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Ou Yezi
Ou Yezi () was a legendary master of sword-making in the Spring and Autumn period. According to '' Yuejueshu'', he forged five treasured swords for Gan Jiang and King Zhao of Chu, named, respectively, ''Zhanlu'' (湛卢), ''Juque'' (巨阙), ''Shengxie'' (胜邪), ''Yuchang'' (鱼肠) and ''Chunjun'' (纯钧). He also made three swords for King Goujian of Yue, named ''Longyuan'' (龙渊), ''Tai’e'' (泰阿) and ''Gongbu'' (工布). Teacher of Gan Jiang According to the '' Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue'', Ou Yezi was the master teacher of Gan Jiang (Birrell 1993, 221-227 and 303). Swords made by Ou Yezi *(纯钧, 纯钩, or 淳钧) Chúnjūn, Chúngōu, or Chúnjūn (Purity) - Its patterns resembled a row of stars in a constellation. *(湛卢) Zhànlú/Pilü (Black) - A sword made from the finest of the Five Metals and imbued with the essence of Fire. Said to be sensitive to its owner's behaviour, it left of its own accord for the state of Chu when Helü's conduct o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ou (surname)
Ou is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surnames and , which share a common origin with the compound surname Ouyang (), from the ruling family of the State of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period. They are commonly romanized as Au or Ao in Cantonese. Ou 歐 is listed 361st in the Song dynasty classic text ''Hundred Family Surnames''. As of 2008, Ou 欧 is the 134th most common surname in China, shared by 1.13 million people. Most recently, by using the 2010 China census data and statistical analysis data that included random sampling from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, the Fuxi Culture Research Association ranked the surname / 291st most common in China, shared by around 199,000 people (0.015% of the Chinese population) with the largest concentration of holders in Guangdong province. Distribution Ou was the 27,293th most common surname in the United States during the 1990 census and the 11,845th most common surname during the 2000 census. Au ranked 11,417th and 5,195th, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed tip. A slashing sword is more likely to be curved and to have a sharpened cutting edge on one or both sides of the blade. Many swords are designed for both thrusting and slashing. The precise definition of a sword varies by historical epoch and geographic region. Historically, the sword developed in the Bronze Age, evolving from the dagger; the earliest specimens date to about 1600 BC. The later Iron Age sword remained fairly short and without a crossguard. The spatha, as it developed in the Late Roman army, became the predecessor of the European sword of the Middle Ages, at first adopted as the Migration Period sword, and only in the High Middle Ages, developed into the classical arming sword with crossguard. The word '' sword'' continue ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spring And Autumn Period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives from the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'', a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 and 479 BCE, which tradition associates with Confucius (551–479 BCE). During this period, the Zhou royal authority over the various feudal states eroded as more and more dukes and marquesses obtained ''de facto'' regional autonomy, defying the king's court in Luoyi and waging wars amongst themselves. The gradual Partition of Jin, one of the most powerful states, marked the end of the Spring and Autumn period and the beginning of the Warring States period. Background In 771 BCE, a Quanrong invasion in coalition with the states of Zeng and Shen — the latter polity being the fief of the grandfather of the disinherited crown prince Yijiu — destroyed the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gan Jiang
Gan Jiang () and Mo Ye () were a swordsmith couple, discussed in the literature involving the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. Some aspects of this material may be considered historical; others are certainly mythological. A pair of swords was forged by and named after them. History According to the historical text '' Wuyue Chunqiu'', King Helü of Wu ordered Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to forge a pair of swords for him in three months.Zhao, Ye (c. 50). ''Wuyue Chunqiu'' (''Wu and Yue in the Spring and Autumn period''). However, the blast furnace failed to melt the metal. Mo Ye suggested that there was insufficient human '' qi'' in the furnace so the couple cut their hair and nails and cast them into the furnace, while 300 children helped to blow air into the bellows. In another account, Mo Ye sacrificed herself to increase human ''qi'' by throwing herself into the furnace. The desired result was achieved after three years and the two swords were named after the couple. Gan Jiang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Zhao Of Chu
King Zhao of Chu (, died 489 BC) was from 515 to 489 BC the king of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Zhen () and King Zhao was his posthumous title. Documents unearthed in the former state also show his title as King Shao ().Dong Shan (董珊) Excavated document: ''Posthumous names of the Chu kings –appendix to the Zuo Zhuan'', Archaeological Records Research Journal, Volume 2, Shanghai Fudan University Publishing, August 2008. King Zhao was the son of King Ping of Chu. Life In 506 BCE, King Helü of the State of Wu led an army to invade Chu. His army was commanded by the military strategist Sun Tzu, author of ''The Art of War'', as well as Wu Zixu, a Chu exile whose father and brother were killed by King Ping of Chu. The Wu army routed the Chu army at the historic Battle of Boju, and the Chu commander Nang Wa fled to the state of Zheng. The Wu army pursued the remaining Chu troops, won several more battles, and cap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Goujian Of Yue
Goujian () (reigned 496–465 BC) was the king of the Kingdom of Yue (越國, present-day northern Zhejiang) near the end of the Spring and Autumn period (春秋). He was the son of Marquis Yunchang. Goujian's reign coincided with arguably the last major conflict of the Spring and Autumn period, the struggle between Wu and Yue, wherein he eventually led his state to victory, annexing the rival. As such, King Goujian is sometimes considered the last of the Five Hegemons. War between Wu and Yue The war between Wu and Yue comprised several separate phases. It began when a Yue princess, who was married to one of the princes of the neighboring state of Wu, left her husband and fled back to the State of Yue. This became the spark for the war to come. Also, as Yunchang developed Yue's strength, he came into conflict with King Helü of Wu, causing a feud between the two states. Upon the death of Yunchang and the accession of Goujian, Helü seized the opportunity and launched an at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spring And Autumn Annals Of Wu And Yue
The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue'' () is an unofficial history from the time of the Eastern Han dynasty that consists of a collection sidenotes on historical events. The ten-volume book was written by Zhao Ye (赵晔), and narrates the history of battles between the states of Wu and Yue during the Spring and Autumn period. The text is richly styled and detailed in a way that resembles texts from the School of "Minor-talks" (小說家/小说家; ''Xiaoshuojia'') within the Hundred Schools of Thought. The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue'' is considered a follow-up of the ''Lost Book of Yue'' (越絕書). The annals have several modern commentaries and revised versions. Contents * volume 1: Biography of Taibo * volume 2: Biography of Shoumeng, King of Wu * volume 3: The story of how King Liao put Prince Guang into office * volume 4: Inner biography of King Helü * volume 5: Inner biography of King Fuchai * volume 6: External biography of King Wuyu of Yue * vol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gan Jiang And Mo Ye
Gan Jiang () and Mo Ye () were a swordsmith couple, discussed in the literature involving the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. Some aspects of this material may be considered historical; others are certainly mythological. A pair of swords was forged by and named after them. History According to the historical text '' Wuyue Chunqiu'', King Helü of Wu ordered Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to forge a pair of swords for him in three months.Zhao, Ye (c. 50). ''Wuyue Chunqiu'' (''Wu and Yue in the Spring and Autumn period''). However, the blast furnace failed to melt the metal. Mo Ye suggested that there was insufficient human '' qi'' in the furnace so the couple cut their hair and nails and cast them into the furnace, while 300 children helped to blow air into the bellows. In another account, Mo Ye sacrificed herself to increase human ''qi'' by throwing herself into the furnace. The desired result was achieved after three years and the two swords were named after the couple. Gan Ji ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helü Of Wu
Helü () or Hellu () was from 514 to 496 BC king of the state of Wu toward the end of the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His given name was Guang (); he was initially known as Prince Guang. Life Prince Guang was the son of King Yumei, and the nephew of King Liao. He welcomed the Chu exile Wu Zixu into his entourage and, when he sought to usurp the throne of Wu, was introduced by him to Zhuan Zhu. Zhuan assassinated King Liao in 515BC and the prince became King Helü. The king assigned Wu Zixu to lead the design and building of his "great city," which forms the basis of Suzhou's present old town. In 506 BC, Helü with the help of Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu, the author of ''The Art of War'', launched major offensives against the state of Chu. They prevailed in five battles, one of which was the Battle of Boju, and conquered the capital Ying. During the sack of the capital, Helü attempted to sexually assault the Dowager Queen, but she fought him off with a knife an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liao Of Wu
Liao, King of Wu (; died 515 BC), also named Zhouyu, was king of the state of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period. Biography Liao was the grandson of King Shoumeng. He took the throne in 526 BC. During his time as king he led several battles against the state of Chu. In 518 BC, he conquered the fortified Chu city of Zhongli. He was assassinated by Zhuan Zhu Zhuan Zhu (專諸; died 515 BC) was an assassin in the Spring and Autumn period. As Prince Guang (later King Helü of Wu) wanted to kill King Liao of Wu Liao, King of Wu (; died 515 BC), also named Zhouyu, was king of the state of Wu in the Spri ... during a function organised by his cousin, Prince Guang, who then became King Helü of Wu. References Works cited * 515 BC deaths Chinese kings Zhou dynasty nobility Year of birth unknown Monarchs of Wu (state) 6th-century BC murdered monarchs Assassinated Chinese politicians {{China-royal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword Of Goujian
The Sword of Goujian ( zh, c=越王勾践剑, p=Yuèwáng Gōujiàn jiàn, links=no) is a tin bronze sword, renowned for its unusual sharpness, intricate design and resistance to tarnish rarely seen in artifacts of similar age. The sword is generally attributed to Goujian, one of the last kings of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period. In 1965, the sword was found in an ancient tomb in Hubei. It is currently in the possession of the Hubei Provincial Museum. In 1994, the sword was damaged by a worker while on loan to Singapore, since then China has forbidden the sword to be exhibited abroad. Discovery In 1965, while an archaeological survey was being performed along the second main aqueduct of the Zhang River Reservoir in Jingzhou, Hubei, a series of ancient tombs were discovered in Jiangling County. A dig started in the middle of October 1965, ending in January 1966, eventually revealing more than fifty ancient tombs of the Chu State. More than 2,000 artifacts were reco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
