 Born Xi Zuan (郤纂) in Yanshi, Henan, Xi Zheng's family moved west from Luoyang into Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) when he was very young.When Xi Zheng was still a boy, his father Xi Yi (郤揖) died.He was gifted in language and mostly self-educated in the fields of history and government, borrowing books and essays from literati all over Yi Province.