postgres Xu Shao (150–195), courtesy name Zijiang, was a man of Pingyu in Runan and a late Han critic famous for appraising people, who held the 'monthly review' with his cousin Xu Jing. He fled the northern turmoil to the south, followed Liu Yao to Yuzhang and died there at forty-six.[^zhengshi][^zhwiki][^wikidata] /en/people/xu-shao/relation.html person_cn_q1132999 person xu-shao 许劭

Xu Shao (150–195), courtesy name Zijiang, was a man of Pingyu in Runan and a late Han critic famous for appraising people, who held the 'monthly review' with his cousin Xu Jing. He fled the northern turmoil to the south, followed Liu Yao to Yuzhang and died there at forty-six.[^zhengshi][^zhwiki][^wikidata]

published category-history category-people category-historical-figures tag-ancient-china wikidata https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1132999 zhwiki https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A8%B1%E5%8A%AD zhengshi https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B768 2026-10-25T00:00:00+08:00 2026-10-29T17:23:26+08:00 user:admin 7 Xu Shao was a critic of people in the late Eastern Han. The Book of the Later Han, juan 68, gives his courtesy name as Zijiang and calls him a man of Pingyu in Runan. Wikidata gives the Chinese label 许劭 (traditional form 許劭) with the alias Xu Zijiang, and records his life as 150 to 195. The title stays as his personal name.[^zhengshi][^wikidata] ## Appraising people The history says that from youth he valued integrity and loved judging character, and that those he praised, such as Fan Zizhao and He Yangshi, became well known, so that when the world spoke of raising men to office it named Xu and Guo. He first served as a commandery officer and the grand administrator Xu Qiu respected him, so that everyone in the office mended their conduct when they heard he had taken a post. When Yuan Shao, of the same commandery, came home after leaving his post as magistrate of Puyang with a splendid retinue, he dismissed his guests at the border, saying his carriage and dress must not be seen by Xu Zijiang, and went home in a single cart. With his cousin Xu Jing he reviewed the people of the district and changed the rankings each month, which gave Runan the phrase 'monthly review'.[^zhengshi] The history adds that in Yingchuan he alone did not call on Chen Shi, and that he alone did not attend when Chen Fan came home to bury his wife. Asked why, he said that Taiqiu's way was broad, and what is broad is hard to cover fully, while Zhongju's nature was stern, and what is stern is seldom open. His distant kinsmen Xu Jing, Xu Xun and Xu Xiang held the three highest offices, and Xu Xiang gained his rank by flattering eunuchs and repeatedly invited him; he despised his conduct and never went. He and his cousin Xu Jing were on poor terms, and contemporaries thought less of him for it.[^zhengshi] ## The judgment on Cao Cao The history records that when Cao Cao was still obscure, he repeatedly asked Xu Shao with humble words and generous gifts to assess him. Xu Shao scorned him and refused, until Cao Cao threatened him, and Xu Shao said 'You are a traitor in times of peace and a hero in times of chaos'; Cao Cao left delighted. Chinese Wikipedia adds that there is a second wording of the verdict, in a quotation of Sun Sheng in Pei Songzhi's commentary on the Records of the Three Kingdoms, 'a capable minister in an ordered age and a treacherous hero in a chaotic one', and that the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms adapts the scene so that Xu Shao first stays silent and then answers when asked again.[^zhengshi][^zhwiki] ## Flight and death The grand commandant Yang Biao summoned him and recommended him as upright and plain, but he declined. Urged to serve, he said petty men were on the rise and the royal house was about to fall, and he wanted to take refuge by the Huai and the sea to protect the old and young of his household. He went south to Guangling, where Tao Qian, inspector of Xu Province, treated him very well, but he felt that Tao Qian cared for reputation and was not truly upright, and moved on to join Liu Yao, inspector of Yang Province, at Qu'e. Later Tao Qian did arrest the scholars lodging in his province. After Sun Ce settled the lands of Wu, Xu Shao went south with Liu Yao to Yuzhang and died there at forty-six. Chinese Wikipedia dates his death to the second year of Xingping (195).[^zhengshi][^zhwiki] ## Family The history says his elder brother Xu Qian was also known, and people of Runan spoke of the 'two dragons of the Pingyu pool'. Chinese Wikipedia further names his cousin Xu Jing and his son Xu Hun, a discerning man who became a secretary of the masters of writing under Emperor Ming of Wei.[^zhengshi][^zhwiki] ## Basic facts - Name: Xu Shao[^zhengshi] - Courtesy name: Zijiang[^zhengshi] - Origin: Pingyu in Runan; the birthplace linked on this entry is [[place_cn_411723|Pingyu County]][^wikidata] - Dates: 150–195[^wikidata] - Realm: Eastern Han[^wikidata] - Portrayal: [[person_cn_q123582769|Xu Shao]] (a character in Romance of the Three Kingdoms) /people/xu-shao.html en zh zh en 150 150 195 195 historical figure relation_cnpeople_born_q1132999 person_cn_q1132999 born_in place_cn_411723 person_cn_q1132999 wikidata Born in place_cn_411723 Pingyu County /en/places/henan-pingyu.html false relation_cnportray_q123582769 person_cn_q123582769 based_on person_cn_q1132999 作品中的人物形象，原型为该历史人物。 person_cn_q123582769 wikidata Portrayals person_cn_q123582769 Xu Shao /en/people/xu-shao-sanguo.html true person_cn_q123582769 Xu Shao /en/people/xu-shao-sanguo.html person born_in Born in relation_cnpeople_born_q1132999 person_cn_q1132999 born_in place_cn_411723 person_cn_q1132999 wikidata Born in place_cn_411723 Pingyu County /en/places/henan-pingyu.html false based_on Portrayals relation_cnportray_q123582769 person_cn_q123582769 based_on person_cn_q1132999 作品中的人物形象，原型为该历史人物。 person_cn_q123582769 wikidata Portrayals person_cn_q123582769 Xu Shao /en/people/xu-shao-sanguo.html true en zh en birth_date Birth 150 death_date Death 195 person_category Person category historical figure 1 50 2 1 2 1