Lai (), also known as Láiyí (), was an ancient
Dongyi
The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula, and Ja ...
state located in what is now eastern
Shandong Province
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...
, recorded in the ''
Book of Xia''. Tang Shanchun () believes ''lái'' means "mountain" in the
ancient Yue language
The Old Yue language ( zh, c=古越語, p=''Gu Yueyu'') is an unknown unclassified language (or many different languages). It can refer to Yue, which was spoken in the realm of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period. It can also refer to the ...
(古越语), while th
Yue Jue Shu() says ''lai'' means "wilderness".
History
Lai was a traditional enemy of the
State of Qi
Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong.
Qi was founded shortly ...
to its west. As soon as
Jiang Ziya
Jiang Ziya ( century BC – century BC), also known by several other names, was a Chinese noble who helped kings Wen and Wu of Zhou overthrow the Shang in ancient China. Following their victory at Muye, he continued to serve ...
, the first ruler of Qi, was enfeoffed at Qi, the state of Lai attacked its capital at
Yingqiu
Linzi () was the capital of the ancient Chinese state of Qi during the Zhou dynasty. The ruins of the city lie in modern-day Linzi District, Shandong, China. The city was one of the largest and richest in China during the Spring and Autumn Pe ...
. In 567 BC, Lai attacked Qi but was decisively defeated by
Duke Ling of Qi
Duke Ling of Qi (; died 554 BC) was from 581 to 554 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Huan (呂環), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Ling was his pos ...
, and its last ruler Furou,
Duke Gong of Lai, was killed.
Lai was a large state, and Qi more than doubled in size after annexing Lai.
The people were moved to Laiwu
Laiwu () was a prefecture-level city in central Shandong Province, China. Bordered the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east and Tai'an to the southwest, it was the smallest prefecture-level city in the province. It had a ...
, where Mencius
Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...
later called them the ''Qídōng yěrén'' (), the "savages of eastern Qi".
Rulers of Lai
*Furou (), Duke Gong of Lai () ?–567 BC
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lai (State)
Ancient Chinese states
History of Shandong
Zhou dynasty