Li Yiji (268–204 BC)
[Note that Li Yiji's given name 食其 is pronounced "Yìjī" and not "Shíqí" in Mandarin. The Chinese character 食, when used in a person's name, is pronounced "Yì". The Chinese character 基 did not exist during the Han dynasty, and the 土 radical was only added later, so 其 is pronounced "jī" in ancient Chinese just like 基 in modern Chinese.] was a Chinese philosopher and politician. He served as a political adviser to
Liu Bang
Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Empe ...
, the founding emperor of the
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
. His brother
Li Shang
Li Shang (died 180 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician of the early Western Han dynasty. He was the brother of Li Yiji, an advisor to Liu Bang
Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy na ...
, served as a military general under the Han dynasty.
Life
Li Yiji was from Gaoyang, Chenliu (near present-day
Kaifeng
Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
). He joined Liu Bang in around 207 BC when Liu rebelled against the
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...
. Liu Bang's rebel army was preparing to attack the city of Chenliu, when Li Yiji came to Liu's camp and requested to see Liu, identifying himself as a
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
scholar. Liu Bang disliked scholars and did not want to meet Li Yiji. Li Yiji was furious and he shouted at the sentry, "You go in and tell the Duke of Pei (Liu Bang) that I'm a drinker from Gaoyang, not a scholar!" Liu Bang was pleased when he heard that a drinker wanted to meet him and he immediately prepared a feast to welcome Li Yiji.
Li Yiji chided Liu Bang for his rude behaviour upon meeting the latter. Liu Bang was embarrassed and he apologised, and then asked Li Yiji for ideas on how to conquer Chenliu. Li Yiji returned to Chenliu and attempted to persuade the magistrate to surrender to Liu Bang, but the magistrate refused. Li Yiji then led his men to kill the magistrate and sent a messenger to Liu Bang. Liu Bang led his army to attack Chenliu and the Qin soldiers gave up when they saw that the magistrate had been killed. Liu Bang gained more than 10,000 new troops and many supplies after conquering Chenliu.
In 204 BC, during the
Chu–Han Contention
The Chu–Han Contention ( zh, , lk=on) or Chu–Han War () was an interregnum period in ancient China between the fallen Qin dynasty and the subsequent Han dynasty. After the third and last Qin ruler, Ziying, unconditionally surrendered t ...
, when Liu Bang was besieged by
Xiang Yu
Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...
's forces in
Xingyang
Xingyang (), is a county-level city of Henan Province, South Central China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou. It is situated 15 kilometers to the west of Zhengzhou city proper. The population of Xingyang i ...
, Li Yiji suggested to Liu Bang to recreate the former states of the
Warring States period
The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...
and install the descendants of their royal families on their respective thrones. This plan was intended to help Liu Bang gain the support of the vassal states' rulers, who would help him in the war against Xiang Yu. Liu Bang initially applauded Li Yiji's idea, but he dismissed Li's plan later after listening to
Zhang Liang Zhang Liang is the romanization of common names like 張良, 張亮 and 張梁.
張良
* Zhang Liang (Western Han) (died 189 BC), early Han dynasty strategist
** Zhang Liang, an animation character from the animated TV series ''The Legend of Qin'' ...
's opinion that the states were more likely to support
Western Chu
Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou hea ...
instead as Chu was superior to
Han
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
in terms of military might.
Later that year, Li Yiji volunteered to persuade the rival
Qi kingdom to surrender to Liu Bang. He travelled to Qi and managed to convince
Tian Guang
''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their supreme god as '' Shàngdì'' (, "Lo ...
(King of Qi) to submit to Liu Bang. However, Liu Bang's general
Han Xin
Han Xin (; 231/230–196 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han dynasty. Han Xin was named as one of the "Three Heroes of the ea ...
, who was initially ordered to attack Qi, was unaware of the change in plan. Following the advice of
Kuai Tong
KUAI (570 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a "Real Country" 70s 80s 90s early 2000s format. Licensed to Eleele in the U.S. state of Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pa ...
, Han Xin made a surprise attack on Qi and conquered
Lixia
''Lìxià'' is the 7th solar term according to the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, which divides a year into 24 solar terms (節氣).
It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 45° and ends when it reaches the longit ...
and
Linzi (the Qi capital). Tian Guang felt that Li Yiji had betrayed him and he had Li boiled alive.
After Liu Bang became emperor and established the Han dynasty in 202 BC, he enfeoffed Li Yiji's son, Li Jie (), as the Marquis of Gaoliang ().
Drinker from Gaoyang
The Chinese term ''gaoyang jiutu'' (), which originated from the remark made by Li Yiji when Liu Bang refused to see him, is used to describe someone who indulges heavily in alcohol and behaves in a wanton and unrestrained manner.
References
*
Sima Qian
Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...
. ''
Records of the Grand Historian
''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...
'', Volume 97.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Yiji
Chu–Han contention people
268 BC births
204 BC deaths
3rd-century BC executions
Chinese Confucianists
Chinese political philosophers
Executed Han dynasty people
Executed people from Henan
Han dynasty philosophers
Han dynasty politicians from Henan
People executed by boiling
People executed by China
Philosophers from Henan
Politicians from Kaifeng