Ancient China · King of Qi from BC 300 to 284

King Min of Qi 齊愍王

Qi Min Wang

First attested BC 300; died BC 284

Passages: 24
Chapters: 6
Histories: 2

Overview

King Min of Qi was a king of Qi from BC 300 to 284.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Regnal name	King Min	湣王	Mǐn Wáng

Life and dates

Death

BC 284 淖齒既殺湣王於莒
killed 殺 · At Ju 莒 · Authority Nao Chi (淖齒)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 8

Attested activity

BC 300 to BC 284 戰國
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 25, passage 60
BC 284 淖齒既殺湣王於莒
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 8
BC 300 to BC 284 湣王時
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 2
BC 284 釐王十二年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 45, passage 165
BC 300 to BC 284 齊湣王
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 83, passages 7, 66
BC 286 to BC 284 齊湣王彊...敗濟西
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passages 11, 23

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Fa Zhang (法章)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 56

Kinship Role sons · Quantity plural-unspecified · [object Object]
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passage 71

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Qi
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passage 11
Polity Qi 齊 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Han 25, passage 60; Records of the Grand Historian 82, passages 2-3
At Ju 莒 · Relation Took refuge in
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 82, passages 3, 7

Events and relationships

Defeated
Military · Commander · With Tang Mei (唐昧) · At Chongqiu 重丘
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passage 11
Fled
Military · Defeated party · At Ju 莒
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passage 23
Relied on skilled fighters for strength
Military policy
Directly stated · Book of Han 25, passage 60

Assessments and attributes

Assessment arrogant; common people could not bear it · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 80, passage 14

References in the histories

Search passages

History

24 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 2Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 2 · 1 passage

十二月，詔曰：「秦皇帝、楚隱王、魏安釐王、齊愍王、趙悼襄王皆絕亡後。 In the twelfth month, the edict said: "The First Emperor of Qin, King Yin of Chu, King Anli of Wei, King Min of Qi, and King Daoxiang of Zhao all have lineages without descendants.

Book of Han, Chapter 25Volume 23: Treatise on Punishment and Law · 1 passage

齊愍以技擊彊，魏惠以武卒奮，秦昭以銳士勝。 King Min of Qi drew strength from skilled fighters, King Hui of Wei rose through elite troops, and King Zhao of Qin prevailed through crack soldiers.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 45House of Han · 1 passage

齊敗，湣王出亡。 Qi suffered defeat, and King Min fled into exile.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 80Biography of Yue Yi · 5 passages

當是時，齊湣王彊，南敗楚相唐眛於重丘，西摧三晉於觀津，遂與三晉擊秦，助趙滅中山，破宋，廣地千餘里。 At the time, King Min of Qi was at the height of his power. He defeated the Chu chancellor Tang Mei at Chongqiu in the south, crushed the Three Jin at Guanjin in the west, joined the Three Jin in attacking Qin, helped Zhao destroy Zhongshan, defeated Song, and expanded his territory by more than a thousand li.

湣王自矜，百姓弗堪。 Min Wang was arrogant, the common people could not bear it.

諸侯害齊湣王之驕暴，皆爭合從與燕伐齊。 The lords all resented King Min of Qi's arrogant cruelty and hastened to join Yan in an alliance against Qi.

齊湣王之敗濟西，亡走，保於莒。 Defeated west of the Ji River, King Min of Qi fled to Ju for refuge.

齊王遁而走莒，僅以身免； The Qi king fled and went to Ju, barely escaped with his life;

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 82Biography of Tian Dan · 7 passages

湣王時，單為臨菑市掾，不見知。 During the reign of King Min, Dan served as a minor official in the marketplace of Linzi, unknown to anyone of importance.

及燕使樂毅伐破齊，齊湣王出奔，已而保莒城。 When Yan sent Yue Yi to attack and defeat Qi, King Min of Qi fled the capital and eventually took refuge in the city of Ju.

燕軍聞齊王在莒，并兵攻之。 When the Yan army learned that the King of Qi was in Ju, they concentrated their forces to attack the city.

淖齒既殺湣王於莒，因堅守，距燕軍，數年不下。 After Nao Chi had killed King Min in Ju, the city nonetheless held firm and resisted the Yan army; for several years it did not fall.

田單聞之，乃縱反閒於燕，宣言曰：「齊王已死，城之不拔者二耳。 When Tian Dan learned of this, he sent double agents into Yan to spread a rumor: "The King of Qi is already dead, and only two cities remain uncaptured.

初，淖齒之殺湣王也，莒人求湣王子法章，得之太史嬓之家，為人灌園。 Earlier, when Nao Chi killed King Min, the people of Ju searched for the king's son Fa Zhang. They found him in the household of the Grand Historian Jiao, where he had been working as a gardener.

齊王不聽吾諫，故退而耕於野。 The King of Qi would not heed my counsel, so I withdrew and tilled the fields.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 83Biographies of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang · 9 passages

魏王使客將軍新垣衍閒入邯鄲，因平原君謂趙王曰：「秦所為急圍趙者，前與齊湣王爭彊為帝，已而復歸帝； The King of Wei sent the guest general Xin Yuanyan to slip into Handan, where through Lord Pingyuan he addressed the King of Zhao: 'The reason Qin so urgently besieges Zhao is this: previously, Qin and King Min of Qi competed for supremacy and both assumed the title of Emperor, but soon afterward both relinquished it.

今齊［湣王］已益弱，方今唯秦雄天下，此非必貪邯鄲，其意欲復求為帝。 Now that Qi has grown ever weaker, Qin alone dominates the realm. Its true aim is not necessarily to seize Handan—rather, it wishes once again to claim the title of Emperor.

齊湣王之魯，夷維子為執策而從，謂魯人曰：『子將何以待吾君？』 When King Min of Qi visited Lu, Yi Weizi drove the chariot and followed him, asking the people of Lu, 'How do you intend to receive my lord?'

彼吾君者，天子也。 My lord is the Son of Heaven.

天子巡狩，諸侯辟舍，納筦籥，攝衽抱機，視膳於堂下，天子已食，乃退而聽朝也。』 When the Son of Heaven goes on a tour of inspection, the feudal lords must vacate their residences, surrender their keys and tallies, tuck up their robes and stand attending, and oversee the meals from below the hall. Only after the Son of Heaven has finished eating may they withdraw to hold court.'

不得入於魯，將之薛，假途於鄒。 Unable to enter Lu, King Min headed for Xue and sought passage through Zou.

當是時，鄒君死，湣王欲入弔，夷維子謂鄒之孤曰：『天子弔，主人必將倍殯棺，設北面於南方，然後天子南面弔也。』 At that time, the lord of Zou had just died, and King Min wished to offer condolences. Yi Weizi told the heir of Zou, 'When the Son of Heaven pays his condolences, the host must turn the coffin around, set up a north-facing position at the south end, and only then may the Son of Heaven face south to offer his condolences.'

固不敢入於鄒。 And so King Min dared not enter Zou.

鄒、魯之臣，生則不得事養，死則不得賻襚，然且欲行天子之禮於鄒、魯，鄒、魯之臣不果納。 The ministers of Zou and Lu had never served King Min in life nor contributed funeral gifts in death, yet he sought to impose the rites of the Son of Heaven upon them—and the ministers of Zou and Lu refused to submit.