Qin and Han · Ruler

Liu Bei 先主

Liú Bèi

Attested AD 214 - AD 223

Passages: 4
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Liu Bei was a ruler.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 214 to AD 223 先主不聽言…待士之義
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 41, passages 232, 241

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Liu Feng (劉封)
adopted son 封 · Adoptive parentage
Strongly inferred · Records of the Three Kingdoms 41, passage 241

References in the histories

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 41Volume 41: Book of Shu 11: Biographies of Huo, Wang, Xiang, Zhang, Yang, and Fei · 4 passages

鴻曰：「聞過孟達許，適見王沖從南來，言往者達之去就，明公切齒，欲誅達妻子，賴先主不聽言。 Li Hong said, "I heard this while passing through Meng Da's area. I happened to meet Wang Chong coming from the south, and he said that when Da changed allegiance in the past, Your Excellency ground your teeth and wanted to execute Da's wife and children, but fortunately the First Sovereign would not listen to the proposal.

詩進曰：「孟達小子，昔事振威不忠，後又背叛先主，反覆之人，何足與書邪！」 Fei Shi said, "Meng Da is a petty man. He was disloyal when he formerly served the General Who Inspires Awe, and later he betrayed the First Sovereign as well. A man so changeable is not worth exchanging letters with!"

嗚呼孟子，斯實劉封侵陵足下，以傷先主待士之義。 Alas, Meng Da—it was Liu Feng’s bullying that wronged you and violated the late emperor’s duty to his men.

以先主之广济，诸葛之准绳，诗吐直言，犹用陵迟，况庸后乎哉！ Yet even Liu Bei’s generosity and Zhuge Liang’s fairness could not save Fei Shi from demotion for blunt speech—what hope for lesser lords thereafter?