:061:s0026

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: prospered through frank remonstrance · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report · Speaker Person Id: Zhao Liang (趙良)
Explicit · shiji:068:s0140

Source notes

Historicity: legendary
Explicit · shiji:061:s0022, shiji:099:s0015

References in the histories

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

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 6Volume 6 Annals 6: Emperor Xiaozhao · 1 passage

甲午，詔曰：「昔武王克殷，先封兩代，漢、魏、二晉，無廢茲典。 On the jiawu day, an edict stated: "When King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang, he first enfeoffed descendants of the two preceding dynasties. The Han, Wei, and two Jin dynasties likewise never abandoned this precedent.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 30Volume 30 Biographies 22: Cui Xian; Gao Dezheng; Cui Ang · 1 passage

又說者以為昔周武王再駕盟津，然始革命，於是乃旋晉陽。 Others said that in old times King Wu of Zhou crossed the Meng Ford twice before he began the revolution — and so he turned back to Jinyang.

Book of Han, Chapter 25Volume 23: Treatise on Punishment and Law · 3 passages

《詩》曰：『武王載旆，有虔秉鉞，如火烈烈，則莫我敢遏。』 As the Odes describes King Wu's campaign, moral legitimacy generated unstoppable force.

故齊之技擊不可以遇魏之武卒，魏之武卒不可以直秦之銳士，秦之銳士不可以當桓、文之節制，桓、文之節制不可以敵湯、武之仁義。」 Thus Qi's skilled fighters cannot match Wei's trained soldiers; Wei's trained soldiers cannot stand against Qin's elite warriors; Qin's elite warriors cannot withstand the discipline of Duke Huan and Duke Wen; and the discipline of Huan and Wen cannot rival the benevolence and righteousness of Tang and Wu.'

湯、武征伐，陳師誓眾，而放禽桀、紂，所謂善陳不戰者也。 Tang and Wu's legitimacy made victory decisive once forces were arrayed, minimizing prolonged combat.

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

夫能詘於一人之下，而信於萬乘之上者，湯武是也。 Those who could bow to one man for a time and later command the allegiance of a ruler with ten thousand chariots were Tang and King Wu.

Book of Han, Chapter 65Volume 56: Dong Zhongshu · 2 passages

至於宣王，思昔先王之德，興滯補弊，明文、武之功業，周道粲然復興，詩人美之而作，上天晁之，為生賢佐，後世稱通，至今不絕。 King Xuan looked back to the virtue of his forebears, cleared blockages and patched abuses, and brought Wen and Wu’s achievement back into light; the royal road blazed anew, poets sang his praise, Heaven showed its favor, and wise ministers appeared at his side—later generations still call his reign a high road that has never been forgotten.

武王行大誼，平殘賊，周公作禮樂以文之，至於成康之隆，囹圄空虛四十餘年，此亦教化之漸而仁誼之流，非獨傷肌膚之效也。 King Wu cut down Zhou’s cruelty, and the Duke of Zhou set rites and music to refine the realm; by the peace of Cheng and Kang the jails stood empty forty years—because custom had shifted and kindness spread, not because men were merely flayed into fear.

Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 1 passage

臣聞周德始乎後稷，長於公劉，大於大王，成於文、武，顯於周公，德澤上昭，天下漏泉，無所不通。 The virtue of Zhou began with Hou Ji, swelled through Duke Liu and the Great King, ripened under Wen and Wu, and shone through the Duke of Zhou until grace soaked the realm like water from a spring.

Book of Han, Chapter 75Volume 64b: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 2 · 2 passages

昔武王中流未濟，白魚入於王舟，俯取以燎，群公咸曰「休哉！」 Once, when King Wu had not yet finished fording the river, a white fish leaped into his barge; he lifted it out for a burnt offering, and the nobles cried, 'Excellent omen!'

故世平主聖，俊艾將自至，若堯、舜、禹、湯、文、武之君，獲稷、契、皋陶、伊尹、呂望，明明在朝，穆穆列布，聚精會神，相得益章。 Thus, in an age of peace under a sage ruler, outstanding elders come of their own accord. Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Kings Wen and Wu obtained the service of Hou Ji, Xie, Gao Yao, Yi Yin, and Lü Wang. Brilliant at court and solemn in their ranks, they joined their finest insights and magnified the glory of ruler and minister alike.

Book of Han, Chapter 76Volume 65: Dongfang Shuo · 2 passages

朔對曰：「堯、舜、禹、湯、文、武、成、康上古之事，經歷數千載，尚難言也，臣不敢陳。 Shuo answered, "The deeds of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, Cheng, and Kang lie so far back in time that even after millennia they are hard to discuss clearly; I would not presume to rehearse them here.

太公體行仁義，七十有二乃設用於文、武，得信厥說，封於齊，七百歲而不絕。 The Grand Duke lived out benevolence and righteousness; not until he was seventy-two did Kings Wen and Wu put his counsel to use. They believed him, enfeoffed him in Qi, and his line lasted seven hundred years.

Book of Han, Chapter 88Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He · 1 passage

昔武王、周公承順天地，以饗魚烏之瑞，然猶君臣祗懼，動色相戒，況於季世，不蒙繼嗣之福，屢受威怒之異者虖！ Even Wu and Zhou trembled at small omens, he argued—how much more should a childless age fear heaven's warnings.

Book of Han, Chapter 105Volume 93: Flatterers · 1 passage

世祖下詔曰：「武王克殷，表商容之閭，閎修善謹敕，兵起，吏民獨不爭其頭首。 Emperor Guangwu decreed: "King Wu of Zhou honored Shang Rong's lane after conquering Shang; Wang Hong lived prudently and well, so that when rebellion broke out no mob tried to kill him for sport.

Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 1 passage

臮于稷𢍆，咸佐唐虞，光濟四海，奕世載德，至于湯武，而有天下。 Through ministers such as Hou Ji and Xie the virtue of Yao and Shun spread across the seas, generation on generation, until Tang of Shang and Wu of Zhou inherited the whole realm.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 34Volume 30a: Biographies of Su Jing; Yang Hou · 1 passage

畢為天網，主網羅無道之君，故武王將伐紂，上祭於畢，求助天也。 Bi is the celestial net that snares wicked rulers. King Wu therefore sacrificed at Bi before marching against Shang, invoking Heaven’s aid.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 140Volume 140: Treatises 2 Calendars · 1 passage

武王之得箕子，首敘九疇。 and when King Wu received Jizi, he began by expounding the Nine Categories.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 141Volume 141: Treatises 3 Five Elements · 1 passage

昔武王克商，以箕子歸，作《洪範》。 In ancient times, after King Wu of Zhou conquered Shang, he brought Jizi home and composed the 《Great Plan》.

Book of Liang, Chapter 4Volume 4: Emperor Jianwen · 1 passage

文王舍伯邑考而立武王，格于上下，光于四表。 King Wen passed over Bo Yi Kao and installed King Wu, harmonizing above and below and shining across the four quarters.

History of Liao, Chapter 78Volume 78 Biographies 8: Yelu Yilage, Xiao Haili, Xiao Husi, Xiao Siwen, Xiao Jixian · 1 passage

武王之伐紂也，數其罪曰「無辜籲天」； when Wu attacked Zhou, he recited his crimes: "The innocent cry to Heaven";

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 62Volume 62: Book of Wu 17: Biographies of Shi Yi and Hu Zong · 1 passage

營武王伐殷，殷氏倒戈； When King Wu marched on Shang, the Shang warriors lowered their blades;

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 3Annals of Yin · 6 passages

西伯既卒，周武王之東伐，至盟津，諸侯叛殷會周者八百。 After the Western Earl died, King Wu marched east to Mengjin; eight hundred lords who had turned from Yin rallied to him.

武王曰：「爾未知天命。」 King Wu said, "You do not yet understand Heaven’s mandate."

周武王於是遂率諸侯伐紂。 King Wu then led the host against Zhou.

周武王遂斬紂頭，縣之［大］白旗。 King Wu of Zhou then cut off Zhou’s head and hung it from the great white banner.

於是周武王為天子。 King Wu then became Son of Heaven.

周武王崩，武庚與管叔、蔡叔作亂，成王命周公誅之，而立微子於宋，以續殷後焉。 When King Wu died, Wugeng and the lords of Guan and Cai rebelled; King Cheng ordered the Duke of Zhou to crush them and set Weizi in Song to carry on Yin's line.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 25Treatise on the Pitch-Pipes · 1 passage

武王伐紂，吹律聽聲，推孟春以至于季冬，殺氣相并，而音尚宮。 When King Wu campaigned against Zhou, he blew the pitch-pipes and listened to the sounds, extending this from the first month of spring to the last month of winter. The killing qi joined together, but the sound still favored gong.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 61Biographies: Biography of Bo Yi · 2 passages

及至，西伯卒，武王載木主，號為文王，東伐紂。 When they arrived, the Earl of the West had died. King Wu carried the wooden spirit tablet, styled him King Wen, and marched east to attack King Zhou.

武王已平殷亂，天下宗周，而伯夷、叔齊恥之，義不食周粟，隱於首陽山，采薇而食之。 After King Wu had pacified the disorder of Yin and the world acknowledged Zhou as paramount, Bo Yi and Shu Qi were ashamed of it. For righteousness' sake they would not eat Zhou grain. They hid on Mount Shouyang, gathered ferns, and ate them.

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

殷紂之國，左孟門，右太行，常山在其北，大河經其南，修政不德，武王殺之。 King Zhou of Yin had Mengmen Pass on the left and the Taihang Mountains on the right, Changshan to the north and the great river flowing south. He practiced unvirtuous government, so King Wu killed him.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 68Biography of Lord Shang · 3 passages

故湯武不循古而王，夏殷不易禮而亡。 Therefore, Tang and Wu did not follow antiquity yet became kings; Xia and Yin did not change their rituals yet perished.

武王諤諤以昌，殷紂墨墨以亡。 King Wu prospered through frankness, while Yin Zhou perished through flattery.

君若不非武王乎，則仆請終日正言而無誅，可乎？」 If Your Lordship does not criticize King Wu, then this servant requests to speak correct words all day without punishment. Would that be acceptable?'

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

笔武王以仁義伐紂而王，伯夷餓不食周粟； Formerly King Wu used benevolence and righteousness to attack Zhou and became king, but Bo Yi starved rather than eat Zhou grain;

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 84Biographies of Qu Yuan and Master Jia · 1 passage

上稱帝嚳，下道齊桓，中述湯武，以刺世事。 It invokes Emperor Ku in the remote past, speaks of Duke Huan of Qi in recent times, and recounts the deeds of Tang and Wu in between — all to cast light on the affairs of the present age.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 99Biographies of Liu Jing and Shusun Tong · 1 passage

武王伐紂，不期而會孟津之上八百諸侯，皆曰紂可伐矣，遂滅殷。 When King Wu marched against Zhou, eight hundred lords gathered unbidden at Mengjin. All said, 'Zhou can be attacked,' and he then destroyed the Yin dynasty.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 124Biographies of Knight-errants · 1 passage

故伯夷丑周，餓死首陽山，而文武不以其故貶王； Bo Yi despised the Zhou conquest and starved himself to death on Mount Shouyang, yet Kings Wen and Wu were nonetheless regarded as kings on that account.

History of Song, Chapter 107Volume 107 Treatises 60: Rites 10 · 1 passage

又言：「當以僖祖為始祖，如周之後稷，太祖如周之文王，太宗如周之武王，與仁宗之廟，皆萬世不祧； He further stated: "Emperor Xi should be founding ancestor like Zhou's Hou Ji; Taizu like King Wen; Taizong like King Wu; with Renzong's temple—all never removed;

Book of Song, Chapter 55Volume 55 Biographies 15: Zang Dao, Xu Guang, F Long · 4 passages

鄭玄以為祧者文王、武王之廟，王肅以為五世六世之祖。 Zheng Xuan held that the tiao were the temples of Kings Wen and Wu, whereas Wang Su held that they were ancestors of the fifth and sixth generations.

尋去祧之言，則祧非文、武之廟矣。 If we examine the phrase 'removing the tiao,' the tiao cannot be the temples of Wen and Wu.

文、武周之祖宗，何雲去祧為壇乎？ Wen and Wu were Zhou's founding ancestors — how could the rites speak of removing the tiao to make altars?

若祧是文、武之廟，宜同月祭于太祖，雖推後稷以配天，由功德之所始，非尊崇之義每有差降也。 If the tiao were the temples of Wen and Wu, they ought to receive monthly sacrifice together with the Great Ancestor; although Hou Ji was elevated to match Heaven, that was because merit began with him, not because the principle of honor allows no gradation.

Book of Sui, Chapter 43Volume 43 Biographies 8: He Jian Wanghong, Yang Chugang, Yang Zichong, Guang De, Wang Xiong · 1 passage

夫微子紂之元兄，族實為重，項伯籍之季父，戚乃非疏，然猶去朝歌而入周，背西楚而歸漢。 Wei Zi was King Zhou of Shang's own elder brother—the tie of blood could scarcely have been closer; Xiang Bo was Xiang Ji of Western Chu's uncle—hardly a distant kinsman—yet both men left Chaoge to join King Wu of Zhou, and turned from Western Chu to serve the Han.

New Book of Tang, Chapter 184Volume 184 Biographies 109: Ma, Yang, Lu, Lu · 3 passages

涚曰：「世謂周文、武二王所加者。」 Shu said, "People say Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou added them."

如子之言，少商，武弦也。 As you say, lesser shang is King Wu's string.

且文世安得武聲乎？」 Besides, how could King Wu's sound appear in King Wen's age?"

History of Yuan, Chapter 171Volume 171 Biographies 58: Liu Yin, Wu Cheng · 1 passage

分而言之，上古則羲、黃其元，堯、舜其亨，禹、湯其利，文、武、周公其貞乎！ Speaking in detail: in high antiquity Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor are the Origin, Yao and Shun the Flourishing, Yu and Tang the Advantage, and King Wen, King Wu, and the Duke of Zhou the Steadfastness!