How Did Ziying Die? The Last Qin King's Fate

Ziying, the last king of the Qin dynasty, was killed by Xiang Yu after surrendering to Liu Bang. The Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, records who killed him, but the passage does not say exactly how he was killed.

Liu Bang accepted Ziying's surrender first. More than a month later, Xiang Yu and the other armies arrived, and Ziying was killed. The surrender and his death were separate events.

An imagined scene of the surrender, not an exact reconstruction of the historical event.

Why Did Ziying Surrender?

After the death of the Second Qin Emperor, the court official Zhao Gao installed Ziying as King of Qin. Ziying and his sons then plotted against Zhao Gao, and Zhao Gao was killed. But the dynasty was still facing rebellion across its territories.

Liu Bang, one of the leaders fighting Qin, advanced into Guanzhong, the region around the Qin capital, Xianyang. According to the Shiji, when Ziying had been king for 46 days, Liu Bang's army reached Bashang and sent envoys to arrange his surrender.

Ziying presented himself with a cord around his neck, riding in a plain carriage drawn by white horses and carrying the seals and tallies of rule. His surrender ended Qin rule; the wider causes are discussed in Why Did the Qin Dynasty Fall?.

Who Killed Ziying After the Surrender?

Liu Bang received Ziying's surrender, but Xiang Yu was the leader who later killed him. Liu Bang entered Xianyang, secured the Qin palaces and stores, and withdrew to his camp at Bashang.

Xiang Yu led another powerful force against Qin. The Shiji places his arrival with the other armies more than a month after Liu Bang entered the region. Its account of Xiang Yu describes Liu Bang meeting him at Hongmen before Xiang Yu later marched into Xianyang and killed the surrendered king.

Modern chronologies commonly place the killing in 206 BCE. They do not all label the year of Ziying's surrender in the same way; the sequence is clearer than a single year label.

How Was Ziying Killed?

The relevant passage in the Shiji says Xiang Yu killed Ziying, but does not describe the method. It therefore does not establish that Ziying died by suicide or that he was beheaded.

The account also says Xiang Yu killed members of the Qin royal family. It does not provide enough detail in this passage to reconstruct Ziying's final moments.

Why Did Xiang Yu Kill Him?

Ziying had been the final ruler of a dynasty that Xiang Yu and other rebel leaders had fought to overthrow. After Qin surrendered, control of its former capital and territory remained contested.

Political elimination or revenge may seem plausible in that setting, but the passage recording Ziying's death does not give Xiang Yu's personal motive. Those explanations should be treated as interpretations, not as a recorded confession of intent.

Did Ziying Die After Only 46 Days as King?

The 46 days refer to the period up to Liu Bang's arrival and Ziying's surrender, not to the time between his accession and his death. The same account places the arrival of Xiang Yu and the other armies more than a month later.

Sources

This answer follows Sima Qian's Shiji, chapter 6, “Annals of the First Emperor of Qin”, for Ziying's surrender and killing, and chapter 7, “Annals of Xiang Yu”, for the sequence involving Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. Both links are to the Chinese text. For English-language background on Ziying’s surrender and the fall of Qin, see Robert Eno’s Indiana University course reading on the Qin dynasty.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Liu Bang kill Ziying?

No. Ziying surrendered to Liu Bang; the Shiji records that Xiang Yu later killed him.

Did Ziying kill himself?

The Shiji records that Xiang Yu killed him. The passage does not specify the method of killing.

Had the Qin dynasty already fallen when Ziying died?

Yes. Ziying had already surrendered to Liu Bang, ending Qin rule, before Xiang Yu killed him.

Was Ziying killed after exactly 46 days on the throne?

No. The 46 days refer to the period up to Liu Bang's arrival and Ziying's surrender; his death came later.