魏襄王 / King Xiang of Wei
魏襄王 / King Xiang of Wei appears in 《资治通鉴·周纪》45｜以史为鉴，君王到底该不该杀人成性？ as 魏惠王 / 梁惠王’s son and successor in 319 BCE. The source gives his personal name as Wei Si and places his accession after years of Wei decline, Qin pressure, and the earlier Mencius exchange with his father.
His source role is mainly dialogic. 孟子 / Mencius meets him, judges him as lacking rulerly presence, and then answers his question about settling the realm: unity is necessary, but the ruler able to unify will be one who does not love killing. Wei Xiang Wang therefore becomes the interlocutor through whom 不爱杀人者能一之 enters the Zhouji sequence.
The episode also makes him a generational comparison point. Mencius has now met both father and son in Wei, moving from 仁义优先的利益秩序 under Liang Hui Wang to a sharper claim about killing, unity, and popular attraction under Wei Xiang Wang.
《资治通鉴·周纪》55丨 张仪痛失贵人秦惠王 gives him a crisis role in Zhang Yi’s final year. After 秦武王 sends Zhang Yi to 魏国, 齐国 attacks because of its hatred for Zhang Yi, and Wei Xiang Wang becomes afraid. Zhang Yi then has the plan disclosed to 齐宣王, so Qi withdraws and Wei becomes Zhang Yi’s last court.
《资治通鉴·周纪》57丨古代发毒誓还有这作用？ gives Wei Xiang Wang a briefer diplomatic role. Qin Wuwang meets him at Linjin, and later 甘茂 secures Wei’s agreement to join Qin against 韩国, even though Gan Mao warns Qin Wuwang that the 宜阳 campaign will be difficult.
《资治通鉴·周纪》60丨 中国第一位把持朝政的太后竟是她？ returns him to 临晋 in a changed alignment. After 秦国 attacks Wei and takes 蒲阪, 阳晋, and 封陵, the 芈横 hostage incident breaks Qin’s Chu-facing policy. Wei Xiang Wang then meets 秦昭襄王 and 韩婴 at Linjin, and Qin returns Puban to Wei as a repair signal.
Connections
- 魏国 - polity he inherits.
- 魏惠王 / 梁惠王 - predecessor and father in the source.
- 孟子 / Mencius and 《孟子》 - dialogue source.
- 不爱杀人者能一之, Mencian People-Based Legitimacy / 孟子的民本合法性, and Mencian Benevolent Government / 孟子仁政 - concepts attached to the exchange.
- 秦国 and Qin Eastward Pressure / 秦国东进压力 - pressure field around Wei’s late Warring States decline.
- 张仪, 齐宣王, 秦武王, and 阴谋阳谋转换 - Zhouji 55 Qi attack and withdrawal branch.
- 甘茂, 韩国, 宜阳, and 盟誓约束下的统帅信任 - Zhouji 57 Qin-Wei campaign agreement branch.
- 蒲阪, 阳晋, 封陵, 秦昭襄王, 韩婴, 临晋, and 战国同盟转向 - Zhouji 60 Qin-Wei conflict and repair branch.