Yang Biao (; 142–225), courtesy name Wenxian (文先), was a Chinese scholar and official who lived during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. Known for his moral rectitude and classical scholarship, he served as one of the

Three Excellencies The Three Ducal Ministers (), also translated as the Three Dukes, Three Excellencies, or the Three Lords, was the collective name for the three highest officials in Ancient China and Imperial China. These posts were abolished by Cao Cao in 208 AD a ...

and held senior roles under the warlords

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (c. 140s – 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful ...

, Li Jue, and

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 ...

. He was also a contributor to the compilation of the now-lost ''Dongguan Hanji'' (東觀漢記), and the father of Yang Xiu.

Background

Yang Biao was born in 142 in Hongnong Commandery (弘農郡), present-day Lingbao, Henan. He came from the prestigious Yang clan of Hongnong, a prominent lineage that produced many notable officials.de Crespigny, Rafe. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD)''. Brill, 2007, pp. 944. His father was Yang Ci (楊賜), who served as Minister Steward and Minister of the Household.

Career

Early career and Dongguan Hanji

Yang Biao refused all offers of official nomination until 177 CE. That year, he joined the group of scholars working on the official Han history project at the

Dongguan Dongguan,; pinyin: alternately romanized via Cantonese as Tungkun, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou t ...

(Eastern Library), contributing to the compilation of the '' Dongguan Hanji'' (東觀漢記). He was later appointed as Intendant of Jingzhao (京兆尹) in 179.

Service under Dong Zhuo

In 189 CE, the warlord

promoted Yang Biao to the position of Excellency (one of the Three Excellencies), but dismissed him the following year in 190. He returned to office in 192 CE as an Excellency under Li Jue, only to be dismissed again in 193. In 194, he was appointed **Grand Commandant** (太尉), the highest military-administrative role in the Han government. Yang Biao protested when Li Jue forcibly seized the emperor in 195 CE and was taken hostage by

Guo Si Guo Si () (died 197), also known as Guo Duo, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He assisted Dong Zhuo in his many campaigns and served as a ...

. When he remonstrated again, he was nearly executed. Later that year, he accompanied the emperor Liu Xie in his escape from Chang'an, helping to secure the loyalty of General Duan Wei in Hongnong by vouching for the emperor’s authority.

Under Cao Cao and imprisonment

In 197, Yang Biao was imprisoned by

, allegedly due to the fact that his wife was the sister of the warlord

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (155 – 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189. He decla ...

, and possibly also because of political friction with

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred tow ...

. He was interrogated by Man Chong, who found no wrongdoing and released him. Cao Cao dismissed him in 205, and the family’s marquisate was abolished in 206. When Cao Cao {{Clarify span, executed Yang Biao’s son, Yang Xiu, in 219 for perceived disloyalty, Yang Biao reportedly confronted his son for showing sorrow,, The... executed one?, date=April 2025 perhaps fearing political consequences.

Later years and retirement

After the Han dynasty was formally ended in 220 by

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 ...

, Yang Biao was invited to serve again as Grand Commandant under the newly declared

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 ...

regime. He refused, stating that he had already failed to serve the Han adequately and could not in good conscience serve its usurpers. In his final years, Yang Biao focused on scholarly pursuits and worked to complete the historical compilation of the ''Dongguan Hanji'', though the work itself was later lost.

Scholarly work

Yang Biao was known for his classical learning and historical scholarship. In addition to his contributions to the ''Dongguan Hanji'', he reportedly began composing a ''History of the Later Han'' (後漢書), but the work did not survive and was not cited by later historians such as Fan Ye, who compiled the extant ''

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 ...

''.Fan Ye. ''Hou Han Shu'', vol. 60.

Family

* Father: Yang Ci (楊賜), a high-ranking official * Son: Yang Xiu, adviser to Cao Cao, executed in 219 CE

Death and legacy

Yang Biao died in 225 at the age of 83. He was remembered as a principled and dignified official, respected for his service to the Han during its decline. Though overshadowed in fame by his son, his scholarly legacy and loyalty to the Han were noted by later historians.