King Hui of Wei

King Hui of Wei (Chinese: 魏惠王; 400–319 BC), also known as King Hui of Liang (Chinese: 梁惠王),^[1] personal name Wei Ying, was a monarch of the Wei state, reigning from 369 BC to 319 BC.^[1] He initially ruled as marquess, but later elevated himself to kingship in 344 BC. He was a grandson of Marquess Wen, the founder of the state, and a son of his predecessor, Marquess Wu. He was succeeded by his son, King Xiang.^[1]

He came to the throne after a war of succession during which Wei was nearly partitioned by the Zhao and Han states.

He is notable for four policies:^[2]

1. In 361 BC, he moved the capital from Anyi to Daliang to get it out of the reach of the Qin state. Anyi was on the plateau south of the Fen River not far from where the Fen River and Wei River join the Yellow River. Daliang was to the far southeast of Wei near the border with the Song state. Thereafter, the Wei state was briefly called Liang.
2. In 362–359 BC, he made exchanges of territory with Zhao to the north and Han to the south. This gave Wei more rational borders, secured the new capital and gave Wei more control over trade routes.
3. In 361–355 BC, he held several face-to-face meetings with the rulers of the neighboring states.
4. In 344 BC, he promoted the Wei state from a march to a kingdom.

He also conducted several dialogues with the renowned Confucian Mencius.