Cao Pi (魏文) | 24 Histories

Overview

Cao Pi was a Wei Emperor.

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Emperor Wen	文帝	Wéndì
Temple name	Emperor Wen of Wei	魏文帝	Wèi Wéndì

Life and dates

Death

AD 226 黃初七年
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 35

Attested activity

AD 220 to AD 226 Emperor Wen rewarded Pang Lin’s wife
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Three Kingdoms 37, passage 105
AD 220 二十五年
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 11, passages 248, 268
AD 220 其后受禅
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 113, passages 149-150
AD 220 建安二十五年
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 118, passage 24
AD 208 建安十三年
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 325
AD 220 是歲十月
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 35, passage 42

Show 9 more source-backed claims

AD 187 to AD 226 曹丕
Strongly inferred · Book of Wei 91, passage 11
AD 220 曹操父子逼主篡位
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 41, passage 218
AD 220 to AD 226 魏文
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 35, passage 72
AD 220 魏文
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 9, passage 165
AD 220 to AD 226 魏文帝
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 36, passage 236
AD 220 to AD 226 魏文帝在位
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 10, passage 227
AD 220 to AD 226 魏文帝聞而賢之
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Three Kingdoms 37, passage 105
AD 220 魏文帝隸刻肩際
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 57, passage 7
AD 220 to AD 226 黃初元年至七年
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passages 26, 35

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Cao Cao (魏武)
son 子
Sources vary in certainty · Book of Later Han 11, passage 268; Book of Later Han 30, passage 325; Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 26; Records of the Three Kingdoms 37, passage 105; Records of the Three Kingdoms 41, passage 218

Key source chapters

Career and standing

clerk 掾
AD 208 建安十三年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 325
King of Wei 魏王
AD 220 二十五年 · Succeeded
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 11, passages 248, 268
Son of Heaven 天子
AD 220 二十五年冬十月乙卯
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 11, passage 248
AD 220 文帝受禪
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 35, passage 42
received abdication 受禅
AD 220 魏受禅
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 113, passage 150

Places and affiliations

Cao Wei 魏
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 113, passage 150
Polity Cao Wei 曹魏 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 11, passage 248
Polity Cao Wei 魏 · Relation Founded
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 118, passage 24
Polity Cao Wei 魏 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 33, passage 26
Polity Cao Wei · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 37, passage 105
Polity Eastern Han 東漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 30, passage 325

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Polity Wei 魏 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · History of Liao 57, passage 7

Works and attributed material

Great Wei receives the Han imperial transmission seal 大魏受漢傳國之寶
Inscription · Author
Directly stated · History of Liao 57, passage 7
Quotation · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 36, passage 236

Events and relationships

Had clerical script carved on seal shoulder
Inscription · Commissioner
Directly stated · History of Liao 57, passage 7
Replaced Han
Political · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 118, passage 24
Succeeded cao cao then became emperor
AD 220 二十五年冬十月乙卯 · Political · Successor · With Cao Cao (魏武)
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 11, passages 248, 268

Assessments and attributes

Item imperial transmission seal 傳國之寶 · Relation Inscribed
Directly stated · History of Liao 57, passage 7

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 10, passage 227; Book of Wei 91, passage 14

References in the histories

Search passages

History

18 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 10Volume 10 Biographies 2: Eleven Princes of Shenwu · 1 passage

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二人表言，王出送臺使，登魏文舊壇，南望歎息，不測其意。 The two memorialized that when Run saw off a capital envoy he climbed Cao Pi's old platform, gazed south, and sighed — no one could read his mind.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 11Volume 9: Annals of Emperor Xiaoxian · 2 passages

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子丕襲位。 His son Pi succeeded to his position.

冬十月乙卯，皇帝遜位，魏王丕稱天子。 On yimao in the tenth month the emperor abdicated and Cao Pi, king of Wei, became emperor.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 30Volume 27: Biographies of Xuan, Zang, Two Wangs, Du, Guo, Wu, Cheng, Zheng, Zhao · 1 passage

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建安十三年，以辟司空曹操子丕為掾，操怒，奏溫辟臣子弟，選舉不實，免官。 In Jian'an 13 he recruited Cao Pi as a clerk in the ministry of works; Cao Cao, furious, impeached him for nepotism in appointments and stripped him of office.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 113Volume 102: Astronomy Part Three · 1 passage

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其后魏文帝受禅。 Wei Wendi later accepted the Han abdication.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 118Volume 107: Five Elements Part Five · 1 passage

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至建安二十五年，魏文帝代汉。 In Jian'an 220, Cao Pi of Wei ended the Han and took the throne for himself.

History of Liao, Chapter 57Volume 57 Treatises 27: Ceremonial Guards 3 · 1 passage

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魏文帝隸刻肩際曰「大魏受漢傳國之寶」。 Emperor Wen of Wei had clerical script carved along the shoulder reading, "Great Wei receives the Han imperial transmission seal."

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 35Volume 35 Biographies 16: Gao Zu's Twelve Princes · 1 passage

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當時論者以世祖優於魏文，減于漢明。 Contemporaries judged Emperor Wu better than Emperor Wen of Wei and less than Emperor Ming of Han.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 36Volume 36 Biographies 17: Xie Chaozong, Liu Xiang · 1 passage

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史臣曰：魏文帝云「文人不護細行」，古今之所同也。 The historian says: Cao Pi said "literary men do not guard small conduct" — ancient and modern agree.

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 33Volume 33: Book of Shu 3: Biography of the Later Lord · 4 passages

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子丕孤豎，敢尋亂階，盜據神器，更姓改物，世濟其凶。 His son Cao Pi, a callow upstart, followed that rebel path, usurped the throne, changed the dynasty's name and emblems, and his line has fed on violence ever since.

奉順符讖，建位易號，丕承天序，補弊興衰，存复祖業，誕膺皇綱，不墜於地。 Heeding portent and prophecy, he founded our house, took a new reign title, took up heaven's succession, righted a broken age, restored our forebears' work, and caught the imperial net before it could strike the dust.

欲奮劍長驅，指討凶逆，硃旗未舉，而丕复隕喪，斯所謂不燃我薪而自焚也。 I meant to draw the sword and march north against the usurpers, but before our crimson banners left the pass Cao Pi died—he needed no fuel from us; he burned himself out.

伏惟大魏布德施化，宰輔伊、周，含覆藏疾。 Great Wei spreads civilizing virtue; its ministers rival the ancient worthies Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou; its mercy covers even the flawed.

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 37Volume 37: Book of Shu 7: Biographies of Pang Tong and Fa Zheng · 1 passage

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魏文帝聞而賢之，賜床帳衣服，以顯其義節。〉 Cao Pi heard the story, admired her virtue, and rewarded her with bedding and clothing to honor her steadfast conduct.〉

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 41Volume 41: Book of Shu 11: Biographies of Huo, Wang, Xiang, Zhang, Yang, and Fei · 1 passage

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後群臣議欲推漢中王稱尊號，詩上疏曰：「殿下以曹操父子逼主篡位，故乃羈旅萬里，糾合士眾，將以討賊。 Later the assembled ministers deliberated and wished to urge the King of Hanzhong to assume the imperial title. Shi submitted a memorial saying, "Your Highness, because Cao Cao and his son coerced the ruler and usurped the throne, wandered in exile ten thousand li, gathered officers and troops, and intended to punish the rebels.

Book of Wei, Chapter 91Volume 85: Men of Letters: Yuan Yue, Pei Jingxian, Lu Guan, Feng Su, Xing Cang, Pei Bomao, Xing Xin · 1 passage

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逮高祖馭天，銳情文學，蓋以頡頏漢徹，掩踔曹丕，氣韻高豔，才藻獨構。 When Emperor Xiaowen came to the throne, he threw himself into literature, in spirit rivaling Emperor Wu of Han and outshining Cao Pi, with a lofty tone, brilliant style, and literary gifts all his own.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 35Volume 35 Biographies 15: Zhan Wenyu, Yang She, Zhang Ce, Zhao Guangfeng, Xue Yiju, Su Xun · 1 passage

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是歲十月，文帝受禪，又改黃初，是黃初元年無二月也，銘何謬邪？」 That tenth month Wen accepted the throne and changed to Huangchu—so Huangchu’s first year had no second month. How is the inscription wrong?”

Book of Zhou, Chapter 9Volume 9 Biographies 1: Empresses · 1 passage

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斯魏文所以發一槩之詔也已。 This is precisely why Emperor Wen of Wei issued his edict on uniform policy.