Liu Yi

Historical Record

Liu Yi, styled Gongsi, was a native of Anzhong in Nanyang. His reputation for early brilliance spread far: when he was only ten years old and playing in a lecture hall, Sima Hui (Sima Degcao) of Yingchuan stroked his head and praised him, saying, "Young man, young man, 'inwardly penetrating and well-ordered' — do you not know it yourself?" ^c:547 This appraisal foreshadowed the discerning character for which Liu Yi would later become known.

Liu Yi's elder brother, Liu Wangzhi, enjoyed considerable renown at the time and had been recruited by Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, as an attendant officer. However, two of Liu Wangzhi's friends were executed by Liu Biao because of slander, and Liu Wangzhi himself, having offered upright remonstrance that did not suit Liu Biao's wishes, finally handed in his credentials and announced his retirement. Faced with his brother's predicament, Liu Yi remonstrated, saying, "Now that elder brother can neither, like Liuxia Hui, blend his light and merge with the dust within, then he ought to model himself on Fan Li and transform himself by withdrawing without. To sit and cut yourself off from the times of your own accord — that surely cannot be done!" ^c:547 He advised that if his brother could not live easily in the world as Liuxia Hui did, he should follow the example of Fan Li in retiring at the height of success rather than awaiting his doom. Liu Wangzhi failed to heed the counsel, however, and was soon killed.

His brother's fate filled Liu Yi with dread, and to escape disaster he fled to Yang Province, finally attaching himself to Cao Cao. Cao Cao recruited him as an aide on the chancellor's staff, and later transferred him to the post of literary official to the General of the Five Officials. Cao Pi greatly valued Liu Yi's talent and once ordered him to master cursive script. In his reply, Liu Yi expressed a cautious attitude toward cursive script, holding that high and low have their distinctions and that ritual propriety has its constancy, and so he did not lightly take up the practice of cursive script. Yet he also declared that if, like Guo Wei or the masters of the multiplication tables, he could achieve great works through small matters, then dull as he was, he would not dare decline. He wrote, "To impair the integrity of a common man and accomplish a towering excellence — though I be foolish and unquick, how should I dare to decline it?" ^c:547 When the state of Wei was first established, Liu Yi was appointed Gentleman of the Yellow Gate.

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms gives Liu Yi no independent or detailed literary treatment. He appears in the novel only once, in Chapter 79, and his deeds and image there essentially accord with the historical record, with no notable departure or invented episodes. Thus, in the novel, Liu Yi exists mainly as a background historical figure; his "inwardly penetrating and well-ordered" image of early brilliance and his experience of fleeing disaster to join Cao Wei after his brother Liu Wangzhi was killed are neither emphasized nor dramatized in the novel.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): Fleeing disaster, Liu Yi joined Cao Cao and later held such offices in the Cao Wei regime as aide on the chancellor's staff, literary official to the General of the Five Officials, and Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, serving loyally. ^c:547
* Sima Hui (mentor_of): When Liu Yi was young, Sima Hui praised him as "inwardly penetrating and well-ordered." This appraisal not only affirmed Liu Yi's talent but also foreshadowed the discerning character for which he would later become known. ^c:547
* Cao Pi (friend_of): Cao Pi greatly valued Liu Yi's talent and character, once ordering him to master cursive script, which shows the good relations between the two. ^c:547

Defining Scenes

* Sima Hui's praise of "inwardly penetrating and well-ordered": When Liu Yi was only ten and playing in a lecture hall, Sima Hui (Sima Degcao) of Yingchuan stroked his head and praised him as "inwardly penetrating and well-ordered." This phrase became an early confirmation of his precocity and discerning character. ^c:547
* Remonstrating with his elder brother Liu Wangzhi: Liu Yi remonstrated with his brother Liu Wangzhi, who had angered Liu Biao by his upright remonstrance, advising that if he could not blend his light and merge with the dust, he ought to withdraw at the height of success to avoid calamity. This act displayed Liu Yi's foresight and his concern for his brother. ^c:547
* Replying to Cao Pi's order on cursive script: Cao Pi valued Liu Yi and ordered him to master cursive script. Liu Yi responded with the words "to impair the integrity of a common man and accomplish a towering excellence," expressing both his adherence to ritual propriety and his consideration for the larger situation, embodying his modest yet deeply thoughtful character. ^c:547