Proposed the 九品中正制 (Nine-Rank Impartial System) under Emperor Cao Pi in 220 CE — the official-selection method that classified candidates by family background and reputation. It ossified into aristocratic gate-keeping and shaped Chinese bureaucracy until the Sui imperial examinations replaced it.
culture
One of the 'Four Friends of the Heir Apparent' (四友) under Cao Pi, alongside Sima Yi, Wu Zhi and Zhu Shuo. Appears as a stabilizing court figure in 《三国演义》 (Romance of the Three Kingdoms).
