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Wang Lie 王烈

Oct 28, 2015 © Ulrich Theobald

Wang Lie 王烈 (142–219), courtesy name Yanfang 彦方 or Yankao 彦考, was a petty official during the very late Eastern Han period 東漢 (25-220 CE).

He came from Pingyuan 平原 (modern Pingyuan, Shandong) or from Taiyuan 太原, was a disciple of Chen Shi 陳寔, and was widely admired for his respectful and filial senses. There was once in the village someone who had stolen a cow, was arrested by the authorities, and willingly accepted punishment, but asked that Wang Lie might not be informed about the case. Yet Wang Lie learned from it and pursued the thief to better his life. This was only one of many cases, where people sought the advice of Wang Lie.

Later on, when the Central Plain was devastated by turmoils, he fled to the region of Liaodong. He refused to serve the local powerholder Gongsun Du 公孫度, and died, shortly before Cao Cao's 曹操 messenger arrived with the offer to hire him as an advisor.

Source:
Zhang Shunhui 張舜徽, ed. (1992). Sanguozhi cidian 三國志辭典 (Jinan: Shandong jiaoyu chubanshe), 36.