Has there really been a figure of Xi Shi in history?
If so, is her really called Shi Yiguang?
A while ago, there was a friend Aite I talked about the influence of a certain game, and now everyone seems to have become a consensus on the fact that Xi Shi's real name is Shi Yiguang, including a certain encyclopedia.
The friend feared that if this was a historical rumor, the impact would already be great.
I think this kind of worry is very necessary, so let's talk about Xi Shiqiren today, and whether she is called Shi Yiguang.
Xi Shi, well known as one of the four beauties of the ancient continent.
Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Wu and the State of Yue fought against each other, and after the defeat of the State of Yue, the King of Yue was captured, but the undead King of Yue adopted the strategy of the courtiers, while waiting for the opportunity while lying down and tasting the courage, while using the strategy to eat the foundation of the State of Wu. And the beauty plan of using xi shi envoys is one of the plots of the literary genre.
A few years later, Xi Shi, who had retired from Wu and retired from the army, and another of Yue's advisers, Fan Li lǐ, went into hiding in the mountains.
This is probably the most familiar version of the story.
Regarding the Wu-Yue War in the Spring and Autumn Period, it was first found in the Zuo Zhuan, and there are still many records in the pre-Qin classics.
("(Lu Zhaogong 32) Xia, Wu Vayue, began to use the division yu Yueye.) ——"Spring and Autumn Left Biography", Zhao Gong, Zhao Gong 32 Years, Zuo Qiu Ming (Eastern Zhou))
There are also many records of Xi Shi in the pre-Qin classics, but more often as a "lyrical background board". For example, Qu Yuan's "Nine Chapters" says, "Although there is the beauty of Xi Shi, jealousy is self-substituted." ——" Chu Ci, Liu Xiang (Western Han)
That is to say, even if he looks as good as Xi Shi, he will suffer jealousy and frame-up, and finally be replaced by ugly people. In this way, it is used to express the political dissatisfaction of the Qu people.
However, in many records related to Xi Shi (in the pre-Qin period), there has never been an introduction to his life style, let alone Xi Shi's participation in the Wu-Vietnam War.
Even in the Western Han Dynasty, there was no record of the "Records of History" in which the War against Wuyue and Fan Liqi had a lot of ink.
It was not until the Eastern Han Dynasty, the relationship between Xi Shi and Wu Yue war, that it appeared in some miscellaneous histories such as "Yue Jie Shu" and "Wu Yue Chunqiu" and so on.
In the Book of Yue Jie, it is said: "Yue Nai as the beautiful women Xi Shi and Zheng Dan, so that the doctor species was dedicated to the King of Wu" - "Book of Yue Jie", vol. 12 Yuan Kang and Wu Ping (Eastern Han)
In the "Wu Yue Chunqiu", it is said: "It is the daughter of the man who has obtained the salary of the lotus mountain in the kingdom of the xiang, known as Xi Shi and Zheng Dan." Three years of study and dedication to Wu. ——" Wu Yue Chunqiu, Volume IX, Zhao Ye (Eastern Han)
However, it should be noted that at this time, only Xi Shi's participation in the Wuyue War was mentioned, and her relationship with Fan Li was not mentioned.
Regarding her life, it is only said that she was born in Zhuji, Shaoxing, Zhejiang), and her father sold firewood (鬻 salary), and did not talk about more, such as his real name is Shi Yiguang.
Yiguang's name first appeared during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, when the Former Qin novelist Wang Jia wrote a Zhiwei novel called "The Book of Collecting Remains", which mentioned: "The more beautiful women there are, one Yiguang, two Xiuming, to pay tribute to Wu." ——The Book of Collected Remains, Vol. 3, Wang Jia (Sixteen Kingdoms, Former Qin)
Both Xi Shi and Zheng Dan had new names.
But "The Book of Collected Remains" is a novel, or a zhiwei novel. If I can take it as evidence, then I can also say that Xiang Yu's biological father, who is not mentioned in the "Records of History", is actually called Xiang Shaolong, because it is written in the "Book of Seeking Qin".
The name Yiguang also has a time in other literature that does not belong to Xi Shi.
The Song Dynasty's collection of novels, Taiping Guangji, contains a zhiwei novel called "Poor Monster Record" written by a famous author of the Sui Dynasty, which mentions: "(Xi Shi zhi zhi zhi zhi:) 'Concubine Ben Huansha's daughter, Wu Wang's Ji ... Yi Guang is the daughter of King Yue and king of Wu in Yuexi. ——"Taiping Guangji, vol. 326 (quoted in The Poor Monster Record) Li Fang (Northern Song Dynasty)
This story is to say that in the Southern Dynasty Liang Kingdom during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was an official eunuch named Liu Dao, who went out to play one day and met two fairies. One was named Xi Shi, who was the concubine of King Wu at that time. The other was called Yi Guang, who was originally the daughter of King Yue and later dedicated to King Wu. Later, it is even mentioned that there is a bit of a lily bridge section today: "(Xi Shi zhi zhi zhi:) 'Concubines and Yi Guang love each other, sit at the same table, and go out in the same car.'" ——"Taiping Guangji, vol. 326 (quoted in The Poor Monster Record) Li Fang (Northern Song Dynasty)
Of course, at that time, it was definitely friendship, just like Liu Guanzhang.
So, the owner of the name Yiguang, in another novel, and Xi Shi are two people.
The emotional drama between Xi Shi and Fan Li did not appear until the Tang Dynasty.
Lu Guangwei, a scholar of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a local chronicle called "Wu Di Ji", "(Jiaxing County) county south of a hundred miles of Yu'er Pavilion, Gou Jian ordered Fan Li to take the west to give fu cha, Xi Shi Yulu and Fan Li sneaked through, three years ago reached Wu, and gave birth to a son." ——" Wu Di Ji, Lu Guangwei (Tang)
It turned out that Old Brother Fan Li had brought a green hat to King Wu early on, and the children were born.
But more Tang Dynasty literati could not imagine adding drama to the story like Lu Guangwei. In the spirit of "adaptation is not a random fabrication, joke is not nonsense", they are still honestly creating poems according to the blueprint of the stories of their predecessors.
For example, Li Bai's "Xi Shi":
"Xi Shi Yue Xi Woman, from The Ramadan Mountain...
Huan sha makes clear water, since and Qingbo idle...
Gou Jian zhen yan, Yang moth into Wu Guan...
Once the husband sent the country, Qianqiu did not pay it back. --Xi Shi, Li Bai (Tang)
A beautiful woman who loved to wash clothes from the Yue Kingdom's Meta-Luo Mountain participated in the Wu-Yue War, and disappeared after the fall of the Wu Kingdom.
All the story elements are not gathered.
What about Shi Yiguang?
According to my own search, there are dozens of poems in Tang poems that mention Xi Shi, but none mention Yiguang's capital.
(It could also be my negligence, and corrections are welcome.) ）
It was not until the Ming and Qing dynasties that the word Yiguang appeared frequently.
For example, the late Ming poet Wu Weiye wrote: "The spring grass grows by FanLi Lake, and Chu Tian returns to Zaiyiguang." ”
Another example is what Wu Zao, a female lyricist in the Qing Dynasty, did: "Jun did not see the jade wave swaying double lotus cold, and the captain did not take a picture at that time." And did not see Shi Yiguang, Zheng Xiuming, Guan Wa Palace Pǐ Tui xǐ Gallery end, Sutai empty with moss peanuts. ”
It can be seen that at least before the Ming Dynasty, Yiguang was still a very small concept.
The reason why this niche suddenly became popular is because the story of Xi Shi took a big leap in the Ming Dynasty.
The famous Kunlu opera "Huan Sha Ji" was created during the Ming Jiajing period. In the play, the lover identity of Fan Li and Xi Shi has also become the mother of almost all similar stories in later generations.
In the Qing Dynasty, "Dream of the Red Chamber", one of the four famous works, frequently mentioned Xi Shi, and Cao Xueqin even borrowed Lin Daiyu's handwriting to write a seven-word poem: "A generation of cities and waves, Wu Gongkong remembers his children's home." Serve pín Mo xiao Dongcun woman, head white creek side of the huan yarn. ——"Dream of the Red Chamber", the sixty-fourth time, Cao Xueqin (Qing)
We can actually draw a conclusion.
The name "Xi Shi" was indeed synonymous with beauty in the pre-Qin period, but it was only a synonym, not linked to any historical event, nor did it have any detailed description of her life and name.
It was not until the Eastern Han Dynasty that some people began to name the beauties of the Wuyue War as Xi Shi.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, when the style of novels was prevalent, many people would recreate the stories of Xi Shi that only appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In addition to adding a divine aura to xishiqi, he also gave her a name, that is, Yiguang.
In the Tang Dynasty, with the popularity of poetry, the stories of the past were turned over by the literati to be sung, and at this time, the emotional descriptions of Xi Shi and Fan Li also appeared.
By the time of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, opera and novels had matured enough that Xi Shi's story had become what we are familiar with today.
As for whether Xi Shi is called Shi Yiguang or not?
I'll go to an encyclopedia to change Xiang Yu's entry.
bibliography:
"Fan Li Xishi Story Flow and Cultural Implications" Zhu Zhifen
"On the Acceptance of the Story of Xi Shi before the Tang Dynasty" Li Shuqin
"On the Reshaping of the Image of Xi Shi in Tang Poetry" Li Shuqin
"The "Woman of the Red Chamber" and Cao Xueqin's Xishi Complex" Wang Wei
A Study of the Story of Xi Shi in Ancient Japanese Literature by Cheng Guoxing