Xun Shuang 荀爽
| Occupation | ROfficial · Minister of Works NOfficial · Minister over the Masses | Faction | Eastern Han |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Yingchuan Commandery | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R13 |
Profile
Xun Shuang was a man of Yingchuan and the uncle of Xun Yu. He has no biography of his own in the Records, and appears once each at the beginning of Xun Yu's biography and in Xu Jing's biography. Records, Wei 10 §2Records, Shu 8 §3
When Emperor Ling died and Dong Zhuo took power, Zhou Bi and Xu Jing, who admitted and dismissed the gentlemen of the realm, promoted him together with Han Rong, Chen Ji and others and made them Excellencies, ministers and commandery administrators. Xun Yu's biography records him as Minister of Works. Records, Shu 8 §2–3Records, Wei 10 §2
In the Romance he appears in Chapter 6 as Minister over the Masses, appearing in 1 of its 120 chapters; his name is in no chapter title. When Dong Zhuo raises the idea of moving the capital to Chang'an, he remonstrates after Yang Biao and Huang Wan, saying that the people will be thrown into turmoil, and that same day he is dismissed together with the two and made a commoner. Romance, Ch. 6 §5–7
In the Records
Xun Shuang was the uncle of Xun Yu. Xun Yu's grandfather Xun Shu, courtesy name Jihe, served as Prefect of Langling and was well known in his day during the reigns of Emperors Shun and Huan of Han. Xun Shu had eight sons, whom people called the Eight Dragons. Xun Yu's father Xun Gun was Chancellor of Jinan, and his uncle Xun Shuang was Minister of Works. Records, Wei 10 §2
When Emperor Ling died and Dong Zhuo took power, Zhou Bi of Hanyang was made Master of Writing for Personnel. Zhou Bi plotted together with Xu Jing to admit and dismiss the gentlemen of the realm, and promoted Xun Shuang, Han Rong, Chen Ji and others of Yingchuan, making them Excellencies, ministers and commandery administrators. But once Han Fu and others appointed with them reached their posts, each raised troops and headed for the capital intending to kill Dong Zhuo, and Dong Zhuo in anger rebuked Zhou Bi, sent him out and beheaded him outside. Records, Shu 8 §2–4
Apart from Xun Shuang's having risen to Minister of Works, Chen Shou's main text does not record his life or death. Records, Wei 10 §2Records, Shu 8 §3
In the Romance
In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Dong Zhuo hurries back to Luoyang overnight with Lü Bu, assembles the civil and military officials in the court hall, and says that since Han has had its capital at Luoyang for more than two hundred years and its fortune is already in decline, he will move the capital to Chang'an. The Minister over the Masses Yang Biao objects that the Guanzhong region is ruined and desolate and that abandoning the ancestral temples and imperial tombs will alarm and unsettle the people, and the Grand Commandant Huang Wan also says that Minister Yang is right and that Chang'an was once burned and left a land of broken tiles. Dong Zhuo says that Chang'an has the natural defences of Mount Xiao and the Hangu Pass and is close to Longyou, so building palaces would take less than a month, and tells them to talk no more nonsense. Romance, Ch. 6 §5–7
Then the Minister over the Masses Xun Shuang remonstrates: 'If Your Excellency the Chancellor moves the capital, the people will be in turmoil and know no peace.' Dong Zhuo, in a great rage, says that he is making plans for the realm and why should he care about petty commoners, and that same day dismisses Yang Biao, Huang Wan and Xun Shuang and makes them commoners. Next, the Master of Writing Zhou Bi and the Colonel of the City Gates Wu Qiong, who come to remonstrate against the move, are beheaded outside the gates of the capital, on the grounds that Dong Zhuo had at first listened to the two and recommended and employed Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao has rebelled. In the Romance Xun Shuang appears only in this chapter. Romance, Ch. 6 §7–8
Where the Romance differs
Office: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Xun Shuang appears as Minister over the Masses, and Yang Biao, in the same scene, is also called Minister over the Masses. In the Records, Xun Yu's biography records Xun Shuang as Minister of Works. Romance, Ch. 6 §5 · 7Records, Wei 10 §2
Remonstrating against the move of the capital: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Xun Shuang remonstrates against the move to Chang'an and is dismissed and made a commoner together with Yang Biao and Huang Wan. Chen Shou's main text records only, in Dong Zhuo's biography, that in the 2nd month of the 1st year of Chuping (190) he moved the Son of Heaven to Chang'an and burned the palaces of Luoyang, and does not record Xun Shuang remonstrating or being dismissed. Romance, Ch. 6 §7Records, Wei 6 §11Records, Wei 10 §2Records, Shu 8 §3
His appointment: In the Records, Xun Shuang was one of those promoted together with Han Rong and Chen Ji when, after Dong Zhuo took power, Zhou Bi and Xu Jing were admitting the gentlemen of the realm (Xu Jing's biography). Chapter 6 of the Romance does not explain how he became Minister over the Masses. Romance, Ch. 6 §7Records, Shu 8 §2–3
His family: In the Records, Xun Shuang was the uncle of Xun Yu, and Xun Yu's grandfather Xun Shu had eight sons, whom people called the Eight Dragons. Chapter 6 of the Romance does not mention his family. Romance, Ch. 6 §7Records, Wei 10 §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.
Records total412 / 1000Rank 536 of 996 · Top 54%Romance total420 / 1000Rank 380 of 1,113 · Top 35%
Romance adaptation index+8Romance total − Records total
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT4245+3
- POL4548+3
- CHA5040−10
- VIR4562+17
- ADP4040±0
- SCH5245−7
- DIP3840+2
- DIS3838±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
8 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)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Eastern Han · Records · Records vol. 6 「司空荀爽俱詣卓」
Family
| Relatives | Xun Yu Records |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.