Person

Sima Yi

179–251 · 3rd century

Sima Yi was a general and statesman of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He defended Wei against Zhuge Liang's northern campaigns, destroyed the Gongsun regime in Liaodong in 238, and in 249 seized control of the court in a coup against Cao Shuang, laying the foundations for his grandson's Jin dynasty.

Sima Yi
Image: Ming Zhu Tianran · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Gongsun YanCao Wei

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sima Yi. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sima-yi
MLA
“Sima Yi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sima-yi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sima Yi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sima-yi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sima Yi’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/sima-yi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻