Su Qin

Who is Su Qin?

Su Qin, was an influential political strategist during the Warring States period of Chinese history. He was born in Chengxuan Village, Luoyang in present day Henan Province. According to legend Su Qin was a disciple of Gui Guzi, the founder of the School of Diplomacy. He was the chief advocate of the Vertical Alliance system, which sought to create an alliance of the other Chinese states against the state of Qin. The opposing theory, "Horizontal Alliance" supported alliances with the State of Qin.

After finishing his studies with Gui Guzi, Su Qin travelled for several years and on his return lamented that "My wife doesn't recognize me as her husband, my sister-in-law doesn't recognize me as her brother-in-law, and my parents don't recognize me as their son!". All these misfortunes he blamed on himself and he thereafter shut himself in his room to study. To prevent falling asleep from long hours of study, he would stab himself in the thigh with a sharp instrument. This practice gave rise to part of a Chinese idiom or "chengyu" simplified Chinese: 懸梁刺股; traditional Chinese: 悬梁刺股 which means "to study assiduously and tirelessly".