Cao Zhi

Also known as Zi Zijian

Cao Zhi, courtesy name Zijian, was a son of Cao Cao by Lady Bian and a full younger brother of Cao Pi; by his early teens he could recite vast amounts of poetry and rhapsody. Made Marquis of Linzi in 214, he was for a time his father's preferred heir, but lost favor through heavy drinking and willful conduct, including driving out through the Sima Gate without leave. After Cao Pi took the throne, Cao Zhi was repeatedly demoted and moved between fiefs under the watch of court supervisors, and the preface to his *Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo* (*Luoshen fu*) dates it to 222. Under Emperor Ming he petitioned again and again to be given a real task, without success. In 232 he was made Prince of Chen and died the same year with the posthumous name Si, hence the title Prince Si of Chen. Zhong Rong's *Grades of Poets* (*Shipin*) placed him in the top rank, praising the strength and richness of his verse.