Bo Pi (; died 473 BC) was an official in the state of
Wu in the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...
of ancient China.
His grandfather, Bo Zhouli, who was an official in the state of
Chu
Chu or CHU may refer to:
Chinese history
* Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty
* Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu
* Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the Ha ...
, was executed, and Bo Pi fled to Wu, where he served as an adviser to the king of Wu. During a war with the state of
Yue, in which Wu had the upper hand, Bo Pi was bribed with lavish gifts from King
Goujian of Yue. Bo Pi then influenced King
Fuchai of Wu to make peace with the state of Yue despite objections from another advisor of King Fuchai,
Wu Zixu, who warned of a possible future attack by Yue.
During Goujian's captivity in the state of Wu as a slave, he continued to bribe Bo Pi. This contributed to Goujian's return to Yue after three years. Meanwhile, the two advisers competed for the king's trust, until Bo Pi convinced Fuchai to execute Wu Zixu for treason. With Wu Zixu's death, Wu weakened as Fuchai refused to listen to good counsel. In contrast, Yue was growing stronger, with
Wen Zhong and
Fan Li as Goujian's advisors.
Ten years after Goujian was allowed to return to Yue, while King Fuchai waged another campaign in the state of
Qi, King Goujian made a backstabbing attack on Wu. Due to years of neglect, Wu fell easily, just as Wu Zixu had warned. Bo Pi was executed by King Goujian for disloyalty to the former King Fuchai and, ironically, for accepting gifts from foreign rulers.
External links
* ''
Records of the Grand Historian'',
volume 31,
volume 41
473 BC deaths
Year of birth unknown
Chu state people
Wu (state)
5th-century BC Chinese people
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