Zhang Yi

A Chinese politician and lobbier during the Warring States period. He was from the state of Wei. He studied under Guiguzi along with Su Qin. When he was campaigning in Chu, he was whipped hundreds of times on suspicion of stealing the Xiang Bi of Chu. His wife urged him to stop campaigning, but he replied, "As long as I have this tongue, I'll be fine." As a strategy to maintain his alliance with the Qin, Su Qin sent Zhang Yi to Qin to serve King Hui. However, he was trusted by King Hui and campaigned for Qin to the six states of Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Qi, and Chu, and successfully negotiated an alliance with Qin (the word "renko" means "horizontal"; Qin in the west and the six states in the east each formed a horizontal alliance), defeating the Hezhong strategy. He was disliked by King Wu, who succeeded King Hui, and hated by his ministers, so he fled to Wei, where he became a prime minister and died within a year. Along with Su Qin, he is counted among the "Vertical and Horizontal" families of the Hundred Families.

[Ota Yukio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、戦国時代の政治家、遊説の士。魏(ぎ)国の出身。蘇秦(そしん)とともに鬼谷子(きこくし)に師事。楚(そ)に遊説したとき、楚の相(しょう)の璧(へき)を盗んだ疑いで数百回笞(むち)打たれたため、妻が遊説中止を勧めたが、「この舌があればだいじょうぶだ」といった故事は有名。蘇秦がその合縦（従）(がっしょう)策を維持する策略として、張儀を秦(しん)に送り、恵(けい)王に仕えさせた。しかしそこで恵王の厚い信頼を受け、秦のために燕(えん)、趙(ちょう)、魏、韓(かん)、斉(せい)、楚の六国に遊説して、それぞれが秦と個別に同盟する連衡(れんこう)策（衡は横の意、西方の秦と東方の六国がおのおの横に同盟すること）を成功させ、合縦を打ち破った。恵王の次の武(ぶ)王からは好まれず、群臣からも憎まれたため魏に逃れ、相となって1年で没した。蘇秦とともに、諸氏百家の縦横(じゅうおう)家に数えられる。

［太田幸男］

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