Ancient China · Ruler

Marquis Wen of Wei 魏文侯

Wèi Wénhóu

Died BC 387

Passages: 13
Chapters: 8
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Marquis Wen of Wei as an aristocrat and ruler. This record brings together 13 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	Marquis Wen of Wei	魏文侯	Wèi Wénhóu
Title	Duke Wen
Title	Duke Wen of Wei	文侯
Posthumous name	Marquis Wen	文侯	Wénhóu
Title	Marquis Wen		Wen Hou
Title	Marquis Wen	文侯	Wen Hou
Title	Marquis Wen	文侯
Title	Marquis Wen of Wei	魏文侯	Wèi Wénhóu
Title	Marquis Wen of Wei	魏文侯	Wei Wen Hou
Title	Marquis Wen of Wei	魏文侯

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0086, shiji:065:s0092
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · hanshu:103:s0050, shiji:045:s0004, shiji:080:s0002

Roles

Aristocrat
Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Manner: unspecified · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 是歲 · Western Year: BC 387
Explicit · shiji:045:s0041
Manner: died / 卒
Explicit · shiji:065:s0106

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 是歲魏文侯卒 · Western Year: BC 387
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:045:s0041
Source Date: Text: 當魏文侯時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 445 · End: BC 396
Explicit · hanshu:103:s0050
Source Date: Text: 魏文侯…既卒 · Western Interval: Start: BC 445 · End: BC 396
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:065:s0092, shiji:065:s0106
Source Date: Text: 魏文侯 · Western Interval: Start: BC 445 · End: BC 396
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:026:s0086
Source Date: Text: 魏文侯 · Western Interval: Start: BC 445 · End: BC 396
Explicit · shiji:083:s0179
Source Date: Text: 魏文侯 · Western Year: BC 408
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:080:s0002

Family

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

Parent of Marquis Wu of Wei (武侯)
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Kinship Term: son / 子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father

Career and standing

Title: Marquis Wen of Wei / 魏文侯 · Action: held
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0086

Places and affiliations

Label: Wei · Relation: ruled
Explicit · shiji:080:s0002
Polity: Wei / 魏 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0086

Events and relationships

Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Li Kui (李悝)
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0086

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · hanshu:026:s0086

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 26Volume 24a: Treatise on Trade 1 · 1 passage

是時，李悝為魏文侯作盡地力之教，以為地方百里，提封九萬頃，除山澤邑居參分去一，為田六百萬畝，治田勤謹則畝益三升，不勤則損亦如之。 Serving Marquis Wen of Wei, Li Kui devised a program that quantified agricultural gains from more intensive cultivation within a calibrated assessment of available land.

Book of Han, Chapter 38Volume 29: Treatise on Rivers and Canals · 2 passages

魏文侯時，西門豹為鄴令，有令名。 Under Marquis Wen of Wei, Ximen Bao governed Ye and earned an excellent reputation.

至文侯曾孫襄王時，與群臣飲酒，王為群臣祝曰：「今吾臣皆西門豹之為人臣也！」 By the reign of King Xiang, Marquis Wen's great-grandson, the king drank with his court and toasted his ministers: "Would that all my ministers served as Ximen Bao did!"

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

昔文侯寤大鴈之獻而父子益親，陳平共壹飯之篹而將相加驩，所接雖在楹階俎豆之間，其於為國折衝厭難，豈不遠哉！ Duke Wen of Wei woke to the gift of a great goose and father and son grew closer; Chen Ping shared one basket of rice and chancellor and general grew joyful—though contact was only at pillars and ritual vessels, how far was it not for breaking enemy strength and quelling hardship!

Book of Han, Chapter 103Volume 91: Usurers · 1 passage

當魏文侯時，李克務盡地力，而白圭樂觀時變，故人棄我取，人取我予。 Under Marquis Wen of Wei, Li Ke worked every field for its utmost yield, while Bai Gui thrived on contrarian timing—buying what the market dumped and selling into every rush.

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

是歲魏文侯卒。 That same year, Marquis Wen of Wei also died.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 65Biographies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi · 5 passages

吳起於是聞魏文侯賢，欲事之。 Wu Qi then heard of Marquis Wen of Wei’s worthiness and wished to enter his service.

文侯問李克曰：「吳起何如人哉？」 Marquis Wen asked Li Ke: “What kind of man is Wu Qi?”

於是魏文候以為將，擊秦，拔五城。 Marquis Wen of Wei therefore appointed him general, attacked Qin, and captured five cities.

文侯以吳起善用兵，廉平，盡能得士心，乃以為西河守，以拒秦、韓。 Marquis Wen considered Wu Qi skilled in using troops, incorruptible, fair, and fully able to win the soldiers’ hearts, so he appointed him governor of Xihe to resist Qin and Han.

魏文侯既卒，起事其子武侯。 After Marquis Wen of Wei died, Wu Qi served his son Marquis Wu.

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

樂羊為魏文侯將，伐取中山，魏文侯封樂羊以靈壽。 Yue Yang was a general under Marquis Wen of Wei. After he attacked and captured Zhongshan, Marquis Wen enfeoffed him at Lingshou.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 83Biographies of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang · 1 passage

白圭顯於中山，中山人惡之魏文侯，文侯投之以夜光之璧。 When Bai Gui made a name for himself in Zhongshan, people of Zhongshan slandered him to Marquis Wen of Wei. The marquis responded by presenting Bai Gui with a luminous jade disc.