King Cheng of Chu (, died 626 BC) was from 671 to 626 BC king of the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Yun () to

King Wen of Chu King Wen of Chu (, died 677 BC) was from 689 to 677 BC king of the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Zi () and King Wen was his posthumous title. King Wen succeeded his father King Wu of Chu, w ...

, and King Cheng was his

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...

. In 672 BC Xiong Yun's older brother king

Du'ao Du'ao (, died 672 BC), also called Zhuang'ao (), was from 676 to 672 BC king of the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Jian () and Du'ao was his posthumous title. Du'ao succeeded his father King ...

tried to kill him, and he escaped to the state of Sui. He then attacked and killed Du'ao with the help of Sui, and succeeded Du'ao as king of Chu. In the summer of 648 BC, the State of Huang was annexed by the state of Chu. King Cheng's wife was

Zheng Mao Zheng Mao () was the primary wife of King Cheng of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. She is one of 125 women whose biographies are included in the '' Biographies of Exemplary Women'', written by Liu Xiang. ...

. Their son was possibly King Mu of Chu. The ''Shiji'' gives a detailed account of the events surrounding King Cheng's succession and untimely end. In the forty-sixth year of his reign (626 BC), Cheng wanted to make Shangchen (商臣), the future King Mu, his crown prince. Lingyin (title for prime minister of Chu) Zishang (子上) advised against this, fearing that there were many contenders for the position and that, if the king were to change his mind and act to replace the crown prince, a disturbance would ensue. He also warned the king that Shangchen was a cruel and fierce man who was unsuitable for the position. Not heeding the advice, King Cheng made Shangchen his crown prince. Soon, the king did indeed change his mind, and rumors spread that the crown prince was about to be deposed, and another son Zhi (職) was going to be made the new crown prince. The crown prince was unsure whether to believe the rumors. His tutor advised him to throw a banquet for the king's favorite concubine but to treat her disrespectfully during the banquet. The prince did what was suggested, and the concubine, angered by her poor treatment, told the crown prince, "It is suitable that the king wants to kill you and make Zhi his crown prince!" Now sure of the king's intentions, the prince's tutor asked him, "Are you able to serve under Zhi?" "No," he answered. "Are you able to go into exile?" "No," he answered. Finally, he asked, "Are you able to do something big?" "Yes," the prince replied. During the tenth month, Shangchen led palace troops to surround King Cheng and force him to commit suicide. King Cheng asked to eat a bear paw before dying, but he was rebuffed. On day ''dingwei'', King Cheng hanged himself, and Shangchen ascended the throne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng of Chu, King Monarchs of Chu (state) 7th-century BC Chinese monarchs 626 BC deaths Year of birth unknown Chinese kings Suicides by hanging in China Forced suicides of Chinese people 7th-century BC murdered monarchs Assassinated Chinese politicians Suicides in China Ancient people who committed suicide