{ "id": "epw4qf9tjn", "slug": "li-hu", "title": "Li Hu", "updated": "2026-09-30", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history" }, { "id": "society.history.asia", "label": "Asian history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.china", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.china" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn", "label": "Northern dynasties (386 to 581)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn.northern-dynasties-officials-and-general", "label": "Northern dynasties officials and generals", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn.northern-dynasties-officials-and-general" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn", "label": "China · 500 BC to AD 999: Northern dynasties (386 to 581)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t500", "label": "China · 500 BC to AD 999", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t500.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500.society" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t500.society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500.society.history" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia", "label": "Asian history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia.china", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia.china" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn", "label": "Northern dynasties (386 to 581)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t500.society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Li Hu (李虎) was a military officer of the Northern dynasties who served He Bayue and Western Wei's Yuwen Tai, and was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Tang.", "snippet": "Li Hu (李虎) was a military officer of the Northern dynasties who served He Bayue and Western Wei's Yuwen Tai, and was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Tang.", "node": "society.history.asia.china.northern-dyn.northern-dynasties-officials-and-general", "markdown": "# Li Hu\n\n**Li Hu** (李虎) was a military officer of the [Northern and Southern dynasties](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-and-southern-dynasties) (南北朝) who served the general He Bayue (贺拔岳) and then the Western Wei state under its chancellor Tai (泰) (宇文泰).[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808) The standard history records him above all as a follower of He Bayue and a mid-ranking commander in Tai's campaigns; according to the Lanzhou article, later tradition remembers him posthumously as the Duke of Tang (唐国公), the title from which the [Tang dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/tang-dynasty) took its name.[2](http://www.lanzhou.cn/lz/system/2025/06/17/012548904.shtml) \n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Dynasty | Southern and Northern dynasties (南北朝)[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808) |\n| Early command | Left-wing grand commander (左厢大都督) under He Bayue[3](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/資治通鑑/卷156) |\n| Office under Western Wei | 仪同[3](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/資治通鑑/卷156) |\n| Later office | 大将军 (General-in-chief) under the (后周) Zhou[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808) |\n| Campaign | Attack on Cao Ni (曹泥) at Lingzhou (灵州), sent with Li Bi (李弼) and Zhao Gui (赵贵)[3](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/資治通鑑/卷156) |\n| Father and sons | Father Li Tianci (李天赐); sons Li Yi (李祎), Li Yanbo (李延伯), Li Zhen (李真), Li Gang (李冈), Li Zhang (李璋), Li Hui (李绘)[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808) |\n| Posthumous honor | Enfeoffed 唐国公, the source of the Tang dynasty's name[2](http://www.lanzhou.cn/lz/system/2025/06/17/012548904.shtml) |\n\n## Origins and family\n\nThe China Biographical Database records Li Hu's father as Li Tianci and lists six sons: [Li Yi](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-yi), Li Yanbo, Li Zhen, Li Gang, Li Zhang, and [Li Hui](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hui); according to the China Biographical Database, Li Hu also had a seventh-generation descendant, Li Dan (李眈).[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808) Neither the CBDB row nor the cited passages of the *Zizhi Tongjian* gives his birth year, death year, or birthplace.[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808)\n\n## Career\n\nThe *Zizhi Tongjian* (资治通鉴) supplies the dated outline of his career. He Bayue had made him left-wing grand commander (左厢大都督) over the eastern Yongzhou prefect (东雍州刺史) he then was. When He Bayue was killed, Li Hu fled to Jingzhou (荆州) and urged He Basheng (贺拔胜) to take over He Bayue's troops; He Basheng refused.[3](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/資治通鑑/卷156) The passage dates this only by its narrative position, and the *Tongjian* gives no year in the cited text.\n\nUnder Tai, Li Hu appears as a campaign commander. In a twelfth month, the Wei chancellor sent the 仪同 Li Hu together with [Li Bi](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-bi) and [Zhao Gui](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhao-gui) to attack Cao Ni at Lingzhou.[3](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/資治通鑑/卷156) A modern account notes that the only battle Li Hu is known to have taken part in was the 538 battle of Jinyong between the eastern and western Wei states.[2](http://www.lanzhou.cn/lz/system/2025/06/17/012548904.shtml)\n\n## Political influence\n\nLi Hu's lasting influence ran through his rank and his descendants rather than through recorded policy. He was later given the office of General-in-chief (大将军) under the Zhou.[1](https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808) After his death he was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Tang (唐国公), and that title became the name of the Tang dynasty.[2](http://www.lanzhou.cn/lz/system/2025/06/17/012548904.shtml)\n\n## Assessment\n\nThe *Tongjian* passages show a competent secondary commander: a trusted subordinate of He Bayue, a column commander at Lingzhou, and a participant in the campaign record under Tai.\n\n## Legacy\n\nA tomb at Qingshui in Gansu belongs to a different, Sui-era Li Hu, a governor of Shangzhou, and is not the tomb of this Li Hu.[4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23712878) • [6](http://www.tcmap.com.cn/landscape/76/lihumu.html) A stone tablet of 1932 reads \"Tomb of Li Hu, Commissioner with Special Authority, Agile Cavalry Grand General, Shenzheng Gong, of the Great Sui,\" and a 1993 replica of the epitaph stands before the tomb.[4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23712878) According to the rubbing *Sui Li Hu zhi*, the epitaph gives its subject the courtesy name Weimeng (威猛), a death on the eighth day of the tenth month of 建德六年 at age 72, and reburial at Qingshui in 大业二年; it is held by the Qingshui County Museum.[4](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23712878) • [5](https://m.shufawang.cn/xzmb/58c54b4b96a286e8fb21dde51ccae9b8.html) Its colophon states that its subject was the grandson of the Wei 陇西行台 Jue (爵) and the son of the Zhou 陇东太守 Bao (宝).[5](https://m.shufawang.cn/xzmb/58c54b4b96a286e8fb21dde51ccae9b8.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. China Biographical Database (CBDB), person 159808 李虎. https://cbdb.fas.harvard.edu/cbdbapi/person.php?id=0159808\n2. 黄河清风·丝路人物史话｜李虎：为国之柱 启唐之先. http://www.lanzhou.cn/lz/system/2025/06/17/012548904.shtml\n3. 《资治通鉴》卷一百五十六, Wikisource transcription. https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/資治通鑑/卷156\n4. 【精品栏目】天水宝藏·李虎墓志（澎湃新闻转载）. https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_23712878\n5. 隋代楷书墓志拓片《隋李虎志》. https://m.shufawang.cn/xzmb/58c54b4b96a286e8fb21dde51ccae9b8.html\n6. Lihumu (tcmap.com.cn). http://www.tcmap.com.cn/landscape/76/lihumu.html\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › China › Northern dynasties (386 to 581) › Northern dynasties officials and generals*\n\n*Initially written Sep 23, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Li Hu\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Li Hu](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Li Hu\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/li-hu. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Li Hu was a military officer of the Northern dynasties who served He Bayue and Western Wei's Yuwen Tai, and was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Tang." }