author

active 3rd century Shao Liu

A court official, poet, and thinker from China’s Three Kingdoms era, he is best remembered for People Records, an early and influential work on human character. His writing links sharp observation with practical questions about talent, judgment, and public life.

1 Audiobook

人物志

人物志

by active 3rd century Shao Liu

About the author

Liu Shao, courtesy name Kongcai, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Sources describe him as active from the 190s into the 240s, with service in several posts including Administrator of Chenliu and Regular Mounted Attendant. He was from Handan in present-day Hebei.

He is most closely associated with People Records (Renwu zhi), an early treatise on reading human character and ability. The work became an important text in discussions of personality, talent, and the evaluation of officials, and it is the main reason he is still remembered today.

Accounts also portray him as a learned court figure who offered advice to Emperor Cao Rui and wrote to caution against costly military and palace-building projects. Other works are attributed to him, but many are lost, so People Records remains his clearest surviving voice.