During the Warring States period, there was a nobleman of the Qin state named Chulizi, also known as Ji. Because he lived in the Chuli area on the south bank of the Wei River west of King Zhao's temple (present-day Weinan, Shaanxi), people called him "Chulizi." He was the half-brother of King Hui of Qin, sharing the same father but a different mother, who was from the state of Han.
Chulizi was witty and resourceful, so the Qin people greatly admired him, calling him "the Brain Trust." For his repeated military achievements, he was granted the title "Lord Yan," and during King Wu of Qin's reign, he served as Left Chancellor alongside Gan Mao as Right Chancellor.
In the seventh year of King Zhao of Qin, the strategist Chulizi died and was buried east of Zhangtai on the southern bank of the Wei River. Before his death, he predicted, "A hundred years from now, a heavenly palace will flank my tomb." When the Han dynasty rose, the Changle Palace was built to its east and the Weiyang Palace to its west, with an armory directly facing his grave—all his prophecies came true. Because of Chulizi's cunning wisdom and the many sound strategies he devised for Qin, he was deeply loved and respected by the people. A common saying among the Qin folk went, "For martial might, look to Ren Bi; for strategic brilliance, count on Chulizi."
"Wisdom bag" means a pocket of strategies, metaphorically containing many plans and methods, ready to provide whatever is needed. A "wisdom bag figure" often refers to a resourceful and ingenious person.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of Chu Li Zi and Gan Mao"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "智囊人物" came to describe how a wisdom bag figure is a resourceful and ingenious person.