Bo Yi and Shu Qi (two sons of the Lord of Guzhu at the end of the Shang dynasty). Bo Yi, with unknown birth and death years, whose surname was Mo, given name Yun, and courtesy name Gongxin. "Bo" means eldest, his posthumous title was "Yi," and he is commonly known as Bo Yi, the eldest son of the Lord of Guzhu at the end of the Shang dynasty. Shu Qi, named Zhi, courtesy name Gongda, was Bo Yi's younger brother, with the posthumous title "Qi."
The Lord of Guzhu initially wanted to establish his third son, Shu Qi, as heir to the throne, but did not do so because it violated the traditional ethic of primogeniture. After the Lord of Guzhu died, Shu Qi could not bear to contend with Bo Yi (his elder brother) for the throne and wanted to yield it to him. Bo Yi, believing this would go against their father's command, left the State of Guzhu, and Shu Qi, also unwilling to take the throne, fled the state as well. The two brothers both sought refuge in the western Zhou tribal region to spend their old age, and had a good relationship with King Wen of Zhou.
Later, King Wu of Zhou launched a punitive expedition against King Zhou of Shang. Bo Yi and Shu Qi (two sons of the Lord of Guzhu), having long received the grace of the Yin dynasty, went to stop his horse and remonstrated, saying, "Your father has died and is not yet buried, yet you take up arms—how can this be called Xiao (Filial Piety)? As a subject, you seek to slay your sovereign—how can this be called Ren (Benevolence)?" They hoped King Wu would abandon his campaign against Zhou. However, King Wu's resolve was firm, and soon Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty. Considering it shameful to eat the grain of Zhou, as a sign of loyalty to Yin, they withdrew to Shouyang Mountain (within modern Yanshi, east of Luoyang, Henan Province), a desolate remnant of Shang, and lived on ferns. As they were dying of hunger, they composed a song: "Climbing up that Western Mountain, gathering ferns to eat. Replacing violence with violence, not knowing it is wrong. Shennong, Yu, and Shun suddenly vanished—where can I find a home? Alas, we go to our end—our fate is in decline!" In the end, they starved to death on Shouyang Mountain.
Bo Yi and Shu Qi (two sons of the Lord of Guzhu) opposed King Wu of Zhou's campaign against King Zhou of Shang not because they endorsed the tyrant's misrule, but because they deeply understood the harm of "replacing violence with violence" and sought to uphold the Li (Propriety) between ruler and minister. Confucius praised them for "not dwelling on past grievances," for refusing to "compromise their will or disgrace their person," and thus for being "recluses" who "sought Ren (Benevolence) and attained it."