Overview
The translated histories identify Yi Yin as a general, hermit, named individual, and official. This record brings together 54 passages from 28 chapters across 8 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.
Names
| Type | English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Yi Yin | 伊尹 | Yī Yǐn |
| Alternate | Aheng | 阿衡 | |
| Personal | Yi | 伊 | |
| Personal name | Yi | 伊 | Yi |
| Alternate | Yi | 伊 | Yi |
| Personal | Yi | 伊 | Yi |
| Personal name | Yi | 伊 | |
| Personal | Yi | 伊 | Yī |
| Personal name | Yi Yin | 伊尹 | Yī Yǐn |
| Personal | Yi Yin | 伊 | Yi Yin |
| Personal name | Yi Yin | 伊 | Yī |
| Personal | Yi Yin | 伊尹 | Yi Yin |
| Title | Yi Yin | 阿衡 | |
| Personal name | Yi Yin | 伊尹 | |
| Personal name | Yi Yin | 伊尹 | Yi Yin |
| Personal name | Yi Yin | 伊 | Yi |
| Personal | Yi Yin | 伊尹 |
Identity
- Historicity
- Uncertain
- Identification
- Named
- Sex
- Male
- Sex: maleStrongly inferred · beiqishu:048:s0043, chenshu:020:s0037, chenshu:029:s0098, hanshu:076:s0315, hanshu:098:s0106, hanshu:101:s0022, hanshu:103:s0052, houhanshu:031:s0157, houhanshu:032:s0073, houhanshu:032:s0105, nanqishu:004:s0076, nanqishu:036:s0004, shiji:057:s0229, shiji:063:s0100, shiji:124:s0009, zhoushu:023:s0294
- Sex: male
- Value: maleStrongly inferred · shiji:013:s413, shiji:074:s0045
Roles
- General
- Hermit
- Named Individual
- Official
- Statesman
- Strategist
Life and dates
Death
- Manner: unspecifiedExplicit · shiji:003:s0092
- Explicit · shiji:013:s414
Attested activity
- Source Date: Text: 伊尹負於鼎俎 · Qualitative: legendary antiquityExplicit · shiji:124:s0009
- Qualitative: legendary antiquityExplicit · beiqishu:028:s0089, beiqishu:048:s0043, beiqishu:050:s0056, chenshu:020:s0037, chenshu:029:s0098, hanshu:025:s0100, hanshu:098:s0106, hanshu:101:s0131, houhanshu:032:s0073, houhanshu:032:s0105, nanqishu:004:s0076, nanqishu:036:s0134, nanqishu:047:s0082, shiji:057:s0229, shiji:063:s0100, shiji:078:s0154, zhoushu:023:s0294
- Source Date: Text: 伊尹、呂尚之謀 · Western Year: BC 1600Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:103:s0052
- Source Date: Text: 伊尹 · Western Interval: Start: BC 1600 · End: BC 1300
- Source Date: Text: 伊尹去夏入商 · Western Interval: Start: BC 1600 · End: BC 1500Explicit event contextual date · sanguozhi:062:s0155
- Source Date: Text: 商初 · Western Interval: Start: BC 1600 · End: BC 1500Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:031:s0157
- Western Interval: Start: BC 1600 · End: BC 1500 · Source Date: Text: 或曰，伊尹負鼎而勉湯以王，百里奚飯牛車下而繆公用霸，作先合，然後引之大道。Strongly inferred · shiji:074:s0045
- Source Date: Text: 談者皆擬於阿衡 · Western Year: BC 1600Explicit · hanshu:099:s0067
Family
- Kinship Role: descendants · Status: held states alongside Shang and Zhou · Quantity: unknownExplicit · hanshu:025:s0100
Career and standing
- Label: cook / 庖Explicit · shiji:063:s0100
- Label: administrator of the realm / 國政 · Action: appointedExplicit · shiji:003:s0034
- Rank: duke or marquis / 公侯Explicit · hanshu:076:s0319
Places and affiliations
- Place: Bo / 亳 · Relation: buried-atExplicit · shiji:003:s0093
Works and attributed material
- Work: All Possess One Virtue / 咸有一德 · Relation: authorExplicit · shiji:003:s0079
Events and relationships
- Kind: political · Role: agent · Action: banished · Other Person Id: Taijia (太甲) · Place: Tong palace / 桐宮Explicit · shiji:003:s0086
- Kind: political · Role: adviser · Action: carried tripod and urged Tang to become king · Other Person Id: Tang (湯)Explicit · shiji:074:s0045
- Kind: personal · Role: subject · Action: labored among cooking vesselsExplicit · shiji:124:s0009
- Kind: allusion · Role: exemplar · Action: recalled as cook-minister archetypeExplicit · zhoushu:023:s0406
- Kind: military · Role: commanderExplicit · hanshu:025:s0100
- Relation: minister-of · Person Id: Tang (湯)Explicit · shiji:074:s0045
- Relation: served · Person Id: Tang (湯)Explicit · houhanshu:032:s0073
- Type: served · Person Id: Tang (湯)Explicit · hanshu:076:s0315
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment: sage · Provenance: Mode: quotation · Speaker Person Id: Han Fei (韓非)Explicit · shiji:063:s0101
Source notes
- Field: how-met-Tang · Statement: either entered as Youxin cook-attendant or was invited five times as a recluseExplicit · shiji:003:s0032, shiji:003:s0033
- Historicity: legendaryExplicit · beiqishu:028:s0001, beiqishu:048:s0043
References in the histories
Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.