Xu Mu Furen was the daughter of an illicit union between Xuan Jiang and Zhao Bo of Wei (in present-day Shanxi Province). In a later version of her tale, she is described as the daughter (or younger sister) of Duke Yi (Yi Gong, r. 668-660 B.C.E.) of Wei. There is no exact information about the date and the place of her birth.
Xu Mu Furen had originally advised her father to marry her to the ruler of Qi (present-day Shandong Province) in order to cement an alliance with that larger and more powerful state. Her father ignored her advice and married her out to Duke Mu (Mu Gong, r. 712-656 B.C.E.) of Xu (a small state to the southeast of Wei) around 671.
Later soldiers from the principality of Zhai to the west (or, in some sources, the Di tribe) wiped out almost the entire population of her home state of Wei. The Wife of Duke Mu is credited with composing the ode “Zai chi”. She wrote it in order to comfort her father after this disastrous defeat and of her husband’s neglect as well as her desire to return to Wei.
Xu Mu Furen is commended for her “kind graciousness and her far-reaching knowledge”, sadly proven by her prediction that Wei was vulnerable to attack without the backing of a powerful ally. Her poem “Zai chi” reflects her strong love for her native land and hail her as a patriotic poet.
Xu Mu Furen was the wife of Mu Gong Duke Mu of Xu.
