| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 孙休, 孫休, Sūn Xiū |
| Nickname | Emperor Jing of Eastern Wu, Prince of Langye |
| Other name | Tôn Hưu |
| Courtesy name | 子烈, 子烈, Zǐliè, Zi Lie, tự Tử Liệt |
| INFORMATION | |
| Born | 235 |
| Birth Place | Fuchun County, Wu Commandery (吴郡富春县; huyện Phú Xuân, quận Ngô) |
| Died | 264 |
| Death Reason | Died of illness in Jianye in 264 at age 30 after ruling as Emperor Jing of Eastern Wu |
| FAMILY | |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Eastern Wu |
| Battles | Purge of Sun Chen; border defense during fall of Shu Han |
Biography & Historical Record
Sun Xiu (孙休, Tôn Hưu) (235–264 AD), courtesy name Zilie (子烈, Tử Liệt), posthumously Emperor Jing of Eastern Wu, was the sixth son of Sun Quan (孙权, Tôn Quyền). Created Prince of Langye in 252, he stayed away from capital purges. In 258 regent Sun Chen (孙綝, Tôn Lâm) deposed Sun Liang (孙亮, Tôn Lượng) and summoned Sun Xiu to the throne at Jianye. Feigning deference, Xiu piled honors on Sun Chen while secretly allying with Ding Feng (丁奉, Đinh Phụng) and Zhang Bu (张布, Trương Bố). At the Laba Festival banquet of late 258, imperial guards seized and executed Sun Chen, restoring sovereign command without open civil war.
His six-year reign revived learning—founding the Imperial Academy (Taixue), appointing classicist doctors, easing taxes, and rehabilitating victims of earlier factional killings. When Wei conquered Shu in 263, Wu sent Ding Feng and Lu Kang (陆抗, Lục Kháng) to shore up the Three Gorges approaches. Sun Xiu died of illness in 264 at thirty; succession intrigues then elevated nephew Sun Hao (孙皓, Tôn Hạo) instead of Xiu’s own young sons.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance portrays Sun Xiu as the patient prince who accepts the throne under Sun Chen’s shadow, then orchestrates the regent’s destruction with Ding Feng and court loyalists. After Sun Chen’s death he briefly restores imperial dignity, though late-Wu factionalism never fully disappears. The novel credits him with shrewd timing rather than flashy battlefield glory.
Sun Xiu (孙休) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Prince of Langye
Receives princely title; keeps distance from Jianye factional bloodshed.
Enthroned; kills Sun Chen
Made emperor by Sun Chen, then ambushes and executes the regent at the Laba banquet with Ding Feng and Zhang Bu.
Civil revival & Shu crisis
Taixue, tax relief, rehabilitations; mobilizes against Wei after Shu’s fall.
Death
Dies of illness in Jianye; Sun Hao eventually succeeds amid court intrigue.
See Sun Xiu on Wikipedia and SGZ Wu annals of Emperor Jing.
Key Relationships
Family
- Sun Quan (孙权, Tôn Quyền): Father.
- Lady Wang: Mother.
- Empress Zhu (朱皇后, Chu Hoàng Hậu): Empress.
- Sun Liang (孙亮, Tôn Lượng): Younger half-brother whom he replaced.
- Sun Hao (孙皓, Tôn Hạo): Nephew who later took the throne.
Friends
- Ding Feng (丁奉, Đinh Phụng), Zhang Bu (张布, Trương Bố): Partners in eliminating Sun Chen.
- Puyang Xing (濮阳兴, Bộc Dương Hưng): Chancellor entrusted near the end of the reign.
Enemies
- Sun Chen (孙綝, Tôn Lâm): Regent who enthroned then threatened him; executed in 258.
- Cao Wei: Northern adversary during the fall of Shu crisis.
Other
- Lu Kang (陆抗, Lục Kháng): Frontier commander mobilized when Shu fell.
In Novel
Chapter 109
- Sun Xiu (孙休, Tôn Hưu): Made emperor of Wu after Sun Liang (孙亮, Tôn Lượng) is deposed. He first flatters regent Sun Chen (孙綝, Tôn Lâm), then quietly seeks allies to recover the throne’s real power.
Chapter 110
- Sun Xiu (孙休, Tôn Hưu): With Ding Feng (丁奉, Đinh Phụng) and court officers he springs the trap: Sun Chen is seized and killed. Imperial authority returns to the sovereign; Romance still notes that late-Wu politics remain fragile after the purge.
In History
Summary
- Sun Xiu (孙休, Tôn Hưu), courtesy Zilie (子烈), third emperor of Eastern Wu (258–264), Emperor Jing; eliminated Sun Chen; died 264.
Year: 258 AD
- Enthroned by Sun Chen after Sun Liang’s deposition; later executes Sun Chen with Ding Feng and Zhang Bu.
Year: 258–263 AD
- Promotes Taixue and civil relief; mobilizes when Wei destroys Shu.
Year: 264 AD
- Dies of illness; succession ultimately passes to Sun Hao.
Historical Record
- Sanguozhi Wu annals of Emperor Jing (Sun Xiu). Historical throughout; novel amplifies banquet timing but agrees on the purge of Sun Chen.
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