Handan Chun 邯鄲淳
| Occupation | RScholar · Erudite | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | Native place | Yingchuan Commandery | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R9 |
Profile
Handan Chun was a man of Yingchuan. In the Biography of Wang Can, Chen Shou named him together with Fan Qin, Lu Cui, Ding Yi (丁儀), Ding Yi (丁廙), Yang Xiu and Xun Wei, and wrote that they had literary talent but were not counted among 'these seven men'. In the account of Hu Zhao, he also wrote that Hu Zhao was famous for his calligraphy together with Zhong Yao, Handan Chun, Wei Ji and Wei Dan. Records, Wei 21 §24Records, Wei 11 §109
The Records have no separate biography of him; Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, offices or year of death, and the assessment in Records of Wei 21 does not mention him either. In the Romance his name comes up in Chapter 71, in the story of the stele of Cao E that Cai Yan tells Cao Cao, as the man who composed its inscription at the age of thirteen; he appears in 1 of the 120 chapters, and no chapter title bears his name. Records, Wei 21 §23–24 · 99Romance, Ch. 71 §8–9
In the Records
The Biography of Wang Can records that when Emperor Wen became General of the Household of the Five Offices, he and Cao Zhi, Marquis of Pingyuan, both loved literature, and that Wang Can, together with Xu Gan of Beihai, Chen Lin of Guangling, Ruan Yu of Chenliu, Ying Chang of Runan and Liu Zhen of Dongping, was treated by them as a close friend. Records, Wei 21 §9
After recording the deeds of these men, Chen Shou added that, besides them, Handan Chun and Fan Qin of Yingchuan, Lu Cui of Chenliu, Ding Yi (丁儀) and Ding Yi (丁廙) of Pei State, Yang Xiu of Hongnong, Xun Wei of Henei and others also had literary talent, but were not counted among these seven men. This is all Chen Shou's main text says of Handan Chun, and his courtesy name and offices are not recorded. Records, Wei 21 §23–24
The account of Hu Zhao in Records of Wei 11 records that at first Hu Zhao wrote a fine hand and was famous together with Zhong Yao, Handan Chun, Wei Ji and Wei Dan, and that the handwriting of the letters he wrote was often taken as a model. Records, Wei 11 §109
In his assessment in Records of Wei 21, Chen Shou said that Emperor Wen and the Prince of Chen, with the dignity of princes, broadly loved literary talent, so that men of talent came forth together, but that only Wang Can and the others, six men, were most renowned; he said nothing separately about Handan Chun. Records, Wei 21 §99
In the Romance
In Chapter 71 of the Romance, Cao Cao, having led his troops out through the Tong Pass, stops at Cai Yong's estate in Lantian, sees a hanging scroll of a stele inscription on the wall and asks Cai Yan about it. Cai Yan explains that it is the stele of Cao E: in the time of Emperor He, when Cao Xu, a shaman of Shangyu, fell into the river and drowned while dancing drunk on a boat on the 5th day of the 5th month, his fourteen-year-old daughter wept for seven days and nights and then leapt into the waves, and five days later surfaced carrying her father's body on her back. Romance, Ch. 71 §6–8
Cai Yan says that Du Shang, Prefect of Shangyu, reported this to the court to have her honored as a filial daughter, and had Handan Chun compose a text to be carved on a stele recording the event. The Romance states that Handan Chun was then only thirteen, that he composed it in a single stroke of the brush without changing a single character, and that when the stone was set up beside the grave, the people of the time marveled at it. Romance, Ch. 71 §9
Cai Yan goes on to say that her father Cai Yong, hearing of it, went to see it, and as the day had grown dark, read the inscription by feeling it with his hand in the darkness, and wrote eight large characters on its back. When Cao Cao asks the meaning of 'Huangjuan youfu, waisun jijiu', no one can answer. After riding about three li, Cao Cao works it out himself and asks the Registrar Yang Xiu to explain it; when Yang Xiu solves it as a riddle for 'juemiao haoci', meaning a superbly fine piece of writing, Cao Cao, greatly startled, says it matches exactly what he had in mind. In the Romance, Handan Chun appears only in this story. Romance, Ch. 71 §9–12
Where the Romance differs
The inscription for Cao E: In Chapter 71 of the Romance, Handan Chun appears as the man who, at thirteen and at the order of Du Shang, Prefect of Shangyu, composed the inscription for the stele of Cao E in one go. Chen Shou's main text has no story of the stele of Cao E, and Handan Chun is merely named as a man of Yingchuan with literary talent. Romance, Ch. 71 §9Records, Wei 21 §24
Calligraphy: The Romance says nothing of Handan Chun's calligraphy. In the account of Hu Zhao in the Records, Handan Chun appears as a man famous for his calligraphy together with Zhong Yao, Wei Ji and Wei Dan. Romance, Ch. 71 §9Records, Wei 11 §109
The eight characters on the back of the stele: In Chapter 71 of the Romance, Cao Cao and Yang Xiu decipher the eight characters Cai Yong wrote on the back of Handan Chun's inscription. This episode is not in Chen Shou's main text in the Records, and Yang Xiu is named in the Biography of Wang Can, together with Handan Chun, as a man of literary talent. Romance, Ch. 71 §10–12Records, Wei 21 §24
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT4548+3
- POL3835−3
- CHA4042+2
- VIR4242±0
- ADP4040±0
- SCH6874+6
- DIP3838±0
- DIS3535±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — a man of letters with no military recordWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — a man of letters with no military recordCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — a man of letters with no record of martial prowessWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — a man of letters with no record of martial prowessCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — estimated as a scholar with literary talentWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — estimated from the record of his literary gift in youthCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — no record of government affairsWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — no record of government affairsCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — only his name appearsWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — estimated from the record that people of the time marveled at himCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — no record of his conductWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — no record of his conductCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — only his name appearsWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — only his name appearsCh. 71 §9
RHad literary talent but was not ranked among the Seven, and was famous for calligraphy alongside Zhong Yao and othersWei 21 §24Wei 11 §109
NAt thirteen composed the inscription for the stele of Cao E in one go without changing a characterCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — no record of his eloquenceWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — no record of his eloquenceCh. 71 §9
RNo direct record — no record concerning talent-spottingWei 21 §24
NNo direct record — no record concerning talent-spottingCh. 71 §9
Special — talents Records +25 · Romance +0
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Calligraphy
RMaster +25 Famous for calligraphy alongside Zhong Yao, Wei Ji and othersWei 11 §109
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wei · Records · Records vol. 21 「及黃初初，以淳爲博士給事中」