Historical Record
Concerning the man Liu An, there is no clear record in the extant historical materials, such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei Songzhi's commentary and other official sources. This means that, on the true dimension of history, the name Liu An and the events associated with it were not recorded by the historians of the time, nor deemed of sufficient historiographical value. We are therefore unable to verify from the official history Liu An's life, native place, deeds, or even whether he truly existed. From the standpoint of rigorous historical scholarship, Liu An is a figure absent from the official history; all his image and story derive from the literary creation and folk legend of later ages.
In the Novel
In the grand narrative of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu An, as a local figure, makes a brief appearance in Chapter 19, yet leaves a deep impression on the reader through his extreme conduct. The Liu An of the Romance is depicted as a hunter living in the Yu Province region, extreme in his filial devotion and righteousness toward Liu Bei. When Liu Bei, fleeing amid the chaos of war, passed by Liu An's home, Liu An, in order to host this down-and-out Governor of Yu Province, did not shrink from a shocking deed. Unable for the moment to find game, he killed his own wife and offered her flesh as food. Unaware, Liu Bei ate his fill and stayed the night. Only the next morning, as Liu Bei was preparing to leave, did he by chance discover the slain woman in the rear courtyard, and learn the truth from Liu An's own mouth, struck with astonishment. Through this episode the Romance aims to shape Liu Bei's image of benevolence and virtue, and through Liu An's extreme conduct to set off, by contrast, the distortion of human nature and the complex facets of loyalty and righteousness in an age of chaos. Liu An has only two lines of dialogue in the Romance: one in which he falsely claims the flesh is "wolf meat," and another expressing his regret at being unable to follow Liu Bei on his distant journey because his aged mother was at home. There is no historical record of the truth of this man or this affair; it is entirely a literary creation made by the Romance for the sake of its plot.
Key Relationships
Liu An's relationship with Liu Bei is the core of his shaping in the Romance. Liu An displayed extreme loyalty and reverence toward Liu Bei, regarding him as a "Governor of Yu Province" worthy of being hosted with all he had. This relationship was not based on long acquaintance or deep friendship, but a one-way devotion grounded in identity recognition and the craving, in a chaotic age, for a benevolent lord. As the recipient, Liu Bei felt "unbearable grief" at Liu An's deed, but did not for this reason punish Liu An, instead revealing a complex sympathy and helplessness. This relationship highlights the Romance's extremized interpretation of the notion of "loyalty and righteousness," and the moral legitimacy ascribed to certain acts in a specific context (Romance only).
Signature Scenes
Liu An's signature scene is, without doubt, "killing his wife to host a guest." This scene takes place as Liu Bei, fleeing and famished, lodges at Liu An's home. To host Liu Bei, Liu An, unable to obtain game, resolutely killed his own wife and cooked her flesh into food to offer. Wholly unaware, Liu Bei ate the flesh entirely. Only the next morning, when Liu Bei discovered the dismembered corpse of the woman in the rear courtyard, did he learn the truth in horror. This scene is not only extremely shocking but profoundly reveals the distortion of human nature and the collapse of morality in an age of chaos. Liu An's act is depicted in the Romance as a kind of extreme "filial righteousness" and "loyalty" to his lord; though his means are appalling, it also reflects the obsessive degree to which the understanding of "righteousness" could reach under the social conditions of the time. In this scene, with his astonishing act, Liu An becomes a character in the Romance who, though appearing only briefly, is unforgettable, and who has provoked later ages' profound reflection on the conflict between "righteousness" and human ethics (Romance only).
Relationships
2 relationships
Lord & vassal1
Other1
Lines
- 演 ch.19 §4→ Liu Bei
「乃狼肉也。」
- 演 ch.19 §4→ Liu Bei
「本欲相隨使君，因老母在堂，未敢遠行。」
Chapters1 回 ▸
- 演ch.19
Relationship timeline1 条 ▸
演 ch.19
- Liu Bei§4
witnesses
杀其妻为食供刘备一頓；以「老母在堂」辞不远行
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I am Liu An, born in the waning years of the Han. My courtesy name is unknown. Warfare and turmoil plagued the land, and