Liu Hong 劉弘
| Occupation | ROfficial | Faction | Eastern Han |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Zhuo Commandery Zhuo County Unverified | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R2 |
Profile
Liu Hong was the father of Liu Bei. He has no biography of his own in the Records; in Chen Shou's main text his name appears once, at the opening of the Biography of the First Sovereign (Records of Shu 2). The Biography of the First Sovereign records that Liu Bei was a man of Zhuo County in Zhuo Commandery and a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a son of Emperor Jing of Han, that his grandfather was Liu Xiong and his father Liu Hong, and that for generations they served in the provinces and commanderies. Records, Shu 2 §2
The Biography of the First Sovereign records only that Liu Bei lost his father when young; it does not give Liu Hong's courtesy name, the title of his office or the year of his death, and the Records contain no assessment of him. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 1 as Xuande's father and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, but he is not named in any chapter title. Chapter 1 says that he was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and served as an official but died early, while the clan genealogy read out by the Minister of the Imperial Clan in Chapter 20 says that he held no office. Records, Shu 2 §2–3Romance, Ch. 1 §15Romance, Ch. 20 §6
In the Records
According to the Biography of the First Sovereign, Liu Bei's surname was Liu, his personal name Bei and his courtesy name Xuande; he was a man of Zhuo County in Zhuo Commandery and a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a son of Emperor Jing of Han. Liu Sheng's son Liu Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of Lucheng Village in Zhuo County in the 6th year of Yuanshou (117 BCE), but lost his marquisate when he was implicated in the matter of the tribute gold, and his family settled there. Records, Shu 2 §2
The First Sovereign's grandfather was Liu Xiong and his father Liu Hong, and for generations they served in the provinces and commanderies. Liu Xiong was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and rose to be Prefect of Fan in Dong Commandery, but Chen Shou's main text does not give the title of the office Liu Hong held. Records, Shu 2 §2
Liu Bei lost his father when young and, with his mother, made a living by selling sandals and weaving mats. This passage is the only place where Liu Hong appears in Chen Shou's main text; his courtesy name, the year of his death and the cause of his death are not recorded, and the Records contain no assessment of him. Records, Shu 2 §2–3
In the Romance
Chapter 1 of the Romance introduces Xuande at the point where the notice recruiting volunteer troops, posted by Liu Yan, Grand Administrator of You Province, reaches Zhuo County, and says that Liu Sheng's son Liu Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhuolu Village in the time of Emperor Wu of Han but lost his rank for the crime of failing to deliver the gold due for the sacrifices properly, so that this branch remained in Zhuo County. Xuande's grandfather was Liu Xiong and his father Liu Hong; Liu Hong was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and served as an official, but died early. Xuande, having lost his father when young, serves his mother with the utmost filial devotion, and as the family is poor he makes a living by selling straw sandals and weaving mats. Romance, Ch. 1 §13–15
In Chapter 20, when Cao Cao, having defeated Lü Bu and returned to the capital Xu, presents Xuande to Emperor Xian, Xuande answers the emperor's question about his ancestry by saying that he is a descendant of the Prince Jing of Zhongshan and a great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing, the grandson of Liu Xiong and the son of Liu Hong. The emperor has the clan genealogy brought, and the Minister of the Imperial Clan reads out the names and fiefs of each generation, beginning with Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, the seventh son of Emperor Xiaojing, and ends: 'Liu Hui begot Liu Xiong, Prefect of Fan in Dong Commandery. Liu Xiong begot Liu Hong. Liu Hong held no office. Liu Bei is the son of Liu Hong.' Romance, Ch. 20 §3–6
When the emperor works out the generations in the genealogy, Xuande turns out to be of the generation of the emperor's uncle. Greatly pleased, the emperor invites him into a side hall, performs the rites between uncle and nephew, and makes Xuande General of the Left and Marquis of Yicheng Village. From then on everyone calls him Imperial Uncle Liu. Romance, Ch. 20 §6–7
Where the Romance differs
Office: Chapter 1 of the Romance says that Liu Hong was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and served as an official, while the genealogy in Chapter 20 says that he held no office, so the Romance contradicts itself. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records records that Liu Xiong and Liu Hong served in the provinces and commanderies for generations, and the one recommended as Filial and Incorrupt was the grandfather, Liu Xiong. Romance, Ch. 1 §15Romance, Ch. 20 §6Records, Shu 2 §2
Liu Zhen's fief: Chapter 1 of the Romance says that Liu Sheng's son Liu Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhuolu Village in the time of Emperor Wu of Han, while the genealogy in Chapter 20 calls him Marquis of Lucheng Village. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records records that he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Lucheng Village in Zhuo County in the 6th year of Yuanshou (117 BCE). Romance, Ch. 1 §15Romance, Ch. 20 §5Records, Shu 2 §2
The genealogy: In Chapter 20 of the Romance, the Minister of the Imperial Clan reads out before Emperor Xian the names and fiefs of each generation from Liu Sheng down to Liu Xiong and Liu Hong, and it emerges that Xuande is of the generation of the emperor's uncle. The opening of the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records says only that Liu Bei was a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and that his grandfather was Liu Xiong and his father Liu Hong, without giving the number of generations or the names in between. Romance, Ch. 20 §4–6Records, Shu 2 §2
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
- INT3838±0
- POL4038−2
- CHA3838±0
- VIR4242±0
- ADP3835−3
- SCH3840+2
- DIP3535±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
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 (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Eastern Han · Records · 「先主祖雄，父弘，世仕州郡」 · Romance ch. 1 s15 「父劉弘」
Family
| Parents | Liu Xiong Romance |
|---|---|
| Children | Liu Bei Novel & History |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.