Zou (), originally Zhu () or Zhulou (), was a minor

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

that existed during the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

of ancient China. p. 144

History

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name was ...

granted Cao Xie (曹挾) control of the small

of Zhu as a vassal ruler under the

State of Lu Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dy ...

with the feudal title

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

(子), but later holding the title Duke of Zhu (邾公). p. 138 p. 239 p. 306 The ancestral surname of the ruling family was Cao (曹). During the reign of Duke Mu of Lu (417–377), Zhu's name was changed to Zou. The state of Zou was located in the southwest of modern-day

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

Province. p. 43 Its territory is now the county-level city of Zoucheng.

Demise

Zou was conquered and annexed by the

state of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou ...

during the reign of

King Xuan of Chu King Xuan of Chu (, died 340 BC) was from 369 to 340 BC the king of the state of Chu during the Warring States period of ancient China. He was born Xiong Liangfu () and King Xuan was his posthumous title. King Xuan succeeded his older brother ...

(r. 369–340 BC). The people of Zou and their descendants adopted the Zhu (朱) or Zou as their surnames.

Legacy

Zhu (朱), without the radical, is one of the most common surnames of modern-day China. Another, albeit less common surname Zou (鄒/邹) is also derived from the former name of the state. The noted Neo-Confucian

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi (; ; October 18, 1130 – April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese calligrapher, historian, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. Zhu was influential in the development of Neo-Confucianism. He con ...

descends from the ruling house. The small state of Zou, however, is most famous as the birthplace of the Chinese philosopher

Mencius Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confucius' fourth generation of discip ...

. As the overlord

was the home state of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

and many of his disciples, this means that

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

's founder, and most of its minor sages and wise men hailed from or had ancestral roots in these two ancient states of China.

References

{{Zhou Dynasty topics Ancient Chinese states 4th-century BC disestablishments in China States and territories disestablished in the 4th century BC 11th-century BC establishments in China States and territories established in the 11th century BC

History

Demise

Legacy

See also

References