| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 刘璩, 劉璩, Liú Qú |
| Nickname | Prince of Shangdang (上党王); seventh son of Liu Shan |
| Other name | Lưu Cừ |
| INFORMATION | |
| Birth Place | Zhuo County, Zhuo (Zhuozhou, Hebei) |
| Death Reason | Unknown in the novel; later notices place his death in the Yongjia chaos after the move to Luoyang |
| FAMILY | |
| Father | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | Shu Han (imperial clan) |
| Battles | Not a combatant. Named in the Chapter 118 surrender debate; historically Prince of Shangdang, 259 |
Biography & Historical Record
Liu Qu (刘璩, Lưu Cừ) was the seventh son of the Later Ruler Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện), courtesy name Gongsi (公嗣, Công Tự). In 259 (Jingyao 2) he was made Prince of Shangdang (上党王, Thượng Đảng Vương). After Chengdu fell in 263 he went east with his father to Luoyang. Later notices say he probably died in the Yongjia chaos of the early fourth century. He is a Shu imperial clansman, not a Zhuo volunteer of 184 and not a figure of Chapter 8 (the Diaochan / Dong Zhuo plot). Import catalogs that file him under “Chapter 8” and “Zhuo county birthplace” have borrowed the ancestral commandery of the Liu house and the wrong chapter number.
Chapter 118 is his novel appearance. When Qiao Zhou (谯周, Tiều Chu), courtesy name Yunnan (允南, Doãn Nam), has argued for opening the gates, and Liu Shan is about to yield, the fifth son — Prince of Beidi Liu Chen (刘谌, Lưu Thầm) — comes out from behind a screen and curses the plan. The narrator then lists the Later Ruler’s seven sons: eldest Liu Xuan (刘璿, Lưu Tuyền), then Liu Yao (刘瑶, Lưu Dao), Liu Cong (刘琮, Lưu Tông), Liu Zan (刘瓒, Lưu Toản), Liu Chen, Liu Xun (刘恂, Lưu Tuân), and seventh Liu Qu (刘璩, Lưu Cừ). Of the seven, only Liu Chen is called bright and keen from childhood; “the rest were all timid and kind.” Liu Shan tells Chen that the ministers have chosen surrender and that Chen’s blood-courage would only fill the city with corpses. Chen weeps, is driven from the hall, and later kills his household and himself in the Zhao Lie temple. Liu Qu does not speak. He is the last name in the list that makes Liu Chen’s isolation visible.
Homonyms. Do not link Liu Xuan here to this site’s /liu-xuan/ if that post is 刘旋, a different 汉字. Do not treat Liu Qu as Liu Bei’s Zhuo cousin or as a Chapter 8 guest of Wang Yun. Sequels and late fiction that send “Liu Qu” wandering after 263 are not this article’s source.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 118 (Crying at the Ancestral Temple, a Prince of Shu Dies; Marching into West River, Two Generals Contend): Wei columns are at the capital. Qiao Zhou’s second memorial carries. Liu Shan is ready to send the seal. Liu Chen bursts from behind the screen, calls Qiao Zhou a living corpse, and says there has never been a Son of Heaven who surrendered. Liu Shan looks at him — the fifth son, Prince of Beidi — and the narrator counts all seven, ending at Liu Qu. Liu Chen begs for a last fight with Jiang Wei still at Jian’ge; Liu Shan refuses and has him pushed from the palace. Chen’s suicide with Lady Cui and their sons is the chapter’s moral centre. Liu Qu, named only in that roll-call, shares the later road to Luoyang in history and shares the novel’s silence of the “timid and kind” brothers. Chapter 8 (Wang Yun, Diaochan, Dong Zhuo) does not contain him.
Liu Qu (刘璩) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Prince of Shangdang
Jingyao 2: Liu Shan enfeoffs his seventh son Liu Qu as Prince of Shangdang. A court title, not a field command.
Listed among seven sons at the surrender debate
Named last in the roll while Liu Chen alone rages against Qiao Zhou. No speech, no suicide, no battle.
East to Luoyang with Liu Shan
After Shu’s fall he accompanies the Later Ruler. Later tradition places his death in the Yongjia years, not on a Three Kingdoms battlefield.
Chapter text: Wikisource Romance Chapter 118. Catalog “Chapter 8” is an error.
Key Relationships
Family
- Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện): Father. The seven-son list in Chapter 118 is spoken in Liu Shan’s presence as he chooses surrender.
- Liu Chen (刘谌, Lưu Thầm): Fifth brother, Prince of Beidi; the only son the novel calls brilliant. Kills his household and himself rather than yield. Liu Qu is named to show that Chen stands alone.
- Brothers Liu Xuan (刘璿), Liu Yao (刘瑶), Liu Cong (刘琮), Liu Zan (刘瓒), Liu Xun (刘恂): listed with him (plain text — do not link /liu-xuan/ if that post is 刘旋).
- Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị): Paternal grandfather. Liu Chen weeps in the Zhao Lie temple to that ancestor; Liu Qu is not shown there.
Friends
- No sworn comrades. He is a silent prince of a falling house, not an officer with a patron.
Enemies
- No personal duel. The crisis of his only scene is Wei’s entry and Qiao Zhou’s counsel, which he does not answer.
Other
- Qiao Zhou (谯周, Tiều Chu): The minister whose surrender memorial Liu Chen curses while Liu Qu stands unnamed in the same family list.
- Jiang Wei (姜维, Khương Duy) is invoked by Liu Chen as the army still at Jian’ge; Liu Qu does not ride to him.
- Not a Chapter 8 Zhuo aristocrat; not a character of the Diaochan plot.
In Novel
Chapter 118
- Liu Qu (刘璩, Lưu Cừ): Seventh son of Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện). When Qiao Zhou (谯周, Tiều Chu) has won the argument for surrender, Liu Chen (刘谌, Lưu Thầm) bursts from behind the screen. The narrator lists seven sons — Liu Xuan, Liu Yao, Liu Cong, Liu Zan, Liu Chen, Liu Xun, and last Liu Qu — and says only Chen was keen from childhood; the others were timid and kind. Liu Qu does not speak. Chen is driven out and later dies in the ancestral temple. Catalogs that place Liu Qu in Chapter 8 (Diaochan / Dong Zhuo) are wrong.
In History
Summary
- Liu Qu (刘璩, Lưu Cừ), seventh son of Liu Shan, Prince of Shangdang from 259, went to Luoyang after 263. Later tradition has him die in the Yongjia troubles. Not a combatant.
Year: 259 AD
- Enfeoffed Prince of Shangdang in Jingyao 2, together with other late enfeoffments of Liu Shan's sons.
Year: 263–264 AD
- Shu Han fell. The Later Ruler and the surviving princes were moved to Luoyang under Wei, then Jin.
Historical Record
- Sanguozhi Shu 4 (Later Ruler) and the tables of Shu princes; novel Chapter 118 for the seven-son list. Import “Chapter 8 / Zhuo” is a catalog error, not a second appearance.
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