Oct 26, 2012 © Ulrich Theobald
You Yu 由余, also called Yao Yu 繇余, was a high minister in the state of Qin 秦 during the late Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent. BCE). He hailed from the nomad tribes of the Western Rong 西戎, or even was a subject of the regional state of Jin 晉 who had fled for political reasons to the land of the Rong.
He occupied a high position in the government of the native king of the Rong and was sent as an envoy to the court of Duke Mu of Qin 秦穆公 (r. 659-621). The Duke had a conversation with You Yu and perceived him as a competent person. You Yu was therefore asked to stay at the court of Qin, but he refused. Liao 廖, chamberlain for the capital (neishi 內史) therefore suggested to the Duke to send to the king of the Rong a group of female dancers that lured the barbarian ruler into a licentious lifestyle. The native king wholly neglected his people and even refused to accept You Yu's admonishions to abstain from wine and women.
You Yu finally decided to give up and offered Duke Mu of Qin his services. He was rewarded with the family name of You 由 and entrusted with the command of an army that was to conquer the land of the Rong. You Yu was appointed senior minister (shangqing 上卿) and was bestowed the land of the Rong as a territory.
There was a book attributed to You Yu that is called You Yu shu 由余書.
Sources:
Gao Wende 高文德, ed. (1995). Zhongguo shaoshu minzu shi da cidian 中國少數民族史大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin jiaoyu chubanshe), 564.
Huang Banghe 黃邦和, Pi Mingxiu 皮明庥, ed. (1987). Zhong-wai lishi renwu cidian 中外歷史人物詞典 (Changsha: Hunan renmin chubanshe), 76.
Huang Huixian 黃惠賢, ed. (1994). Ershiwushi renming da cidian 二十五史人名大辭典 (Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou guji chubanshe), Vol. 1, 5.
Li Shuping 李淑萍 (2000). "You Yu 由余", in Zhonghua Qin wenhua cidian 中華秦文化辭典 (Xi'an: Xibei daxue chubanshe), 146.
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Zhang Huizhi 張撝之, Shen Qiwei 沈起煒, Liu Dezhong 劉德重, ed (1999). Zhongguo lidai renming da cidian 中國歷代人名大辭典 (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe), Vol. 1, 423.
Zhang Ke 張克, Huang Kangbo 黃康白, Huang Fangdong 黃方東, ed. (1991). Shiji renwu cidian 史記人物辭典 (Nanning: Guangxi renmin chubanshe), 86.
Zhang Yonglu 張永祿, ed. (1993). Handai Chang'an cidian 漢代長安詞典 (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin chubanshe), 240.
Zhuang Hanxin 莊漢新, Guo Juyuan 郭居園, eds. (1991). Zhongguo gujin mingren da cidian 中國古今名人大辭典 (Beijing: Jingguan jiaoyu chubanshe), 117.
