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 ...
Taichu, was a Chinese essayist, historian, military general, philosopher, and politician of the state of
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.
Family background
Xiahou Xuan was the son of
Xiahou Shang
Xiahou Shang (died May or June 226),According to the ''Book of Jin'', Xiahou Shang died in the 4th month of the 7th year of the ''Huangchu'' era of Cao Pi's reign. This corresponds to 14 May to 12 June 226 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. ( ...
. His mother was Princess Deyang (德陽鄉主; a sister of
Cao Zhen
Cao Zhen (died April or May 231), courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and l ...
), and thus Xiahou Xuan was close to
Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Zhaobo, was a Chinese military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Cao Zhen, a prominent general of Wei. He initially hel ...
's faction. Xiahou Xuan had a sister
Xiahou Hui
Xiahou Hui (220s-230s), courtesy name Zhiquan, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Xiahou Hui was the sixth son of Xiahou Yuan, a general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord who laid the fo ...
, the wife of
Sima Shi
Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...
. One of Xiahou Xuan's daughters became the wife of He Jiao (), the grandson of
He Qia
He Qia (died after 228), courtesy name Yangshi, was a Chinese politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was known for his austere lifestyle.
Early life
He Qia was born in Xiping County (), Runan Commandery ...
and the son of He Jiong ().
Life
When Xiahou Xuan was 20 years old, he was appointed as a Gentleman of Scattered Cavalry () and Gentleman of the Yellow Gate () under the Wei government. One day, in the front of the emperor
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 ...
, he expressed his abhor about sitting together with Mao Zeng (), the brother of Cao Rui's empress, Empress Mao. This incident aroused the anger of the emperor, who demoted Xiahou Xuan to a supervisor of the Feathered Forest Imperial Guard ().
Xiahou Xuan,
Li Sheng (Three Kingdoms)
Li Sheng (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Gongzhao, was a Chinese politician of the state Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Li Sheng was from Nanyang Commandery (), which is around present-day Nanyang, Henan. His father, L ...
,
Deng Yang
Deng Yang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Xuanmao, was an official of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Life
Deng Yang was a descendant of Deng Yu, an official who lived in the early Eastern Han dynasty. He was ...
and
Zhuge Dan
Zhuge Dan (died 10 April 258), courtesy name Gongxiu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. When he held key military appointments throughout his middle to late career, h ...
were notable figures of those days, and were called the "Four Ingenious" (). Cao Rui hated them as he thought that their behaviour was futile and haughty, so he removed them from office.
In 239, after Cao Rui died, his adopted son
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 ...
ascended the throne as the third emperor of Wei.
Cao Shuang
Cao Shuang (died 9 February 249), courtesy name Zhaobo, was a Chinese military general and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Cao Zhen, a prominent general of Wei. He initially hel ...
, who had been appointed as regent by Cao Rui on his deathbed, became the most powerful man in Wei aside from his co-regent
Sima Yi
Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
He formally began his political career in 208 un ...
. Cao Shuang promoted Xiahou Xuan to a Regular Mounted Attendant () and Central Protector of the Army (). Xiahou Xuan had a reputation as a scholar and was comparable to
He Yan
He Yan ( 195 – 9 February 249), courtesy name Pingshu, was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a grandson of He Jin, a general and regent of the Eastern Han dynasty. Hi ...
, another member of Cao Shuang's faction. Both Xiahou Xuan and He Yan were friends with Sima Yi's son
Sima Shi
Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...
; Sima Shi and Xiahou Xuan both received high praise from He Yan. After Xiahou Xuan replaced
Jiang Ji
Jiang Ji (died 18 May 249), courtesy name Zitong, was an official and military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Jiang Ji started his career as a low-level official i ...
as the Central Protector of the Army, bribery became a common practice in the Wei government. Though Xiahou Xuan could not stop corruption, he had insights to select competent people and singled out many people of ability.
One day, while seeking advice from
Sima Yi
Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
He formally began his political career in 208 un ...
, he sent a message to the latter: "The
nine-rank system
The nine-rank system, also known as the nine-grade controller system, was used to categorize and classify government officials in Imperial China. Created in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms, it was used until the Song dynasty, and sim ...
is not good. We should restrict the power of the controllers. Therefore, we should fundamentally change the rules and laws of provincial regions". Sima Yi replied that unless someone pushed forward those changes, they would not come into existence and hence the request could not be done. In response, Xiahou Xuan said that Sima Yi's opinion was too passive.
Some years later, Xiahou Xuan was promoted to General Who Attacks the West () and was tasked with overseeing military affairs in Yong and Liang provinces. He selected his friend Li Sheng to be his Chief Clerk (). Following Li Sheng's advice, Xiahou Xuan and Cao Shuang launched a military campaign against Wei's rival state,
Shu Han
Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <
Battle of Xingshi
The Battle of Xingshi was fought between the states of Cao Wei and Shu Han in 244 during the Three Kingdoms period in China. The location was at Mount Xingshi (), which is situated north of present-day Yang County, Shaanxi, and is now part of t ...
when their supply lines became disrupted. Xiahou Xuan and Cao Shuang also suffered great damage to their personal reputations for deciding to launch this disastrous campaign in the first place.
In 249, taking advantage of Cao Shuang's absence from the imperial capital
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 ...
, Sima Yi staged a ''coup d'état'' against his fellow co-regent and seized power. He later had Cao Shuang arrested and executed along with his family members and supporters. After that, he recalled Xiahou Xuan to Luoyang and appointed him as the Minister Herald (). A few years later, Xiahou Xuan was reassigned to be the Minister of Ceremonies (). One day,
Xiahou Ba
Xiahou Ba (died 255–259), courtesy name Zhongquan, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Xiahou Yuan, a prominent general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord ...
, one of his relatives, suggested that he defect to Wei's rival state
Shu Han
Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <
Sima Shi
Sima Shi () (208 – 23 March 255), courtesy name Ziyuan, was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, all ...
and
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao () (211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, which had been ...
would not tolerate his existence for long, and said that Xu Yun's words showed nothing but wishful thinking. Sima Shi succeeded his father as the regent of Wei and continued to monopolise power.
Li Feng's scheme and Xiahou Xuan's death
Around 254, Li Feng, who held the position of Prefect of the Palace Writers () in the Wei government, secretly plotted to overthrow and assassinate Sima Shi. He also wanted Xiahou Xuan to replace Sima Shi as General-in-Chief (), and restore power into the hands of the Wei emperor
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 ...
, who was merely a puppet ruler under Sima Shi's control. To achieve his purposes, Li Feng secretly contacted
Zhang Ji Zhang Ji may refer to:
* Zhang Ji (Han dynasty) (張濟) (died 196), official under the warlord Dong Zhuo
* Zhang Zhongjing (150–219), formal name Zhang Ji (張機), Han dynasty physician
* Zhang Ji (Derong) (張既) (died 223), general of Cao Wei ...
(), the emperor's father-in-law, and told him about his plan.
However, Sima Shi got wind of the plot so he acted preemptively against Li Feng, Zhang Ji and their fellow conspirators. He also ordered Xiahou Xuan to be arrested and sent to Zhong Yu (), the Minister of Justice (), for interrogation. Xiahou Xuan acted as if nothing had happened when he was questioned by Zhong Yu. Li Feng, Zhang Ji, Xiahou Xuan and the others were eventually charged with treason and executed.
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 ...