Goujian () (reigned 496–465 BC) was the king of the
Kingdom of Yue (越國, present-day northern
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...
) near the end of the
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 fr ...
(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
The Five Hegemons () refers to several especially powerful rulers of Chinese states of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770 to 476 BCE), sometimes alternatively referred to as the "Age of Hegemons". There are various lists of five ...
.
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 attack on Yue. At the
Battle of Zuili (), however, Yue defeated Wu, and King Helü was mortally wounded. Before his death, he instructed his son, the later King
Fuchai
Fuchai (reigned 495–473BC), sometimes also written Fucha, was the last king of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His armies constructed important canals linking the Yellow, Ji, and Huai River systems of t ...
of Wu, "Never forget Yue!" Yue would be defeated three years later by a resurgent Wu, and Goujian captured, to serve as Fuchai's servant for three years before he was eventually allowed to return to his native state.
Upon resuming his rule, King Goujian quickly appointed skilled politicians as advisors, such as
Wen Zhong and
Fan Li
Fan Li () from the Spring and Autumn period, was an ancient Chinese military strategist, politician, and businessman. Fàn Li was an important political and military advisor to Goujian, the king of Yue. He later was known as Tao Zhu Gong (陶 ...
, to help build up the kingdom. During this time, his ministers also worked to weaken the State of Wu internally through
bribes
Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...
and diplomatic intrigue.
Whilst ruling his kingdom, Goujian never relished kingly riches, but instead ate food suited for peasants, as well as forcing himself to taste
bile
Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bi ...
, in order to remember his humiliations while serving under the State of Wu. The second half of a Chinese
idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language ...
, ''wòxīn-chángdǎn'' (, "sleeping on sticks and tasting gall"), refers to Goujian's perseverance.
After ten years of economic and political reforms, the last phase of the war began, by which time the State of Yue had come a long way from its previous defeat; as described in the
Shiji
''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...
, ''Ten years of reforms; the state is rich, the warriors well-rewarded. The soldiers charge in the face of arrows like thirsty men heading for drink...'' (修之十年,國富,厚賂戰士,士赴矢石,如渴得飲)
Taking advantage of Fuchai's expedition to his north to defeat
Qi, Goujian led his army and successfully attacked the Wu capital, killing the Wu crown prince, You. In the 24th year of his reign (473 BC), Goujian led another expedition against Wu, laying siege to the capital for three years before it fell. When a surrender from Fuchai was refused, Fuchai committed suicide and Wu was annexed by Yue. After his victory, Goujian ruthlessly killed Fuchai's scholars, even those who helped him (including
Bo Pi
Bo Pi (; died 473 BC) was an official in the state of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China.
His grandfather, Bo Zhouli, who was an official in the state of Chu, was executed, and Bo Pi fled to Wu, where he served as an adviser to ...
), not allowing himself to make the same mistake Fuchai had made by sparing the lives of his enemies. However, Goujian would not stop there; he would later force Wen Zhong to commit suicide; Fan Li, knowing that Goujian was a man who can share woe but not wealth together, left Goujian after the defeat of Wu.
King Goujian's army is known for a common misconception: scaring its enemies before battle with a front line formed by criminals sentenced to death who committed suicide by decapitating themselves. However, in the passage, "越王句踐使死士挑戰,三行,至吳陳,呼而自剄。", the literal translation of "死士" is "soldiers (who are) willing to die", not "criminals sentenced to death". "自剄" means to "commit suicide by cutting one's throat," which was a common way to end one's own life in Ancient China.
Family
Sons:
*Luying (; d. 458 BC), ruled as the King of Yue from 463–458 BC
Daughters:
*Yue Ji ()
**Married
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 ...
(525–489 BC), and had issue (
King Hui of Chu
King Hui of Chu (, died 432 BC) was the king of the State of Chu from 488 BC to 432 BC during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Zhang () and King Hui was his posthumous title. He was succeeded by his son, King J ...
)
Today, Goujian's descendants survive as members of the Gu (顾) family.
Ancestry
Modern references
The war between the states of
Yue and
Wu is the subject of three television series:
*''
The Conquest'', a 2006 China and Hong Kong co-produced television series, starring
Damian Lau
Damian Lau Chung-yan (born 14 October 1949) is a Hong Kong film and television actor, executive producer and film director. Lau has starred in many television drama series of various genres, produced by Hong Kong's TVB and ATV.
Biography
...
and
Joe Ma as Goujian and Fuchai respectively.
*''
The Rebirth of a King'', a 2006 Chinese television series starring
Chen Baoguo
Chen Baoguo (; born 9 March 1956) is a Chinese actor. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, Erjia in 1977 and has since acted in many films and television series, including ''The Emperor in Han Dynasty'', ''Da Zhai Men'' and ''Rob-B-Hoo ...
and
You Yong
You Yong (born 13 December 1963) is a Chinese actor. He enrolled in the Xi'an Drama School (西安话剧院) in 1979 and joined the Shanghai Theatre Academy
Shanghai Theatre Academy () is a public university in Shanghai, People's Republic of ...
as Goujian and Fuchai respectively.
*''
The Great Revival'', a 2007 Chinese television series, starring
Chen Daoming
Chen Daoming (born 26 April 1955) is a Chinese actor who has starred in various genres of film and television series.
Career
Chen graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. His first notable role was "Puyi" (the last emperor of China) in the ...
and
Hu Jun
Hu Jun (born March 18, 1968) is a Chinese actor best known for playing dramatic roles in various films and television series. He has acted in a number of Hong Kong films.
Biography
Hu Jun was born on March 18, 1968, to Wang Yiman (), a drama ac ...
as Goujian and Fuchai respectively.
The story is explored at depth in historian Paul Cohen's book
Speaking to History: The Story of King Goujian in Twentieth Century China]
The
virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
''
Goujianvirales
''Yuyuevirus'' is a genus of negative-strand RNA viruses which infect invertebrates. Member viruses have bisegmented genomes. It is the only genus in the family ''Yueviridae'', which in turn is the only family in the order ''Goujianvirales'' an ...
'' is named in honor of Goujian, and the parent
class
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...
''
Yunchangviricetes
''Yuyuevirus'' is a genus of negative-strand RNA viruses which infect invertebrates. Member viruses have bisegmented genomes. It is the only genus in the family ''Yueviridae'', which in turn is the only family in the order ''Goujianvirales'' an ...
'' is named in honor of his parent
Yunchang.
Battlefield 4's ''China Rising'' trailer opens with a Chinese soldier quoting the idiom attributed to Goujian tasting bile: "越王勾践卧薪尝胆,最后灭了吳国。” However, the subtitles erroneously translate it as a quote from Confucius instead.
See also
*
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 ge ...
*
Fan Li
Fan Li () from the Spring and Autumn period, was an ancient Chinese military strategist, politician, and businessman. Fàn Li was an important political and military advisor to Goujian, the king of Yue. He later was known as Tao Zhu Gong (陶 ...
*
Xi Shi
Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ) was, according to legends, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue.
In traditiona ...
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goujian
Zhou dynasty nobility
5th-century BC Chinese monarchs
Monarchs taken prisoner in wartime
Yue (state)
Heads of government who were later imprisoned