Ancient China · Ruler

King Zhuang of Chu 楚莊

Chu Zhuang

Attested BC 613 - BC 591

Passages: 12
Chapters: 5
Histories: 3

Overview

The translated histories identify King Zhuang of Chu as a ruler. This record brings together 12 passages from 5 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	King Zhuang of Chu	楚莊	Chu Zhuang
Title	King Zhuang	楚莊
Title	King Zhuang	楚嚴
Title	King Zhuang	莊王	Zhuang Wang
Title	King Zhuang	莊王	Zhuang wang
Personal	King Zhuang of Chu	楚莊王
Title	King Zhuang of Chu	楚莊王	Chu Zhuang Wang
Title	King Zhuang of Chu	楚莊王	Chu Zhuang wang

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:098:s0183
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · houhanshu:031:s0030, shiji:116:s0011
Value: male
Strongly inferred · shiji:119:s0005

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 楚嚴 · Western Interval: Start: BC 613 · End: BC 591
Explicit · hanshu:098:s0183
Source Date: Text: 楚莊王 · Western Interval: Start: BC 613 · End: BC 591
Explicit · shiji:116:s0011
Source Date: Text: 楚莊王 · Western Interval: Start: BC 613 · End: BC 591
Strongly inferred · shiji:119:s0005
Source Date: Text: 楚莊王之世 · Western Interval: Start: BC 613 · End: BC 591
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:031:s0030

Family

Ancestor of Zhuang Qiao (莊蹻)
Kinship Term: descendant / 苗裔 · Line: paternal · Parentage: biological

Places and affiliations

Polity: Chu / 楚 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · shiji:116:s0011
Place: Chu / 楚 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · shiji:119:s0005

Works and attributed material

Kind: approval · Role: authority · Other Person Id: Sunshu Ao (孫叔敖)
Explicit · shiji:119:s0016, shiji:119:s0021

Events and relationships

Kind: policy · Role: ruler · Action: approved restoring the former currency
Explicit · shiji:119:s0016
Kind: policy · Role: ruler · Action: changed currency from small to large coins, inconveniencing the people
Explicit · shiji:119:s0008
Kind: policy · Role: ruler · Action: wished to order carriages raised; approved threshold plan instead
Explicit · shiji:119:s0017, shiji:119:s0021

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 1 passage

楚莊忍絕丹姬，以成伯功； King Zhuang of Chu renounced his favorite Dan Ji to win hegemony;

Book of Han, Chapter 98Volume 87a: Yang Xiong 1 · 1 passage

齊桓曾不足使扶轂，楚嚴未足以為驂乘； Qi's Duke Huan could scarcely steady the axle; Chu's King Zhuang not worth a seat as outrider.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 31Volume 28a: Biographies of Huan Tan; Feng Yan · 2 passages

昔楚莊王問孫叔敖曰：“寡人未得所以為國是也。” King Zhuang of Chu once asked Sunshu Ao, "I cannot see what truly serves the state."

莊王曰：“善。 King Zhuang said, "Well said.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 116Treatise on the Southwestern Yi People · 1 passage

莊蹻者，故楚莊王苗裔也。 Zhuang Qiao was himself a descendant of King Zhuang of Chu.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 119Biographies of Upright Officials · 7 passages

虞丘相進之於楚莊王，以自代也。 The minister Yu Qiu recommended him to King Zhuang of Chu as his own replacement.

莊王以為幣輕，更以小為大，百姓不便，皆去其業。 King Zhuang decided the currency was too light and replaced the small coins with larger ones. The common people found this inconvenient and abandoned their trades.

後五日，朝，相言之王曰：「前日更幣，以為輕。 Five days later, at the morning audience, the Chancellor said to the king: 'The other day we changed the currency because it was deemed too light.

王許之，下令三日而市復如故。 The king approved his request. Within three days of the order being issued, the marketplace returned to normal.

楚民俗好庳車，王以為庳車不便馬，欲下令使高之。 The people of Chu customarily favored low-slung carriages. The king considered these inconvenient for the horses and wished to issue a decree requiring them to be raised.

王必欲高車，臣請教閭里使高其梱。 If Your Majesty insists on raising the carriages, allow me to instruct the neighborhoods to raise their door thresholds instead.

王許之。 The king approved.