Ji Bu ( 200s BC) was a Chinese military general of the early

Western 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 war ...

. He was from Xiaxiang (下相; present-day Sucheng District, Suqian,

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

). He previously served under

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 dyna ...

, a warlord who engaged Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founder of the Han dynasty, in a four-year-long power struggle historically known as the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC). After Xiang Yu's defeat and death, Ji Bu became a fugitive of the Han Empire and had a price placed on his head by Emperor Gaozu. However, the emperor eventually pardoned him after being persuaded by

Xiahou Ying Xiahou Ying (died 172 BC), posthumously known as Marquis Wen of Ruyin, was a Chinese official who served as Minister Coachman () during the early Han dynasty. He served under Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty, a ...

and recruited him to serve in the Han government as a "Palace Assistant" (). He was promoted to the position of "General of the Household" () after Emperor Hui ascended the throne, and was appointed as the Administrator () of

Hedong Commandery Hedong Commandery () was a historical region in the Qin and Han dynasties of ancient China. Hedong was located to the east of the Yellow River in Shanxi (around present-day Yuncheng). History Hedong Commandery was established by the Qin state ...

during the reign of Emperor Wen.

Anecdote

The Chinese idiom ''yi nuo qian jin'' (), which is used to describe a situation where a promise is kept, was derived from a saying about Ji Bu: "a hundred '' jin'' of gold is nothing compared to a promise from Ji Bu".

References

* Sima Qian. ''

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 his ...

'' (''Shi Ji'') vol. 100. Han dynasty generals from Jiangsu Chu–Han contention people {{China-bio-stub