Baili Xi (; 7th century BC),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Ziming (子明), was an influential

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the state of Qin during the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

of China.

Background

Baili Xi was born during the

, a time of great internal chaos in China. Though talented, he came from a very poor family and was unable to realize his potential by the time he was in his 30s. After much encouragement from his wife, he left home to seek greener pastures and hopefully advance his career ambitions. He went to the prosperous state of Qi to seek his fortune. However, the government was riddled with corruption and he had no money to bribe the officials. Before long, he had used up all his money and was forced to beg in the street. While in Qi, he befriended Jian Shu (蹇叔), another fellow scholar. Jian Shu talked to him and found him extremely talented. Some years later, Baili Xi went to work in the minor state of Yu (虞国). He ended up in the state of Jin. Not wanting the serve the Jin regime, he went south to the state of Chu, another large state. The King of Chu did not know about his talents and sent him to care for the animals instead.

Serving Duke Mu of Qin

Some years later,

Duke Mu of Qin Duke Mu of Qin (died 621BC), born Ying Renhao, was a duke of the state of Qin. Sometimes considered one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Mu greatly expanded the territory of Qin during the reign of King Xiang of Zhou. ...

heard about Baili Xi and inquired of his whereabouts. Upon the advice of his minister, he famously redeemed Baili Xi with five pieces of goatskin. In order to escape detection from the king of Chu, he sent a low-ranking official to meet the king and had Baili Xi transported to Qin in a prisoner's cart. Once in Qin, Duke Mu accorded Baili Xi with great respect and appointed him as his right-hand man. Baili Xi was already in his 70s by that time. He recommended his old friend Jian Shu to Duke Mu. Together, the duo played a major role in Qin's rise to power. Thus, Duke Mu was able to attain "hegemon" status and became one of the "

Five Hegemons The Five Hegemons (), also referred to as the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period (), refers to several especially powerful rulers of Chinese states of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history (770–476 BCE), sometimes alternat ...

of the Spring and Autumn period".

References

* ''Guoyu'', vol. 8 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xi, Baili Qin state people Zhou dynasty government officials