Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty)
Wikimedia list article
The Prince of Chu (Chinese: 楚王) was a princely peerage of the Chinese Ming dynasty. It was created in 1370 for Zhu Zhen, the Hongwu Emperor's sixth son by Consort Chong of the Hu clan. Initially the peerage was named the Prince of Qi (Chinese: 齊王), but the name was changed to Chu after the pre-Qin state that used to encompass Wuchang, which was conquered at the time of Zhu Zhen's birth.
Generation poem
The generation poem given by the Hongwu Emperor was:孟季均荣显，英华蕴盛容。宏才升博衍，茂士立全功.
Meng Ji Yun Rong Xian, Ying Hua Yun Sheng Rong. Hong Cai Sheng Bo Yan, Mao Shi Li Quan Gong. The peerage was used until Sheng generation which was the same generation as of Taichang Emperor
Princedom of Chu
Cadet lines
Prince of Yong'an
Prince of Shouchang
Prince of Chongyang
Prince of Tongshan
Prince of Tongcheng
Prince of Yueyang
Prince of Jiangxia
Prince of Dong'an
Prince of Wugang
Female members
Expired cadet lines
Extinct
Prince of Baling (巴陵王) - created for Zhu Mengcong (朱孟熜) in 1397
Prince of Shouchang (寿昌王) - created for Zhu Mengchao (朱孟焯) in 1399
Prince of Jingling (景陵王) - created for Zhu Mengzhao (朱孟炤) in 1404
Prince of Daye (大冶王) - created for Zhu Jiruan (朱季堧) in 1444
Prince of Jinyun (缙云王) - created for Zhu Ronglin (朱荣淋) in 1502
Prince of Changle (长乐王) - created for Zhu Xianrong (朱显榕) in 1527
Prince of Baokang (保康王) - created for Zhu Xianzhang (朱显樟) in 1527
Prince of Hanyang (汉阳王) - created for Zhu Yunlong (朱蕴鑨) in 1596
Prince of Xingguo (兴国王) - created for Zhu Yunxian (朱蕴铣)
Abolished
Prince of Chongyang (崇阳王) - created for Zhu Mengwei (朱孟炜) in 1404 and abolished with the suicide of Zhu Xianxiu (朱显休) in 1549
Prince of Yueyang (岳阳王) - created for Zhu Mengguan (朱孟爟) in 1404 and abolished with the death of Zhu Jijing (朱季境) in 1463.
“Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty)” enters the record as wikimedia list article. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Prince, Ming and dynasty can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Prince, Ming and dynasty provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11088020. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1370, 1397, 1399 and 1404.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty) primary sources, Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty) archive and Prince research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty)”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Prince of Chu (Ming dynasty)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.