Warring States period

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Warring States period
c. 475–221 BC
The seven Warring States of Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Qi, Chu, Qin c. 260 BC

Warring States period
"Warring States" in seal script (top), as well as traditional (middle) and simplified (bottom) regular script characters
Traditional Chinese	戰國時代
Simplified Chinese	战国时代
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhànguó shídài
Literal meaning	Warring States era
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhànguó shídài Bopomofo ㄓㄢˋ   ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄕˊ   ㄉㄞˋ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Janngwo shyrday Wade–Giles Chan4-kuo2 Shih2-tai4 Tongyong Pinyin Jhànguó shíhdài Yale Romanization Jàn'gwó shŕdài IPA [ʈʂân.kwǒ ʂɻ̩̌.tâɪ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jin'gwok sìhdoih Jyutping Zin3 gwok3 si4 doi6 IPA [tsiːn˧.kʷɔːk̚˧ siː˩.tɔːi˨] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chiàn-kok sî-tāi Tâi-lô Tsiàn-kok sî-tāi Middle Chinese Middle Chinese /t͡ɕiᴇnH kwək̚ d͡ʑɨ dʌiH/ Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *tar-s [C.q]ʷˤək tar-s [d]ə (~ [d]əʔ) lˤək-s

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The Warring States period was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, bureaucratic and military reform, and political consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the wars of conquest that saw the state of Qin annex all the other contender states by 221 BC and found the Qin dynasty, the first imperial dynasty in Chinese history.

Although different scholars assign different dates ranging from 481 BC to 403 BC as the beginning of the Warring States period, Sima Qian's choice of 475 BC is the most often cited. The Warring States period largely comprises the second half of the Eastern Zhou period; during this time, the king of Zhou was formally the Chinese sovereign, but ruled merely as a figurehead. This dynamic served as the backdrop for the machinations of the warring states.

The label "Warring States period" is derived from the Record of the Warring States, a history compiled during the early Han dynasty.