kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

State of Yu

1046 BCE – 655 BCE (approx.) · capital Yu

A Ji-clan state in southern Shanxi that let Jin's army through to attack its neighbour Guo and was destroyed on the way back, the origin of the saying 'lips gone, teeth cold'.

Origins

Yu traced its founding to Zhongyong, brother of Taibo and uncle of King Wen of Zhou; after the conquest his descendants were confirmed at Yu, near modern Pinglu in south-western Shanxi, on the north bank of the Yellow River.

Rule and society

Yu was a small duchy close to both the State of Jin and Western Guo, and its security rested on cooperation with Guo. Little else is known of its institutions beyond the episode that ended it, recorded in the Zuo zhuan and Gongyang commentary.

Decline and legacy

In 658 and 655 BCE Duke Xian of Jin gave the Duke of Yu fine jade and horses in exchange for passage to attack Guo. The minister Gong Zhiqi warned that Yu and Guo were like lips and teeth, but was ignored. After taking Guo in 655 BCE Jin seized Yu as well.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Yu. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-yu
MLA
“State of Yu.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-yu. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Yu.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-yu.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Yu’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-yu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻