Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official and Calligrapher

Liu Hui 劉繪

Liú Huì

c. AD 458 - AD 502

Passages: 28
Chapters: 3
Histories: 2

Overview

Liu Hui was an official and Calligrapher.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Shizhang	士章

Life and dates

Death

AD 502 中興二年
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passages 245-246

Age

45
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 246

Attested activity

AD 502 中興二年
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 245
AD 490 to AD 502 少時與劉繪、蕭琛相友善
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 26, passage 105
AD 500 戊寅
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 89
AD 490 to AD 493 永明末
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 214
AD 494 to AD 494 隆昌中
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 227

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Liu Mian (劉勉)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 197
Child of Mother of Liu Hui (劉繪母)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 234
Sibling of Liu Quan (劉悛)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 196

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Inspector of Yong 雍州刺史
AD 500 戊寅 · Appointed
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 89
compiler at the historian's office 著作郎
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 199
Administrator of Nankang 南康相
Held
Directly stated · Book of Liang 26, passage 105
Champion Army Chief Clerk 冠軍長史
Held
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 89
governor of Yong province 雍州刺史
Refused
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passages 239-240

Places and affiliations

Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 89
Polity Name Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 199
At Pengcheng 彭城
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 196
AD 500 戊寅
At Yong province 雍州 · Relation Posted to
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 89
At Nankang 南康 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Book of Liang 26, passage 105

Learning and skills

Skill feibai script 飛白 · Level self-claimed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 247
Skill clerical script 隸書 · Level skilled
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 203

Works and attributed material

Names of Those Skilled at Writing 能書人名
Relation Compiler
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 247
Speech · Speaker · About discourse records wording
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 225

Events and relationships

Appointed inspector of Yong
AD 500 戊寅 · Appointment · Appointee
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 7, passage 89
Delivered Donghun's head to Prince of Liang
Political · Participant
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 244
Relation Friend of · Person Zhang Ji (張稷)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 243
Relation Rival of · Person Bao Zhi (寶晊)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 48, passage 233
Relation Friend of · Person Fu Ying (傅映)
Directly stated · Book of Liang 26, passage 105
Relation Friend of · Person Xiao Chen (蕭琛)
Directly stated · Book of Liang 26, passage 105

References in the histories

Search passages

History

28 passages

Book of Liang, Chapter 26Volume 26: Fan Xiu; Fu Zhao; Fu Ying; Xiao Chen; Lu Gao · 1 passage

少時與劉繪、蕭琛相友善，繪之爲南康相，映時爲府丞，文教多令具草。 In youth he was close to Liu Hui and Xiao Chen; when Hui became administrator of Nankang and Ying served as his commandery aide, Hui often had him draft official documents.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 7Volume 7 Annals 7: Marquess of Donghun · 1 passage

戊寅，以冠軍長史劉繪為雍州刺史。 Day wuyin: Liu Hui, champion army chief clerk, took Yong.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 29: Yuan Tuan, Kong Zhigui, Liu Hui · 26 passages

劉繪字士章，彭城人，太常悛弟也。 Liu Hui, whose style name was Shizhang, came from Pengcheng and was the younger brother of Minister of Ceremonies Jun.

父勉，宋末權貴，門多人客，使繪與之共語，應接流暢。 His father Mian, a powerful figure at the end of Song, had many guests at his door; he had Hui converse with them, and his responses were fluent.

豫章王嶷爲江州，以繪爲左軍主簿。 When the Prince of Yuzhang, Yan, took up the governorship of Jiang province, he appointed Hui recorder of the left army.

繪聦警有文義，善隷書，數被賞召，進對華敏，僚吏之中，見遇莫及。 Hui was keen-witted and literarily accomplished, skilled in clerical script; repeatedly summoned to court, he answered with brilliant quickness in audience—among the staff none was favored like him.

時豫章王嶷與文惠太子以年秩不同，物論謂宮、府有疑，繪苦求外出，爲南康相。 At the time the Prince of Yuzhang, Yan, and the Literary and Graceful Heir Apparent differed in age and rank; rumor held that palace and princely establishment were at odds, and Hui pressed hard to leave the capital, becoming chancellor of Nankang.

上左右陳洪請假南還，問繪在郡何似？ The sovereign's attendant Chen Hong requested leave to return south and was asked how Hui was faring in the commandery?

繪爲後進領袖，機悟多能。 Hui stood at the head of the younger generation, quick-witted and multitalented.

時張融、周顒竝有言工，融音旨緩韻，顒辭致綺捷，繪之言吐，又頓挫有風氣。 At the time Zhang Rong and Zhou Yong both excelled in speech: Rong's tones were leisurely in cadence, Yong's phrasing elegant and swift, while Hui's utterance was further marked by rhythmic pauses and spirited bearing.

時人爲之語曰：「劉繪貼宅，別開一門。」 People of the time had a saying: "Liu Hui adjoins the house and opens a separate gate."

魚復侯子響誅後，豫章王嶷欲求葬之，召繪言其事，使爲表。 After the Marquis of Yufu, Zixiang, was executed, the Prince of Yuzhang, Yan, wished to have him buried and summoned Hui to discuss it, ordering him to compose a memorial.

繪求紙筆，須臾便成。 Hui asked for paper and brush and finished it in a moment.

後北虜使來，繪以辭辯，敕接虜使。 Later when northern barbarian envoys came, Hui for his eloquence was ordered to receive the barbarian envoys.

繪謂人曰：「無論潤色未易，但得我語亦難矣。」 Hui told others: "Never mind that polishing is not easy—even capturing my wording is difficult."

隆昌中，悛坐罪將見誅，繪伏闕請代兄死，高宗輔政，救解之。 During Longchang, Jun was charged with a crime and about to be executed; Hui prostrated himself at the palace gate and asked to die in his brother's place; the High Ancestor, assisting in government, rescued and released him.

高宗爲驃騎，以繪爲輔國將軍，諮議，領錄事，典筆翰。 When the High Ancestor was rapid cavalry general, he made Hui general who assists the state and adviser, head of the recording office, and in charge of brush and documents.

高宗卽位，遷太子中庶子，出爲寧朔將軍、撫軍長史。 When the High Ancestor ascended the throne, Hui was transferred to vice director in the heir apparent's household and sent out as pacification general and chief clerk of the pacification army.

安陸王寶晊爲湘州，以繪爲冠軍長史、長沙內史，行湘州事，將軍如故。 When the Prince of Anlu, Bao Ye, took up the governorship of Xiang province, he appointed Hui chief clerk of the army who establishes might and interior governor of Changsha, with charge of Xiangzhou affairs, retaining his general's title.

寶晊愛其侍婢，繪奪取，具以啟聞，寶晊以爲恨，與繪不協。 Bao Ye loved a serving maid; Hui took her away and reported the matter fully to the throne; Bao Ye resented this and fell out with Hui.

繪雖豪俠，常惡武事，雅善博射，未嘗跨馬。 Though Hui was bold and chivalrous, he always disliked military affairs, was elegantly skilled at target archery for sport, and never once mounted a horse.

兄悛之亡，朝議贈平北將軍、雍州刺史，詔書已出，繪請尚書令徐孝嗣改之。 At Jun's death the court deliberated posthumous award of general who pacifies the north and governor of Yong province; the edict had already been issued when Hui asked minister director Xu Xiaosi to change it.

及梁王義師起，朝廷以繪爲持節、督雍梁南北秦四州郢州之竟陵司州之隨郡諸軍事、輔國將軍、領寧蠻校尉、雍州刺史。 When the Prince of Liang's righteous army rose, the court appointed Hui bearer of the staff, commander of all military affairs in Yong, Liang, North and South Qin, the Jingling district of Yingzhou, and the Sui commandery of Sizhou, general who assists the state, concurrent colonel pacifying the barbarians, and governor of Yong province.

衆以朝廷昏亂，爲之寒心，繪終不受，東昏改用張欣泰。 Everyone, seeing the court benighted and chaotic, feared for him, but Hui in the end refused; Emperor Donghun then appointed Zhang Xintai instead.

繪轉建安王車騎長史，行府國事。 Hui was transferred to chief clerk on the staff of the Prince of Jian'an as cavalry general, with charge of the princely establishment's affairs.

義師圍城，南兖州刺史張稷總城內軍事，與繪情款異常，將謀廢立，閑語累夜。 When the righteous army besieged the city, Zhang Ji, governor of South Yanzhou, oversaw military affairs within the walls; he and Hui were unusually close and plotted deposition and enthronement, talking through the night on many occasions.

東昏殞，城內遣繪及國子博士范雲等送首詣梁王於石頭，轉大司馬從事中郎。 After Donghun perished, those within the city sent Hui and National University erudite Fan Yun and others to deliver the head to the Prince of Liang at Stone Fortress; Hui was transferred to attendant of the grand marshal.

繪撰《能書人名》，自云善飛白，言論之際，頗好矜知。 Hui compiled 《Names of Those Skilled at Writing》 and claimed skill in feibai script; in conversation he rather loved to show off what he knew.