呉県
Ye was born on 28 October 1894 in Wu County, Jiangsu province. His name at birth was Ye Shaojun (), and his courtesy name was Bingchen (). His father worked as a bookkeeper for a landlord and they lived a very modest life. When he was six years old, he entered a mediocre school for primary study. He often followed his father to work. He travelled around the city and experienced the lives of the poor.