Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler and Warlord

Liu Yuanhai 劉元海

Born AD 249 to AD 251

Passages: 17
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Liu Yuanhai was a ruler and Warlord.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Liu Yuan	淵	Yuan

Life and dates

Birth

AD 249 to AD 251 自是十三月而生元海
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 68

Age

7
Reckoning Sui · Event mother's death
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 69

Attested activity

AD 264 to AD 265 咸熙中，為任子在洛陽
Dated from the passage context · Book of Jin 101, passage 80
AD 251 to AD 310 新興匈奴人
Strongly inferred · Book of Jin 101, passage 50

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Modu (冒頓)
descendant 之後
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 50
Child of Liu Bao (劉豹)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 59
Child of Lady Huyan (呼延氏)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passages 63, 68-69

Origins and identity

Ethnicity Xiongnu 匈奴
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 50

Career and standing

Northern commandant 北部都尉
AD 289 to AD 289 太康末 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 108
Acting General Who Pacifies the North 行甯朔將軍
AD 301 to AD 304 成都王穎鎮鄴 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 113
General Who Establishes Might 建威將軍
AD 290 to AD 291 楊駿輔政 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 111
Grand commander of the five sections 五部大都督
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 111
northern commandant / five-section offices 官
AD 299 to AD 299 元康末 · Dismissed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 112
Left-section commander 左部帥
AD 279 to AD 280 會豹卒 · Succeeded
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 107

Show 2 more source-backed claims

Marquis of Hanguang township 漢光鄉侯
Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 111
AD 264 to AD 265 咸熙中
Hostage · At Luoyang 洛陽
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 80

Places and affiliations

Polity Western Jin 西晉 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passages 80, 107, 111
At Xinxing 新興
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 50

Learning and skills

Teacher Person Id Cui You (崔游) · Subjects 毛詩, 京氏易, 馬氏尚書, 春秋左氏傳, 孫吳兵法
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 71
Skill archery 善射 · Level renowned
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 75
Skill military arts 武事 · Level supreme
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 75

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Zhu Ji (朱紀)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passages 72-74
Speech · Speaker · With Wang Mi (王彌)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passages 99-101

Events and relationships

Feasted
Diplomatic · Host · With Wang Mi (王彌) · At Jiuqu 九曲
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 98
Relation Student of · Person Cui You (崔游)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 71

Assessments and attributes

Assessment extraordinary physiognomy never before seen · Mode named-source-report Witness Person Id Cui Yizhi (崔懿之)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 77
Assessment mien and insight equal to You Yu and Jin Midi; civil-military talent far superior · Mode quotation Speaker Emperor Wu of Jin (晉武帝)
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 82
eight chi four cun tall; beard over three chi; three red hairs three chi six cun on breast
Physical description
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passage 76

Source notes

From Yuan 淵 · To Yuanhai 元海 · Reason temple taboo avoidance
Directly stated · Book of Jin 101, passages 51-53

References in the histories

Search passages

History

17 passages

Book of Jin, Chapter 101Volume 101 Records 1: Liu Yuanhai and Liu Xuan · 17 passages

劉元海，新興匈奴人，冒頓之後也。 Liu Yuan was a Xiongnu from Xinxing, descended from Modun Shanyu.

〈名淵，與唐高祖同名〉，〈The commentary notes his registered name was Yuan, identical to Tang Gaozu's.〉

於扶羅死，弟呼廚泉立，以於扶羅子豹為左賢王，即元海之父也。 Yuluoji's brother Huchuquan succeeded and named Yuluoji's son Liu Bao left worthy king—Liu Yuan's father.

自是十三月而生元海，左手文有其名，遂以名焉。 Thirteen months later she bore Liu Yuan; his left palm bore the characters of his name, so they called him Yuan.

有屯留崔懿之、襄陵公師彧等，皆善相人，及見元海，驚而相謂曰：「此人形貌非常，吾所未見也。」 Physiognomists such as Cui Yizhi and Gongshi Yu gasped when they saw him: "We have never read a face like his."

帝召與語，大悅之，謂王濟曰：「劉元海容儀機鑒，雖由餘、日磾無以加也。」 The emperor interviewed Liu Yuan and told Wang Ji, "For presence and penetration even Jin Midi and You Yu would not surpass him."

濟對曰：「元海儀容機鑒，實如聖旨，然其文武才幹賢於二子遠矣。 Wang Ji answered, "You speak true of his charisma, but his civil and military gifts outstrip those two by far.

孔恂、楊珧進曰：「臣觀元海之才，當今懼無其比，陛下若輕其眾，不足以成事； Kong Xun and Yang Yao objected: "No one today matches Liu Yuan; if you treat his tribes lightly you may fail the mission;

後秦涼覆沒，帝疇咨將帥，上党李憙曰：「陛下誠能發匈奴五部之眾，假元海一將軍之號，鼓行而西，可指期而定。」 When Liang collapsed the court debated generals; Li Xi of Shangdang said, "Mobilize the five Xiongnu divisions, give Liu Yuan a general's baton, and march west on schedule—the west will fall."

憙勃然曰：「以匈奴之勁悍，元海之曉兵，奉宣聖威，何不盡之有！」 Li Xi snapped, "Their ferocity plus Liu Yuan's craft, carrying imperial majesty—what could resist?"

恂曰：「元海若能平涼州，斬樹機能，恐涼州方有難耳。 Kong answered, "Let Liu Yuan take Liangzhou and slay the rebel Shu Jinen and Liangzhou will merely trade one peril for another.

後王彌從洛陽東歸，元海餞彌于九曲之濱。 When Wang Mi left Luoyang for the east, Liu Yuan feasted him on the Jiuqu bend.

齊王攸時在九曲，比聞而馳遣視之，見元海在焉，言於帝曰：「陛下不除劉元海，臣恐并州不得久寧。」 Prince Sima You was nearby at Jiuqu; he rode over, found Liu Yuan at the banquet, and warned the emperor, "If you leave Liu Yuan alive, Bingzhou will not stay quiet."

王渾進曰：「元海長者，渾為君王保明之。 Wang Hun cut in: "Liu Yuan is a man of honour—I will answer for him before Your Majesty.

會豹卒，以元海代為左部帥。 When Liu Bao died Liu Yuan succeeded him as left-section chief.

楊駿輔政，以元海為建威將軍、五部大都督，封漢光鄉侯。 Regent Yang Jun named him General Who Establishes Might, commander-in-chief of the five sections, and marquis of Hanguang township.

成都王穎鎮鄴，表元海行甯朔將軍、監五部軍事。 While Sima Ying, Prince of Chengdu, was stationed at Ye, he memorialized a request to appoint Yuanhai acting General Who Pacifies the North with supervision over the military affairs of the five divisions.