Hu Jingyi was born on 4 June 1892, Fuping County, Shaanxi. He joined the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance in 1910. Following the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, Hu led a revolt in Shaanxi. He became a general of Kuomintang forces during the "Second Revolution" against Yuan Shikai's dictatorship in 1913. He held several posts in the Shaanxi army in the following decades.