During the final years of the Shang Dynasty, the ruler of the vassal state of Guzhu (in present-day Lulong County, Hebei) had three sons. His favorite was the youngest, Shuqi, and he wished to make him crown prince, but tradition dictated the eldest son inherit the throne, leaving the king deeply conflicted.
When the king fell ill and passed away, the ministers honored his final wish and asked the third son, Shuqi, to take the throne. But Shuqi was deeply uneasy. He shared a close bond with his elder brother, Boyi, and believed that as the eldest son, Boyi should rightfully inherit the kingdom. Boyi, however, did not assume the throne simply because he was the firstborn. He repeatedly urged Shuqi to accept the crown, insisting it was their father's command. The two brothers locked in a stalemate of yielding and refusing, until finally, Boyi resolved the deadlock by simply fleeing into exile.
Shu Qi did not assume the throne just because Bo Yi had fled. He believed that according to custom, if the eldest brother was absent, the second brother should inherit. Since he was the third brother, he still could not take the throne. To avoid conflict, he followed Bo Yi's example and also fled. Thus, the people had no choice but to install the second brother as their ruler.
After enduring countless dangers on the road, Shu Qi finally found Bo Yi. The two brothers discussed their situation and agreed that the Yin emperor Zhou was too cruel, with chaos and war spreading everywhere, so they decided to seek refuge with the Western Count of the Zhou kingdom, known as King Wen of Zhou. When the Western Count learned of their identities and background, he was overjoyed and immediately welcomed them to stay.
Soon after, the new king Ji Fa (later known as King Wu of Zhou) ordered his soldiers to don mourning robes and march to war, making a show of attacking the Shang dynasty. Learning of this, Bo Yi and Shu Qi rushed to block the king's chariot and admonished him: "Your father has just died, yet you refuse to properly bury him and instead start a war—can this be called filial? You are a subject, yet you raise arms against your sovereign—can this be called benevolent?"
As soon as the words were spoken, King Wu's attendants raised their long axes to kill them. Jiang Taigong, who was assisting King Wu, quickly stopped them and said to the king:
“They are sons of the Guzhu ruler. Though they opposed our campaign, as subjects of King Zhou, they have fulfilled their duty of loyalty. Let them go.”
King Wu nodded in agreement, and his attendants pushed Bo Yi and Shu Qi aside as the army continued its march. In truth, this eastern campaign was merely a reconnaissance; upon reaching the Yellow River crossing at Mengjin (in present-day Henan Province), the troops turned back.
Two years later, King Wu indeed raised an army to attack the Shang dynasty, swiftly overthrowing it, and King Zhou died by self-immolation. Bo Yi and Shu Qi, believing King Wu's actions were wrong and refusing to serve him as their ruler, retreated to the sparsely populated Shouyang Mountain (in present-day Puzhou, Shanxi Province) to live in seclusion.
Two elderly men refused to serve as subjects of the Zhou Dynasty or eat grain grown on Zhou land. Determined to live off only wild herbs and fruits from the mountains, they made their stand.
Wild herbs and wild fruits could barely fill their stomachs. When winter came, their days grew even harder. Once, while searching for bracken (a type of wild herb) on the mountain, they met a local woman. The woman urged them to go down and find some grain to eat. The two declared they would not eat grain grown on Zhou land. The woman sneered and said:
“Now all under heaven is the land of the Zhou king. The bracken you gather—doesn’t it also grow on Zhou mountains? Since you can eat the bracken, why can’t you eat the grain?”
The two could not answer and slunk away. Starving to death, they sang:
Climbing that Western Mountain.
Gathering those vetch plants.
Replacing violence with violence.
Not yet realizing his own mistake.
The era of Shennong, Emperor Shun, and the Xia Dynasty had long since vanished.
Where then can we find our final resting place?
Oh dear, let's just die then.
Fate Has Decreed We Must Die Here.
Soon after, these two old men, who would rather starve on Shouyang Mountain gathering ferns than serve the new dynasty, ultimately perished from hunger.
Bo Yi and Shu Qi died from refusing to eat Zhou grain, which was naturally unnecessary. Later generations use "Refusing to Eat Zhou Grain" to describe maintaining integrity, preferring death over recognizing a new regime.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Boyi"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "不食周粟" came to describe maintaining integrity, preferring death over recognizing a new regime.