King Zhao of Zhou

King Zhao of Zhou
周昭王
Posthumous depiction from the Qing dynasty
King of the Zhou dynasty
Reign977/75–957 BC[1]
PredecessorKing Kang of Zhou[1]
SuccessorKing Mu of Zhou[2]
BornJi Xia (姬瑕)
1027 BC
Died957 BC
SpouseQueen Fang
IssueKing Mu of Zhou
Names
Ancestral name: (姬)
Given name: Xiá (瑕)
Posthumous name
King Zhao (昭王) or King Shao (邵王)
HouseJi
DynastyZhou (Western Zhou)
FatherKing Kang of Zhou
MotherWang Jiang
King Zhao of Zhou
Posthumous name
Chinese
Literal meaningThe Luminous King of Zhou
The Illustrious King of Zhou
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōu Zhāo Wáng
Wade–GilesChou Chao-wang
King Chao of Chou
Fangyi with cast inscription of 187 characters (one of the longest texts from the early Zhou period) which commemorates three days of administrative meetings and ritual ceremonies held in Chengzhou during the reign of King Zhao. Freer Gallery of Art

King Zhao of Zhou (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhōu Zhāo Wáng; 1027–957 BC), personal name Ji Xia, was the fourth king of the Zhou dynasty of China. He ruled from 977/75 BC until his death twenty years later.[1] Famous for his disastrous war against the Chu confederation, his death in battle ended the Western Zhou's early expansion and marked the beginning of his dynasty's decline.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Shaughnessy (1999a), p. 29.
  2. ^ Blakeley (1999), p. 10.
  3. ^ Li (2006), pp. 93–95.