He was also a Khotanese nobleman, but sometimes he is considered to be a Tocharian originated from the north of Afghanistan.
His father Viśa Baysūna (尉遲跋質那; Yùchí Bázhìnà) was well known by his paintings during the Sui dynasty, he was referred to as "Yuchi the Elder" (大尉遲) by Chinese people.
His painting skills were often compared with Yan Liben, even the famous painter Wu Daozi was under his influence.
He brought a new painting style of Iranian origin and had profound influence in Chinese Buddhist art.
He was credited with having helped bring the Western technique of using a line of unvarying thickness to outline figures—the "iron-wire" line—to the Buddhist temples in many Chinese cities.