Reserach On Posthumous Titles About Kings Of Chu State In The Spring And Autumn Period And The Warring States Period

Posthumous title is an integral part of etiquette and institutions in ancient Chinese history.As a kind of special names,posthumous title was given to emperors,nobles,highly ranked ministers after they died to display their good merits or wicked deeds according to the personal life story and moral standards of feudal society.The regulation of posthumous title,including granting conditions,granting program has become an strict code system.The state of Chu has strong strength and huge influence,it leads to the earliest appearance of posthumous title among many feudal lords.During the reign of King Wu-one of the great kings in Chu state,he called himself king of “Wu” when he was on the throne,after his death,his posthumous title is “Wu”.Since then,posthumous title system has been institutionalized in Chu state.There are 25 kings of Chu state and 22 of them has its own posthumous names.This dissertation aims to research posthumous title about kings of Chu based on their personal deeds,and explore the development of this system in Chu state ulterior.Through the division of the development history of Chu state during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period,it is clear that the development of posthumous titles about kings of Chu state showing a periodic characteristics.The kings' posthumous titles in Chu state roughly experience three stages of development.It begins self-proclaimed king of “Wu” and imitating the posthumous title system of the Zhou Dynasty.What's more,the king of Chu state made some innovation in this institution.In the late Spring and Autumn Period,the use of posthumous title is becoming less rigorous.In the Warring States Period,besides the above two features,a special kind of posthumous title that contains two words appears in Chu state.This phenomenon responding to the trend of the times and caters to the need of reputation improvement.Throughout the history of posthumous title's development in Chu state,it's easy to find that The kings' posthumous titles not only imitate Zhou Dynasty,but also have its unique features.This situation is caused by its historical and cultural factors.On the one hand,Chu state is located in Yangtze River Basin,it is eager to be recognized by Zhou Dynasty and other feudal lords.Their use of posthumous title precisely reflects their political appeal.On the other hand,people in Chu state are keen to study the developed culture from Central Plain.Due to its unique cultural factors and political environment,it makes this invaluable asset has its own characteristics in Chu state.