Groups of peoples in ancient China
For the unrelated Eastern Yí
(彝) people of southwestern China, see
Nasu people.
The Dongyi or Eastern Yi (Chinese: 東夷; pinyin: Dōngyí) was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula and Japanese Archipelago. Dongyi refers to different group of people in different periods.[1][2] As such, the name "Yí" 夷 was something of a catch-all and was applied to different groups over time.
According to the earliest Chinese record, the Zuo Zhuan, the Shang dynasty was attacked by King Wu of Zhou while attacking the Dongyi and collapsed afterward.