Cui Lin (died January or February 245),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Deru, was a Chinese politician of the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period of China. He was known for his scruples in

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

, judgment of character, and for being the first of the

Three Ducal Ministers The Three Ducal Ministers (), also translated as the Three Dukes, Three Excellencies, or the Three Lords, was the collective name for the three highest officials in Ancient China and Imperial China. These posts were abolished by Cao Cao in 208 AD a ...

after the end of the Eastern Han dynasty to be enfeoffed as a marquis. He was from Dongwu County,

Qinghe Commandery Qinghe Commandery ( zh, 清河郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in present-day southern Hebei and western Shandong. The commandery was established during late Qin dynasty. In Western Han dynasty, the commandery administered 14 co ...

Ji Province Ji Province, also known by its Chinese name Jizhou, was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China. It is referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', '' Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Rites of Zhou,Offices of Summer (夏 ...

, which is in present-day

Zhucheng Zhucheng () is a county-level city in the southeast of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Weifang city and had at the 2010 census a population of 1,086,222 even though its built-up (''or metro'') area ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

Service under Cao Cao

Although Cui Lin was a member of the influential Cui family of Qinghe Commandery, his extended family was not well-acquainted with him, and only his relative

Cui Yan Cui Yan (165–216), courtesy name Jigui, was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In his early life, he served briefly in the local district office before leaving home to study und ...

thought him exceptional. In 200, following

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

's conquest of

, Cui Lin was summoned to be Chief of Wu County (), in present-day

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

. He drew such a pitiful salary from this position that he could not even afford a horse and carriage.''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', 24.679 Zhang Zhi (), the inspector of

Bing Province Bingzhou, or Bing Province, was a location in ancient China. According to legend, when Yu the Great (c. 2200 BC-2100 BC) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces. Historical texts such as the ''Rites of Zhou'', and "Tr ...

, recommended Cui Lin to Cao Cao as the village chief whose governance was the most virtuous. As a result, Cui Lin was promoted to higher offices in the central administration of Ji Province, and shortly thereafter transferred to Cao Cao's office. In 213, Cao Cao was enfeoffed as the Duke of Wei (), and Cui Lin was promoted to Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk (), a powerful position overseeing correspondence from the provincial inspectors and their subordinates. When

Cao Pi Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest son ...

established the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

in 220, Cui Lin was sent out to be the Inspector of

You Province You Prefecture or You Province, also known by its Chinese language, Chinese name Youzhou, was a prefecture (''Zhou (country subdivision), zhou'') in North China, northern China during its imperial era. "You Province" was cited in some ancient so ...

on the northeastern frontier. He held this office for one season, then took the office of Administrator of

Hejian Commandery Hejian Kingdom, also translated as Hejian Principality ( zh, 河閒國), was a kingdom in early Imperial China, located in present-day southern Hebei province. History In early Han dynasty, Hejian was part of the Zhao Kingdom. The kingdom was cr ...

(). The base text of the ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' says that Cui Lin voluntarily gave up control of You Province to make way for

Wu Zhi Wu Zhi (177—230), courtesy name Jizhong, was an official and military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Wu Zhi was born in a poor family in Jiyin Commandery (), which is around present-day Dingta ...

to unite the northern frontier forces, which Cui Lin considered a better way of dealing with the non-

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

frontier peoples. However,

Pei Songzhi Pei Songzhi (372–451), courtesy name Shiqi, was a Chinese historian and politician who lived in the late Eastern Jin dynasty and Liu Song dynasty. His ancestral home was in Wenxi County, Shanxi, but he moved to the Jiangnan region later. He i ...

notes a memorial by

Xin Pi Xin Pi (before 191 - 235), courtesy name Zuozhi, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Along with his elder brother Xin Ping, he started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty as an adviser to th ...

stating that

Huan Jie Huan Jie ( 190s–220s), courtesy name Boxu, was a Chinese official who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and served under the warlord Cao Cao. After the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty, he briefly served in the state of Cao Wei during ...

, at that time holding the post of Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, felt Cui Lin was incapable as a provincial inspector and demoted him.

As Minister Herald

From the Administrator of Hejian Commandery, Cui Lin rose to the position of Minister Herald, in charge of interstate affairs with foreign dependencies. In 222,''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', 2.79 while Cui Lin occupied this post, the King of

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t=庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

sent a son to study under and be sinicised by the Wei court, which richly rewarded the king for sending his son such a long way. Sensing opportunity, the other border states each sent a prince to study at the Wei court. Cui Lin feared some of the envoys sent to collect their princes' ransoms were unreliable, so he stamped and sealed their rewards and attached to their return missions groups of mercantile border people who guarded the treasure the entire road back.''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', 24.680 At

Dunhuang Dunhuang () is a county-level city in Northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Dunhuang was a major ...

, Cui Lin had the imperial decrees promulgated, and engraved important stories from Chinese history to ensure their endurance. In 226,

Cao Rui Cao Rui () (204 or 206 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later remarr ...

granted Cui Lin the landless title of a Secondary Marquis, and promoted him to Minister of the Household ()At the point in time when it was conferred upon Cui Lin, the title Minister of the Household (光祿勳) was in the process of becoming a purely honorary title. See Hucker, 288, at 3347. and Colonel-Director of Retainers, one of the Three Venerables ().

Late career

As Colonel-Director of Retainers, Cui Lin wielded supervisory power over officials in and around the capital region. In the areas he controlled, he fired all government officials who had engaged in illegal conduct or committed multiple transgressions. He enforced honesty in governance, streamlined process, and protected the body politic, earning him lasting acclaim. A future Colonel-Director of Retainers under

Cao Fang Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from 239 to 254 as a nominal emperor bef ...

, Wang Jing, was a farmer from the same commandery as Cui Lin, whom Cui Lin plucked from obscurity out of an infantry squad.''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', 24.682 n 1 In 238, following a strong recommendation from the imperial adviser Meng Kang ( 孟康), Cui Lin was promoted to Minister of Works, one of the

, the highest positions in the civil government. He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Anyang Village, with a marquisate of 600 taxable households.''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', 24.681 After spending his entire stipend, he was promoted to a district marquis, although his fief was later split and part given to a son of Cao Rui. Cui Lin died in January or February 245 and was succeeded by his elder son, Cui Shu (). His younger son, Cui Sui (), served as a Supervisor of the Masters of Writing () under the Jin dynasty. One of Cui Lin's grandsons, Cui Wei (), served as a Right Commandant of the Guards of the Heir Apparent () during the Jin dynasty.

Notes

References

Chen Shou Chen Shou (; 233–297), courtesy name Chengzuo (), was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer who lived during the Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. Chen Shou is most known for his most celebrated work, the ''Records of the ...

. 三國志 (''

''), 280s or 290s.

annotation An annotation is extra information associated with a particular point in a document or other piece of information. It can be a note that includes a comment or explanation. Annotations are sometimes presented in the margin of book pages. For anno ...

, 429. Hong Kong: Zhonghua Publishing, 1971. 5 vols. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cui, Lin 245 deaths 2nd-century births Year of birth unknown Cao Wei politicians Cui clan of Qinghe Han dynasty politicians from Shandong Officials under Cao Cao Political office-holders in Beijing Politicians from Weifang

Service under Cao Cao

As Minister Herald

Late career

See also

Notes

References