Liu Bowen: Ming Adviser, Fable Writer and Figure of Legend

Опубликовано Anthony
от Ноябрь 11, 2026

Learn about Liu Bowen’s service to the Ming founder, the political fables of Yulizi, and the later legends attached to his name.

Quick Answer: Who Was Liu Bowen?

Liu Bowen (刘伯温, Liú Bówēn) is the familiar name of Liu Ji (刘基, Liú Jī, 1311–1375), an official, writer and adviser to Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋, Zhū Yuánzhāng). He joined Zhu’s circle in 1360, before the founding of the Ming dynasty.^[2]

Service: Liu held posts under the Yuan and later advised the Ming founder.^[1]
Writing: His Yulizi (郁离子, Yùlízǐ) uses stories and allegories to examine public life.^[3]
Legend: A collection of political prophecies circulated under his name centuries later.^[4]

Reading the political biography alongside Liu’s literary work gives a fuller account of his career than the stories about his supposed foreknowledge.

Four stations trace Liu Bowen’s official career, literary work and reputation in later tales.

Two works associated with Liu’s name tell very different kinds of stories. In one of his fables, an official sees a good horse and turns it away from the imperial stable. In a collection attributed to him much later, an adviser is credited with foretelling events across dynasties.

From Yuan Official to Adviser to the Ming Founder

The later official History of the Ming describes Liu passing the examinations and holding posts under the Yuan dynasty. It places the writing of Yulizi after he left office and returned to his home district of Qingtian.^[1]

In 1360 Zhu recruited Liu and other scholars, including Song Lian. These men joined a movement that needed civil advisers as well as commanders. Zhu proclaimed himself emperor in 1368, and Liu served in the new administration.^[2][6]

Liu served in the censorial administration, which investigated misconduct by officials. The official history describes his disagreement with Chancellor Li Shanchang over the handling of a corruption case. When Zhu honored a group of founding supporters in 1370, he gave Liu the title Count of Sincerity (诚意伯, Chéngyì Bó).^[1]

What Liu Bowen Wrote in Yulizi

In one fable, a man brings a fine horse to the capital. The official inspecting it recognizes its quality but assigns it to an outer pasture because it came from the wrong region. The fable makes the prejudice of the evaluator visible through a decision about an animal.^[3]

The story invites a question relevant to officeholding. If a judge can recognize merit and dismiss it in the same breath, the rules for selecting talent may work against the purpose they are meant to serve.

Why Prophecies Were Attributed to Liu Bowen

The Shaobing Ge (烧饼歌, Shāobǐng Gē), often translated as the Baked Cake Ballad, is a collection of prophecies attributed to Liu. A research project on the text places its likely compilation around the end of the Qing and traces its first printed version to Shanghai in 1912. Attaching Liu’s name gave the collection the authority of a man already associated with dynastic change.^[4]

The official biography already recognized the appeal of Liu’s reputation. The historian’s conclusion warns that readers had already attached unreliable stories about prophecy to his name.^[1] A later story featuring mooncakes shows how his reputation could also reshape a folk tale.^[5]

FAQs About Liu Bowen

Are Liu Ji and Liu Bowen the Same Person?

Yes. Liu Ji is his personal name, and Bowen was his courtesy name.^[1]

Was Liu Bowen the Author of Shaobing Ge?

The collection is attributed to him, but researchers date its likely compilation centuries after he lived. It is evidence of his later reputation.^[4]

Did Liu Bowen Use Mooncakes to Plan an Uprising?

The tale of secret messages in mooncakes is a later folk story. Historian Hok-lam Chan found that Liu’s name was added to a circulating story about messages in mooncakes.^[5]