187. 夏有禹

Hsia4 yu3 yu3 

Hsia have yu 

The Hsia dynasty had Yü

Hsia see line 57. 

Yu see line 14. 

Yü originally meant insects, and 虫 ch'ung insects might well have been chosen as its radical. It is however classed under an obsolete word 內 jou the footprints of certain animals, and here stands for the wise Minister, afterwards first Emperor of the Hsia dynasty, popularly known as 大禹 ta yu the Great Yu, who reigned B.C. 2205—2197. He is chiefly famous for having drained the empire of a vast body of water, which some have tried to identify with Noah's flood. 

188. 商有湯

Shang1 yu3 t'ang

Shang have T'ang

the Shang dynasty had T'ang; 

 

Shang is composed of 內 nei inside, with 口 k'ou mouth inside it, the two forming an old radical, with 章 chang a document, abbreviated, as phonetic. It is now classed under radical 口 kou mouth, and is the name of a dynasty which lasted from B.C. 1766-1122. 

Yu see line 14. 

T'ang is composed of 水 shui water as radical, with a common phonetic (lines 16, 126), and originally meant hot water. It here stands for the first Emperor of the Shang dynasty, who reigned B.C. 1766 — 1753 and is popularly known as 成湯 ch'eng tang T'ang the Completer (line 26). 

189. 周文武

Chou1 wen2 wu3

Chou wen wu

the Chou dynasty had Wen  and Wu; — 

Chou see line 141. 

Wen see line 44. 

Wu is composed of 止 chih to stop, as radical, and 戈 ko spear, weapons; stoppage of hostilities being the ultimate object of war. This etymology is dated back in the Tso Chuan (line 165) to B.C. 595. 

189. 稱三王

Cheng 1 san 1 wang 2 

Entitle three king 

these are called the Three Kings. 

Ch'eng see line 186. 

San see title. 

Wang is composed of three horizontals which stand for heaven, earth, and man in the middle, the line for man being nearer to heaven than to earth, in token of his divine obligations. These are united by a vertical line which typifies the influence of the sovereign. The character was originally a radical, but is now classed under 玉 yü jade. Read wang 11 = to rule. [The two in line 189, King Wen and King Wu, who were father and son, count only as one. For although King Wu was the first sovereign of the Chou dynasty (line 141), King Wen is regarded as its virtual founder, and is thus allowed to share posthumously in the honours of his son. Wen and Wu are the names under which they were severally canonised.]