Ancient China · Consort

Lady Xia 夏姬

Xià Jī

First attested BC 265; died BC 240

Passages: 4
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Lady Xia was a consort.

Life and dates

Death

BC 240 始皇七年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 72

Attested activity

BC 240 始皇七年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 72
BC 265 秦昭王四十二年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 4, 8
BC 249 莊襄王元年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 51

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of King Xiaowen (孝文王)
concubine 姬
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 8
Parent of King Zhuangxiang (莊襄王)
mother 母
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 8

Career and standing

Honored
Empress dowager
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 51

Places and affiliations

Polity Qin 秦 · Relation Of
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 8
At east of Du 杜東 · Relation Buried at
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 74

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 74-75

References in the histories

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 85Biography of Master Lü Buwei · 4 passages

安國君中男名子楚，子楚母曰夏姬，毋愛。 One of Lord Anguo's middle sons was named Zichu. His mother, Lady Xia, had long fallen out of favor.

莊襄王所母華陽后為華陽太后，真母夏姬尊以為夏太后。 King Zhuangxiang elevated his adoptive mother, Queen Huayang, to the title of Empress Dowager Huayang, and his birth mother, Lady Xia, was honored as Empress Dowager Xia.

始皇七年，莊襄王母夏太后薨。 In the seventh year of the First Emperor's reign, Empress Dowager Xia, the mother of King Zhuangxiang, died.

夏太后子莊襄王葬芷陽，故夏太后獨別葬杜東，曰「東望吾子，西望吾夫。 Her son, King Zhuangxiang, was buried at Zhiyang. Therefore, Empress Dowager Xia was buried separately, east of Du. She had said, "To the east I shall gaze upon my son, and to the west upon my husband.