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 ...
Xiaoyu, was an official and scholar of the state of
Shu Han
Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <
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.
Life
Meng Guang was from
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
. He was born sometime in the
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
. His relative, Meng Yu (孟郁), served as the Grand Commandant (太尉) in the Han imperial court. Meng Yu's elder brother, Meng Ben (孟賁), was a
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
who served as a Central Regular Attendant (中常侍). Meng Guang started his career as a minor official in one of the departments of the central government towards the end of the reign of Emperor Ling ( 168–189).
In 190, after the warlord
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo () (died 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minist ...
seized control of the Han central government and forced
Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220.
Liu Xie was a so ...
( 189–220) to move the imperial capital to
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
, Meng Guang escaped and fled to
Yi Province
Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...
(covering present-day
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
and
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
). Liu Yan, the Governor of Yi Province, treated Meng Guang like a guest. After Liu Yan died in 194, his son and successor, Liu Zhang, accorded Meng Guang the same treatment. Meng Guang was known for being knowledgeable and well-read; he was particularly interested in the ''
Records of the Grand Historian
''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...
'', ''
Book of the Later Han
The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later ...
'' and ''Dongguan Han Ji'' (東觀漢記). He also frequently debated with
Lai Min
Lai Min ( 160s – 260s), courtesy name Jingda, was an official and scholar of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Lai Min was from Xinye County (), Yiyang Commandery (), which is present-day Xinye County, Henan ...
, another guest scholar living in Yi Province, over the ''
Spring and Autumn Annals
The ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' () is an ancient Chinese chronicle that has been one of the core Chinese classics since ancient times. The ''Annals'' is the official chronicle of the State of Lu, and covers a 241-year period from 722 to 481 ...
'' (''Chunqiu'') as each of them preferred a different commentary on the ''Chunqiu'': Meng Guang and Lai Min specialised in the ''
Gongyang Zhuan
The ''Gongyang Zhuan'' (), also known as the ''Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals'' or the ''Commentary of Gongyang'', is a commentary on the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'', and is thus one of the Chinese classics. Along with the '' ...
'' and '' Zuo Zhuan'' respectively. Meng Guang was notorious for being loud and annoying during his debates with Lai Min.
In 214, after the warlord
Liu Bei
Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...
seized control of Yi Province from Liu Zhang, he appointed Meng Guang as a Consultant (議郎) and put him and Xu Ci in charge of institutional matters. Following the end of the
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
in 220, Meng Guang served in the state of
Shu Han
Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <
Liu Shan
Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Lia ...
, Liu Bei's son, became the new emperor of Shu when his father died in 223. During his reign, Liu Shan appointed Meng Guang to various positions, including Prefect of Insignia and Credentials (符節令), Colonel of the Garrison Cavalry (屯騎校尉), Steward of the Changle Palace (長樂少府), and Minister of Finance (大司農).
In the autumn of 246, when the Shu government proclaimed a general amnesty, Meng Guang stepped up and scolded
Fei Yi
Fei Yi (died 16 February 253), courtesy name Wenwei, was a regent and military general of the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Fei Yi started his career as an attendant to Liu Shan, ...
, the head of the central government, in front of the entire imperial court. He argued that a general amnesty, as a policy, should only be implemented under extraordinary circumstances (e.g., as a political move to gain popular support especially in times of instability) and as a last resort. In his opinion, as Shu was rather peaceful and stable at the time, a general amnesty would benefit criminals instead of improving the government's public image. Fei Yi apologised to Meng Guang in a polite but awkward manner.
Throughout his career in the Shu government, Meng Guang was notorious for making public outbursts on numerous occasions and for being very unbridled in his speech. As a result, his colleagues generally disliked or detested him. There were also instances where he carelessly divulged state secrets (probably due to a slip of the tongue) and discussed politics in inappropriate settings. However, he got off lightly because he held much prestige among the literati for his status as a learned Confucian scholar. Meng Guang's behaviour had a huge negative impact on his career: he never made it to higher positions – his highest appointment was Minister of Finance (大司農) – and never received any honours/privileges (e.g., a marquis title). Two of his colleagues, Minister of Ceremonies Xin Cheng (鐔承) and Minister of the Household Pei Jun (裴儁), were younger and less experienced than him, yet they made it to positions higher than his.
Xi Zheng
Xi Zheng (died 278), courtesy name Lingxian, was a Chinese essayist, poet, and politician of the state of Shu Han during the late Three Kingdoms period of China. He also served as an official in the early years of the Jin dynasty.
Early life ...
, then an assistant official in the palace library, often visited Meng Guang to consult him. When Meng Guang asked him what the crown prince, Liu Xuan, had been learning and reading and what he was interested in, Xi Zheng replied, "He treats the people around him respectfully. He is very diligent and hardworking. He has the style of a crown prince of ancient times. When he meets people, he shows sincerity, kindness and generosity in everything he says and does." Meng Guang then said, "This is what is expected of every other person. What I really want to know is his level of political wisdom and how good his political skills are." Xi Zheng replied, "The Crown Prince's approach towards life is to focus on winning people's hearts and favour. He won't do what he shouldn't do. He doesn't openly reveal his wisdom. Besides, political skills can only be used under certain circumstances; they cannot be cultivated and learnt in advance." Meng Guang knew that Xi Zheng was trying to careful with his words, so he said, "I like to speak my mind as freely as possible. Every time I openly make criticisms, people will ridicule or hate me for that. Although I sense that you don't like to hear what I say, my words make sense. The Empire is not unified yet. Political skills are crucial in this time and age. While one's mastery of political skills depends on his intellectual abilities, political skills can be learnt and mastered through diligence. This has to do with the Crown Prince's education. He should be striving to enrich himself with as much knowledge as possible so that he can be like a consultant. He should also sit for written and oral tests like academics and gain some titles. This is a top priority for him." Xi Zheng strongly agreed with him.
Meng Guang was later removed from office for committing offences. He died in an unknown year in his 90s.(後光坐事免官，年九十餘卒。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 42.
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
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– ...
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...