Liu Shao, style name

Chinese style name

A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...

 Kongcai (孔才), was an official of the state of Cao Wei

Cao Wei

Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...

 during the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...

 period of Chinese history

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

. He often provided advice to the emperor Cao Rui

Cao Rui

Cao Rui , formally known as Emperor Ming of Wei, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a son of Cao Wei's first emperor Cao Pi according to Liu Song dynasty historian, Pei Songzhi, but was a son of Yuan Xi according to modern...

, and was praised by Cao Rui for his good advice, even though Cao Rui did not frequently actually act on the advice. He also wrote poems to try to discourage Cao Rui from military and palace-building projects. When the rival state Eastern Wu

Eastern Wu

Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...

's emperor Sun Quan

Sun Quan

Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....

 attacked Hefei

Hefei

Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...

 in 234, according to Records of Three Kingdoms

Records of Three Kingdoms

Records of Three Kingdoms , is regarded as the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history covering the years 184-280 CE. Written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century, the work combines the smaller histories of the rival states of Cao Wei , Shu Han and...

, it was at Liu Shao's suggestion that Cao Rui sent his forces to try to cut off Sun Quan's supply route, rather than engage Sun Quan directly, a strategy that forced Sun Quan to withdraw. (However, according to Zizhi Tongjian

Zizhi Tongjian

The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...

, it was Tian Yu

Tian Yu

Tian Yu , style name Guorang , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Tian Yu joined Xiang Yang on the orders of Cao Rui when the Eastern Wu army invaded the northern region in a combined effort with Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions. Lu Xun then...

who offered this advice, not Liu Shao.)

Liu Shao was also the author of the People Records (人物志), an early Chinese treatise on cadres evaluation.

Appointments and titles held

• Crown Prince's Attendant (太子舍人)
• Library Gentleman (秘書郎)
• Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat (尚書郎)
• Attendant of Scattered Cavalry (散騎侍郎)
• Administrator of Chenliu (陳留太守)
• Marquis of Guannei (關內侯)
• Minister of the Household (光祿勳) - granted to Liu Shao posthumously