Chuzi (, 389 BC or 388–385 BCThe Annals of Qin chapter of the ''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...

'' says he was born in the 12th year of Duke Hui II of Qin, or 388 BC, but the Chronicles chapter says he was born in the 11th year, or 389 BC.) was from 386 BC to 385 BC the 28th ruler of 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 ...

Chinese state of Qin that eventually united China to become the

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

. His

ancestral name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

was Ying ( 嬴), and Chuzi was his

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishment ...

. He was the second of two child rulers of Qin called Chuzi. He is also variously referred to as Duke Chu of Qin (秦出公), Shaozhu of Qin (秦少主), or Xiaozhu of Qin (秦小主) (Shaozhu and Xiaozhu both mean "Young Lord"). Chuzi was the grandson of

Duke Jian of Qin Duke Jian of Qin (, 428–400 BC) was, from 414 to 400 BC, the 26th ruler of the Zhou Dynasty Chinese state of Qin that eventually united China to become the Qin Dynasty. His ancestral name was Ying ( 嬴), and Duke Jian was his posthumous title ...

, who was the uncle of his predecessor Duke Ling. When Duke Ling died in 415 BC, the throne passed to his uncle Duke Jian instead of to his son, the later Duke Xian. Duke Jian reigned for 15 years and was succeeded by his son, Chuzi's father Duke Hui II, who reigned for 13 years and died in 387 BC. When Chuzi succeeded his father as ruler of Qin he was either one or two years old, and the state of Qin was effectively controlled by his mother, the duchess dowager Qin Xiaozhu. Just two years later, in 385 BC a minister in the government, Jun Gai (菌改), rebelled against Chuzi and the duchess. He led his forces to escort Duke Xian, who was at the time exiled in the

State of Wei Wei (; ; Old Chinese: *') was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Zhao. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and ...

, back to Qin, killed Chuzi and his mother and installed Duke Xian on the throne. Chuzi was just three or four years old when he died.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuzi II Rulers of Qin 4th-century BC Chinese monarchs 385 BC deaths 4th-century BC murdered monarchs Assassinated Chinese politicians Child rulers from Asia Year of birth unknown