Meng Guang

Historical Record

Meng Guang, styled Xiaoyu, was a native of Luoyang in Henan, his family traceable to the Han Grand Commandant Meng Yu. At the end of Emperor Ling of Han's reign, Meng Guang served as a lecture-section clerk. When Emperor Xian moved the capital to Chang'an, Meng Guang fled into the land of Shu to escape the turmoil, and was received with the courtesy due a guest by Liu Yan and his son ^c:1474.

Meng Guang was broadly learned and widely read, and especially deep in his study of history, thoroughly versed in the old institutions of the Han. He favored the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and often disparaged the Zuo Commentary, frequently engaging in fierce debate with Lai Min over the views of these two works, with sharp words and much clamor ^c:1474.

After Liu Bei pacified Yi Province, Meng Guang was appointed Gentleman of Ceremonies, and together with Xu Ci and others took charge of institutions. After the Latter Ruler Liu Shan ascended the throne, he successively served as Prefect of the Tally Office, Colonel of Garrison Cavalry, and Privy Treasurer of Changle Palace, finally rising to Grand Minister of Agriculture ^c:1474.

In the autumn of the ninth year of Yanxi, Shu Han granted a general amnesty, and Meng Guang openly and bluntly reproached the Grand General Fei Yi before the assembly. He held that amnesty was a "thing of one-sidedness," not a measure befitting an enlightened ruler in a flourishing age, and that it could be employed as an expedient only when the state was in decline, at the end of its road, with no other choice. He questioned Fei Yi: when the present sovereign was benevolent, wise, and worthy, and the officials each attended to their duties, with no peril of a sudden day's crisis nor any urgency of one hung upside down, why bestow extraordinary grace again and again, so as to benefit treacherous men? He further pointed out that for a hawk or falcon, when first it strikes its prey, to then pardon the guilty—such an act both violated the season of Heaven and ran counter to the principles of man. Meng Guang modestly called himself old and frail and unversed in statecraft, but still held that this method could not last and was not the wise course of one of far sight. Faced with Meng Guang's stern censure, Fei Yi could only talk around the matter, appearing ill at ease ^c:1475.

Meng Guang censured the ills of the times with sharp words, and many such instances of his blunt speech occurred. As a result, the chief ministers in power were much displeased with him, so that his rank could not gain conspicuous advancement, and he was often disliked by the world for his uninhibited frankness. For example, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Tan Cheng of Guanghan, and the Superintendent of the Imperial Household, Pei Jun of Hedong, were both junior to Meng Guang in seniority, yet ranked above him—and this was owing to Meng Guang's blunt character ^c:1475.

The Gentleman of the Imperial Library, Xi Zheng, often sought instruction from Meng Guang. Meng Guang asked Xi Zheng about the learning, disposition, and tastes of the crown prince Liu Shan. Xi Zheng replied that the crown prince served his parents with devout reverence, diligent from dawn to night without slackening, with the manner of the heir-sons of antiquity; and that in receiving the officials, his words and conduct all sprang from benevolence and forbearance. On hearing this, Meng Guang said that what Xi Zheng described was no more than the virtues of an ordinary household, and that what he really wished to know was how the crown prince fared in stratagem and wisdom. Xi Zheng explained that the duty of an heir-son lay in obeying his father's will and exhausting filial piety, that he could not act rashly on his own; and that wisdom is hidden within the breast, and stratagems are issued according to the moment—none of which could be set in advance. Understanding that Xi Zheng spoke cautiously and was unwilling to speak rashly, Meng Guang said that he himself had always been blunt and shrank from nothing, often criticizing the ills of the times, and was therefore mocked and disliked by the world. He guessed that Xi Zheng too might not much care for his remarks, but he held that with the realm not yet settled, wisdom and stratagem came first; and that although wisdom is inborn, it cannot be forced. He held that, in his reading, the heir to the throne ought not to imitate men like themselves, who labored to amass learning in order to wait upon inquiries—like scholars sitting examinations and lecturing for the sake of rank—but should pursue what was urgent. Xi Zheng deeply agreed ^c:10126.

Later, Meng Guang was dismissed from office for some reason, and died at the age of more than ninety ^c:10126.

In the Novel

Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not give Meng Guang any independent characterization, and his deeds are not recorded in detail in the novel. Therefore, regarding Meng Guang's "in the novel" episodes, there is no clear record ^c:1474. He is merely mentioned in Chapters 80 and 91 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but with no specific dialogue or action described, so his image could not be as fully rounded as in the historical record ^c:1474. This stands in sharp contrast to the Records of the Three Kingdoms' detailed account of his blunt remonstrance and broad learning ^c:1475.

Key Relationships

* Liu Yan and his son (serves): Meng Guang fled into the land of Shu during the turmoil at the end of the Han and was received with the courtesy due a guest by Liu Yan and his son, showing his early relationship with the Liu regime of Yi Province ^c:1474.
* Shu Han (serves): After Liu Bei settled Yi Province, Meng Guang was appointed Gentleman of Ceremonies, and later, in Liu Shan's time, served as Prefect of the Tally Office, Colonel of Garrison Cavalry, and Privy Treasurer of Changle Palace, finally rising to Grand Minister of Agriculture—an important official of Shu Han ^c:1474.
* Lai Min (rival_of): Meng Guang and Lai Min differed academically, especially in their assessment of the Gongyang Commentary and the Zuo Commentary, and the two often engaged in fierce debate ^c:1474.
* Fei Yi (rival_of): Meng Guang once openly reproached the Grand General Fei Yi at the time of the amnesty, criticizing his governing strategy, which displayed his bold and remonstrating character, and consequently strained his relations with the ministers in power ^c:1475.
* Xi Zheng (mentor_of): The Gentleman of the Imperial Library, Xi Zheng, often sought instruction from Meng Guang, and Meng Guang also spoke to Xi Zheng of his views on the crown prince Liu Shan and on the way to serve as an official, reflecting Meng Guang's guidance of his juniors as an elder ^c:10126.

Signature Scenes

* Bluntly remonstrating with Fei Yi: At the amnesty in the ninth year of Yanxi, Meng Guang sternly criticized the Grand General Fei Yi before the assembly, pointing out that amnesty was not fitting for an enlightened age and questioning his governing strategy. This scene fully displays Meng Guang's character of being "fond of blunt speech and shrinking from nothing," as well as his trait of "censoriousness that the men in power resented" ^c:1475. He held that Fei Yi's measure "violated the season of Heaven above and ran counter to the principles of man below," and, even facing the high and powerful Grand General, did not yield in the least, so that Fei Yi "could only talk around the matter and appear ill at ease"—becoming the most celebrated signature event of Meng Guang's life.
* Debating the Spring and Autumn Annals with Lai Min: Meng Guang favored the Gongyang Commentary and disparaged the Zuo Commentary, and often engaged in fierce debate with Lai Min over them, even to the point of clamorous wrangling ^c:1474. This scene not only displays Meng Guang's deep scholarship but also reflects his persistence in learning and his uncompromising character, an expression of his being "broadly versed and knowing antiquity, with no book unread."
* Instructing Xi Zheng: Meng Guang's conversation with the Gentleman of the Imperial Library Xi Zheng about the crown prince Liu Shan—especially his pressing inquiry to Xi Zheng about the crown prince's "stratagem and wisdom," and his blunt view that "with the realm not yet settled, wisdom comes first" ^c:10126. This scene not only reveals Meng Guang's deep thought about the state's future and the cultivation of the heir, but again emphasizes his nature of being "fond of blunt speech," daring to express his true views even when discussing the sensitive matter of the heir, while understanding Xi Zheng's caution yet still holding to his own principles. This reflects the wisdom and responsibility of Meng Guang as a senior minister.