| King Di Xin of Shang 帝辛 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 King Zhou of Shang illustrated in the Ehon Sangoku Yōfuden (c. 1805) | |||||||||
| King of Shang dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 1075–1046 BCE (29 years) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Di Yi (his father) | ||||||||
| Born | 1105 BCE | ||||||||
| Died | 1046 BCE | ||||||||
| Spouse | Consort Daji Jiuhou Nü | ||||||||
| Issue | Wu Geng | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Father | Di Yi | ||||||||
King Zhou ([ʈ͡ʂoʊ]; Chinese: 紂王; pinyin: Zhòu Wáng) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang (商帝辛; Shāng Dì Xīn) or Shou, King of Shang (商王受; Shāng Wáng Shòu), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China.[4] He is also called Zhou Xin (紂辛; Zhòu Xīn). In Chinese, his name Zhòu (紂) also refers to a horse crupper,[5] the part of a saddle or harness that is most likely to be soiled by the horse. It is not to be confused with the name of the succeeding dynasty, which has a different character and pronunciation (周; Zhōu).
In later times, the story of King Zhou became a cautionary tale on what could befall a kingdom if its ruler gave into corruption and moral depravity.
- ^ Book of Documents, "Book of Zhou - Speech at Mu". quote: 「今商王受惟婦言是用。昏棄厥肆祀弗答，昏棄厥遺王父母弟不迪。乃惟四方之多罪逋逃，是崇是長，是信是使，是以為大夫卿士，俾暴虐于百姓，以奸宄于商邑。」Kern (2017)'s translation: "Now for Shou, the king of Shang, it is indeed the words of his wife that he follows. He blindly discards the sacrifices he should present and fails to respond [to the blessings he has received from the spirits]. He blindly discards his paternal and maternal uncles who are still alive and fails to employ them. Thus, indeed, the vagabonds of the four quarters, loaded with crimes—these he honors, these he exalts, these he trusts, these he enlists, these he takes as high officials and dignitaries, to let them oppress and tyrannize the people and bring villainy and treachery upon the City of Shang."
- ^ Kern, Martin (2017) "Chapter 8: The "Harangues" (Shi 誓) in the Shangshu" in Origins of Chinese Political Philosophy: Studies in the Composition and Thought of the Shangshu (Classic of Documents). Series: Studies in the History of Chinese Texts, Volume 8. Eds Ker, Martin & Dirk, Meyer. p. 298 of pp. 281-319
- ^ Lü Buwei. "仲冬紀—當務" [Winter's Middle Month Almanac | On being appropriate to the circumstances]. Lüshi Chunqiu.
受德乃紂也
- ^ Wu, 220.
- ^ U+7D02