RRecorded as quite talented and resourcefulWei 19 §16
NSolved the 'superbly fine words' riddle and grasped the withdrawal from 'chicken rib' firstCh. 71 §11Ch. 72 §26
Yang Xiu 楊脩
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Registrar | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | R? N186 Unverified | Native place | Hongnong Commandery |
| Died | R219 N(same) Unverified | Place of death | NXie Valley |
| Cause of death | RExecuted NExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R11 |
Profile
Yang Xiu was a man of Hongnong. Chen Shou, who wrote the Records, did not give him a biography of his own; in Records of Wei 21 he merely recorded his name as one of those who had literary talent but did not rank among the seven men, Wang Can and the others. Records, Wei 21 §24
When Cao Cao's son Cao Zhi received special treatment for his talent, Yang Xiu, together with Ding Yi (丁儀) and Ding Yi (丁廙), became his wings. After the favor toward Cao Zhi waned, Cao Cao, worried about upheavals to come, had Yang Xiu charged with a crime and put to death because he was quite talented and resourceful and was a nephew of the Yuan clan. Records, Wei 19 §14 · 16
Chen Shou did not treat Yang Xiu separately in his assessment. In the Romance his name first appears in Chapter 23, in the words of Mi Heng, and he appears in 4 of its 120 chapters; his name is in the title of Chapter 60, 'Zhang Yongnian Turns the Tables on Yang Xiu'. In Chapter 72 he deciphers the password 'chicken rib' and has the troops pack their baggage, and is then beheaded by Cao Cao. Records, Wei 19 §69Records, Wei 21 §99Romance, Ch. 23 §27Romance, Ch. 60 §6–13Romance, Ch. 72 §25–28
In the Records
Yang Xiu was a man of Hongnong. The Biographies of Wang, Wei, the Two Lius and Fu in Records of Wei 21 record that 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, Xu Gan, Chen Lin, Ruan Yu, Ying Chang and Liu Zhen were befriended and treated with intimacy. It goes on to add that Handan Chun and Fan Qin of Yingchuan, Lu Cui of Chenliu, Ding Yi (丁儀) and Ding Yi (丁廙) of Pei State, Yang Xiu of Hongnong, Xun Wei of Henei and others also had literary talent but did not rank among these seven men. Chen Shou's main text gives neither his courtesy name nor his offices. Records, Wei 21 §9 · 24
Cao Zhi was enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingyuan in the 16th year of Jian'an (211) and moved to the fief of Marquis of Linzi in the 19th year (214). As Cao Zhi received special treatment for his talent, Ding Yi (丁儀), Ding Yi (丁廙), Yang Xiu and others became his wings, and Taizu (Cao Cao), wavering, several times came close to making Cao Zhi crown prince. But Cao Zhi acted as he pleased, did not discipline himself and drank without restraint, while Emperor Wen dealt with this by artifice, restraining his feelings and putting on a good appearance, and the palace women and attendants all spoke well of him; so in the end Emperor Wen was settled on as heir. Records, Wei 19 §14–15
In the 22nd year of Jian'an (217), 5,000 households were added to Cao Zhi's fief, making 10,000 in all. Cao Zhi once drove his carriage down the middle of the imperial carriageway and had the Sima Gate opened to go out; Taizu was furious, and the Prefect of Official Carriages was put to death for it. From then on the prohibitions on the marquises were made stricter, and the favor toward Cao Zhi waned day by day. Taizu, already worried about upheavals to come, had Yang Xiu charged with a crime and put to death, because Yang Xiu was quite talented and resourceful and was also a nephew of the Yuan clan. Cao Zhi grew all the more uneasy at heart. Chen Shou's main text merely places this event between the entries for the 22nd year of Jian'an and the 24th year (219), and does not state separately the year in which Yang Xiu died. Records, Wei 19 §16–17
Ding Yi (丁儀) and Ding Yi (丁廙), who had been Cao Zhi's wings along with Yang Xiu, were put to death together with the men of their households when Emperor Wen became king. In his assessment in volume 19, Chen Shou said that Cao Zhi, Prince Si of Chen, could not yield modestly and guard against trouble from afar, so that a rift opened in the end; in his assessment in volume 21 he said only that six men, Wang Can and the others, were the most renowned, and did not assess Yang Xiu separately. Records, Wei 19 §14 · 18 · 69Records, Wei 21 §99
In the Romance
In Chapter 23 of the Romance, in the account given to Liu Biao of how Huang Zu came to behead Mi Heng, Mi Heng, asked by Huang Zu what men of note there are in Xudu, answers, 'Among the big boys there is Kong Wenju, and among the little boys there is Yang Dezu; apart from these two there is no one worth mentioning.' Yang Xiu's name first appears in these words. Romance, Ch. 23 §27
In Chapter 60 he appears as the son of the Grand Commandant Yang Biao, with the courtesy name Dezu, serving under the Chancellor as the Registrar in charge of the storehouses. The Romance portrays him as a man of wide learning and a ready tongue who, trusting in his own talent, looks down on the scholars of the realm. Debating with Zhang Song, the Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage of Yi Province who has been coldly received by Cao Cao, he is shamed by the jibe that he plays the clerk in the Chancellor's office, and shows him the New Book of Mengde, which Cao Cao is said to have written in imitation of the thirteen chapters of the Sunzi. Zhang Song says it is the work of an anonymous author of the Warring States period, and recites the book, which he has looked through only once, without getting a single character wrong. Romance, Ch. 60 §5–13
When Yang Xiu reports to Cao Cao that Zhang Song memorized the book after one look, Cao Cao asks whether the ancients might have unwittingly coincided with him, and has the book burned. The next day at the western drill ground, when Zhang Song lays bare Cao Cao's past humiliations and Cao Cao orders him beheaded, Yang Xiu remonstrates that beheading a man who has come to offer tribute may lose the hearts of people in distant lands; Xun Yu also remonstrates, and Zhang Song is spared death. Romance, Ch. 60 §15–21
In Chapter 71, at Cai Yan's estate, Cao Cao sees the eight characters written on the back of the Cao E stele, 'yellow silk, young wife, daughter's son, spice mortar', and asks what they mean. No one can answer, but when the Registrar Yang Xiu steps forward saying he has already understood their meaning, Cao Cao tells him not to say it, and only after going three li does he work it out himself. Yang Xiu explains that it is a riddle concealing four characters, 'jue miao hao ci', that is, 'superbly fine words', and Cao Cao, greatly astonished, says that this is exactly what he himself thought. Romance, Ch. 71 §8–12
In Chapter 72, Cao Cao, encamped at the mouth of the Xie Valley and unable to decide whether to advance or withdraw, sees a chicken rib in his chicken soup and makes 'chicken rib' the night's password. The Army Registrar Yang Xiu has the troops pack their baggage and explains to Xiahou Dun that a chicken rib has no meat if you eat it but has flavor if you throw it away, so the King of Wei will soon withdraw the army. Learning of this, Cao Cao summons Yang Xiu and questions him, and, saying that he has made up stories and unsettled the army, has him beheaded and his head displayed outside the camp gate. Romance, Ch. 72 §24–28
The Romance goes on to list anecdotes, saying that Yang Xiu, relying on his talent and heedless of restraint, had many times offended Cao Cao. He interprets the character 'alive' (活) written on a garden gate as meaning that the gate was disliked for being too wide; reading 'a box of curd' (一合酥) written on a box as 'one mouthful for each person', he shares it out to eat; and seeing through Cao Cao's real intent when he claimed to kill people in his dreams, he sighs, 'It is you who were in a dream.' Outwardly Cao Cao praised him and laughed, but inwardly he resented and hated him. Romance, Ch. 72 §28–31
Cao Cao's third son Cao Zhi, valuing Yang Xiu's talent, talks with him all through the night. Yang Xiu reports that Cao Pi has brought Wu Zhi, Chief of Zhaoge, into his residence hidden in a large bamboo basket, but thanks to Wu Zhi's ruse only silk comes out of the basket the next day, and Cao Cao suspects Yang Xiu of slandering Cao Pi. Yang Xiu teaches Cao Zhi to behead the gatekeeper who blocks the gate of Ye, and writes for him a dozen or so prepared answers in readiness for Cao Cao's questions; when Cao Pi bribes Cao Zhi's attendants to steal the answers and report them, Cao Cao is furious. The Romance says that Cao Cao had already resolved to kill Yang Xiu and did so on the pretext of the crime of unsettling the army, and records that he was then thirty-four years old. Romance, Ch. 72 §31–35
Where the Romance differs
Family and courtesy name: Chapter 60 of the Romance introduces Yang Xiu as the son of the Grand Commandant Yang Biao, with the courtesy name Dezu. Chen Shou's main text only calls him a man of Hongnong and records that he was a nephew of the Yuan clan; neither his courtesy name nor his father's name appears. Romance, Ch. 60 §6Records, Wei 21 §24Records, Wei 19 §16
Office: In Chapter 60 of the Romance he appears as the Registrar in charge of the storehouses of the Chancellor's office, and in Chapter 72 as Army Registrar. Chen Shou's main text records no office for Yang Xiu. Romance, Ch. 60 §6Romance, Ch. 72 §25Records, Wei 19 §14–16Records, Wei 21 §23–24
Mi Heng's words: In Chapter 23 of the Romance, Mi Heng names only two men of note in Xudu, Kong Wenju and Yang Dezu. These words are not in the passages of Chen Shou's main text in which Yang Xiu appears. Romance, Ch. 23 §27Records, Wei 19 §14–16Records, Wei 21 §23–24
Debate with Zhang Song: In Chapter 60 of the Romance, Yang Xiu debates with Zhang Song, shows him the New Book of Mengde, and urges Cao Cao to receive Zhang Song. The Biography of Liu Zhang in the Records says only that Cao Cao, having already pacified Jing Province and driven off the First Sovereign, no longer paid Zhang Song any regard, and Yang Xiu does not appear. Romance, Ch. 60 §11–16Records, Shu 1 §14
The riddle of the Cao E stele: In Chapter 71 of the Romance, Yang Xiu deciphers the eight characters on the back of the Cao E stele before Cao Cao does. This story is not in the passages of Chen Shou's main text in which Yang Xiu appears. Romance, Ch. 71 §10–12Records, Wei 19 §14–16Records, Wei 21 §23–24
Chicken rib: In Chapter 72 of the Romance, Yang Xiu deciphers the password 'chicken rib' and has the troops pack their baggage, and is beheaded for the crime of unsettling the army. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that in the 3rd month of the 24th year of Jian'an (219) Cao Cao went out from Chang'an through the Xie Valley and reached Yangping, and in the 5th month, in summer, led his army back to Chang'an; neither the chicken rib nor Yang Xiu appears. Romance, Ch. 72 §25–28Records, Wei 1 §166–167
Why he was killed: Chapter 72 of the Romance says that Cao Cao, who resented and hated Yang Xiu's talent, resolved to kill him because of his help to Cao Zhi, and killed him on the pretext of the crime of unsettling the army. Chen Shou's main text records that after the favor toward Cao Zhi waned, Taizu, worried about upheavals to come, had Yang Xiu charged with a crime and put to death because he was quite talented and resourceful and was a nephew of the Yuan clan. Romance, Ch. 72 §35Records, Wei 19 §16
Helping Cao Zhi: In Chapter 72 of the Romance, Yang Xiu reports the bamboo basket in which Wu Zhi was hidden, teaches Cao Zhi to behead the gatekeeper, and writes him a dozen or so prepared answers. Chen Shou's main text says only that Ding Yi (丁儀), Ding Yi (丁廙), Yang Xiu and others became Cao Zhi's wings, and none of these incidents appears. Romance, Ch. 72 §32–35Records, Wei 19 §14
Time of death and age: Chapter 72 of the Romance records that Yang Xiu was beheaded in camp during the Hanzhong campaign and that he was then thirty-four. Chen Shou's main text states neither his age nor the year of his death, and records his death between the entries for the 22nd year of Jian'an (217) and the 24th year (219). Romance, Ch. 72 §28 · 35Records, Wei 19 §16–17
Other anecdotes: The character 'alive' (活) written on the garden gate, the 'box of curd' (一合酥) on the box, and his seeing through Cao Cao's real intent in claiming to kill people in his dreams, all in Chapter 72 of the Romance, are not in the passages of Chen Shou's main text in which Yang Xiu appears. Romance, Ch. 72 §28–31Records, Wei 19 §14–16Records, Wei 21 §23–24
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 total416 / 1000Rank 515 of 996 · Top 52%Romance total473 / 1000Rank 165 of 1,113 · Top 15%
Romance adaptation index+57Romance total − Records total
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT5880+22
- POL4242±0
- CHA4245+3
- VIR4038−2
- ADP2512−13
- SCH6582+17
- DIP4250+8
- DIS4062+22
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 19 §14
NRecognized Zhang Song's power of memory and recommended him to Cao CaoCh. 60 §13Ch. 60 §16
RHad literary talent but did not rank among the seven menWei 21 §24
NWidely learned and eloquent; a poem praises the dragons and snakes running from his brushCh. 60 §6Ch. 72 §36
RSided with Cao Zhi, and Taizu had him charged with a crime and put to deathWei 19 §14Wei 19 §16
NRepeatedly offended Cao Cao and was finally beheadedCh. 72 §28Ch. 72 §35
6 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated as a man of lettersWei 19 §14
NNo direct record — estimated as a civil official serving as Army RegistrarCh. 72 §25
RNo direct record — estimated as a man of lettersWei 19 §14
NNo direct record — estimated as a civil officialCh. 72 §25
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 19 §16
NNo direct record — estimated from his post as Registrar in charge of the storehousesCh. 60 §6
RNo direct record — recorded as becoming one of Cao Zhi's wingsWei 19 §14
NNo direct record — recorded that Cao Zhi, valuing his talent, often invited himCh. 72 §31
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 19 §14
NRelied on his talent and was heedless of restraint, and wrote prepared answers for Cao ZhiCh. 72 §28Ch. 72 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 19 §14
NWas shamed when rebutted by Zhang Song, but saved Zhang Song's lifeCh. 60 §10Ch. 60 §20
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 (4)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wei · Records · Records vol. 19 「脩與賈逵、王淩並為主簿」
Family
| Parents | Yang Biao Novel & History |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (2)
- Cao Cao Withdraws through Xie Valley 219 · Appears (Romance scene)
- Zhang Song Confounds Yang Xiu Romance ch. 60 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).