Confucius once professed a wish to live among the ‘nine tribes’, suggesting that his gentlemanly presence would soon transform the uncultivated societies into a model of virtue. 子欲居九夷。或曰：“陋，如之何?”子曰：“君子居之，何陋之有?” The Nine Tribes referred to people living in the north of modern China and the Korean Peninsula. The list below enumerates the tribes according to the Book of Later Han (後漢書), a much later 5th century work compiled from ancient historical records.
9
Tribes
Confucius
of
畎夷
Quanyi ( 畎夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Xuantu 玄菟 in the Liaodong peninsula.
Quan Yi
於夷
Yuyi ( 於夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Lelang 樂浪 in the Korean peninsula.
Yu Yi
方夷
Fangyi ( 方夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Gaoli (高驪) in the Korean peninsula.
Fang Yi
黄夷
Huangyi ( 黃夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Manshi (滿飾).
Huang Yi
白夷
Baiyi (白夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the the Fuyu (鳧臾).
Bai Yi
赤夷
Chiyi (赤夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Suojia (索家).
Chi Yi
玄夷
Xuanyi (玄夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with Dongshu (東屬).
Xuan Yi
风夷
Fengyi ( 風夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Waren (倭人).
Feng Yi
阳夷
Yangyi ( 陽夷). The ancient Chinese dictionary Erya (爾雅) identifies this tribe with the Tianbi (天鄙).
Yang Yi
