Ancient China · Shang king known by the temple name Gaozong

Wu Ding 武丁

Attested BC 1250 - c. BC 1190

Passages: 20
Chapters: 10
Histories: 4

Overview

Wu Ding was a Shang king known by the temple name Gaozong.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Temple name	Gaozong	高宗	Gaozong

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 1250 to BC 1192 商高宗
Directly stated · Old Book of Tang 27, passage 35
BC 1250 帝武丁
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 431
BC 1250 to BC 1192 帝武丁即位
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 3, passage 138
BC 1250 to BC 1192 武丁
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 75, passage 219
BC 1250 to BC 1192 武丁
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 84, passage 193
BC 1250 to BC 1192 武丁兴商
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 165

Show 3 more source-backed claims

BC 1250 to BC 1192 武丁時
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 34, passage 10
BC 1250 殷商武丁之世
Strongly inferred · Book of Zhou 23, passage 267
c. BC 1250 to c. BC 1190 高宗
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passage 119

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Xiaoyi (小乙)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 3, passage 138
Parent of Zugeng (祖庚)
father 父
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 3, passage 155

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Gaozong 高宗
Called
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 431

Places and affiliations

Yin 殷
Directly stated · Book of Han 74, passage 71
Polity Yin
Directly stated · Book of Han 70, passage 119
Polity Shang 殷 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Han 75, passage 219
Polity Shang · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 165

Events and relationships

Appointed
Political · Ruler · With Fu Yue (傅說)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 3, passage 146
Pheasant on tripod
Omen · Ruler
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 431
Relation Ruler of ministers · Person Yi Yin (伊尹)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 89, passage 165
Relation Obtained as minister · Person Fu Yue (傅說)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 13, passage 431
Relation Ruler of · Person Yue (說)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 23, passage 267

Assessments and attributes

Assessment great-benevolence-of-Yin · Mode quoted-source Speaker Jia Juanzhi (賈捐之)
Directly stated · Book of Han 75, passage 219

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Han 75, passage 219

References in the histories

Search passages

History

20 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 2 passages

跡三代之季世，覽宗、宣之饗國，察近屬之符驗，禍敗曷常不由女德？ Trace the last generations of the Three Dynasties, consider how long Gaozong of Shang and King Xuan of Zhou enjoyed their realms, and examine the signs confirmed among more recent kin: when did disaster and ruin not turn on the conduct of women?

高宗遭雊雉之戒，飭己正事，享百年之壽，殷道復興，要在所以應之。 Gaozong of Shang heeded the warning of the crowing pheasant, corrected himself and set affairs right, enjoyed a lifespan of a hundred years, and restored the Shang way. Everything turns on how a ruler responds to such a warning.

Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 2 passages

《周易》曰：「高宗伐鬼方，三年而克之。」 The Changes says: 'Gaozong campaigned against Guifang, in three years then overcame them.'

高宗，殷之盛天子也。 Gaozong was a Son of Heaven at the zenith of Yin power.

Book of Han, Chapter 75Volume 64b: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 2 · 1 passage

武丁、成王，殷、周之大仁也，然地東不過江、黃，西不過氐、羌，南不過蠻荊，北不過朔方。 Wu Ding of Shang and King Cheng of Zhou were paragons of humanity, yet Shang territory reached east only to the Jiang and Huang domains, west only to the Di and Qiang, south only to the Man tribes of Jing, and north only to Shuofang.

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 1 passage

臣聞野雞著怪，高宗深動； When wild pheasants foretold the Shang restoration, Gaozong took fright;

Book of Later Han, Chapter 89Volume 80a: Biographies of Writers 1 · 1 passage

武丁兴商，伊宗皇士。 King Wuding lifted Shang anew; Yi lineage ministers became the royal limbs.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 3Annals of Yin · 8 passages

帝小乙崩，子帝武丁立。 Xiaoyi died and his son Wuding ruled.

帝武丁即位，思復興殷，而未得其佐。 Wuding wished to restore Yin but had not yet found the right minister.

武丁夜夢得聖人，名曰說。 One night Wuding dreamed of a sage named Yue.

見於武丁，武丁曰是也。 When he was brought to Wuding, the king said, This is the man.

帝武丁祭成湯，明日，有飛雉登鼎耳而呴，武丁懼。 Wuding sacrificed to Tang; the next day a pheasant lit on the cauldron's ear and cried; the king was afraid.

武丁修政行德，天下咸驩，殷道復興。 Wuding set his house in order and practiced virtue; the realm rejoiced and Yin flourished again.

帝武丁崩，子帝祖庚立。 Wuding died and his son Zugeng succeeded.

祖己嘉武丁之以祥雉為德，立其廟為高宗，遂作高宗肜日及訓。 Zu Ji praised Wu Ding for turning the auspicious pheasant omen into virtue; his temple was established as Gaozong, and Gaozong’s Rong Day and its instruction were composed.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 13Genealogical Tables of the Three Dynasties · 1 passage

帝武丁。雉升鼎耳雊。得傅說。稱高宗。 Emperor Wuding. A pheasant perched on the tripod ear and crowed; he obtained Fuyue and was called Gaozong.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 34House of Yan Shaogong · 1 passage

在武丁時，則有若甘般：率維茲有陳，保乂有殷」。 In Wu Ding's time, there was Gan Ban, who led and maintained these arrangements, protecting and governing the state of Yin."

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 84Biographies of Qu Yuan and Master Jia · 1 passage

傅說胥靡兮，乃相武丁。 Fu Yue toiled as a convict laborer, yet rose to become chief minister to King Wu Ding.

Book of Zhou, Chapter 23Volume 23 Biographies 15: Su Chuo · 2 passages

武丁命說，克號高宗。 Wu Ding charged Yue, and worthily earned the title High Ancestor.

若伊之在商，周之有呂，說之相丁，用保我無疆之祚。」 Like Yi Yin in Shang, Lü Wang in Zhou, and Yue assisting Wu Ding—you preserve our boundless fortune."