Mu-yeh

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Mandarin 牧野 (Mùyě) Wade–Giles pronunciation: Mu⁴-yeh³.

Proper noun

Mu-yeh

1. Alternative form of Muye
   • 1937, Arthur Waley, transl., The Book of Songs‎^[1], number 246, New York: Grove Press, published 1960, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 262–263:

     The armies of Yin and Shang-
     Their catapults were like the trees of a
     forest.
     They marshalled their forces at Mu-yeh:²
     A target set up for us.
     'God on high is watching you;
     Let no treachery be in your hearts.'
     The field of Mu-yeh spread far,
     The war chariots gleamed,
     The team of white-bellies was tough,
     The captain was Shang-fu;¹
     Like an eagle he uprose.²

     ² In northern Honan, near the Shang capital.

   • 1988, Robin D. S. Yates, Washing Silk: The Life and Selected Poetry of Wei Chuang (834?-910)‎^[2], →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 88:

     In the Wu Ch’eng section of the ancient Book of Documents, it is stated that the blood that flowed at the decisive battle of Mu-yeh, when King Wu of Chou destroyed the army of the Shang King ca. 1045 B.C. (Legge, Shoo King, p. 315) was deep enough to float pestles.

   • 2011, Ralph D. Sawyer, Ancient Chinese Warfare‎^[3], Basic Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 118:

     However, just as at Erh-li-t'ou, no defensive fortifications apart from a single moat have yet been discovered amid the opulent remains at Anyang, immediately raising the question of whether those rulers were too immersed in the pursuit of pleasure to undertake them or simply felt that surpassing military power rendered them unnecessary. If so, the absence of defensive walls proved a fatal conceit, because the last emperor lacked a defensible refuge after his forces were vanquished at Mu-yeh.

Translations

Muye — see Muye