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An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature

Guan Ning 管寧

Oct 28, 2015 © Ulrich Theobald

Guan Ning 管寧 (158-241), courtesy name You'an 幼安, was a scholar of the early Three Kingdoms period 三國 (220-280).

He came from Zhuxu 朱虚 in the commandery of Beihai 北海 (modern Linqu 臨朐, Shandong) and lived a life in seclusion, focusing his mind on the study of the Confucian Classics. When one day of a great official with his retinue passed outside, Guan's fried Hua Xin 華歆 interrupted his studies and peeped out of the window. Enraged about this childishness, Guan cut apart the map on which both were usually sitting when reading books, and so demonstrated that he furthermore would have nothing to do with Hua.

During the Yellow Turban rebellion 黃巾起義 he fled to Liaodong 遼東, together with Bing Yuan. Later on the mighty warlord Cao Cao 曹操 offered him the posts of Superior Grand Master of the Palace (taizhong dafu 太中大夫) and Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments (guanglu qing 光祿卿), but Guan declined.

His book on family names Shixinglun 氏姓論 is lost.

Source:
Zhang Shunhui 張舜徽, ed. (1992). Sanguozhi cidian 三國志辭典 (Jinan: Shandong jiaoyu chubanshe), 568.