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

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

that existed during the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

of ancient China. p. 144

History

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

granted Cao Xia (曹挾) control of the small

of Zhu as a vassal ruler under the

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

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. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

(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 Cao or CAO may refer to: Mythology *Cao (bull), a legendary bull in Meitei mythology Companies or organizations * Air China Cargo, ICAO airline designator CAO * CA Oradea, Romanian football club * CA Osasuna, Spanish football club * Canadian ...

(曹). During the reign of

Duke Mu of Lu Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

(417 BC – 377 BC), Zhu's name was changed to Zou. The state of Zou was located in the southwest of modern-day

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

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

Zoucheng Zoucheng () is a county-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. Before it was incorporated as a city in October 1992, it was known as Zou County (邹县) or Zouxian. Zoucheng is located about 20 km south of the city of Qufu, an ...

Demise

Zou was conquered and annexed by the

state of Chu Chu (, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was an Ancient Chinese states, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted ...

during the reign of

King Xuan of Chu King Xuan of Chu (), personal name Xiong Liangfu, was from 369 BC to 340 BC the king of the Chu state. King Xuan succeeded his older brother, King Su, who died without issue in 370 BC. During King Xuan's reign, Chu sent troops to aid the Zhao ...

(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 Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a Morality, moral, Ethics, ethical, and metaphysics, metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768� ...

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi ( zh, c=朱熹; ; October 18, 1130April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese philosopher, historian, politician, poet, and calligrapher of the Southern Song dynasty. As a leading figure in the development of Neo-Confuci ...

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

Mencius Mencius (孟子, ''Mèngzǐ'', ; ) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage () to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting ...

. As the overlord

was the home state of

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

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, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

'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 States of the Warring States period States of the Spring and Autumn period 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