Xun You
| Xun You | |
|---|---|
| Adviser of Cao Cao | |
| Born | 157 |
| Died | 214 (aged 57) |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 荀攸 |
| Simplified Chinese | 荀攸 |
| Pinyin | Xún Yōu |
| Wade–Giles | Hsün Yu |
| Courtesy name | Gongda (traditional Chinese: 公達; simplified Chinese: 公达; pinyin: Gōngdá; Wade–Giles: Kung-ta) |
| Posthumous name | Marquis Jing (Chinese: 敬侯; pinyin: Jìng Hóu; Wade–Giles: Ching Hou) |
Xun You (157–214),courtesy name Gongda, was a statesman who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao. Born in the influential Xun family of Yingchuan Commandery (around present-day Xuchang, Henan), Xun You was recruited into the civil service by the general He Jin. When the warlord Dong Zhuo hijacked and controlled the Han central government between 189 and 192, Xun You plotted with four others to assassinate him but was discovered and imprisoned. Following his release after Dong Zhuo's death, he wanted to serve as the Administrator of Shu Commandery (around present-day Chengdu, Sichuan) but eventually settled as an official in Jing Province.
In 196, after Cao Cao received the figurehead Han sovereign, Emperor Xian, and reestablished the new imperial capital in Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), he summoned Xun You to the capital to serve as a Master of Writing and Military Adviser. From then on, Xun You was simultaneously a Han statesman and a subordinate of Cao Cao. He accompanied Cao Cao on his military campaigns as a tactical adviser and occasional commander. Between 198 and 207, he advised Cao Cao in the battles against rival warlords such as Zhang Xiu, Lü Bu, Yuan Shao and Yuan's successors. In 207, on Cao Cao's recommendation, Emperor Xian made Xun You a village marquis to honour him for his contributions. In 213, after Cao Cao had been enfeoffed by Emperor Xian as the "Duke of Wei", Xun You served as the Prefect of the Masters of Writing in Cao Cao's dukedom. In 214, while accompanying Cao Cao on a campaign against the southern warlord Sun Quan, Xun You died of illness along the way. Described as a highly profound and insightful thinker, Xun You was also known for keeping a very low profile and hiding his true talents and achievements behind the façade of a foolish, cowardly and weak person.
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