This article contains the family trees of members of the Cao clan, who ruled the state of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

(220– February 266) in the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period (220–280) in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Only

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

's lineage is shown in this article. The lineages of his relatives, such as

Cao Ren Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei � ...

Cao Zhen Cao Zhen (died April or May 231), courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and l ...

and others, are not included here.

Cao Song

Cao Song Cao Song (died 193), courtesy name Jugao, was an official who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the foster son of the eunuch Cao Teng and the father of the warlord Cao Cao, who rose to prominence in the final years of Easte ...

was a foster son of the

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

Cao Teng Cao Teng (died late 150s), courtesy name Jixing, was a eunuch who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served four Han emperors ( Shun, Chong, Zhi, and Huan). Through his adopted son Cao Song, he was the grandfather of Cao Cao, ...

and he had at least four sons:

, Cao Bin, Cao De, and a fourth one whose personal name was not recorded and was only known by his posthumous title "Marquis Ai of Haiyang". The marquis's daughter married

Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan () (died February 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of prese ...

's eldest son Xiahou Heng.

Cao Cao, his wives, and his children

Lady Bian

and Lady Bian had four sons:

Cao Pi Cao Pi () (late 187 – 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 ...

Cao Zhang Cao Zhang () (189? – 1 August 223), courtesy name Ziwen, nickname "The Yellow Goatee" (黃鬚兒), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the ...

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 ...

and

Cao Xiong Cao Xiong (fl.200s - 210s) was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Han dynasty and laid the foundation of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Not much was recorded in history about Cao Xio ...

. Cao Xiong was succeeded by his son Cao Bing. Cao Bing had no heir.

Cao Zhang

married

Sun Ben Sun Ben ( 180–200s), courtesy name Boyang, was a cousin of Sun Quan, a Chinese warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and later became the founding emperor of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period. He was the eld ...

's daughter (personal name unknown). Cao Zhang's son was Cao Kai. Cao Zhang also had a daughter (personal name unknown) who married Wang Chang. It is not known whether Cao Zhang's two children were born to Lady Sun (Sun Ben's daughter) or not.

Cao Zhi

Cao Zhi married the daughter of

Cui Yan Cui Yan (165–216), courtesy name Jigui, was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In his early life, he served briefly in the local district office before leaving home to study und ...

's elder brother. He had two sons — Cao Miao and

(courtesy name "Yungong"). He also had two daughters — Cao Jinhu and Cao Xingnü. It is not known whether Cao Zhi's three children were born to Lady Cui or not; Cao Zhi was recorded to be a son of a concubine.

Lady Liu

and Lady Liu had two sons and a daughter:

Cao Ang Cao Ang () ( 177 – February or March 197), courtesy name Zixiu, was the eldest son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Han dynasty and laid the foundation of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of Chin ...

, Cao Shuo and Princess Qinghe (personal name unknown). Princess Qinghe married

Xiahou Dun Xiahou Dun () (died 13 June 220), courtesy name Yuanrang, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.''Sanguozhi'' vol.9. He served for a few months under Cao Cao ...

's son Xiahou Mao. Cao Ang's successor was Cao Wan, a son of his half-brother Cao Jun (曹均). Cao Wan's son was Cao Lian. Cao Shuo's successor was Cao Song, a son of his half-brother Cao Mao (曹茂).

Lady Huan

and Lady Huan had three sons:

Cao Chong Cao Chong (196–208), courtesy name Cangshu, was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Han dynasty and laid the foundation of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. A child prodigy, Cao C ...

, Cao Ju and

Cao Yu Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 – December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important playwrights of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man' ...

. Cao Chong's successor was Cao Cong, a son of his brother Cao Ju. Cao Yu's son was

Cao Huan Cao Huan () (246 – 302/303), courtesy name Jingming, was the fifth and last emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. On 4 February 266, he abdicated the throne in favour of regent Sima Yan (later Emperor Wu of the J ...

. Cao Huan married Bian Lin's daughter Empress Bian. Bian Lin was a son of Bian Bing, a younger brother of Lady Bian (another of Cao Cao's wives).

Lady Du

and Lady Du had two sons: Cao Lin and

Cao Gun Cao Gun (died 1 November 235) was an imperial prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Early life under the Han dynasty Cao Gun was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to prominence towards the end of the Han dynas ...

. Lady Du and her ex-husband

Qin Yilu Qin Yilu (died 199) was a military officer who served under the general and warlord Lü Bu in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Allowing for variant writing in the records, Qin Yilu was probably the same person as two others named Qin Yi (� ...

had a son, Qin Lang, who was adopted by Cao Cao after his mother's remarriage. Cao Gun's son was Cao Fu. Cao Lin had a son (Cao Wei) and a daughter (personal name unknown). The daughter married

Ji Kang Ji Kang (, 223–262), sometimes referred to as Xi Kang, courtesy name Shuye (), was a Chinese composer, essayist, philosopher, and poet of the Three Kingdoms period. He was one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove who held aloof from the dan ...

Lady Qin

and Lady Qin had two sons: Cao Xuan and Cao Jun. Cao Xuan's successor was Cao Zan, a son of his half-brother Cao Lin. Cao Zan's successor was his younger brother Cao Yi. Cao Yi's son was Cao Heng. Cao Jun's son was Cao Ao.

Lady Yin

Cao Cao and Lady Yin had a son: Cao Ju. Lady Yin and her ex-husband He Xian, a son of

He Jin He Jin () (died 22 September 189), courtesy name Suigao, was a Chinese military general and politician. He was the military Grand Marshal and regent of the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an elder half-brother of Empress He (the emp ...

, had a son,

He Yan He Yan ( 195 – 9 February 249), courtesy name Pingshu, was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a grandson of He Jin, a general and regent of the Eastern Han dynasty. His ...

, who was adopted by Cao Cao after his mother's remarriage. He Yan married Cao Cao's daughter Princess Jinxiang (personal name unknown).(魏末傳曰：晏婦金鄉公主，即晏同母妹。公主賢，謂其母沛王太妃曰：「晏為惡日甚，將何保身？」母笑曰：「汝得無妬晏邪！」) ''Wei Mo Zhuan'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 9. Cao Ju's successor was Cao Min, a son of his half-brother Cao Jun (曹均). Cao Min's son was Cao Kun.

Consort Sun

and Consort Sun had three sons:

Cao Zishang Cao Zishang (birth and death dates unknown) was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, ...

Cao Ziqin Cao Ziqin (birth and death dates unknown) was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. His mother was Lady Sun (孫姬), ...

and

Cao Biao Cao Biao (195 – July 251), courtesy name Zhuhu, was an imperial prince of the Cao Wei state in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Cao Biao was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the fo ...

. Both Cao Zishang and Cao Ziqin died without heirs. Cao Biao was succeeded by his son Cao Jia.

Consort Li

and Consort Li had three sons:

Cao Zicheng Cao Zicheng (birth and death dates unknown) was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. His mother was Lady Li (李姬 ...

Cao Zizheng Cao Zizheng (died 218) was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. His mother was Lady Li (李姬), a concubine of Cao ...

and

Cao Zijing Cao Zijing (birth and death dates unknown) was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. His mother was Lady Li (李姬), ...

. Both Cao Zicheng and Cao Zijing died without heirs. Cao Zizheng's successor was Cao Fan, a son of his half-brother Cao Ju (曹據). Cao Fan was succeeded by his younger brother Cao Chan.

Cao Cao's other wives and children

had five other sons who were born to five different mothers: Consort Zhou bore Cao Jun; Consort Liu bore Cao Ziji; Consort Song bore

Cao Hui Cao Hui (, born 7 September 1991) is a Chinese female recurve archer and part of the national team and Liaoning team. She won the bronze medal at the 2015 Asian Archery Championships in the women's team event. She represented China at the 2 ...

; Consort Zhao bore

Cao Mao Cao Mao (; 241 – 2 June 260), courtesy name Yanshi, was the fourth emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a grandson of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. Described as intelligent and studious, C ...

; Lady Chen bore Cao Gan. Cao Cao also had two other wives: Lady Wang, who raised Cao Gan after Lady Chen's death; Lady Ding, who raised

after the death of Lady Liu (Cao Ang's biological mother). Cao Cao also had four daughters whose mothers were not known: Cao Xian, Cao Jie, Cao Hua and Princess Anyang (personal name unknown). Cao Xian, Cao Jie and Cao Hua married Liu Xie (

Emperor Xian of Han 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 China, emperor of the Han dynasty#Eastern Han (25–220 AD), Eastern Han dynasty of China. He reigned from ...

) while Princess Anyang married Xun Yu's son Xun Yun. Cao Ziji died without an heir. Cao Jun was succeeded by his son Cao Kang, who in turn was succeeded by his son Cao Chen. Cao Hui was succeeded by his son Cao Xi. Cao Xi's son was Cao Kun.

Cao Pi, his wives, and his children

Lady Zhen

and

Lady Zhen Lady Zhen (26 January 183 – 4 August 221), personal name unknown, was the first wife of Cao Pi, the first ruler of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. In 226, she was posthumously honoured as Empress Wenzhao when her son Cao R ...

had a son and a daughter:

Cao Rui Cao Rui () (204 or 205 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later remarr ...

and

Princess Dongxiang Princess Dongxiang (東鄉公主, b. after 207) was an Imperial princess of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was the daughter of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Cao Wei, and Lady Zhen. She was the younger sister of ...

(personal name unknown).

Consort Xu

and Consort Xu had a son:

Cao Li Cao Li (208 – May or June 229) was a prince in the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. His mother, Consort Xu (徐姬), was a concubine of Cao Pi. He had two full sisters: t ...

. Cao Li's successor was Cao Ti, a son of his cousin Cao Kai (

's son).

Ladies Pan, Zhu, and Qiu

Three of Cao Pi's wives: Lady Pan, Lady Zhu and Lady Qiu - bore him children as such: Lady Pan bore

; Lady Zhu bore

Cao Jian Cao Jian (died December 225 or January 226) was a prince in the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. His mother, whose maiden family name was Zhu (朱), was a concubine of Cao ...

; Lady Qiu bore Cao Lin. Cao Rui's successor was Cao Zan, a son of Cao Min, Cao Ju's heir and Prince of Langya. Cao Jian had no heir.(無子。國除。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 20. Cao Lin had two sons: Cao Qi and

. Cao Mao married Empress Bian, Bian Long's daughter. Bian Long was Bian Lan's son, Bian Lan was Bian Bing's son. Bian Bing was a younger brother of Cao Pi's mother Lady Bian.

Consorts Li, Su, Zhang, and Song

Four of

's wives – Consorts Li, Su, Zhang and Song – bore him children as such: Consort Li bore

Cao Xie Cao Xie ( third century) was a prince in the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. His mother, whose maiden family name was Li (李), was a concubine of Cao Pi holding the rank ...

; Consort Su bore Cao Yong; Consort Zhang bore

Cao Gong Cao Gong (died 223) was a prince in the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Pi (Emperor Wen), the founding emperor of Cao Wei. His mother, Consort Zhang (張姬), was a concubine of Cao Pi. He was enfeoffe ...

; Consort Song bore

Cao Yan Cao Yan (died 223) was a prince in the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. His mother, Consort Song (宋姬), was a concubine of Cao Pi. He was enfeoffed as the Prince of Guan ...

. Cao Xie's son was Cao Xun. Cao Yong's successor was Cao Wen, a son of his cousin Cao Kai (

's son). Both Cao Gong and Cao Yan died without heirs.

Cao Pi's other wives and children

Cao Pi had seven other wives: the two Ladies Liu, Consort Yin, Consort Chai, Lady Ren, Lady Li and

Guo Nüwang Guo Nüwang (8 April 184 – 14 March 235), formally known as Empress Wende, was an empress of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was married to Cao Pi, the first emperor of Wei. Family background and marriage ...

.(黃初元年十月，帝踐阼。踐阼之後，山陽公奉二女以嬪于魏，郭后、李、陰貴人並愛幸， ...) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 5. The two Ladies Liu were the daughters of Liu Xie (

). Guo Nüwang was the daughter of Guo Yong and Lady Dong. Cao Pi had a son, Cao Jie. The identity of Cao Jie's mother is not known.

Cao Rui

had five wives: Empress Mao, Empress Guo, Lady Zhang,(初，張當私以所擇才人張、何等與爽。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 9. Lady He and Lady Yu. Empress Mao was Mao Jia's daughter and she had a younger brother, Mao Zeng. Empress Guo was the daughter of Guo Man and Lady Du. Cao Rui had three sons (Cao Jiong, Cao Mu and Cao Yin) and two daughters (Cao Shu and the First Princess of Qi). The First Princess of Qi (personal name unknown) married Li Feng's son Li Tao (李韜) initially, but was later remarried to Ren Kai. Cao Rui also had two adoptive sons:

Cao Fang Cao Fang () (232–274), courtesy name Lanqing, was the third emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second ruler of Wei. Cao Fang ruled from January 239 to October 254 as a no ...

and

Cao Xun Cao Xun (231 – September or October 244) was an imperial prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Rui, the second emperor of Wei. While the identities of his parents are unknown, Cao Xu ...

, who were allegedly the sons of

's son, Cao Kai (曹楷).

Cao Fang

had eight wives: Empress Zhen, a granddaughter of Zhen Yan (

's elder brother); Empress Zhang, a daughter of

Zhang Ji (Jingzhong) Zhang Ji (张缉; 210s? - 27 March 254), courtesy name Jingzhong (敬仲), was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was best known for his involvement in a plot in 254 to kill Sima Shi, who was then reg ...

; Empress Wang, Wang Kui's daughter; Lady Zhang;(甄后崩後，帝欲立王貴人為皇后。 ... 後卒待張皇后疏薄。太后遭郃陽君喪，帝日在後園，倡優音樂自若，不數往定省。 ... 皇太后還北宮，殺張美人及禺婉，帝恚望， ...) ''Wei Shu'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 4. Lady Xing, who later remarried Sun Huan's son Sun Yi (孫壹);(魏以壹為車騎將軍、儀同三司，封吳侯，以故主芳貴人邢氏妻之。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 51. Li Hua,(於陵雲臺曲中施帷，見九親婦女，帝臨宣曲觀，呼懷、信使入帷共飲酒。懷、信等更行酒，婦女皆醉，戲侮無別。使保林李華、劉勳等與懷、信等戲，清商令令狐景呵華、 ...) ''Wei Shu'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 4. Liu Xun; Yuwan.

References

{{reflist * Chen, Shou. ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fan, Ye. ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'' (''Houhanshu''). * Fang, Xuanling. ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Pei, Songzhi. ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). Cao Wei Family trees of royalty