Liu Shao (Three Kingdoms)

Liu Shao
Liu Shao
劉劭
Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍)
	In office; ?–?
Monarch	Cao Rui
Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉)
	In office; ?–?
Monarch	Cao Rui
Administrator of Chenliu (陳留太守)
	In office; 226–?
Monarch	Cao Rui
Personal details
Born	Unknown; Handan, Hebei
Died	240s
Children	Liu Lin
Occupation	Official
Courtesy name	Kongcai (孔才)
Peerage	Secondary Marquis; (關內侯)

Liu Shao (fl. 190s–240s), courtesy name Kongcai (Chinese: 孔才), was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He often provided advice to the emperor Cao Rui, 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 Sun Quan, the emperor of Wei's rival state Eastern Wu, led an army to attack the Wei stronghold at Hefei in 234, Liu Shao suggested to Cao Rui to send his forces 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 Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian, it was Tian Yu 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 human character.

References

^ Liu Shao's biography in Sanguozhi indicate that he was appointed Administrator of Chenliu after Cao Rui's ascension.
^ Liu Shao's biography in Sanguozhi indicate that he died during the Zheng'shi era (240-249) of Cao Fang's reign.