Jiandi

Jiandi (traditional Chinese: 簡狄; simplified Chinese: 简狄; pinyin: Jiǎndí), also with variants 簡易/简易 and 簡逷/简逷, is an important figure in Chinese history and in Chinese mythology. She was the second wife of Emperor Ku, who was a descendent of the Yellow Emperor. Jiandi was the mother of Qi, the predynastic founder of the Shang dynasty (note that this is a different Qi than the Qi Ji born to Di Ku's first wife Jiang Yuan). Her pregnancy miraculously occurred following her swallowing or holding in her bosom the egg of a 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.

References

• Yang, Lihui, et al. (2005). Handbook of Chinese Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533263-6