Jiang Ziya
First ruler of Qi and Zhou dynasty strategist.
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Unknown authorUnknown author · via Wikipedia: Jiang Ziya · Public domain
His most common names derive from the Ming-era novel Investiture of the Gods.[1] Jiang Ziya was an expert in military affairs who served the Zhou dynasty.[2]
Last updated 2026-10-08 from the source article.
Life and work
Jiang Ziya served the Shang court for about twenty years before feigning madness to escape King Zhou's tyranny.[2] Their first meeting is recorded in the Six Secret Teachings, a book of Jiang's military and statecraft lessons.[3] King Wen found Jiang fishing with a barbless hook, a story that became a standard reference for later recluses.[2][4]
What the cited sources add
The Cantonese phrase "Jiang Taigong go fishing, those who want (to be caught), will get on the hook" refers to Jiang's fishing method without bait.[4] The Tales of the Taoist Immortals account states Jiang was left in the wild as a baby but was saved by animals and a noble woman who named him Ziya.[5] That same source says he mastered mystical arts by age ten and set off to find a master at eighteen.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Jiang Ziya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Long Jianchun ( ) (2003). Discussion on Taigong's surname, clanname, given name and titles . Taizhou Academy Newspapers ( ) 2nd semester, 2003. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jiang Ziya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 27.; "Learn Cantonese!", CantoneseSheikCo, 2009; Berge-Becker, "Recognizing Recluses (yinshi 隱士) in 7th–14th Century China", Chūgoku shigaku 中國史學 (Studies in Chinese History), p. 11 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Jiang Ziya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 27. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Learn Cantonese!", CantoneseSheikCo, 2009. facts only, no text reused. cantonese.sheik.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Jiang Ziya" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wong, "Tales of the Taoist immortals", Shambhala, 2001, p. 89 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jiang Ziya (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Jiang Ziya (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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