He was most noted to be one of the main oppositions towards Fu Jian's plan to conquer the Jin dynasty (266–420) in 382, whose failure to win him over led to the disastrous defeat of the Qin army at the Battle of Feishui.
After the defeat, he was entrusted the important task of defending Ye, where he urged Fu Pi to get rid of the suspicious Murong Chui but failing to convince his superior once more.
Nothing much is known about Shi Yue's early life and background apart from being a native of Shiping (始平, in modern Xingping, Shaanxi).
In 378, Fu Jian planned a massive siege on Xiangyang and had Shi lead ten thousand cavalries from Luyang (魯陽; present-day Lushan County, Henan).
Fu Jian sent his generals Lü Guang and Dou Chong to quell them, and after defeating them at Zhongshan, the brothers scattered.
[3] On August 380, Fu Jian split Pingzhou (平州, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei) off of Youzhou and made Shi Yue its first Inspector.
This was met with strong rebuttal from some of his officials such as Fu Rong, Quan Yi, Dao'an and Shi Yue himself.
Shi Yue said to him, "The Year and Guard Star currently sits in the South Dipper, fortune lies in Wu.
After withdrawing, Shi Yue lamented and told to the others, "The father and son are bound to these petty acts of benevolence regardless of the bigger picture.
Fu Pi sent Shi Yue to campaign against Murong Nong at Lieren (列人, in modern Feixiang District, Hebei).
Despite urges for him to remain in Lieren and defend, Nong chose a more aggressive stance and led his troops to face Shi Yue directly.
Shi Yue arrived west of Lieren, where his vanguard was attacked and defeated by Nong's Army Advisor, Qiwu Teng (綦毋滕).