Jiandi


Jiandi, also with variants 簡易/简易 and 簡逷/简逷, is an important figure in Chinese history and Chinese mythology. She was the second wife of Emperor Ku, who was a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. Jiandi was the mother of Qi, the predynastic founder of the Shang dynasty. Her pregnancy miraculously occurred following her swallowing or holding in her bosom the egg of a black bird. Jiandi was said to be of the Yousong clan. Jiandi is mentioned in various sources, including the poems "Eulogy of Shang", in the Shijing, and the "Heavenly Questions" in the Chuci.