Liu Yuanqi 劉元起
| Occupation | RNOther | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Liu Yuanqi was the father of Liu Deran, a member of Liu Bei's clan. 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. When the fifteen-year-old Liu Bei was studying under Lu Zhi together with Liu Deran and Gongsun Zan of Liaoxi, he always provided Liu Bei with money, treating him exactly as he did his son Liu Deran. Records, Shu 2 §4
When his wife said, 'Each of us is a separate household; how can you always do this?', Liu Yuanqi replied, 'In our clan there is this boy; he is no ordinary person.' Chen Shou's main text does not record his offices, deeds or death. Records, Shu 2 §4
Chen Shou's assessment in the Biography of the First Sovereign does not deal with him. In the Romance he appears in Chapter 1 as Xuande's uncle, and this is the only one of the 120 chapters in which he appears; his name is in no chapter title. The Romance depicts him as being struck by the young Xuande's remark that if he became Son of Heaven he would ride in a carriage with a canopy like this, saying, 'This child is no ordinary child,' and as always helping out the poor Xuande's household. Records, Shu 2 §78Romance, Ch. 1 §16
In the Records
Liu Bei, the First Sovereign, 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. His grandfather and father served in the province and commandery for generations, but 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
Because the mulberry tree by the fence at the southeast corner of his house looked from afar like a small carriage canopy, some said that a man of eminence would come from this house. When Liu Bei as a child was playing under the tree with the other children of the clan and said, 'I will surely ride in a carriage with a feathered canopy like this,' his uncle Zijing scolded him: 'Do not talk recklessly. You will bring destruction on our family!' Records, Shu 2 §3
When he was fifteen, his mother sent Liu Bei away to study, and together with his clansman Liu Deran and Gongsun Zan of Liaoxi he served Lu Zhi, a man of the same commandery and a former Grand Administrator of Jiujiang. Liu Deran's father Liu Yuanqi always provided Liu Bei with money, treating him exactly as he did Liu Deran. Records, Shu 2 §4
When Liu Yuanqi's wife said, 'Each of us is a separate household; how can you always do this!', Liu Yuanqi replied, 'In our clan there is this boy; he is no ordinary person.' This passage is the only place in Chen Shou's main text where Liu Yuanqi's name appears, and his offices, deeds and death are not recorded. Records, Shu 2 §4
In the Romance
In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Liu Yan, Grand Administrator of You Province, posts notices calling for volunteer troops, and when the notice reaches Zhuo County, Xuande is introduced as a hero of that place. A descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and a great-great-grandson of Emperor Jing of Han, he lost his father when young and, his family being poor, makes a living by selling straw sandals and weaving mats. A great mulberry tree southeast of his house grows round and dense like a carriage canopy when seen from afar, and a physiognomist says that a man of eminence will surely come from this house. Romance, Ch. 1 §13–16
When the young Xuande, playing under the tree with the village children, says, 'When I become Son of Heaven, I will ride in a carriage with a canopy like this,' his uncle Liu Yuanqi, struck by his words, says, 'This child is no ordinary child!', and, seeing how poor Xuande's household is, always helps out with its living. At fifteen, Xuande goes off to study at his mother's wish, serves Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi as his teachers, and becomes friends with Gongsun Zan and others. This is the only passage in which the Romance speaks of Liu Yuanqi. Romance, Ch. 1 §16
Where the Romance differs
Relationship: Chapter 1 of the Romance calls Liu Yuanqi Xuande's uncle. In the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records, Liu Yuanqi is recorded only as the father of Liu Deran, a member of Liu Bei's clan, and the one called his uncle is a different person, Zijing. Romance, Ch. 1 §16Records, Shu 2 §3–4
The carriage-canopy remark: In Chapter 1 of the Romance, when Xuande says that if he becomes Son of Heaven he will ride in a carriage with a canopy, his uncle Liu Yuanqi is struck by his words and says, 'This child is no ordinary child.' In the Records, when Liu Bei says he will ride in a carriage with a feathered canopy, his uncle Zijing scolds him not to talk recklessly, saying he will bring destruction on the family. Liu Yuanqi's remark in the Records that Liu Bei was no ordinary person was his reply to his wife over the money he provided. Romance, Ch. 1 §16Records, Shu 2 §3–4
Providing money: In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Liu Yuanqi, seeing how poor Xuande's household is, always helps out with its living. In the Records, while the fifteen-year-old Liu Bei was studying under Lu Zhi, Liu Yuanqi always provided him with money, treating him exactly as he did his son Liu Deran, and his wife said, 'Each of us is a separate household; how can you always do this?' Romance, Ch. 1 §16Records, Shu 2 §4
His son Liu Deran: In the Records, Liu Yuanqi's son Liu Deran served Lu Zhi together with Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan. Chapter 1 of the Romance does not mention Liu Deran, and says instead that Xuande served Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi as his teachers and became friends with Gongsun Zan and others. Records, Shu 2 §4Romance, Ch. 1 §16
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.
- LEA3331−2
- STR3131±0
- INT4842−6
- POL4038−2
- CHA4542−3
- VIR6062+2
- ADP4540−5
- SCH4238−4
- DIP4035−5
- DIS6558−7
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 (1)
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