The Eastern Yi東夷
1Preface to the Eastern Yi — "When China loses the rites, seek them among the four Yi"
《書》稱「東漸於海，西被於流沙」。其九服之制，可得而言也。然荒域之外，重譯而至，非足跡車軌所及，未有知其國俗殊方者也。自虞暨周，西戎有白環之獻，東夷有肅慎之貢，皆曠世而至，其遐遠也如此。及漢氏遣張騫使西域，窮河源，經歷諸國，遂置都護以總領之，然後西域之事具存，故史官得詳載焉。魏興，西域雖不能盡至，其大國龜茲、于寘、康居、烏孫、疏勒、月氏、鄯善、車師之屬，無歲不奉朝貢，略如漢氏故事。而公孫淵仍父祖三世有遼東，天子爲其絕域，委以海外之事，遂隔斷東夷，不得通於諸夏。景初中，大興師旅，誅淵，又潛軍浮海，收樂浪、帶方之郡，而後海表謐然，東夷屈服。其後高句麗背叛，又遣偏師致討，窮追極遠，逾烏丸、骨都，過沃沮，踐肅慎之庭，東臨大海。長老說有異面之人，近日之所出，遂周觀諸國，采其法俗，小大區別，各有名號，可得詳紀。雖夷狄之邦，而俎豆之象存。中國失禮，求之四夷，猶信。故撰次其國，列其同異，以接前史之所未備焉。
The Book of Documents says, "Eastward it soaked into the sea, and westward it reached the flowing sands." So the system of the nine domains (九服) can be spoken of. But beyond the wild borders, where men came only through one interpreter after another, footprints and wheel tracks did not reach, and no one knew the customs of those countries or their far regions.
From Yu (虞) down to Zhou (周), the Western Rong had their offering of the white rings (白環), and the Eastern Yi had the tribute of Sushen (肅慎). All of these came only after ages had passed. So far off and so dim were they.
When the Han sent Zhang Qian as envoy to the Western Regions, he went to the very source of the Yellow River and passed through many countries, and at last a Protector General (都護) was set up to govern them all. Only after that were the affairs of the Western Regions fully kept, and the historians could set them down in detail. When Wei arose, not all of the Western Regions came, yet the great countries among them, Qiuci and Yutian and Kangju and Wusun and Shule and Yuezhi and Shanshan and Cheshi and the like, sent tribute to the court in every year, much as in the old days of Han.
But Gongsun Yuan, following his father and his grandfather, held Liaodong for three generations. The Son of Heaven took that place for a far distant land and entrusted him with affairs beyond the sea. So he barred and cut off the Eastern Yi and kept them from reaching the many states of Xia (夏).
In the Jingchu years a great host was raised and Gongsun Yuan was cut down. Troops were also sent in secret over the sea, and the commanderies of Nangnang and Daebang were taken back. After that all beyond the sea was quiet, and the Eastern Yi bowed and submitted.
Afterward Goguryeo turned its back and rebelled, and a detached force was sent to strike it. The pursuit went on to the end and to the farthest places. They crossed Wuhuan and Gudu, passed through Okjeo, trod the courtyard of Sushen, and came east to the great sea. The old men there said that there were people with faces of another kind, near the place where the sun comes out. So all those countries were looked over, and their laws and customs were gathered, and small and great were set apart. Each had its own name, and they could be written down in detail.
Though they are countries of the Yi and the Di, the form of the sacrificial vessels (俎豆) still remains among them. It is said that when China loses the rites they are to be sought among the four Yi (四夷), and this is a word to be trusted. So their countries are set out here in order, and what is alike and what is different is laid side by side, to join what the earlier histories did not fully keep.