courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...
Xing Yong was from Mo County (), Hejian Commandery (), which is located south of present-day
Xiong County
Xiong County or Xiongxian () is a county in the central part of Hebei province, China. It is the easternmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city of Baoding.
It is part of the Xiong'an New Area
Xiong'an New Area () is a state-l ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
. In his early years, he was nominated as a ''
xiaolian
Xiaolian (; literally "filial and incorrupt"), was the standard of nominating civil officers started by Emperor Wu of Han in 134 BC. It lasted until its replacement by the imperial examination system during the Sui Dynasty. In Confucian philosophy ...
'' (civil service candidate) by his home commandery and offered the position of an assistant official under the
Minister over the Masses Situ was one of the highest ranking government offices in ancient China. Established in the Western Zhou dynasty, it was originally written as (), meaning Administrator of Land.
During the Han dynasty, the title became written with the different c ...
(). However, he rejected the offer, changed his name, and moved to
Youbeiping Commandery
Youbeiping Commandery ( zh, 右北平郡), or Beiping Commandery ( zh, 北平郡) was a commandery in imperial China from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was located in present-day Hebei and Tianjin.
Youbeiping Commandery was establi ...
(右北平郡; around present-day
Tangshan
Tangshan () is a coastal, industrial prefecture-level city in the northeast of Hebei province. It is located in the eastern part of Hebei Province and the northeastern part of the North China Plain. It is located in the central area of the Boha ...
, Hebei), where he met and befriended
Tian Chou
''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their supreme god as '' Shàngdì'' (, "Lo ...
and travelled around with him.
Service under Cao Cao
Five years later, around the year 207, the warlord Cao Cao conquered Ji Province (covering much of present-day Hebei and parts of Shandong). When Xing Yong heard about it, he told Tian Chou: "It has been over 20 years since the
Yellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt in China against the Eastern Han dynasty. The uprising broke out in 184 CE during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although the main rebelli ...
. The Han Empire is in a state of chaos and the people are displaced from their homes. I heard that Lord Cao upholds law and order. The people are tired of living in a chaotic era and hope that peace will be restored soon. I want to be a pioneer in all this." He then returned to Hejian Commandery. Tian Chou remarked: "Xing Yong is the first person among the common people to come to that realisation."
Xing Yong sought an audience with Cao Cao and volunteered to guide Cao Cao and his army on a campaign against Yuan Shao's sons and their
allies at Liucheng (柳城; southwest of present-day Chaoyang, Liaoning). Cao Cao appointed him as an Assistant Officer () in Ji Province. At the time, Xing Yong was famous for his virtuous conduct.
Cao Cao subsequently promoted Xing Yong to the position of Chief () of Guangzong County (廣宗縣; southeast of present-day
Guangzong County
Guangzong County () is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Xingtai in the south of Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 7 ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
). Xing Yong resigned later when his superior, the commandery administrator, died. When other officials reported him to Cao Cao (because they saw his resignation as an irresponsible action), Cao Cao said: "Xing Yong had a close relationship with his superior. He wants to show his devout loyalty to his superior. There is no need to fault him for that."
Cao Cao later summoned Xing Yong back to serve as an assistant official under him before appointing him as the Prefect () of Tang County (唐縣; northwest of present-day Shunping County,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...
). During his tenure, Xing Yong promoted agriculture and civil culture among the county residents. Some time later, Cao Cao recalled him to serve in his administrative office before reassigning him to
Zuopingyi
Pingyi ( zh, 馮翊), also known as Zuo Pingyi ( zh, 左馮翊), was a historical region of China located in modern Shaanxi province.
In early Han dynasty, the administrator of an area to the east of the capital Chang'an was known as ''Zuo Neishi' ...
Commandery (左馮翊; around present-day
Weinan
Weinan () is a prefecture-level city in the east central Shaanxi province, China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provincial capital Xi'an, and borders the provinces of S ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...
). Xing Yong resigned later due to illness.
Around 214, when Cao Cao was selecting officials to serve in the personal staffs of his sons, he said: "The personal staffs of nobles should be staffed by officials who are as familiar with rules and protocol as Xing Yong." He then appointed Xing Yong as a steward to his fourth son,
Cao Zhi
Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style o ...
, who then held a marquis title. As Xing Yong strictly followed the rules and protocol without exception, Cao Zhi, who was known for his unbridled behaviour, disliked Xing Yong and distanced himself from Xing Yong. Liu Zhen (), another member of Cao Zhi's personal staff, wrote to Cao Zhi: "Xing Yong is one of the talents from the north. Since young, he was already known for conducting himself with virtue and morality. He is a true gentleman as he shows humble and polite behaviour, and he thinks more than he speaks. I do not think I am worthy enough to serve you alongside him. However, I have received especially generous treatment from you, while Xing Yong, in contrast, has been shunned and given the cold shoulder. I am worried that people will start criticising you for associating yourself with the non-virtuous and being disrespectful towards the virtuous, and for favouring a servant over your steward. You will be in deep trouble if such criticisms indirectly affect your father's reputation as well. I feel very uneasy when I ponder over this."
Cao Cao later recalled Xing Yong to serve as a military adviser under him before reassigning him to serve in the east bureau of his office. Around the time, Cao Cao had not designated one of his sons as the heir apparent to his
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
kingdom yet. His preferred choice was Cao Zhi; Cao Zhi's associates such as Ding Yi also tried to help Cao Zhi win the succession by praising him in front of Cao Cao. When Cao Cao asked Xing Yong for his opinion, the latter replied: "It is against tradition to choose a younger son over an older son to be one's heir apparent. I hope that Your Highness will reconsider this carefully!" Cao Cao understood what Xing Yong meant, and eventually designated his eldest surviving son,
Cao Pi
Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest ...
, as his heir apparent. He then appointed Xing Yong as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince () before promoting him to Grand Tutor () later.
Service in Wei
Cao Cao died in March 220 and was succeeded by Cao Pi as the ruler of his vassal kingdom. Later that year, Cao Pi usurped the throne from the figurehead
Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220.
Liu Xie was a so ...
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Zengbo (). He was known for his talent and virtuous conduct. During the Yuankang era (291–299) of the reign of Emperor Hui of the Jin dynasty, Xing Qiao served as a supervisor of the selection bureau of the imperial secretariat alongside Liu Huan (), and was promoted to Colonel-Director of Retainers () shortly after.(晉諸公贊曰：顒曾孫喬，字曾伯。有體量局幹，美於當世。歷清職。元康中，與劉渙俱為尚書吏部郎，稍遷至司隷校尉。) ''Jin Zhugong Zan'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 12.