周

CIVILIZATION DOSSIER

King Wen of Zhou周文王

ZhouHistory × Fiction

Count of the West, Ji Chang, who respectfully employed Jiang Ziya.

Open this figure in the atlas ↗ Read the key relationships and their sources ↓
DIRECT FIGURES
34
RELATION RECORDS
43
SOURCE WORKS
15

RELATIONSHIP COMPASS

King Wen of Zhou, and the people around them.

Open one chapter at a time. Each chapter gives the relationship first, then the source text behind it.

01
MENTORSHIP

Mentorship

Teachers, disciples and transmission

1 figure · 2 records
02
KINSHIP

Kinship

Blood, marriage and sworn bonds

15 figures · 16 records
12 more in the complete record
03
ALLEGIANCE

Allegiance

Rulers, appointments and allegiance

6 figures · 7 records
3 more in the complete record
04
CONFLICT

Conflict

Battles, captures and defeat

5 figures · 5 records
2 more in the complete record
05
THE UNSEEN

Mythic acts

Transformation, aid and divine punishment

10 figures · 10 records
8 more in the complete record
Complete relationships and verbatim sources ↓Open in the civilization atlas ↗

12 key relationships are shown here. The complete record remains below.

FeatureHow Investiture Rewrote Shang and Zhou: From Muye to 365 Divine OfficesInvestiture of the Gods did not invent a dynasty from nothing. It took King Zhou's fall, Daji, Bi Gan and Jiang Taigong from Records of the Grand Historian and recomposed them through rival teachings, fox possession and a bureaucratic pantheon. This feature compares only passages verifiable word for word in the local corpus: the chronicle supplies political events and actions; the novel changes their causes, identities and afterlives.

In history · Records of the Three Kingdoms · Records of the Grand Historian · History of Song · Old Book of Tang

Son of Ji Li, King Wen of Zhou, was imprisoned in Youli.

In fiction · Book of the Later Han · Discourses of the States · Extensive Records of the Taiping Era · Investiture of the Gods · Strategies of the Warring States · New Book of Tang · Correct Meaning of the Zuo Tradition · Songs of Chu

Count of the West, benevolent and virtuous, was imprisoned in Youli for seven years. After returning to his state, he built the Lingtai, visited the wise at Panxi, and employed Jiang Ziya as his minister.

Across source works

How this figure changes across texts

Works are shown side by side, not as a chronology. No influence between texts is inferred.

  1. Literature / legend

    Songs of Chu

    2 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

    Open work page →

  2. Literature / legend

    Investiture of the Gods

    12 profile notes
    22 relations34 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ employ →Jiang Ziya
    • King Wen of Zhou→ ruler-subject →Jiang Ziya
    • King Zhou (Di Xin)→ imprison →King Wen of Zhou
    • King Zhou (Di Xin)→ pardon →King Wen of Zhou
    Verified original text · 34
    1. 请卿入内，孤有一言

      orphan entrust · Investiture of the Gods, ch. 29

    2. 姬昌礼聘姜尚为相

      ruler-subject · Investiture of the Gods, ch. 25

    32 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

    Open work page →

  3. Official history

    Discourses of the States

    2 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

    Open work page →

  4. Official history

    Book of Han

    6 profile notes
    2 relations2 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ employ →Jiang Ziya
    • Sima Xiangru→ elope →King Wen of Zhou
    Verified original text · 2
    1. 载吕尚归

      carry return · Book of Han, 贾邹枚路传

    2. 文君夜亡奔相如

      elope · Book of Han, 司马相如传_ch. 57上

    Open work page →

  5. Official history

    Book of the Later Han

    5 profile notes
    3 relations2 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu of Zhou
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →Duke of Zhou
    • Gugong Danfu→ grandfather →King Wen of Zhou
    Verified original text · 2
    1. 文王、周公冢皆在镐聚东杜中

      father-son · Book of the Later Han, 郡国一司隶

    2. 周太王所徙，南有周原

      grandfather · Book of the Later Han, 郡国一司隶

    Open work page →

  6. Official history

    Old Book of Tang

    4 profile notes
    2 relations2 verified quotations
    • Wu Zetian→ honor posthumously →King Wen of Zhou
    • Wu Zetian→ enshrined →King Wen of Zhou
    Verified original text · 2
    1. 追尊周文王为始祖文皇帝

      honor posthumously · Old Book of Tang, 外戚传

    2. 以周文王及武氏先考、先妣配

      enshrined · Old Book of Tang, 礼仪志二

    Open work page →

  7. 1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

    Open work page →

  8. 10 profile notes
    14 relations12 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ employ →Jiang Ziya
    • Jiang Ziya→ master-disciple →King Wen of Zhou
    • King Zhou (Di Xin)→ imprison →King Wen of Zhou
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu of Zhou
    Verified original text · 12
    1. 昔周文王得吕尚以为太公

      employ · Records of the Grand Historian, 范睢蔡泽列传

    2. 得太公望

      employ · Records of the Grand Historian, 龟策列传

    10 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

    Open work page →

  9. Official history

    History of Song

    1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

    Open work page →

  10. 1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

    Open work page →

  11. Official history

    New Book of Tang

    1 profile notes
    1 relations1 verified quotations
    • Wu Zetian→ honor posthumously →King Wen of Zhou
    Verified original text · 1
    1. 追尊周文王曰始祖文皇帝

      honor posthumously · New Book of Tang, 则天皇后中宗本纪

    Open work page →

  12. Official history

    Yi Zhou Shu

    3 profile notes
    3 relations3 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu of Zhou
    • Ji Gong→ receive order →King Wen of Zhou
    Verified original text · 3
    1. 王弗敢占，诏太子发，俾灵名凶，祓。

      father-son · Yi Zhou Shu, 卷二

    2. 诏太子发曰

      father-son · Yi Zhou Shu, 卷三

    1 more verified quotation in the relationship records below.

    Open work page →

  13. 2 profile notes
    2 relations2 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ employ →Jiang Ziya
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu of Zhou
    Verified original text · 2
    1. 周文王得吕尚

      employ · Strategies of the Warring States, 齐／六

    2. 周室自文、武始兴

      father-son · Strategies of the Warring States, 刘向书录

    Open work page →

  14. Official history

    Bamboo Annals

    3 profile notes
    6 relations7 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ apprentice to →Jiang Ziya
    • King Zhou (Di Xin)→ imprison →King Wen of Zhou
    • King Zhou (Di Xin)→ pardon →King Wen of Zhou
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu
    Verified original text · 7
    1. 得吕尚以为师

      apprentice to · Bamboo Annals, 今本-殷纪

    2. 囚西伯于羑里

      imprison · Bamboo Annals, 今本-殷纪

    5 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

    Open work page →

  15. 3 profile notes
    1 relations1 verified quotations
    • King Wen of Zhou→ father-son →King Wu of Zhou
    Verified original text · 1
    1. 周自文王受命，发迹肇基，武王伐纣

      father-son · Correct Meaning of the Zuo Tradition, ch. 39

    Open work page →

History vs. fiction

In official histories, he is the virtuous leader of the western诸侯 at the end of the Shang dynasty, while in novels he is endowed with the ability to devise brilliant plans and predict the course of fate.

  • novel inventionHe ate a cake made from the flesh of Bo Yikao

    The Records of the Grand Historian, in the Hereditary House of Guan and Cai, only records that Bo Yikao died early without issue; the plot of Bo Yikao being chopped into meat patties and given to King Wen to eat originates from Song-Yuan historical storytellers and the Investiture of the Gods. The original text: 「故文王舍伯邑考而以发为太子。及文王崩而发立，是为武王。伯邑考既已前卒矣。」（Records of the Grand Historian, Hereditary House of Guan and Cai, data/raw/shiji/管蔡世家.txt）

  • attestedHe held two-thirds of the realm but still served the Shang

    The Analects, 'Taibo', praises him for 'holding two-thirds of the realm but still serving the Shang.' Official history records that he was benevolent, respected the elderly, and treated worthy men with courtesy, leading many诸侯 to submit to the Zhou tribe.

Relationship network

35 figures · 136 links
King Wen of ZhouKing Wen of ZhouWu ZetianWu ZetianJiang ZiyaJiang ZiyaKing Zhou (Di Xin)King Zhou (Di Xin)Huang FeihuHuang FeihuKing WuKing WuKing Wu of ZhouKing Wu of ZhouHoujiHoujiSima XiangruSima XiangruLei ZhenziLei ZhenziNangong KuoNangong KuoDuke of ZhouDuke of ZhouBi GanSu HuSan YishengKang ShuGugong DanfuFei ZhongBo YikaoJi LiTaiboYou HunYin PobaiBo YiJi GongCai Shu DuGuan Shu XianHong YaoLei KaiLu XiongTai JiTai JiangTai SiShen Jie
historyliteraturedual
Open full atlas →

To keep this page fast, the 40 most important records are shown here.View all 43 relationships in the atlas →

Sources: Records of the Three Kingdoms, 蜀书·杜周许孟来尹李谯郤传; Records of the Grand Historian, 伯夷列传; Book of the Later Han, 张衡列传; Discourses of the States, 晋语四; Extensive Records of the Taiping Era, 狐一; History of Song, 礼七志; Investiture of the Gods, ch. 1; Strategies of the Warring States, 刘向书录

This page was extracted from classical texts with AI assistance and revised; errors remain possible. Spotted a mistake? Tell us →

Compiled with AI assistance from public-domain texts; for cultural reference. Mythological accounts vary — corrections welcome.