E (state)

State of E
鄂
Monarchy
c. 12th century BCE–863 BCE
Capital		Xiangning County Nanyang, Henan Province Ezhou, Hubei Province
Religion		Chinese folk religion, Ancestor worship
Political structure		Monarchy
History
•	Established	c. 12th century BCE
•	Disestablished	863 BCE
Currency		Spade money
Preceded by Succeeded by Zhou Dynasty Warring States period Chu (state) Qin Dynasty

E
Chinese	鄂
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin È Gwoyeu Romatzyh Eh Wade–Giles E4 IPA [ɤ̂] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Ngohk Jyutping Ngok6 Southern Min Tâi-lô Goh Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Ngak Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *[ŋ]ˤak

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	È
Gwoyeu Romatzyh	Eh
Wade–Giles	E4
IPA	[ɤ̂]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Ngohk
Jyutping	Ngok6
Southern Min
Tâi-lô	Goh
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese	Ngak
Old Chinese
Baxter-Sagart	*[ŋ]ˤak

The State of E (Chinese: ) was an ancient Chinese state in the area of present-day Henan and Hubei in China from around the 12th century BCE until its overthrow in 863 BCE. It was a vassal of the Shang state and its ruler was one of the Three Ducal Ministers appointed by Dixin of Shang, who is known pejoratively as King Zhou of Shang.

E was originally located in the southern part of the modern province of Henan but later moved to Hubei. Its name is now used as the provincial abbreviation for Hubei.

There are a number of different theories about the origins of E, including that its original inhabitants were descended from the Baiyue or the Daxi culture. Another theory claims that during the Shang dynasty, descendants of the Yellow Emperor surnamed Jí (姞) were granted land by Dixin around modern-day Xiangning County in Shanxi and that it became the original nucleus of E.

In Chinese historical records, Dixin was said to have wanted to make the daughter of the Marquess of Jiu an imperial concubine but she was a dignified woman who regarded such a role as beneath her. In a fit of anger, Dixin murdered both the Marquess and his daughter and turned the marquess's body into mincemeat. The Marquess of E, protesting this injustice, renounced his vassalage but was also then murdered.

Following the c. 1046 BCE establishment of the Western Zhou, the state of Jin moved into E’s territory and forced its people to flee southward into the northern part of modern-day Nanyang, Henan. The relocation exposed them to the powerful southern state of Chu. By the middle of the Western Zhou, E had fled once again, settling east of present-day Ezhou in Hubei.

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