King Huiwen of Qin

King Huiwen of Qin (Chinese: 秦惠文王; 356–311 BC), also

known as Lord Huiwen of Qin (Chinese: 秦惠文君) or King Si (駟)
Hui of Qin (Chinese: 秦 惠 王 ), given name Si ( 駟 ), was the King Huiwen of Qin (秦惠文王)
ruler of the Qin state from 338 to 311 BC during the Warring Reign 338–311 BC
States period of Chinese history and likely an ancestor of
Predecessor Duke Xiao of Xin
Emperor Qin Shi Huang.[1][2] He was the first ruler of Qin to
style himself "King" (王) instead of "Duke" (公). Successor King Wu of Qin
Born 356 BC
Died 311 BC (aged 44–45)
Contents Spouse Queen Huiwen
Biography Queen Dowager Xuan
Early life Issue Tong, Marquis of Shu
Reign King Wu of Qin
Death King Zhaoxiang of Qin
Family Yun, Marquis of Shu
Shi, Lord Gaoling
In fiction and popular culture
Kui, Lord Jingyang
References Queen Yi of Yan
Full name
Biography Family name: Ying (嬴)
Given name: Si (駟)

Early life Father Duke Xiao of Qin

Prince Si was the son of Duke Xiao, and succeeded his father as ruler after the latter's death.[3] When
the adolescent Si was still crown prince, he committed a crime and was severely punished for it. The
great minister Shang Yang was just then implementing his authoritarian reforms to the laws of Qin
and he insisted that the crown prince should be punished for the crime regardless of his royal status.
Duke Xiao approved of the draconian punishment and Si's tutors, Prince Qian (公子虔), Duke Xiao's
older brother, and Gongsun Gu (公孫賈), for neglecting their duties in educating the crown prince,
with Prince Qian having his nose cut off and Gongsun receiving the punishment of qing (黥; a form of
punishment which involved branding a criminal by tattooing his face), while Ying Si was banished
from the royal palace.

It was believed that Si harboured a personal grudge against Shang Yang and when he came to the
throne as King Huiwen, Si had Shang Yang put to death on charges of treason. However, Huiwen
retained the reformed systems in Qin left behind by his father and Shang Yang.

Reign

During Huiwen's reign, Qin became very powerful in terms of its military strength, and constantly
invaded neighbouring states as part of its expansionism policy. In 316 BC it conquered the states of
Shu and Ba to the south in the Sichuan basin. The strategy here was to annex and colonize the semi-
civilized lands to the south rather than confront the more advanced states to the east with their large
armies. The strategist Su Qin, a student of Guiguzi, managed to persuade the other six major states to
form an alliance to deal with Qin. However, Su Qin's fellow student, Zhang Yi, came into the service
of Huiwen and he helped Qin break up the alliance by sowing discord among the six states.

Death

King Huiwen ruled Qin for 27 years and died in 311 BC at the age of 46. He was succeeded by his son,
King Wu of Qin, born of Queen Huiwen.

Family
Parents:

Crown Prince Quliang (太子渠梁; 381–338 BC), ruled as Duke Xiao of Qin from 361–338 BC
Queens:

Queen Huiwen, of Wei (惠文后; d. 305 BC), possibly a daughter of King Hui of Wei; married in
334 BC; the mother of Crown Prince Dang
Queen Dowager Xuan, of the Mi clan of Chu (宣太后 羋姓; d. 265 BC), a royal of Chu by birth;
the mother of Princes Ji, Shi and Kui
Sons:

Prince Tong (公子通; d. 311 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 313–311 BC
Crown Prince Dang (太子盪; 329–307 BC), ruled as King Wu of Qin from 310–307 BC
Prince Zhuang (公子壯; d. 305 BC)
Prince Yong (公子雍; d. 305 BC)
Prince Ji (公子稷; 325–251 BC), ruled as King Zhaoxiang of Qin from 306–251 BC
Prince Yun (公子惲; d. 301 BC), ruled as the Marquis of Shu from 308–301 BC
Prince Shi (公子市)

Known by his title, Lord Gaoling (高陵君)

Prince Kui (公子悝)

Known by his title, Lord Jingyang (涇陽君)

Prince Yao (公子繇)
Prince Chi (公子池)
Daughters:

Queen Yi of Yan (燕易後)

Married King Yi of Yan (d. 321 BC) in 334 BC

In fiction and popular culture

Portrayed by Fu Dalong in The Qin Empire II: Alliance (2012)
Portrayed by Alex Fong in The Legend of Mi Yue (2015)
Portrayed by Gallen Lo in Song of Phoenix (2017)

References
 1. Sima Qian. 秦本纪 (http://www.guoxue.com/shibu/24shi/shiji/sj_005.htm) [Annals of Qin]. Records
of the Grand Historian (in Chinese). guoxue.com. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
2. Han (2010), 340
3. [1] (https://archive.is/20120709170349/http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k7430&pagei
d=icb.page29892&pageContentId=icb.pagecontent80533&view=view.do&viewParam_name=sha
ngyang.htm) Harvard University reference page for a 2006 class called Moral Reasoning;
includes a useful map.

King Huiwen of Qin

House of Ying
Died: 311 BC

Regnal titles
Preceded by
King of Qin Succeeded by
Duke Xiao
338–311 BC King Wu
as Duke of Qin

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This page was last edited on 13 June 2020, at 10:57 (UTC).

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