King Zhou of Shang
| King Di Xin of Shang 帝辛 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
King Zhou of Shang illustrated in the Ehon Sangoku Yōfuden (c. 1805) | |||||||||
| King of Shang dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 1075–1046 BCE (29 years) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Di Yi (his father) | ||||||||
| Born | 1105 BCE | ||||||||
| Died | 1046 BCE | ||||||||
| Spouse | Consort Daji Jiuhou Nü | ||||||||
| Issue | Wu Geng | ||||||||
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| Father | Di Yi | ||||||||
King Zhou ([ʈ͡ʂoʊ]; Chinese: 紂王; pinyin: Zhòu Wáng) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang (商帝辛; Shāng Dì Xīn) or Shou, King of Shang (商王受; Shāng Wáng Shòu), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (紂辛; Zhòu Xīn). In Chinese, his name Zhòu (紂) also refers to a horse crupper, the part of a saddle or harness that is most likely to be soiled by the horse. It is not to be confused with the name of the succeeding dynasty, which has a different character and pronunciation (周; Zhōu).
In later times, the story of King Zhou became a cautionary tale on what could befall a kingdom if its ruler gave into corruption and moral depravity.