Duke of Ye

Shen Zhuliang (Chinese: 沈諸梁; pinyin: Shěn Zhūliáng), Duke of Ye (叶公) or Gao, Duke of Ye (叶公高) (c. 529 BCE – after 478 BCE), was a general and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Shen (沈) or Ye (叶).
Shen Zhuliang
沈諸梁
Borncirca 529 BCE
Diedafter 478 BCE
MonumentsMausoleum and Temple of Duke of Ye, Ye County, Henan
NationalityState of Chu, Ancient China
Other namesZigao (子高)
Known forFounding ancestor of the Ye surname
TitleDuke of Ye
Lingyin (Prime Minister)
Sima (Chief Military Commander)
ParentShen Yin Shu

Shen Zhuliang's father, Shen Yin Shu, was a great-grandson of King Zhuang of Chu and died in the historic Battle of Boju in 506 BCE. After his father's death, King Zhao of Chu enfeoffed Shen Zhuliang with the city of Ye (in present-day Ye County, Henan) at the northern frontier of the Chu kingdom. He was known as Ye Gong (Duke of Ye), and became the founding ancestor of the Ye surname,[1] which is today the 42nd most common surname in China.[2]

In 489 BCE, Confucius visited Shen Zhuliang in Ye,[3] and their conversations were recorded in the Analects of Confucius.[4][5]

In 478 BCE, during the reign of King Hui of Chu, Shen Zhuliang put down the rebellion of Baigong Sheng and restored the king's rule. Shen Zhuliang became the Prime Minister and Chief Military Commander, the top two government posts of Chu.[6]

He did not keep both posts for long. At the same year, he appointed the grandsons of King Ping, Gongsun Ning (son of Zixi) and Gongsun Kuan (son of Ziqi), as his successors as the Prime Minister and the Chief Military Commander respectively.

Legend

In Liu Xiang's New Prefaces (新序), there was a story saying that the Duke of Ye loved dragons so much that the walls of his house were decorated with dragons. The real dragons in the heaven heard that and decided to visit him. But when he saw them, he fled in terror instead. The idiom “葉公好龍” was derived from this story, meaning that someone is pretending to like something which one actually dislikes or fears.

References
  1. "葉姓來源及郡望堂號 (Origin of the Ye surname)" (in Chinese). 30 May 2008. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  2. "新百家姓 (Top 100 Surnames)" (in Chinese). 10 January 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  3. "叶公简介 (Duke of Ye)" (in Chinese). Government of Pingdingshan. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  4. "Zi Lu". The Analects (in Chinese and English). Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  5. "Shu Er". The Analects (in Chinese and English). Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  6. Zuo Qiuming. "BOOK XII. DUKE AI". Zuo Zhuan (in Chinese and English). Retrieved 1 December 2011.
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