by Li Mi (Western Jin Dynasty)
Your servant Li Mi speaks:
I have suffered misfortune since birth and was early visited by sorrow. My father died when I was just six months old; at age four, my uncle forced my mother to remarry against her will. My grandmother Lady Liu, pitying my orphaned and frail state, raised me herself. As a child, I was often ill – until age nine, I could not walk. Alone and desolate, I grew to adulthood with no uncles or elder cousins, and no brothers. My family line is thin, my fortune meager; only late in life did I have a son.
Outside, I have no close relatives – even those bound by the lightest mourning obligations; inside, I lack even a child servant five feet tall to answer the door. I stand utterly alone, my shadow my only companion. And Grandmother Liu has long been afflicted with illness, confined to her sickbed. I have personally tended her medicine and meals, never once abandoning her care.
When your glorious dynasty arose, I was bathed in its pure and civilizing grace. The former Prefect, Lord Kui, recommended me as Filially Pious and Incorrupt; later, the Inspector, Lord Rong, nominated me as a Talented Scholar. But because there was no one else to care for my grandmother, I respectfully declined these appointments.
Then came the imperial decree – appointing me as Gentleman of the Palace; soon after, by the empire’s grace, I was made Imperial Attendant to the Crown Prince. Such honor bestowed upon one so humble – I could never repay it even with my life. Yet I submitted this memorial, begging to decline the post.
The next edict was stern and urgent, accusing me of evasion and disrespect. Local officials pressed me relentlessly; provincial officers stood at my door, more urgent than falling stars.
If I obey the summons and hasten to court, Grandmother’s condition grows graver by the day. If I follow private sentiment and stay, my plea is denied. Truly, I am caught in a terrible dilemma.
I humbly reflect: your sacred dynasty governs the realm through filial piety. Even aged commoners receive compassion – how much more should one as destitute as I be shown mercy?
Moreover, in my youth I served the former Shu regime, holding minor posts in the palace bureaus. My aim was always advancement, not fame for moral purity. Now, as a captive from a fallen state – lowly and insignificant – I have received extraordinary promotion and generous favor. How dare I hesitate or harbor selfish hopes?
Yet Grandmother Liu’s life is like the sun near setting – her breath faint, her days numbered, uncertain from morning to evening. Without her, I would not be alive today; without me, she cannot complete her final years. We two – grandmother and grandson – are each other’s only support. Thus, this humble heart cannot abandon her.
I am forty-four; my grandmother is ninety-six. Thus, the time I may serve Your Majesty is long, but the days left to care for Grandmother are short. Like the crow that feeds its parents, I beg leave to fulfill this filial duty to the end.
My hardship is known not only to the people of Shu and the governors of the two provinces – but Heaven above and Earth below bear witness. I pray Your Majesty, in mercy, accept my sincere plea, allow me to fulfill this small wish, and let Grandmother live out her remaining days in peace.
In life, I shall give my head in service; in death, I shall repay your kindness like the man who “bound grass” to aid his benefactor’s spirit. Overwhelmed with the fear and reverence of a loyal dog or horse, I respectfully submit this memorial.
Note
In 263 CE, Sima Zhao conquered and extinguished the Shu Han state. In 265, his son Sima Yan forced the last Wei emperor, Cao Huan, to abdicate and ascended the throne himself, founding the Jin Dynasty.
In 267, Emperor Wu of Jin (Sima Yan) adopted a conciliatory policy toward former Shu officials and summoned Li Mi – a renowned former minister of Shu Han – to serve as Imperial Attendant Xianma to the Crown Prince, urging him to take office. This move had two strategic purposes:
First, the new Jin regime was still politically unstable, and Eastern Wu still held control over the region south of the Yangtze. To reduce resistance ahead of its planned conquest of Wu, the Jin court sought to win over respected scholars and officials from the former Shu territory, thereby demonstrating the new dynasty’s magnanimity and benevolence.
Second, the Sima clan had seized power from the Cao Wei through a combination of military force and orchestrated “abdication” rituals – methods widely seen as manipulative and illegitimate. Recognizing that “loyalty to the ruler” lacked broad moral support in this context, the Jin rulers promoted the doctrine of “governing the empire through filial piety” as a new ideological foundation for legitimacy.
Li Mi was already celebrated throughout the land for his exemplary filial devotion – precisely aligning with this state-endorsed virtue – which is why he was repeatedly summoned to serve.
Originally an official under Liu Shan, the last emperor of Shu Han, Li Mi lost his position after Shu’s fall and devoted himself entirely to caring for his aged grandmother, Lady Liu. The Jin Dynasty was still newly established, and Li Mi remained uncertain about Emperor Wu’s true intentions. Given historical precedents – where serving a new regime often led to suspicion, disgrace, or even death – he could not help but harbor deep misgivings.
As a former subject of a vanquished state, Li Mi greatly feared that if he appeared reluctant to serve, the emperor might suspect him of clinging to loyalty toward the old Shu regime in pursuit of personal moral fame – an act that could be construed as treasonous and bring about execution.
Thus, citing his grandmother’s advanced age, chronic illness, and lack of other caregivers, Li Mi respectfully declined the appointment. With profound emotion and tears, he submitted to Emperor Wu this deeply moving “Memorial of Filial Entreaty” (Chen Qing Biao), pleading for permission to fulfill his filial duty before entering imperial service.
《陈情表》西晋·李密
臣密言：臣以险衅，夙遭闵凶。生孩六月，慈父见背；行年四岁，舅夺母志。祖母刘悯臣孤弱，躬亲抚养。臣少多疾病，九岁不行，零丁孤苦，至于成立。既无伯叔，终鲜兄弟，门衰祚薄，晚有儿息。外无期功强近之亲，内无应门五尺之僮，茕茕孑立，形影相吊。而刘夙婴疾病，常在床蓐，臣侍汤药，未曾废离。
逮奉圣朝，沐浴清化。前太守臣逵察臣孝廉；后刺史臣荣举臣秀才。臣以供养无主，辞不赴命。诏书特下，拜臣郎中，寻蒙国恩，除臣洗马。猥以微贱，当侍东宫，非臣陨首所能上报。臣具以表闻，辞不就职。诏书切峻，责臣逋慢；郡县逼迫，催臣上道；州司临门，急于星火。臣欲奉诏奔驰，则刘病日笃，欲苟顺私情，则告诉不许。臣之进退，实为狼狈。
伏惟圣朝以孝治天下，凡在故老，犹蒙矜育，况臣孤苦，特为尤甚。且臣少仕伪朝，历职郎署，本图宦达，不矜名节。今臣亡国贱俘，至微至陋，过蒙拔擢，宠命优渥，岂敢盘桓，有所希冀！但以刘日薄西山，气息奄奄，人命危浅，朝不虑夕。臣无祖母，无以至今日，祖母无臣，无以终余年。母孙二人，更相为命，是以区区不能废远。
臣密今年四十有四，祖母今年九十有六，是臣尽节于陛下之日长，报养刘之日短也。乌鸟私情，愿乞终养。臣之辛苦，非独蜀之人士及二州牧伯所见明知，皇天后土，实所共鉴。愿陛下矜悯愚诚，听臣微志，庶刘侥幸，保卒余年。臣生当陨首，死当结草。臣不胜犬马怖惧之情，谨拜表以闻。
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