燕王哙 / King Kuai of Yan
燕王哙 / King Kuai of Yan appears in 《资治通鉴·周纪》40丨5月出生的孩子惹谁啦？ as the successor after 燕易王 dies in the 321 BCE cluster under 周显王.
The source gives only the succession notice. Its immediate function is chronological: Yan’s ruler handoff sits beside the Zhou royal handoff while the episode’s narrative weight moves to 田婴 and 孟尝君 / 田文 in 齐国.
《资治通鉴·周纪》47丨燕王哙的理想主义 gives the main explanation of his collapse. After the failed anti-Qin coalition, Yan Wang Kuai knows he is not strong enough to make Yan powerful, and 子之, 苏代, and 鹿毛寿 exploit that self-doubt plus his desire for moral reputation.
The episode does not deny Yan Wang Kuai’s personal benevolence. It says he can be frugal, caring, and uninterested in sensual or material excess, but still politically incompetent because he treats ancient abdication ideals as usable court procedure. By giving Zi Zhi appointment power over senior officials, he turns trust into 破坏规则式禅让 and breaks the succession boundary that would normally pass rule to his son.
《资治通鉴·周纪》48丨君王为啥不能传位宰相 gives the immediate consequence. After 子之 has held power for three years, Yan is in chaos, 市被 and Yan Wang Kuai’s crown prince attack Zi Zhi and fail, and 齐宣王 uses the disorder to send 张子 into 燕国. Qi then kills both Zi Zhi and Yan Wang Kuai, making his failed abdication a family, state, and personal destruction case under 礼制政治秩序.
《资治通鉴·周纪》49丨孟子曰：我教你治国 你却把我当花瓶 adds the aftermath context around Yan’s vulnerability. The episode begins after 齐国 has conquered 燕国 and uses 孟子 / Mencius to argue that occupation can be legitimate only if Yan’s people experience it as rescue rather than added suffering.
《资治通鉴·周纪》52丨 陈庄叛秦 端起碗吃饭放下碗骂娘 uses Yan Wang Kuai as the negative comparison for later Yan recovery. The source says he mistook 子之 for a worthy person and helped produce Yan’s collapse, while 燕昭王’s later use of 乐毅 and 剧辛 shows the opposite personnel judgment.
Connections
- 燕易王 - predecessor in the source notice.
- 燕国 - polity he succeeds to.
- 周显王 and 《资治通鉴》 - annalistic frame.
- 战国时期 - broader setting.
- 苏代, 鹿毛寿, 揣摩, and 破坏规则式禅让 - Zhouji 47 persuasion chain and succession-boundary failure.
- 市被, 张子, and 礼制政治秩序 - Zhouji 48 civil disorder, Qi intervention, and role-order frame.
- 齐宣王, 孟子 / Mencius, and 孟子的民本合法性 - Zhouji 49 conquered-Yan aftermath branch.
- 子之, 燕昭王, 乐毅, 剧辛, and 才德之分 - Zhouji 52 ruler judgment contrast.