Historical Record
According to the extant historical and biographical materials, such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms and its related commentaries, no figure named Liu Mi is recorded. Therefore, regarding Liu Mi's life, native place, official posts, and his relationship to the Han imperial clan, there is no clear record in the official histories. This suggests that Liu Mi may not be a genuine historical figure, or that his historical record was not preserved by later historians, or that his deeds were lost in the long course of history. (The novel citation number is given here to indicate the absence of any record in the histories.)
In the Novel
In Luo Guanzhong's literary narrative of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Mi appears as a local official, first entering the story in Chapter 36. He is cast as the magistrate of Fancheng County, a member of the Han imperial clan, with his native place at Changsha. When Liu Bei won a great victory at the Battle of Bowang Slope and led his army into Fancheng, Liu Mi personally came out of the city to welcome him. He not only received Liu Bei warmly and held a banquet for him, but at the feast also introduced his own nephew Kou Feng. Liu Mi showed Liu Bei great respect and warmth, in keeping with his identity as a member of the Han imperial clan, and reflecting the support that many Han descendants of the time gave Liu Bei. He gladly agreed to Liu Bei's adopting Kou Feng as his foster son and renaming him Liu Feng, thus bringing about the emergence of Liu Bei's adopted son Liu Feng—an episode that had an important influence on the subsequent personnel arrangements and development of Liu Bei's faction. Though Liu Mi's role in the novel is brief, his actions directly drove the key event of Liu Bei's adoption of Liu Feng, adding a general to Liu Bei's faction while also indirectly raising Guan Yu's doubts about Liu Feng's status, laying the groundwork for the later "trouble that would surely arise."
Key Relationships
* Liu Bei (kin_of): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Mi, as a member of the Han imperial clan, showed great warmth and respect toward Liu Bei, a fellow Han descendant. He not only welcomed Liu Bei warmly and held a banquet when Liu Bei took Fancheng, but on his own initiative introduced his nephew Kou Feng to Liu Bei and gladly agreed to Liu Bei's adopting him as a foster son, renamed Liu Feng. This relationship reflects the wish among Han clansmen of the time to support one another and jointly restore the Han, and it added new strength to Liu Bei's faction (novel only).
* Liu Feng (maternal uncle): Liu Mi was Liu Feng's maternal uncle. After Liu Feng's parents both died, Liu Feng attached himself to Liu Mi. Liu Mi introduced Liu Feng to Liu Bei and brought about his adoption as Liu Bei's foster son, thereby changing Liu Feng's fate. This relationship was the key link by which Liu Feng entered Liu Bei's camp (novel only).
Iconic Scenes
Liu Mi's iconic scene is concentrated in Chapter 36 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Liu Bei won a great victory and entered Fancheng. As magistrate of Fancheng, Liu Mi personally came out of the city to welcome Liu Bei and invited him to his home for a banquet. At the feast, Liu Mi introduced his nephew Kou Feng to Liu Bei, describing him as "of imposing bearing." When Liu Bei expressed his wish to adopt Kou Feng as a foster son, Liu Mi "gladly complied," bringing about Kou Feng's bowing to Liu Bei as his father and being renamed Liu Feng. This scene not only displays Liu Mi's respect and support for Liu Bei but, more importantly, directly brought about Liu Feng's joining of Liu Bei's faction as his foster son, with a far-reaching effect on the makeup of Liu Bei's personnel. Although Liu Mi appears only once and speaks only a single line in the novel, his actions played a key role in driving the important event of Liu Bei's adoption of Liu Feng, making him a small yet indispensable character (novel only).
Relationships
2 relationships
Family2
Lines
- 演 ch.36 §9
「此吾之甥寇封，本羅侯寇氏之子也；因父母雙亡，故依於此。」
Chapters1 回 ▸
- 演ch.36
Relationship timeline1 条 ▸
演 ch.36
- Liu Bei§9
kin_of
樊城县令出迎玄德，设宴；汉室宗亲
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- With Fancheng secured, Xuande entered the city. After settling the people, he came to my home, where I hosted a banquet