Xu Shao 許劭
| Occupation | ROfficial · Officer of Merit | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Runan Commandery | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R24 |
Profile
Xu Shao was a man of Runan, and in the Biography of Taishi Ci and the Biography of Zhuge Ke he is called Xu Zijiang. He became known from his youth together with his elder cousin Xu Jing, and both had a reputation for judging people's character. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears briefly in the biographies of Xu Jing, Liu Ye, Taishi Ci, He Qia and Zhuge Ke. Records, Wei 14 §84Records, Wu 4 §27Records, Wu 19 §18Records, Shu 8 §2
As Officer of Merit of his commandery he shut out Xu Jing, and when he took refuge from the disorder in Yang Province he said that Liu Ye had the talent to aid the age. His son Xu Hun became a Master of Writing under Emperor Ming. Records, Shu 8 §2Records, Wei 14 §84Records, Wei 23 §15
In the Romance he appears once, in Chapter 1, as a man of Runan who judges the young Cao Cao to be 'a capable minister in an age of order, a treacherous hero in an age of chaos'; his name is not in any chapter title. Romance, Ch. 1 §39
In the Records
According to the Biography of Xu Jing, Xu Shao was the younger cousin of Xu Jing of Pingyu County in Runan Commandery. In their youth he and Xu Jing became known together, and both had a reputation for distinguishing good people from bad, but privately they did not get along. When Xu Shao became Officer of Merit of the commandery, he shut Xu Jing out so that he could not enter office, and Xu Jing made his living by turning a millstone with a horse. Records, Shu 8 §2
According to the Biography of Liu Ye, Xu Shao of Runan was famous for his ability to judge people. While he was in Yang Province taking refuge from the disorder, he said of Liu Ye, who at thirteen had killed his father's concubine in accordance with his mother's dying wish, that he had the talent to aid the age. Records, Wei 14 §83–84
According to the Biography of Taishi Ci, when Liu Yao, Inspector of Yang Province, was urged to make Taishi Ci, a man of his own commandery, a grand general, he said, 'If I employ Ziyi, won't Xu Zijiang laugh at me?', and gave Taishi Ci only the task of scouting the enemy's strength. Records, Wu 4 §27
In the Chiwu era, in a letter to the Chancellor Lu Xun, Zhuge Ke said that men of worth should not be judged with petty and harsh demands, and cited Xu Zijiang as an example. Since the end of the Han, he said, among the gentlemen of the Central States, the likes of Xu Zijiang had slandered one another and sometimes brought disaster on themselves, not because of any great enmity, but because, while unable to fulfill the rites themselves, they reproached others solely by the standard of righteousness. Records, Wu 19 §15 · 18
The Biography of He Qia records that Xu Hun, a man of the same commandery as He Qia, was the son of Xu Shao, that he was pure and sincere with a discerning eye for people, and that he became a Master of Writing under Emperor Ming. Chen Shou's main text does not record when Xu Shao was born or when he died. Records, Wei 23 §15Records, Shu 8 §2Records, Wei 14 §84
In the Romance
Chapter 1 of the Romance, introducing the young Cao Cao, presents Xu Shao of Runan, after Qiao Xuan and He Yong have recognized Cao Cao, as a man famous for his eye for people. When Cao Cao visits him and asks, 'What sort of man am I?', Xu Shao does not answer, and when asked again, he says, 'You are a capable minister in an age of order, a treacherous hero in an age of chaos.' On hearing this Cao Cao is greatly pleased. Romance, Ch. 1 §38–39
This is the only passage in the Romance in which Xu Shao appears; Cao Cao then, at twenty, is recommended as Filial and Incorrupt, becomes a Gentleman, and is appointed Commandant of the Northern District of Luoyang. Romance, Ch. 1 §39
Where the Romance differs
His judgment of Cao Cao: In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Xu Shao judges Cao Cao to be 'a capable minister in an age of order, a treacherous hero in an age of chaos'. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that people did not think Cao Cao remarkable and that only Qiao Xuan and He Yong saw him as exceptional, and Xu Shao does not appear. Nor do the records of Xu Shao in Chen Shou's main text include any judgment of Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 1 §39Records, Wei 1 §2Records, Shu 8 §2Records, Wei 14 §84Records, Wu 4 §27Records, Wu 19 §18Records, Wei 23 §15
Whom Xu Shao recognized: The Romance portrays Xu Shao only as the man who judged Cao Cao. In the Records, the person named as one whose talent Xu Shao praised is Liu Ye, of whom Xu Shao said that he had the talent to aid the age. Romance, Ch. 1 §39Records, Wei 14 §84
Relations with Xu Jing: The Romance does not show Xu Shao's relationship with his elder cousin Xu Jing. In the Biography of Xu Jing in the Records, the two were both famous for judging people but did not get along, and Xu Shao, as Officer of Merit of the commandery, pushed Xu Jing out of the path to office. Romance, Ch. 1 §39Records, Shu 8 §2
Later mentions: In the Romance, Xu Shao's name does not appear again after Chapter 1. In the Records, Liu Yao, wary of Xu Zijiang's ridicule, did not employ Taishi Ci as a grand general, and Zhuge Ke, in a letter to Lu Xun, said that the likes of Xu Zijiang reproached others harshly and slandered one another. Romance, Ch. 1 §39Records, Wu 4 §27Records, Wu 19 §18
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.
Records total492 / 1000Rank 274 of 996 · Top 28%Romance total461 / 1000Rank 191 of 1,113 · Top 18%
Romance adaptation index−31Romance total − Records total
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT5050±0
- POL4238−4
- CHA6548−17
- VIR3845+7
- ADP4845−3
- SCH6050−10
- DIP4245+3
- DIS8578−7
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
8 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarWei 14 §84
NNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarCh. 1 §39
RNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarWei 14 §84
NNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarCh. 1 §39
RNo direct record — estimated from his reputation for judging peopleWei 14 §84
NNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarCh. 1 §39
RTook refuge from the disorder in Yang ProvinceWei 14 §84
NNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarCh. 1 §39
RNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarWei 14 §84
NNo direct record — estimated from his deeds as a noted scholarCh. 1 §39
RFamous for his ability to judge people — praised Liu Ye's talentWei 14 §84Shu 8 §2
NFamous for his eye for people — judged Cao Cao a capable minister in an age of order and a treacherous hero in an age of chaosCh. 1 §39
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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