kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

State of Teng

1046 BCE – 296 BCE (approx.) · capital Teng

A tiny Ji-clan state in Shandong whose ruler asked Mencius how a small state could survive among giants, a dialogue preserved in the Confucian classics.

Origins

King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed his younger brother Cuo Shu Xiu at Teng, near modern Tengzhou in south-western Shandong, as part of the network of royal kinsmen planted across the eastern plain after the conquest of the Shang.

Rule and society

Teng was among the smallest Zhou states, ranked as a marquisate but forced to follow larger neighbours such as the State of Lu, the State of Qi and the State of Song. In the late 4th century BCE Duke Wen of Teng consulted Mencius on mourning rites and the well-field system of land allotment; their conversations form a chapter of the Mencius.

Decline and legacy

Teng was conquered by the State of Song under its last king, Yan, around 296 BCE, and its lands later passed to Qi and Chu. Its memory survives chiefly through Mencius, and in the name of the city of Tengzhou.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Teng. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-teng
MLA
“State of Teng.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-teng. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Teng.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-teng.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Teng’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-teng (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻