Yuchi Jingde and another general Qin Shubao are worshipped as door gods in Chinese folk religion.

His surname was likely from Xianbei origin, and he was from Shuo Province (朔州, roughly modern Shuozhou, Shanxi).

In 619, he served under Liu's major general Song Jingang (宋金剛) in attacking Tang dynasty territory to the south.

During the campaign, many of Yuchi's former confederates who served under Liu Wuzhou, including Xun Xiang, defected to Zheng.

Meanwhile, Li Shimin selected some 1,000 elite soldiers, clad in black uniform and black armor, commanded by Li Shimin himself, to serve as the forward advance corps, with Yuchi, Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, and Zhai Zhangsun (翟長孫) as his assistants.

In summer 621, the Tang and Xia forces, commanded by Li Shimin and Dou respectively, engaged at the Battle of Hulao.

Yuchi did not relent, however, and he took Gao Zengsheng (高甑生) and Liang Jianfang (梁建方) with him; the three of them made a surprise attack into the Xia frontline and seized Wang Wan, capturing him back along with his horse.

Later, in the main engagement, Li Shimin defeated and captured Dou, and Wang Shichong, distressed, surrendered.

By fall 621, however, Dou's general Liu Heita had risen against Tang rule and regained most of former Xia territory.

At that point, Yuchi was not under Li Shimin's command, as he was fighting invading Eastern Tujue forces at Yuan Prefecture (原州, roughly modern Guyuan, Ningxia).

Yuchi wrote back, declining the gift, and pointed out that he needed to be faithful to Li Shimin.

(Ashina Duobi, however, was able to penetrate all the way to the Tang capital Chang'an, forcing Emperor Taizong to personally meet him and promising large tributes before withdrawing.)

Late in 626, Emperor Taizong created Yuchi Jingde the Duke of Wu and gave him, Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui the largest fiefs among his supporters.

Whenever he disagreed with Zhangsun, Fang, and Du (all of whom were made chancellors by Emperor Taizong), he would argue with them bitterly, and thus had poor relationships with them.

In 634, he was made the prefect of Tong Prefecture (同州, roughly modern Weinan, Shaanxi), a nominal demotion but considered a promotion as it was close to Chang'an.

In 637, as part of Emperor Taizong's scheme to bestow prefectures on his relatives and great generals and officials as their permanent domains, Yuchi's title was changed to Duke of E, and he was given the post of prefect of Xuan Prefecture (宣州, roughly modern Xuancheng, Anhui), to be inherited by his heirs.

Soon, however, with many objections to the system, the strongest of which came from Zhangsun Wuji, Emperor Taizong cancelled the scheme, although Yuchi's title remained Duke of E. He subsequently served two different terms as commandant.

It was said that late in his life, starting from around 642, Yuchi became an adherent to Taoist alchemy, and regularly consumed mica.

Yuchi Jingde died later that year, and Emperor Gaozong ordered that all mid-level and above officials attend the wake.

Yuchi Jingde is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.

A sculpture of Yuchi Jingde, with his counterpart Qin Shubao, is featured prominently outside the Hilton Hotel in Singapore.