Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler

Liu Bei 劉備

First attested AD 200; died AD 223

Passages: 13
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Liu Bei was a ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Xuande	玄德	Xuándé

Life and dates

Death

AD 223 章武三年夏四月
At Yongan Palace 永安宮
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 224

Attested activity

AD 219 建安二十四年為漢中王
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 218
AD 200 建安五年敗於小沛
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 248
AD 208 建安十三年敗於長阪
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 242
AD 223 章武三年夏四月殂於永安宮
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 224
AD 221 章武元年即尊號
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 219

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Empress Dowager of Shu Han (皇太后)
empress 皇后 · Widowed
Strongly inferred · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 225
Parent of Liu Shan (劉禪)
son 子
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 217

Career and standing

King of Hanzhong 漢中王
AD 219 建安二十四年 · Held
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 218
AD 221 章武元年
Polity Shu Han 蜀漢
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 219

Places and affiliations

Polity Shu Han 蜀漢 · Relation Founded
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 219

Works and attributed material

Edict · Author · With Liu Shan (劉禪)
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passages 219-221

Events and relationships

Defeated at Changban; abandoned wife and children
AD 208 建安十三年 · Military · Commander
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 242
Defeated at Xiaopei; abandoned family
AD 200 建安五年 · Military · Commander · With Cao Cao (魏武) · Mode named-source-report Source Work Brief Account of Wei 魏略
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passages 228, 248

References in the histories

Search passages

History

13 passages

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 33Volume 33: Book of Shu 3: Biography of the Later Lord · 13 passages

後主諱禪，字公嗣，先主子也。 The Later Lord's taboo name was Shan, styled Gongsi; he was the Former Lord's son.

建安二十四年，先主為漢中王，立為王太子。 In 219 the Former Lord became king of Hanzhong and named him royal heir.

及即尊號，冊曰：「惟章武元年五月辛巳，皇帝若曰：太子禪，朕遭漢運艱難，賊臣篡盜，社稷無主，格人群正，以天明命，朕繼大統。 When he took the imperial title, the investiture edict read: "On xinsi in the fifth month of the first year of Zhangwu, the Emperor thus: Crown Prince Shan, We have endured the Han dynasty's hard straits; wicked ministers usurped the throne and the realm stood without a ruler. Surveying the worthy, by Heaven's bright mandate We succeeded to the great succession.

三年夏四月，先主殂於永安宮。 In the fourth month of summer in the third year, the Former Lord died at Yongan Palace.

《魏略》曰：初備在小沛，不意曹公卒至，遑遽棄家屬，後奔荊州。 The Brief Account of Wei records that Bei was at Xiaopei when Lord Cao suddenly appeared; he fled in haste, abandoning his family, and later escaped to Jing Province.

初禪與備相失時，識其父字玄德。 When Shan and Bei were first separated, he already knew his father's style was Xuande.

比舍人有姓簡者，及備得益州而簡為將軍，備遣簡到漢中，舍都邸。 A neighbor surnamed Jian—once Bei took Yizhou and Jian became a general, Bei sent Jian to Hanzhong, where he lodged at the commandery guesthouse.

簡喜，以語張魯，魯乃洗沐送詣益州，備乃立以為太子。 Jian rejoiced and told Zhang Lu, who bathed and dressed Shan and sent him on to Yizhou; Bei then installed him as crown prince.

初備以諸葛亮為太子太傅，及禪立，以亮為丞相，委以諸事，謂亮曰：「政由葛氏，祭則寡人。」 At first Bei had named Zhuge Liang grand tutor of the crown prince; when Shan succeeded, he made Liang chancellor and entrusted him with all affairs, saying: "Let the Ge clan govern; I shall perform the sacrifices alone."

十三年敗於長阪，備棄妻子走， In 208, defeated at Changban, Bei abandoned wife and children and fled,

如此，備與禪未嘗相失也。 On this showing, Bei and Shan were never truly separated.

而魚豢云備敗於小沛，禪時年始生，及奔荊州，能識其父字玄德，計當五六歲。 Yet Yu Huan says Bei was defeated at Xiaopei when Shan had just been born, and that when fleeing to Jing Province the boy could recognize his father's style Xuande—making him five or six at most.

備敗於小沛時，建安五年也，至禪初立，首尾二十四年，禪應過二十矣。 Bei's defeat at Xiaopei came in 200; from then until Shan's accession spans twenty-four years—Shan ought to have been past twenty.