16 Facts About Xun Yi

Xun Yi, courtesy name Jingqian, was a Chinese politician of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China.

Xun Yi was born in the influential Xun family as the sixth son of Xun Yu, a prominent statesman of the late Eastern Han dynasty and an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao.

Xun Yi was a tutor to the third Wei emperor, Cao Fang.

Xun Yi was commissioned as a Cavalry Commandant and awarded the title of a Secondary Marquis.

In 260, after his maternal nephew Chen Tai died, Xun Yi replaced him as a Supervisor and took charge of the Ministry of Personnel.

Xun Yi was known for his filial piety, which he maintained even when he was already in his 60s.

Xun Yi proposed to the Wei imperial court to allow Yang Hu, Ren Kai, Geng Jun, Ying Zhen and Kong Hao to assist him, and they collectively drafted a set of rules governing imperial protocol and etiquette.

Xun Yi was promoted from a district marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Linhuai".

Later, Xun Yi was concurrently appointed as a Palace Attendant and promoted to Grand Marshal, putting him in charge of military affairs and in command of 100 of the emperor's close guards.

Shortly after, Xun Yi was given an additional appointment as acting Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Xun Yi died in 274 during the Taishi era of Emperor Wu's reign.

Emperor Wu held a grand state funeral for Xun Yi and ordered the crown prince Sima Zhong to pay respects at the funeral.

Xun Yi was very familiar with the rules of decorum and propriety, having read and known by heart the contents of books such as Etiquette and Ceremonial, Book of Rites and Rites of Zhou.

When it was time for the crown prince Sima Zhong to marry, Xun Yi nominated Jia Nanfeng, Jia Chong's daughter to be the prince's consort.

Xun Yi had no son when he died so he had no one to inherit his peerage and dukedom.

Sometime in the late 380s, Xun Xu, a great-great-grandnephew of Xun Yi, inherited the peerage as the "Duke of Linhuai".