Xiang

Younger half-brother of the sage-king Shun — son of Gusou by his second wife. Proverbially arrogant, he joined his father and stepmother in repeated plots to murder Shun (the burning granary, the filled-in well) to seize Shun's property and wives; Shun escaped each attempt and went on loving him as a brother. On acceding, Shun enfeoffed rather than punished Xiang, at Youbi. The whole episode is the Mencian (5A.2-3) case-study of filial and fraternal virtue persisting through malice. Named throughout chinese_shun's and chinese_gusou's notes ('Shun's half-brother Xiang') until materialized here as the half-sibling and son.

Parentage

• paternal: Gusou

Powers

• Conspire (with Gusou) against Shun

Relations

• half sibling: ShunYounger half-brother of Shun (shared father Gusou; Shun's mother was Wo Deng, Xiang's an unnamed second wife). The fraternal malice he shows, met by Shun's undiminished brotherly love, is the Mencian filial-piety crux.Sima Qian, Shiji Ch. 1; Mencius / Mengzi 5A.2-3 (primary)
• child of: GusouSon of Gusou by his second wife.Sima Qian, Shiji Ch. 1 (primary)

Sources

• existence: Sima Qian, Shiji Ch. 1 (Wudi benji) (primary); Mencius / Mengzi 5A.2-3 (primary)