Overview
Yu Qing was a Wandering persuader, Zhao high minister, and writer.
IdentityHistorical · Male
Life and dates
Attested activity
Places and affiliations
- Polity Zhao 趙 · Relation Served
Works and attributed material
Events and relationships
Abandoned rank and fled with Wei Qi
Persuaded Qi and induced Qin peace envoy
Diplomatic · Envoy
Recommended accepting Wei alliance
Political · Counselor
Saved Wei Qi from peril
With a glance cast away the minister's seal
Political · Actor
- Relation Friend and companion of · Person Wei Qi (魏齊)
Show 1 more source-backed claim
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment highly-skillful-at-assessing-affairs-and-devising-strategy · Mode historian-judgment Speaker Sima Qian (司馬遷)
- Assessment loyalty-to-Wei-Qi-was-unwise-but-distress-enabled-authorship · Mode historian-judgment Speaker Sima Qian (司馬遷)
References in the histories
No matching passages.
Book of Han, Chapter 104Volume 92: Youxias · 1 passage
Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 1 passage
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 76Biographies of Lord Pingyuan and Yu Qing · 34 passages
虞卿欲以信陵君之存邯鄲為平原君請封。
Yu Qing wished to use the fact that Lord Xinling had saved Handan as a reason to request a further enfeoffment for Lord Pingyuan.
公孫龍聞之，夜駕見平原君曰：「龍聞虞卿欲以信陵君之存邯鄲為君請封，有之乎？」
When Gongsun Long heard this, he drove through the night to see Lord Pingyuan and said: "Long has heard that Yu Qing wishes to use Lord Xinling's saving of Handan to request an enfeoffment for Your Lordship—is this so?"
且虞卿操其兩權，事成，操右券以責；
Moreover, Yu Qing holds both options: if the affair succeeds, he holds the winning tally to demand payment from you.
平原君遂不聽虞卿。
Lord Pingyuan therefore disregarded Yu Qing’s advice.
虞卿者，游說之士也。
Yu Qing was a wandering political strategist.
再見，為趙上卿，故號為虞卿。
After his second meeting, he was made a high minister of Zhao, and thus became known as Yu Qing.
趙王召樓昌與虞卿曰：「軍戰不勝，尉復死，寡人使束甲而趨之，何如？」
The King of Zhao summoned Lou Chang and Yu Qing and said: "Our army was defeated in battle and the commandant has again died. I wish to don armor and rush to the attack—what do you think?"
虞卿曰：「昌言媾者，以為不媾軍必破也。
Yu Qing said: "When Chang speaks of peace, it is because he thinks that if we do not make peace the army will certainly be destroyed.
虞卿曰：「王聽臣，發使出重寶以附楚、魏，楚、魏欲得王之重寶，必內吾使。
Yu Qing said: "If Your Majesty will heed me, send out envoys bearing heavy treasures to win over Chu and Wei. Chu and Wei, wishing to obtain Your Majesty's heavy treasures, will certainly welcome our envoys.
趙王召虞卿曰：「寡人使平陽君為媾於秦，秦已內鄭朱矣，卿之為奚如？」
The King of Zhao summoned Yu Qing and said: "I sent Lord Pingyang to sue for peace with Qin. Qin has already welcomed Zheng Zhu—what do you make of this?"
虞卿對曰：「王不得媾，軍必破矣。
Yu Qing replied: "Your Majesty will not obtain peace; the army will certainly be destroyed.
虞卿謂趙王曰：「秦之攻王也，倦而歸乎？
Yu Qing said to the King of Zhao: "When Qin attacked Your Majesty, did it return because it was weary?
虞卿曰：「秦以其力攻其所不能取，倦而歸，王又以其力之所不能取以送之，是助秦自攻也。
Yu Qing said: "Qin used its strength to attack what it could not take, then returned weary; yet Your Majesty now gives it what its strength could not take. This is helping Qin attack yourself.
王以虞卿之言趙郝。
The King told Zhao Hao what Yu Qing had said.
趙郝曰：「虞卿誠能盡秦力之所至乎？
Zhao Hao said: "Can Yu Qing truly exhaust all the extent of Qin's strength?
王以告虞卿。
The King reported this to Yu Qing.
虞卿對曰：「郝言『不媾，來年秦復攻王，王得無割其內而媾乎』。
Yu Qing replied: "Hao says that if we do not make peace, next year Qin will attack Your Majesty again, and you will have to cede interior lands to obtain peace.
虞卿聞之，入見王曰：「此飾說也，王慎勿予！」
When Yu Qing heard this, he went in to see the king and said: "This is deceptive talk! Your Majesty must be careful not to cede territory!"
王又以虞卿之言告樓緩。
The King again shared Yu Qing's arguments with Lou Huan.
虞卿得其一，不得其二。
Yu Qing has grasped one side of the matter, but he misses the other.
故曰虞卿得其一，不得其二。
Therefore, I say that Yu Qing has grasped one aspect of the situation, but he remains blind to the other.
虞卿聞之，往見王曰：「危哉樓子之所以為秦者，是愈疑天下，而何慰秦之心哉？
When Yu Qing heard this, he went to see the king, saying: "How dangerous! The way Lou Zi acts for Qin only increases the world's suspicions. How can this soothe Qin's heart?
則使虞卿東見齊王，與之謀秦。
He then sent Yu Qing east to meet with the King of Qi and plot against Qin.
虞卿未返，秦使者已在趙矣。
But before Yu Qing could even return, an envoy from Qin had already arrived in Zhao.
趙於是封虞卿以一城。
Thereupon, Zhao enfeoffed Yu Qing with a city.
趙孝成王召虞卿謀。
King Xiaocheng of Zhao called Yu Qing in to discuss the matter.
虞卿入見王。
Yu Qing went in to see the King.
對曰：「魏過。」
Yu Qing replied: "Wei is mistaken."
對曰：「王過。」
Yu Qing replied: "Your Majesty is mistaken."
對曰：「臣聞小國之與大國從事也，有利則大國受其福，有敗則小國受其禍。
Yu Qing replied: "I have heard that when small states deal with large states, if there is profit then the large state receives the blessing; if there is defeat then the small state receives the calamity.
虞卿既以魏齊之故，不重萬戶侯卿相之印，與魏齊閒行，卒去趙，困於梁。
Because of his friendship with Wei Qi, Yu Qing set aside the seal of a marquis of ten thousand households and the rank of high minister. He traveled in secret with Wei Qi and eventually left Zhao, only to find himself in dire straits in Liang.
魏齊已死，不得意，乃著書，上採春秋，下觀近世，曰節義、稱號、揣摩、政謀，凡八篇。
After Wei Qi died and Yu Qing found no other way to fulfill his ambitions, he began to write. Drawing inspiration from the Spring and Autumn Annals of old and observing the events of the modern world, he composed eight chapters on topics such as 'Integrity and Duty,' 'Appellations,' 'Assessment,' and 'Political Strategy.'
虞卿料事揣情，為趙畫策，何其工也！
Yu Qing assessed situations and gauged feelings, devising strategies for Zhao—how skillful he was!
然虞卿非窮愁，亦不能著書以自見於後世云。
Yet, had Yu Qing not known such poverty and sorrow, he might never have written the book that made his name known to all later generations.