Kings
Shang kings are conventionally referred to by posthumous names, of which the last character is one of the heavenly stems.
The earliest records are the oracle bones inscribed during the reigns of the Shang kings from Wu Ding. The oracle bones do not contain king lists, but they do record the sacrifices to previous kings and the ancestors of the current king, which follow a standard schedule. From this evidence, scholars have assembled the implied king list and genealogy, finding that it is in substantial agreement with the later accounts, especially for later kings in the dynasty.
The kings, in the order of succession derived from the oracle bones, are here grouped by generation:
| Generation | Older brothers of patriarch | Line of descent | Younger brothers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 大乙 Dà Yǐ | ||||
| 16 | 大丁 Dà Dīng | ||||
| 15 | 大甲 Dà Jiǎ | 卜丙 Bǔ Bǐng | |||
| 14 | 大庚 Dà Gēng | 小甲 Xiǎo Jiǎ | |||
| 13 | 大戊 Dà Wù | 呂己 Lǚ Jǐ | |||
| 12 | 中丁 Zhōng Dīng | 卜壬 Bǔ Rén | |||
| 11 | 戔甲 Jiān Jiǎ | 祖乙 Zǔ Yǐ | |||
| 10 | 祖辛 Zǔ Xīn | 羌甲 Qiāng Jiǎ | |||
| 9 | 祖丁 Zǔ Dīng | 南庚 Nán Gēng | |||
| 8 | 象甲 Xiàng Jiǎ | 盤庚 Pán Gēng | 小辛 Xiǎo Xīn | 小乙 Xiǎo Yǐ | |
| 7 | 武丁 Wǔ Dīng | ||||
| 6 | 祖庚 Zǔ Gēng | 祖甲 Zǔ Jiǎ | |||
| 5 | 廩辛 Lǐn Xīn | 康丁 Kāng Dīng | |||
| 4 | 武乙 Wǔ Yǐ | ||||
| 3 | 文武丁 Wén Wǔ Dīng | ||||
| 2 | 帝乙 Dì Yǐ | ||||
| 1 | 帝辛 Dì Xīn | ||||
- Notes
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Famous quotes containing the word kings:
“The state of monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth: for kings are not only God’s Lieutenants upon earth, and sit upon God’s throne, but even by God himself they are called gods.”
—James I of England, James VI of Scotland (1566–1625)
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That all his hours of travail here for men
Seem yet in vain. And who will bring white peace
That he may sleep upon his hill again?”
—Vachel Lindsay (1879–1931)
“‘Tis the old secret of the gods that they come in low disguises. ‘Tis the vulgar great who come dizened with gold and jewels. Real kings hide away their crowns in their wardrobes, and affect a plain and poor exterior.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)