Author: Yoon-Ngan CHUNG (130.95.128.---)
Date: 06-08-02 03:18
64. Morning Qin Evening Chu
朝秦暮楚 (Zhao Qin2 Mu4 Chu3)
or 反覆無常 (inconsistent; changeable)
朝 (Zhao) means: morning
秦 (Qin2) means: an ancient state in China
暮 (Mu4) means: evening
楚 (Chu3) means: an ancient
In 1122BC, Ji Fa (姬發) destroyed the Shang Dynasty (商朝 1783BC to 1122BC). Ji Fa established the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC to 256BC). and he was installed as the first king of the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou King Wu (周武王).
Zhou King Wu inherited a vast country, but the pimitive communications at that time made it impossible to to govern such a big country. So he delegated authority to his relatives, officials, generals and aristocrats to rule on his behalf the other parts of the Zhou Empire. Thus Zhou King Wu created a large number of vassal states. No one really knew how many vassal states he had created. According to the historical records there were more than 170 vassal states during the Zhou Dynasty. All these vassal states acknowledged Zhou King Wu's and later the future kings' suzerainty.
In 770BC, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, Hao (鎬 present day Xi An city 西安市 in Shaanxi province 陜西省) was destroyed by the Quan Rong (犬戎), a tribe from the northwest. The capital was totally razed to the ground and it was uninhatable. The 14th king of the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou King Ping (周平王) moved his capital to the east to Cheng Zhou (成周 present day Luoyang city 洛陽市 in Henan province 河南省). The period from 770BC to the end of the Zhou Dynasty was referred to as the Dong Zhou Dynasty (東周 Eastern Zhou). From the inception of the Zhou Dynasty to 770BC was called Xi Zhou Dynasty (西周 or Western Zhou), because its capital was in the west.
Since 770BC, the central Zhou Authority had weakened and lost its power to mediate in the disputes between vassal states. Knowing that the Central Authority was a spent-force, large and power vassal states absorbed the small and weak vassal states. This period from 722BC to 481BC was called the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時代).
It was due to the continuation of subjugation of the small states by the large states that there were only seven states left in the land by the middle of the fifth century before Christ. The seven states were Chu (楚國), Han (韓國), Qi (齊國), Qin (秦國), Wei (魏國), Yan (燕國) and Zhao (趙國). Incessant wars were going on in the land among the seven states. The states of Qin and Chu were the strongest among the states. This was the period of Warring States (戰國時代). Qin and Chu continued to have war between them.
In order to preserve themselves and sometimes to gain self-interest, the other five states sometimes sided with the state of Qin and sometimes abandoned Qin and went over to Chu. Many scholars went to work for Qin and within a short period they went to serve the state of Chu. They were, as if, working for Qin in the morning and served Chu in the evening, 朝秦暮楚 Zhao Qin Mu Chu.. They were inconsistence and changed masters frequently.
Eventually, in 223BC, the state of Qin under the leadership of Ying Zheng (嬴政) subjugated the state of Chu. Ying Zheng went on to conquer all the states in the land and unified this vast country into a single empire, the Qin Empire. Ying Zheng established the Qin Dynasty (秦朝 221BC to 207BC) and he was installed the First Emperor of China.
From the chapter Zhou Dynasty in my book
"The Origin of 550 Chinese surnames"
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 2002
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