Ruan Yu 阮瑀
| Occupation | ROfficial · Libationer for Military Planning under the Minister of Works | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | R | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | R? Unverified | Native place | Chenliu Commandery |
| Died | R212 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R13 |
Profile
Ruan Yu, courtesy name Yuanyu, was a man of Chenliu. In his youth he studied under Cai Yong, and in the Jian'an era, when the Protector General Cao Hong wanted to put him in charge of documents and records, he never yielded. Records, Wei 21 §9 · 17
Cao Cao made him, together with Chen Lin, Libationer for Military Planning under the Minister of Works and put them in charge of records, and most of the documents and proclamations on military and state affairs were written by the two of them. He later became Assistant in the Granary Bureau, and he died in the 17th year of Jian'an (212). His son Ruan Ji also became famous for his talent and literary brilliance. Records, Wei 21 §17 · 20 · 28
He has no biography of his own in the Records and is appended to the biography of Wang Can. In a letter to Wu Zhi, Cao Pi said, 'Yuanyu's letters and records are light and graceful, and a true delight,' and in his assessment Chen Shou said that Wang Can and the others, six men in all, were the most renowned. He does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wei 21 §16 · 21 · 99
In the Records
Ruan Yu, courtesy name Yuanyu, was a man of Chenliu. The Records records him as an appendix to the biography of Wang Can. Earlier, when Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, was General of the Household of the Five Offices, he and Cao Zhi, Marquis of Pingyuan, both loved literature, and 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 · 16
In his youth Ruan Yu studied under Cai Yong. In the Jian'an era the Protector General Cao Hong wanted to put him in charge of documents and records, but Ruan Yu never yielded. Taizu, Cao Cao, made both Chen Lin and Ruan Yu Libationers for Military Planning under the Minister of Works and put them in charge of records, and most of the documents and proclamations on military and state affairs were written by Chen Lin and Ruan Yu. Chen Lin was transferred to Commander of the Gate Guard, and Ruan Yu became Assistant in the Granary Bureau. Records, Wei 21 §17
Ruan Yu died in the 17th year of Jian'an (212), and Xu Gan, Chen Lin, Ying Chang and Liu Zhen died in the 22nd year (217). In a letter to Wu Zhi, Prefect of Yuancheng, Emperor Wen said that an epidemic the year before had carried off Xu Gan, Chen Lin, Ying Chang and Liu Zhen all at once, and, taking up their writings one by one, he judged that 'Yuanyu's letters and records are light and graceful, and a true delight.' The letter closes by saying that these gentlemen merely fell short of the ancients but were nonetheless the outstanding men of their age. Records, Wei 21 §20–22
Ruan Yu's son Ruan Ji had a talent and literary style that were brilliant and outstanding, but he was unconventional and unrestrained; in his conduct he had few desires and took Zhuang Zhou as his model. He rose to the post of Colonel of Infantry. Records, Wei 21 §28
In his assessment for the volume containing Wang Can and the others, Chen Shou said that Emperor Wen and the Prince of Chen, with the high standing of princes, broadly loved literary brilliance, so that talented men emerged together, and that among them Wang Can and the others, six men in all, were the most renowned. Records, Wei 21 §99
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
This person does not appear in the Romance, so only the Records score (Chen Shou’s main text) is given.
- LEA31
- STR31
- INT45
- POL45
- CHA50
- VIR58
- ADP45
- SCH82
- DIP45
- DIS38
Evidence by ability
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official in the records officeWei 21 §17
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official in the records officeWei 21 §17
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official in the records officeWei 21 §17
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Assistant in the Granary BureauWei 21 §17
RTreated as a close friend by Cao Pi and Cao ZhiWei 21 §9
RCao Hong wanted to put him in charge of documents, but he never yieldedWei 21 §17
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official in the records officeWei 21 §17
RStudied under Cai Yong and wrote military and state proclamations; his letters were judged a delightWei 21 §17Wei 21 §21
RNo direct record — estimated from his writing of proclamationsWei 21 §17
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official in the records officeWei 21 §17
Records 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.