Li Yi

Historical Record

Regarding Li Yi, the official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms contain no explicit record. His life, his deeds, and even whether he existed are impossible to verify in the historical documents. Therefore no objective account of him can be given at the level of historical sources.

In the Novel

In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Yi appears as an otherworldly recluse of mysterious character, endowed with the power to foresee the future. He first appears in chapter eighty-one, when Liu Bei, to avenge Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, mounted a great campaign against Wu and, anxious in his heart about the outcome of the war, sent Chen Zhen to Mount Qingcheng to invite the reclusive Li Yi to come and meet him^[1].

In the novel, Li Yi's appearance is steeped in an aura of immortals. When Chen Zhen reached Mount Qingcheng, gazing afar at the immortal estate, he saw "faint pale clouds, auspicious vapors beyond the ordinary." A young boy came forward to greet him of his own accord and directly named Chen Zhen, declaring that Li Yi had already foreseen that "today there must come an imperial summons; the envoy must be Chen Xiaoqi." This astonished Chen Zhen greatly, and he firmly believed Li Yi to be "a true immortal"^[1].

Only after Chen Zhen's repeated earnest entreaties did Li Yi reluctantly consent to come down from the mountain. When he reached Liu Bei's imperial camp and met the First Ruler, his distinctive features were depicted in detail: "crane-white hair and a youthful face, emerald eyes and square pupils, glittering with light, his body like that of an ancient cypress"^[1]. Seeing this extraordinary man, Liu Bei "treated him with the courtesy of high ritual" and asked him about the fortune of the campaign against Wu. Li Yi, however, at first declined, saying, "This is the will of Heaven, not what this old man can know," unwilling to disclose Heaven's secrets directly^[1].

Under Liu Bei's repeated questioning, Li Yi at last foretold the outcome of the war in a veiled manner. He asked for paper and brush, drew more than forty pictures of soldiers, horses, and weapons, then tore them up one by one. Next he drew a great man lying supine on the ground, with another man digging earth to bury him, and above wrote a large character "white," then bowed his head and departed^[1]. This series of acts in fact hinted at the rout of the Shu Han army and Liu Bei's final end. At the time, however, Liu Bei did not grasp the deeper meaning; instead he was "displeased and said to his ministers: 'This is a crazed old man! Not worth believing!' and burned the pictures with fire, then urged the army to advance"^[1]. Through the figure of Li Yi, the novel not only lays the groundwork for the failure of Liu Bei's campaign against Wu, but further heightens the fatalistic coloring of the inevitability of Heaven's will and the limits of human effort. Li Yi's image is the typical prophet and otherworldly recluse of the novel, his words and deeds full of symbolic meaning rather than direct narration.

Key Relationships

* Liu Bei (advises_in): Li Yi's relationship with Liu Bei is reflected chiefly in his being summoned by Liu Bei and, in a veiled manner, foretelling and admonishing him about the campaign against Wu (unique to the novel)^[1]. Although Liu Bei failed to understand and adopt his "advice," Li Yi was undoubtedly one of the sages Liu Bei sought out when facing a major decision, even though his wisdom was presented in an unconventional way.
* Chen Zhen (messenger_of): Chen Zhen was the envoy Liu Bei dispatched to Mount Qingcheng to invite Li Yi (unique to the novel)^[1]. Through the conversation between Chen Zhen and Li Yi's young attendant, Li Yi's power to foresee the future is displayed from the side, and it was Chen Zhen who brought about the meeting between Li Yi and Liu Bei.

Iconic Scenes

* The Meeting at the Immortal Estate on Mount Qingcheng: Chen Zhen, on Liu Bei's order, went to Mount Qingcheng to invite Li Yi. At the immortal estate, Li Yi's young attendant was able to foresee Chen Zhen's arrival and identity, displaying Li Yi's extraordinary insight and mysterious aura (unique to the novel)^[1]. This scene establishes Li Yi's image as an otherworldly recluse.
* The Prophecy by Drawing in the Imperial Camp: In Liu Bei's imperial camp, faced with Liu Bei's inquiry about the fortune of the campaign against Wu, Li Yi did not speak plainly but, by drawing pictures of soldiers, horses, and weapons and then tearing them up, and by drawing a great man lying supine and being buried with the character "white" written above, obliquely foretold the disastrous defeat of Liu Bei's campaign against Wu and his own end (unique to the novel)^[1]. This is Li Yi's most iconic act in the novel and the core embodiment of his prophetic power, though Liu Bei failed to grasp it at the time.