Bo Yikao was the eldest son of King Wen of Zhou; and brother to the future King Wu; founder of the Zhou Dynasty. He predeceased his father; most likely at the hands of King Zhou of Shang; with his death possibly being the first instance of lingchi ('death by a thousand cuts'). Some sources say that he simply did not inherit the kingdom; either as an abberant occurrence; or due to an older Zhou tradition of passing over the eldest son in favour of a younger son.

In the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fenghsen Yanyi'; his life and death are dramatised. After his father was imprisoned by King Zhou; Bo Yikao - who was described as handsome and filial; skilled in music and the arts - was the one who came with the bribes to free him. King Zhou's concubine and secretly a vixen spirit; Su Daji; immediately fell in love with him; and had the king employ Bo Yikai to teach her how to play the guqin (musical instrument). When she tries to seduce him; Bo Yikai rejects and ridicules her; turning her infatuation into hatred.

She subsequently complains to King Zhou that Yikao molested her and insulted the king in his music. He orders Yikao to be executed; minced into pieces and then made into meat cakes. Not content with that; he then sends the cakes to Yikao's father; who through his divination; had already foreseen his son's fate; but eats the cakes anyway; so as not to arouse the king's suspicion. He vomits out the cakes on his way home; transforming into three white rabbits; later brought under the care of the moon goddess Chang'e.