Murong Hong (慕容泓; died 384) was the founder of the Xianbei state Western Yan. He was a son of the Former Yan emperor Murong Jun and a younger brother of Former Yan emperor Murong Wei.

It is not known when Murong Hong was born. In 359, he was created the Prince of Jibei. After Former Yan was destroyed by Former Qin in 370, he and his brothers were made local officials throughout the Former Qin realm. By 384, he was the secretary general to the commandery governor of Beidi (北地, roughly modern Tongchuan, Shaanxi).

Early that year, he heard that his uncle Murong Chui had rebelled against Former Qin rule in light of the Former Qin emperor Fu Jiān's defeat at the Battle of Fei River in 383. He fled from his post and gathered several thousand Xianbei soldiers and, after defeating the Former Qin general Qiang Yong (強永), claimed for himself the titles of supreme commander and governor of Yong Province (雍州, modern central and northern Shaanxi), but did not claim a more honored regal title than the one he had under Former Yan—Prince of Jibei.

Murong Hong, upon hearing that Fu Jiān's brother Fu Rui (苻叡) was arriving with Former Qin forces to attack him, wanted to flee east back to the Yan homeland with his Xianbei soldiers. Fu Rui, instead, rejecting his assistant Yao Chang's suggestion that Murong Hong be allowed to withdraw, cut off Murong Hong's escape route and attacked him—and Murong Hong defeated and killed him. Meanwhile, his younger brother Murong Chong had also rebelled against Former Qin, but after a defeat joined his army.

Murong Hong sent a demand to Fu Jiān at the Former Qin capital Chang'an for him to deliver his older brother Murong Wei to him, promising to leave Guanzhong and not attack Former Qin any further if that was done. Fu Jiān summoned Murong Wei and rebuked him, but spared Murong Wei when Murong Wei pledged allegiance. He also had Murong Wei write letters to Murong Chui, Murong Hong, and Murong Chong, urging them to surrender. However, Murong Wei also sent a secret messenger to Murong Hong, stating:

:I am a man within an iron cage, and there is no reason for me not to die. Further, I also sinned against Yan, and you should not mind me. You should earnestly seek to establish yourself.

He also explicitly urged Murong Hong to prepare taking the imperial title if Murong Hong heard that Fu Jiān had executed him. Murong Hong therefore advanced on Chang'an and officially broke from Former Qin by changing the era name. However, in summer 384, his strategist Gao Gai (高蓋) and other officials felt that Murong Hong's reputation was not as great as his brother Murong Chong's, and that his punishments were overly harsh, killed him and supported Murong Chong to succeed him, under the title of crown prince.

Read more...: Era name   Personal information  

慕容泓（350年代 - 384年），十六國時期西燕國建立者，鮮卑人。前燕帝慕容儁之子，慕容暐之弟。前燕時期慕容儁在位時被封為濟北王。

370年，前燕為前秦所滅後，包括慕容泓在內的眾多鮮卑慕容部人被遷往關中。前秦建元十九年（383年），前秦於淝水之戰大敗，對境內各族的控制力減弱。建元二十年（384年）慕容泓之叔慕容垂於河北叛變，時任北地長史的慕容泓聽聞後即至關東召集鮮卑部眾，自稱都督陝西諸軍事、大將軍、雍州牧、濟北王，並奉慕容垂為吳王。原本慕容泓只想東回前燕故地並投奔慕容垂，但在屢次擊敗前秦軍後，遂轉而西進前秦都城長安，並改元燕興。不久，謀臣高蓋等人認為慕容泓德望不如其弟慕容沖，且用法苛刻嚴峻，於是殺慕容泓，改立慕容沖。

慕容泓在位時雖未正式稱燕王或燕帝，且原本有意歸附慕容垂，惟建立年號已表示有獨立於其他政權之意，故一般以慕容泓為西燕之建立者。其子慕容忠稱帝後，為慕容泓上廟號肅宗，謚號烈文皇帝。