It is believed that he was the original composer of the popular guqin composition "Mei Hua Sannong (梅花三弄)" or "3 Variations on the Plum Blossom".
He was appreciated by the likes of Wang Meng and Liu Tan and handled various military affairs before serving Jin's Grand Marshal Huan Wen.
Huan Yi managed his responsibilities well, so the court extended his control to parts of Yuzhou and Yangzhou and made him General Who Establishes Might.
The two of them routed Zhang Ci and Wang Jian (王堅) at Shiqiao (石橋, around present-day Lu'an, Anhui), allowing Huan Wen to quell the rebellion in 371.
[3] In 383, the Heavenly King of Qin, Fu Jian launched a major campaign to conquer Jin and unify China under his rule.
Huan Yi worked alongside Xie Xuan to drive back the numerically superior Qin forces.
Huan Yi and Xie Xuan charged at the retreating Qin forces, leaving thousands of them dead in their wake.
[4] After their massive victory, Huan Yi dedicated himself to collecting armours from the site of the battle, amassing a total of 600 by the end of his life.
Upon inspection of the towns in Jiangzhou, Huan Yi noticed that it required reforms, especially with Qin no longer posing a threat.
[8] The original score for the flute does not exist today but was supposedly adapted for the guqin by Yan Shigu during the Tang dynasty.