Cao Cao (曹操) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Cao Cao as a general, military officer, ruler, and statesman. This record brings together 47 passages from 13 chapters across 7 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Cao Cao	曹操	Cáo Cāo
Surname	Cao	曹	Cáo
Personal name	Cao	操	Cao
Surname	Cao	曹	Cao
Given	Cao	操	Cao
Personal name	Cao Cao	曹操	Cáo Cāo
Personal name	Cao Cao	曹操	Cao Cao
Personal name	Cao Cao		Cáo Cāo
Personal name	Cao Cao	曹	Cao Cao
Personal name	Cao Cao	魏武	Wèi Wǔ
Personal	Cao Cao		Cáo Cāo
Personal name	Cao Cao	曹操
Personal name	Cao Cao		Cao Cao
Temple name	Emperor Wu of Wei	魏武	Wèi Wǔ
Title	Lord Cao	曹公	Cáo gōng
Title	Lord Cao	曹公
Title	Lord Cao	曹公	Cao Gong
Title	Wei lord	魏君
Title	Wei ruler	魏君
Temple	Wei Wu	魏武	Wèi Wǔ
Title	Wei Wu	魏武	Wei Wu

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0308, houhanshu:113:s0139, houhanshu:118:s0064, liangshu:020:s0176, sanguozhi:034:s0006, sanguozhi:062:s0159, xinwudaishi:035:s0041
Sex: male
Strongly inferred · nanqishu:002:s0168, nanqishu:016:s0299, sanguozhi:031:s0083, songshi:359:s0045

Roles

General
Military Officer
Ruler
Statesman
Warlord

Life and dates

Death

Date Context: Source Date: Text: 漢建安二十五年 · Western Year: AD 220
Explicit · xinwudaishi:035:s0041
Explicit · sanguozhi:062:s0159

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 初平二年后 · Western Year: AD 191
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:113:s0137, houhanshu:113:s0139
Source Date: Text: 及曹氏之亡 · Western Year: AD 220
Explicit event contextual date · sanguozhi:062:s0159
Source Date: Text: 司空曹操 · Western Interval: Start: AD 196 · End: AD 208
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0308
Source Date: Text: 建安二十年秋 · Western Year: AD 215
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:113:s0161
Source Date: Text: 建安五年十一月 · Western Year: AD 200
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:113:s0145
Source Date: Text: 建安十三年 · Western Year: AD 208
Explicit · sanguozhi:034:s0006
Source Date: Text: 建安十六年 · Western Year: AD 211
Explicit event contextual date · sanguozhi:031:s0071, sanguozhi:031:s0098
Source Date: Text: 書中典故 · Western Year: AD 197
Explicit · liangshu:020:s0176
Source Date: Text: 曹 · Western Interval: Start: AD 190 · End: AD 220
Explicit · liangshu:014:s0067
Source Date: Text: 曹操、袁紹戰於官渡 · Western Year: AD 200
Explicit · songshi:359:s0175
Source Date: Text: 曹魏之際 · Western Year: AD 200
Strongly inferred · beiqishu:028:s0089
Source Date: Text: 漢建安二十五年 · Western Year: AD 220
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:035:s0041
Source Date: Text: 献帝初平中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 190 · End: AD 193
Explicit event contextual date · houhanshu:118:s0062, houhanshu:118:s0064
Source Date: Text: 赤壁 · Western Year: AD 208
Explicit event contextual date · sanguozhi:031:s0079
Source Date: Text: 魏武 · Western Interval: Start: AD 196 · End: AD 220
Explicit · nanqishu:016:s0299
Source Date: Text: 魏武之雄 · Western Year: AD 200
Explicit · songshi:359:s0045
Source Date: Text: 魏武初起義兵 · Western Year: AD 190
Explicit · nanqishu:002:s0168

Career and standing

Label: Chancellor / 丞相 · Action: held
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0139
Label: Minister of Works / 司空 · Action: held
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0308

Places and affiliations

Label: Later Han / 後漢 · Relation: active-in
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0139
Polity: Cao Wei / 曹魏 · Relation: affiliated-with
Strongly inferred · sanguozhi:034:s0006
Polity: Cao Wei / 魏 · Relation: ruled
Explicit · nanqishu:016:s0299
Polity: Eastern Han / 东汉 · Relation: lived-under
Strongly inferred · houhanshu:093:s0308

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quote: true
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0308, houhanshu:093:s0312, houhanshu:093:s0315, houhanshu:093:s0317, houhanshu:093:s0325

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: campaigned-across-empire · Duration: nearly thirty years
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0139
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: campaigned-against-Jingzhou · Other Person Id: Liu Cong (刘琮)
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0154
Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: defeated · Place: Red Cliffs / 赤壁 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 赤壁 · Western Year: AD 208
Explicit · sanguozhi:031:s0079
Kind: military · Role: victor · Action: defeated · Other Person Id: Yuan Shao (袁绍)
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0145
Kind: political · Role: actor · Action: rose from common officer to power
Explicit · houhanshu:118:s0064
Kind: military-administrative · Role: dispatcher · Action: sent-provincial-generals-to-oversee-troops · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report · Source Person Id: He (何) · Source Work: Song Treatise / 宋志
Explicit · nanqishu:016:s0299
Kind: military · Role: conqueror · Action: took-Jizhou
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0146
Kind: pursuit · Role: pursuer · Action: tried to seize and kill Zuo Ci then tested him among sheep
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0322, houhanshu:093:s0325
Kind: political · Role: escort · Action: welcomed-emperor-to-Xu · Other Person Id: Emperor Xian (献帝)
Explicit · houhanshu:113:s0142
Relation: predecessor-linked-to · Person Id: Emperor Wen of Wei (魏文帝)
Strongly inferred · houhanshu:113:s0150
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Dongguo Yannian (东郭延年)
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0353
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Zuo Ci (左慈)
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0353
Relation: patron-of · Person Id: Gan Shi (甘始)
Explicit · houhanshu:093:s0353

Source notes

Field: origin-of-inspector-military-overseeership · Statement: He and Xu date the office to Cao Cao; the chapter dates it to Feng She under Emperor Shun of Han · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · nanqishu:016:s0299
Historicity: historical
Explicit · beiqishu:028:s0001

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 28Volume 28 Biographies 20: Yuan Tan (Eastern Wei); Yuan Bin; Yuan Xiaoyou; Yuan Huiye; Yuan Bi; Yuan Shao (Eastern Wei) · 1 passage

Open chapter

對曰：「數尋伊、霍之傳，不讀曹、馬之書。」 He replied, "I pore over the lives of Yi Yin and Huo Guang — not the chronicles of Cao Cao and the Sima clan."

Book of Later Han, Chapter 93Volume 82b: Biographies of Alchemists 2 · 14 passages

Open chapter

尝在司空曹操坐，操从容顾众宾曰：“今日高会，珍羞略备，所少吴松江鲈鱼耳。” Once at a banquet hosted by Minister Cao Cao, Cao surveyed his guests and said, "We have every delicacy—only the perch of the Wu-Song is missing."

操大拊掌笑，会者皆惊。 Cao roared with laughter and slapped his thighs; every guest gaped.

操曰：“一鱼不周坐席，可更得乎？” Cao said, "One fish will not feed the table—can you fetch more?"

操使目前鱠之，周浃会者。 Cao had the fish sliced on the spot and passed the platters until every guest was served.

操又谓曰：“既已得鱼，恨无蜀中生姜耳。” Cao added, "We have the fish, but no Sichuan ginger to season it."

操恐其近即所取，因曰：“吾前遣人到蜀买锦，可过敕使者，增市二端。” Fearing he would conjure the root from thin air, Cao said, "I lately sent a man to Shu for brocade—tell that envoy to add two extra bolts to his order."

语顷，即得姜还，并获操使报命。 A moment later he produced the ginger along with Cao's courier, clutching the receipt.

后操使蜀反，验问增锦之状及时日早晚，若符契焉。 When the real envoy returned from Shu, his report of the extra brocade matched Zuo's tale to the hour.