King Zhuang of Chu

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King Zhuang of Chu (楚莊王) (died 591 BC) was leader in the state of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His name was Mi Lǚ (羋侶). He took his throne in 613 BC. When he ascended the throne the Kingdom of Chu was in disarray. For the first three years of his kingship, Zhuang wasted time, hunted excessively and partied lavishly. Several courtiers were anxious about the king but none dared speak up as the king had given orders that anyone who challenges his rules shall be killed. When a particularly senior minister challenged him through a riddle, the king responded that he had been waiting for 3 years for someone from his court to show some nationalistic pride. He made Sun Shu'ao (孫叔敖) prime Prime Minister and started reforms. The agricultural output of the state of Chu was much better under his reign. In 611 BC he annexed the state of Yong and made Chu much stronger. After some brilliant victories with his army, he attempted to take the place of the King of Zhou through shrewd symbolism (comparing size of a ceremonial vase). In the battle of Bi, his army defeated the state of Jin, another strong state at that time. Later he got hegemony among some other states. His exploits from a lazy regent to the hegemon of his time gave rise to the Chinese Four-character idiom of "Yi Ming Jing Ren" (一鸣惊人) - or "Surprising others with insane skill in one wallop".