Liu Xiong 劉雄
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Prefect of Fan | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Zhuo Commandery Zhuo County Unverified | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Liu Xiong was the grandfather of Liu Bei. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears once, at the opening of the Biography of the First Sovereign in Records of Shu 2. He was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and rose in office to Prefect of Fan in Dong Commandery; Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name or the years of his birth and death. Records, Shu 2 §2
In the Romance he is first named in Chapter 1 as Xuande's grandfather and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, Chapters 1 and 20; no chapter has his name in its title. In Chapter 20 Liu Bei declares before Emperor Xian that he is 'the grandson of Liu Xiong and the son of Liu Hong,' and Liu Xiong appears as 'Liu Xiong, Prefect of Fan in Dong Commandery' in the genealogy read out by the Minister of the Imperial Clan. Romance, Ch. 1 §15Romance, Ch. 20 §4 · 6
In the Records
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. Liu Sheng's son Liu Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of Lucheng Neighborhood in Zhuo County in the 6th year of Yuanshou (117 BCE), but lost his marquisate over the matter of the tribute gold (zhoujin) and settled there with his family. Records, Shu 2 §2
Liu Bei's grandfather was Liu Xiong and his father Liu Hong, and they served in the province and commandery for generations. Liu Xiong was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and rose in office to Prefect of Fan in Dong Commandery. Liu Bei lost his father when young and, with his mother, made a living by selling sandals and weaving mats. Records, Shu 2 §2–3
This passage is the only place in Chen Shou's main text where Liu Bei's grandfather Liu Xiong appears, and the line of descent from Liu Zhen to Liu Xiong, Liu Xiong's courtesy name, and the years of his birth and death are not recorded. Records, Shu 2 §2
In the Romance
Chapter 1 of the Romance, introducing Liu Bei, says that Liu Sheng's son Liu Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhuolu Neighborhood in the time of Emperor Wu of Han, but lost his title for failing to pay properly the gold due for the sacrifices, and so this branch remained in Zhuo County. It records that Xuande's grandfather was Liu Xiong and his father Liu Hong, and that Liu Hong was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and served as an official but died early. Romance, Ch. 1 §15
In Chapter 20, when Cao Cao reports Liu Bei's military merits and brings him to see Emperor Xian, the emperor summons Liu Bei up into the hall and asks who his ancestors were. Liu Bei replies that he is a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan and a great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing, the grandson of Liu Xiong and the son of Liu Hong. Romance, Ch. 20 §4
Emperor Xian has the genealogy of the imperial clan brought and has the Minister of the Imperial Clan read it out, and the line descending from Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, son of Emperor Xiaojing, ends: 'Liu Hui begot Liu Xiong, Prefect of Fan in Dong Commandery. Liu Xiong begot Liu Hong. Liu Hong did not take office. Liu Bei is the son of Liu Hong.' Reckoning the generations in the genealogy, Liu Bei turns out to be of the generation of Emperor Xian's uncles, and after observing the courtesies between uncle and nephew the emperor makes him General of the Left and Marquis of Yicheng Neighborhood. From then on people call Liu Bei the Imperial Uncle Liu. Romance, Ch. 20 §4–7
Where the Romance differs
Liu Xiong's father: The genealogy in Chapter 20 of the Romance records Liu Xiong as the son of Liu Hui, Marquis of Jichuan. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records does not record the line of descent from Liu Zhen to Liu Xiong. Romance, Ch. 20 §6Records, Shu 2 §2
Who was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt: Chapter 1 of the Romance says that Liu Bei's father Liu Hong was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and served as an official, while the genealogy in Chapter 20 says that Liu Hong did not take office. In the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records, the one who was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and rose to Prefect of Fan was the grandfather Liu Xiong, and Liu Xiong and Liu Hong served in the province and commandery for generations. Romance, Ch. 1 §15Romance, Ch. 20 §6Records, Shu 2 §2
Liu Zhen's fief: Chapter 1 of the Romance says that Liu Zhen was enfeoffed as 'Marquis of Zhuolu Neighborhood' in the time of Emperor Wu of Han, while the genealogy in Chapter 20 calls him 'Marquis of Lucheng Neighborhood.' The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records records that he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Lucheng Neighborhood in Zhuo County in the 6th year of Yuanshou. Romance, Ch. 1 §15Romance, Ch. 20 §5Records, Shu 2 §2
The genealogy declared before the emperor: In Chapter 20 of the Romance, Liu Bei tells Emperor Xian that he is the grandson of Liu Xiong, and when the genealogy is read out he is acknowledged as the Imperial Uncle. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records only records that Liu Bei returned to Xu with Cao Cao, was made General of the Left and was treated by Cao Cao with still greater courtesy; there is no account of his declaring his lineage before Emperor Xian. Romance, Ch. 20 §4–7Records, Shu 2 §14 · 1–76
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.
- LEA3333±0
- STR3131±0
- INT4038−2
- POL4845−3
- CHA4038−2
- VIR4842−6
- ADP4040±0
- SCH4038−2
- 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 →
Family
| Parents | Liu Hui Romance |
|---|---|
| Children | Liu Hong(劉弘) Romance |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.