Jin (Chinese state)

Jin
晉
11th century BCE–376 BCE
Capital		Tang (唐) Quwo (曲沃) Jiang (絳) Xintian (新田)
Languages		Old Chinese
Religion		Taoism, Animism, Ancestor veneration
Government		Monarchy
History
•	Established	11th century BCE
•	Disestablished	376 BCE
Currency		Spade money
Preceded by Succeeded by Zhou dynasty Han (state) Zhao (state) Wei (state)

Jin
"Jin" in seal script (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	晉
Simplified Chinese	晋
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jìn Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jinn Wade–Giles Chin4 IPA [tɕîn] Wu Suzhounese Tsǐn Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jeun Jyutping Zeon3 Southern Min Tâi-lô Tsìn Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Tsìn Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *tsi[n]-s

Jin (Chinese: ), originally known as Tang (唐), was a major state during the middle part of the Zhou dynasty, based near the center of what was then China, on the lands attributed to the legendary Xia dynasty: the southern part of modern Shanxi. Although it grew in power during the Spring and Autumn period, its aristocratic structure saw it break apart when the duke lost power to his nobles. In 453 BCE, Jin was split into three successor states: Han, Zhao and Wei. The Partition of Jin marks the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States period.

Jin was located in the lower Fen River drainage basin on the Shanxi plateau. To the north were the Xirong and Beidi peoples. To the west were the Lüliang Mountains and then the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi. To the southwest the Fen River turns west to join the south-flowing part of the Yellow River which soon leads to the Guanzhong, an area of the Wei River Valley that was the heartland of the Western Zhou and later of the Qin. To the south are the Zhongtiao Mountains and then the east-west valley of the Yellow River which was the main route to the Wei Valley to the west. To the east were the Taihang Mountains and then the North China Plain. This location gave ambitious Jin dukes the opportunity to move north to conquer and absorb the Xirong tribes, move southwest and fight Qin, and move southeast to absorb the many smaller Zhou states.