Cao Pi

Also known as Zi Zihuan · Weiwen Di

Cao Pi, courtesy name Zihuan, was from Qiao in the state of Pei, the eldest son of Cao Cao by Lady Bian. Named heir to the kingdom of Wei in 217, he succeeded his father as chancellor and King of Wei in 220 and that winter received the abdication of Emperor Xian of Han, taking the reign title Huangchu and setting his capital at Luoyang. Around his accession he adopted Chen Qun's proposal for the nine-rank system, under which local arbiters graded men for office. His repeated campaigns against Wu achieved nothing. He died in 226 and was given the posthumous name Wen and the temple name Gaozu. His 'Discourse on Literature' (*Lunwen*) in the *Normative Treatises* (*Dianlun*) held that writing rests on vital energy and assessed the Seven Masters of Jian'an, his 'Song of Yan' is among the earliest complete seven-syllable poems, and Liu Xie's *Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons* (*Wenxin diaolong*) praised his talent as ample and clear.