Seven Warring States

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Map showing the Seven Warring States; there were other states in China at the time, but the Seven Warring States were the most powerful and significant
Map showing the Seven Warring States; there were other states in China at the time, but the Seven Warring States were the most powerful and significant

The Seven Warring States or Seven Kingdoms (traditional Chinese: 戰國七雄; simplified Chinese: 战国七雄; pinyin: zhàn guó qī xióng; literally "Warring States [period] seven great powers") refers to the seven warring states in China during the Warring States period in Chinese history. The Seven Warring States formed from the weakening of the Zhou Dynasty. They were, in alphabetical order by pinyin:

The eventual winner of the wars was the state of Qin, whose ruler Qin Shi Huang established the first imperial dynasty in Chinese history. It is probable that China is named after Qin[citation needed].

The Seven Kingdoms series of computer games were named after these states.