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Empress Wang Fahui (Chinese: 王法慧; c.360 – 24 October 380), formally Empress Xiaowuding (孝武定皇后, literally "the filial, martial, and quieting empress") was an empress during the Jin Dynasty (266–420). Her husband was Emperor Xiaowu. She was a niece of Wang Muzhi, another empress of the Eastern Jin.

Life

When Emperor Xiaowu was due to marry, the regent Xie An wanted to look for a noble family that was meek and virtuous. Since he respected Wang Fahui's father Wang Yun (王蘊) and brother Wang Gong (王恭) greatly, he personally visited Wang Fahui to examine her, and he was impressed with her politeness and beauty. On 1 October 375, he therefore selected her as Emperor Xiaowu's empress. He was 13 and she was 15.

Once she became empress, however, she became obsessed with drinking and was also proud and jealous, and Emperor Xiaowu was displeased. He therefore summoned Wang Yun, his father-in-law, to ask him to counsel his daughter to change her ways. Wang, during this meeting, became so fearful that he took off his hat to apologize. He then rebuked her, and she changed her behavior. She died in October 380 and was buried with honors due an empress. She did not bear any sons.

References

1. Lady Wang's biography in Book of Jin indicated that she was 21 (by East Asian reckoning) when she died. Thus by calculation, her birth year should be about 360, i.e. the 4th year of the Sheng'ping era of the reign of Emperor Mu of Jin. The year corresponds to 3 Feb 360 to 20 Feb 361 in the Julian calendar, and has 13 months due to an additional leap month.
2. guiwei day of the 9th month of the 5th year of the Taiyuan era, per Emperor Xiaowu's biography in Book of Jin
3. guisi day of the 8th month of the 3rd year of the Ningkang era, per Emperor Xiaowu's biography in Book of Jin
4. (后性嗜酒骄妒，帝深患之。乃召蕴于东堂，具说后过状，令加训诫。蕴免冠谢焉。后于是少自改饰) Jin Shu vol. 32

• 360s births
• 380 deaths
• Jin dynasty (266–420) empresses
• 4th-century Chinese women
• 4th-century Chinese people