Ancient China · Diplomat and Official

You Yu 由餘

Attested BC 660 - BC 621

Passages: 4
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

You Yu was a Diplomat and Official.

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 660 to BC 621 春秋秦穆公之世
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 128, passage 124
BC 650 由余
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 83, passage 198
BC 659 to BC 621 由余聞之，款關請見
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 68, passage 151

Key source chapters

Origins and identity

Rong 戎
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 83, passage 198

Places and affiliations

Polity Qin 秦 · Relation Visited
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 68, passage 151

Events and relationships

Requested audience
Diplomatic · Visitor · With Five Ram Skin Grand Master (五羖大夫)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 68, passage 151

References in the histories

Book of Jin, Chapter 128Volume 128 Records 28: Murong Chao · 1 passage

'今總章西入，必由餘東歸，禍福之驗，此其兆乎！」 Now the Zongzhang musicians have gone west; surely You Yu will return east. Is this not an omen of fortune and disaster?"

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 68Biography of Lord Shang · 1 passage

由余聞之，款關請見。 You Yu heard of this and knocked at the border to request an audience.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 83Biographies of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang · 2 passages

是以秦用戎人由余而霸中國，齊用越人蒙而彊威、宣。 This is why Qin employed You Yu, a man of the Rong, and achieved hegemony over the Central States; and Qi employed Meng, a man of Yue, and strengthened itself during the reigns of kings Wei and Xuan.

故意合則胡越為昆弟，由余、越人蒙是矣； Thus, when minds are in accord, even the Hu and the Yue become brothers—as the cases of You Yu and Meng of Yue attest.