Jiang Ziya
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| Names Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... |
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| Ancestral name Chinese surname Chinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names , existed.The colloquial expressions laobaixing... (姓): |
Jiang Jiang (surname) Jiang can be a pinyin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames:#蔣 or 蒋 , Jiǎng #姜, Jiāng , Kang... ' onMouseout='HidePop("7162")' href="/topics/Pinyin">Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... : Jīang) |
| Clan name Chinese surname Chinese family names have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and among overseas Chinese communities. In ancient times two types of surnames, family names and clan names , existed.The colloquial expressions laobaixing... (氏): |
Lü Lü (surname) Lü is a Chinese family name, it may be spelled as Lyu, Lu or Lv, when input of the umlaut is not possible. It is transliterated as Lui in Cantonese... (Ch: 呂; Py: Lǚ) |
| Given name Chinese given name Chinese given names are generally made up of one or two characters, and are written after the family name, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be read "Smith John-Paul". Chinese names can consist of any character and contain almost any meaning... (名): |
Shang (Ch: 尚; Py: Shàng) or Wang (Ch: 望; Py: Wàng) |
| Courtesy name (字): | Ziya (Ch: 子牙; Py: Zǐyá) |
| Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... (謚): |
Elder Duke (Ch: 太公; Py: Tàigōng) |
Jiang Ziya (dates of birth and death unknown) was a Chinese historical and legendary figure who resided next to the Weishui River
Wei River
The Wei River is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization....
about 3,000 years ago. A sage and military strategist, Jiang Ziya was called upon by King Wen
King Wen of Zhou
King Wen of Zhou family name : Ji , Clan name : Zhou Personal name: Chang, known as Zhou Chang or Xibo Chang was the founder of the Zhou Dynasty and the first epic hero of Chinese history....
of Zhou
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
to serve as prime minister. His purported teachings to King Wen form the basis of the Six Secret Teachings
Six Secret Teachings
The Six Secret Teachings , is a treatise on civil and military strategy traditionally attributed to the legendary figure Jiāng Zǐyá, a confederate of King Wen of Zhou, founder of the Zhou Dynasty, at around the eleventh century BC...
.
Background
The last ruler of the Shang dynasty, King Zhou of ShangKing Zhou of Shang
Emperor Xin of Shang was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. He was later given the pejorative posthumous name Zhòu . He is also called Zhou Xin or King Zhou . He may also be referred to by adding "Shang" in front of any of his names...
(16th - 11th century BC) was a tyrannical and debauched slave owner who spent his days carousing with his favourite concubine Daji
Daji
Daji was a favorite concubine of King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang Dynasty in ancient China. She is a classic example of how a beauty causes the downfall of an empire/dynasty in Chinese culture...
and mercilessly executing or punishing upright officials and all others who objected to his ways. After faithfully serving the Shang court for approximately twenty years, Jiang came to find King Zhou insufferable, and feigned madness in order to escape court life and the ruler's power. Jiang was an expert in military affairs and hoped that some day someone would call on him to help overthrow the king. Jiang disappeared, only to resurface in the Zhou countryside at the apocryphal age of seventy-two, when he was recruited by King Wen of Zhou and became instrumental in Zhou affairs. It is said that, while in exile, he continued to wait placidly, fishing in a tributary of the Wei River
Wei River
The Wei River is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization....
(near today’s Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
) using a barbless hook or even no hook at all, on the theory that the fish would come to him of their own volition when they were ready.
Hired by King Wen of the Zhou
King Wen of Zhou, (central Shaanxi), found Jiang Ziya fishing. King Wen, following the advice of his father and grandfather before him, was in search of talented people. In fact, he had been told by his grandfather, the Grand Duke of Zhou, that one day a sage would appear to help rule the Zhou state.The first meeting between King Wen and Jiang Ziya is recorded in the book that records Jiang's teachings to King Wen and King Wu, the Six Secret Teachings
Six Secret Teachings
The Six Secret Teachings , is a treatise on civil and military strategy traditionally attributed to the legendary figure Jiāng Zǐyá, a confederate of King Wen of Zhou, founder of the Zhou Dynasty, at around the eleventh century BC...
(太公六韜 / 太公六韬). The meeting was recorded as being characterized by a mythic aura common to meetings between great historical figures in ancient China. Before going hunting, King Wen consulted his chief scribe to perform divination in order to discover if the king would be successful. The divinations revealed that, "'While hunting on the north bank of the Wei river you will get a great catch. It will not be any form of dragon, nor a tiger or great bear. According the signs, you will find a duke or marquis there whom Heaven has sent to be your teacher. If employed as your assistant, you will flourish and the benefits will extend to three generations of Zhou Kings.'" Recognizing that the result of this divination was similar to the result of divinations given to his eldest ancestor, King Wen observed a vegetarian diet for three days in order to spiritually purify himself for the meeting. While on the hunt, King Wen encountered Jiang fishing on a grass mat, and courteously began a conversation with him concerning military tactics and statecraft. The subsequent conversation between Jiang Ziya and King Wen forms the basis of the text in the Six Secret Teachings
Six Secret Teachings
The Six Secret Teachings , is a treatise on civil and military strategy traditionally attributed to the legendary figure Jiāng Zǐyá, a confederate of King Wen of Zhou, founder of the Zhou Dynasty, at around the eleventh century BC...
.
When King Wen met Jiang Ziya, at first sight he felt that this was an unusual old man, and began to converse with him. He discovered that this white-haired fisherman was actually an astute political thinker and military strategist. This, he felt, must be the man his grandfather was waiting for. He took Jiang Ziya in his coach to the court and appointed him prime minister and gave him the title Jiang Taigong Wang ("The Great Duke's Hope", or "The expected of the Great Duke") in reference to a prophetic dream Danfu, grandfather of Wenwang, had had many years before. This was later shortened to Jiang Taigong.
Attack of the Shang
After King Wen died, his son King WuKing Wu of Zhou
King Wu of Zhōu or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign, or ruler of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1046-1043 BCE or 1049/45-1043. Various sources quoted that he died at the age of 93, 54 or 43. He was considered a just and able leader. Zhou Gong Dan was one of his...
, who inherited the throne, decided to send troops to overthrow the King of Shang. But Jiang Taigong stopped him, saying: "While I was fishing at Panxi, I realised one truth- if you want to succeed you need to be patient. We must wait for the appropriate opportunity to eliminate the King of Shang". Soon it was reported that the people of Shang were so oppressed that no one dared speak. King Wu and Jiang Taigong decided this was the time to attack, for the people had lost faith in the ruler. The bloody Battle of Muye
Battle of Muye
The Battle of Muye was fought in China perhaps 1046 BC. The battle led to the end of the Shang dynasty, and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty.-Background:...
then ensued some 35 kilometres from the Shang capital Yin (modern day Anyang, Henan Province).
Jiang Taigong charged at the head of the troops, beat the battle drums and then with 100 of his men drew the Shang troops to the southwest. King Wu's troops moved quickly and surrounded the capital. The Shang King had sent relatively untrained slaves to fight. This, plus the fact that many surrendered or revolted, enabled Zhou to take the capital.
King Zhou set fire to his palace and perished in it, and King Wu and his successors as the Zhou dynasty established rule over all of China. As for Daji, one version has it that she was captured and executed by the order of Jiang Taigong himself, another that she took her own life, another that she was killed by King Zhou. Jiang Taigong was made duke of the State of Qi (today’s Shandong province), which thrived with better communications and exploitation of its fish and salt resources under him.
As the most notable Prime Minister employed by King Wen and King Wu, he was declared "the master of strategy"--resulting in the Zhou government growing far stronger than that of the Shang Dynasty as the years elapsed. Thus making him known well as the most famous Prime Minister of all in China.
Personal views and historical influence
An account of Jiang Taigong's life written long after his time says he held that a country could become powerful only when the people prospered. If the officials enriched themselves while the people remained poor, the ruler would not last long. The major principle in ruling a country should be to love the people; and to love the people meant to reduce taxes and corvée labour. By following these ideas, King Wen is said to have made the Zhou state prosper very rapidly.His treatise
Treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject.-Noteworthy treatises:...
on military strategy, Six Secret Strategic Teachings, is considered one of the Seven Military Classics
Seven Military Classics
The Seven Military Classics of China were seven important military texts of ancient China which included Sun-tzu's The Art of War. The texts were canonized under this name during the 11th century AD, and from the Song Dynasty onwards were included in most military encyclopedias...
of Ancient China.
Jiang Ziya's seventh generation descendant (his great-grandson's great-grandson's son) was Jiang Chi (姜赤). Jiang Chi had a great-grandson named Shi (傒), who was given a piece of land in Shandong province called "Lü" (呂). He took his surname from the land. All Chinese with the last name Lü (呂, Lǚ) can trace their ancestry back to Jiang Ziya.
Today, Jiang Ziya is regarded as one of the greatest strategists in both Chinese history and the world, and is honored as the first famous general and progenitor of strategic studies. In the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
he was even accorded his own state temple as the martial patron and thereby attained officially sanctioned status approaching that of Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
.
In popular culture
He is a prominent character in the popular Chinese classic novel Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義), sometimes translated as Creation of the Gods. In this novel he has been known well as Daji's arch-rival, and the one who ordered her execution personally.There are two xiehouyu
Xiehouyu
Xiehouyu is a kind of Chinese proverb consisting of two elements: the former segment presents a novel scenario while the latter provides the rationale thereof. One would often only state the first part, expecting the listener to know the second...
about him:
- Grand Duke Jiang fishes - those who are willing jump at the bait (姜太公釣魚──願者上鉤), which means "put one's own head in the noose".
- Grand Duke Jiang investiture the gods - omitting himself (姜太公封神──漏咗自己), which means "leave out oneself".
In the scenario "Chinese Unification" of the Civilization IV: Warlords
Civilization IV: Warlords
Civilization IV: Warlords is the first official expansion pack of the critically acclaimed turn-based strategy video game Civilization IV.-Features:Warlords added many new features to the original game...
expansion pack, Jiang Ziya is the leader of the State of Qi.
The protagonist of Hoshin Engi, Tai Kou Bou, is based on Jiang Ziya. But however, his personality is quite comical.
He is also playable in video games Aizouban Houshinengi, Hoshin Engi 2 and Mystic Heroes
Mystic Heroes
is a beat 'em up video game developed by Koei. The game is based on Fengshen Yanyi, a supernatural Chinese novel about the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty....
. He is kind, humble and just.
Jiang Ziya is also Daji's arch-rival (Jiang Ziya never thought of Daji as his rival while Daji herself actually thought that Jiang Ziya was her rival) as Jiang Ziya can easily see through Daji's plans.
Jiang Ziya is a playable character in Koei's Warriors Orochi 2
Warriors Orochi 2
is a video game developed by Koei and Omega Force for the Sony PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Warriors Orochi, a crossover video game of the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. The game was released on September 23 in North America and September 19 in Europe...
. In the game he is alternatively referred to as Taigong Wang. A stark contrast to the historical accounts however, would be that he is portrayed as a handsome young man, who is quite arrogant, although he is still a divinely gifted strategist and a good man at heart. He is often referred to by others, namely Fu Xi, Nu Wa and Da Ji as "boy". The reason for his radically improvised design may be to emphasize his rivalry with Da Ji, whose character design depicts her as being young and beautiful as well. Their clashes can be inspired loosely on the Fengshen Yanyi.
In Warriors Orochi 2, he tries to capture Da Ji at Shi Ting, but is unintentionally intercepted by Liu Bei, whose cause he later joins. After Tokugawa Ieyasu fails to save Date Masamune from Orochi, Taigong Wang and Zhao Yun, sent by Zhuge Liang, come to the realization that the battle was a distraction as orchestrated by Da Ji. He later uncovers her hideout at Odani Castle and teams up with Lu Xun, Zhuge Liang, and Yue Ying to capture Da Ji and Himiko. Upon their success, he sends them away in a lightly guarded cart and they escape with the help of Taira Kiyomori. When Zhuge Liang questions this, Taigong Wang reveals that it had been part of his plan; their escape had inadvertently led to all of Orochi's supporters gathering conveniently. Taigong later helps Liu Bei and Zuo Ci defeat Orochi at Wu Zhang Plains. At the conclusion, he is still curious about how humans can be weak and yet strong, evil but yet some are virtuous. He thanks Liu Bei for inspiration and leaves.
Jiang Ziya is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei. His name is written as "Lü Shang" in the game and he has higher intelligence stats than all these characters, except for Zhang Liang.
See also
- Zhou Wang (Shang DynastyShang DynastyThe Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...
) - King Wu of ZhouKing Wu of ZhouKing Wu of Zhōu or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign, or ruler of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1046-1043 BCE or 1049/45-1043. Various sources quoted that he died at the age of 93, 54 or 43. He was considered a just and able leader. Zhou Gong Dan was one of his...
(Zhou DynastyZhou DynastyThe Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
) - Chinese mythologyChinese mythologyChinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
- Six Secret TeachingsSix Secret TeachingsThe Six Secret Teachings , is a treatise on civil and military strategy traditionally attributed to the legendary figure Jiāng Zǐyá, a confederate of King Wen of Zhou, founder of the Zhou Dynasty, at around the eleventh century BC...