Early life

Cui Yan was from Dongwucheng County, Qinghe Commandery, Ji Province, which is around present-day Gucheng County, Hebei. He was born in the Cui family of Qinghe Commandery, a political family which rose to prominence during the Sui and Tang dynasties later. In his youth, he was known to be plain, dull and lacking in communication skills, but he was very interested in swordsmanship and military arts. When he was 22 years old, he was nominated by the local district office to be a judicial officer, for which he was so grateful that he started reading books such as the Analects and Han Shi

Six years later, at the age of 28, Cui Yan befriended Gongsun Fang and others and they studied together under the tutelage of the Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan. However, in 194, before Cui Yan could even complete his first year of studies, the Yellow Turban rebels from Xu Province attacked Beihai Commandery, where Zheng Xuan conducted his classes, so Zheng and his students fled east to Mount Buqi (不其山; northwest of Mount Lao) to evade chaos. Despite so, the rebellion had resulted in food shortages, so Zheng Xuan had no choice but to send his students away. After leaving Mount Buqi, Cui Yan could not return to Qinghe Commandery because rebel forces and bandits were rampant in the region and the roads leading west were blocked. He wandered around Qing, Xu, Yan and Yu provinces and visited several places, including Shouchun (壽春; present-day Shou County, Anhui), Lake Tai and the northern bank of the Yangtze River. After four years, he returned home and spent his time playing music and writing calligraphy.

Service under Yuan Shao

Around the late 190s, the northern warlord Yuan Shao heard of Cui Yan and recruited the latter to serve under him. At the time, due to widespread chaos and famine, many soldiers had resorted to crime as a means of survival and some started robbing and plundering tombs. Cui Yan urged Yuan Shao to maintain good discipline among his troops, saying, "In the past, Sun Qing once said: 'If the soldiers in an army are ill disciplined, the army's prowess will be weak. It will not achieve victory even if it was led by either Tang of Shang or King Wu of Zhou.' As of now, the roads are covered with the remains of the dead and the people have yet to see your virtuous deeds. You should order all commandery and county officials to ensure that the dead are properly buried, so as to showcase your sympathy and compassion by following the benevolent acts of King Wen of Zhou." Yuan Shao appointed Cui Yan as a Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉).

In 200 CE, when Yuan Shao was preparing for a campaign against a rival warlord Cao Cao, he set up military garrisons at Liyang (黎陽) and Yan Ford (延津). Cui Yan attempted to dissuade him from going to war by saying, "The Emperor is in Xu and the people's hopes are with him. Why don't you faithfully perform your duties by defending the border and maintaining peace within your jurisdiction?" Yuan Shao refused to listen to Cui Yan and insisted on attacking Cao Cao, but ended up being defeated by Cao at the decisive Battle of Guandu later that year. After Yuan Shao died in 202, his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang formed their own military forces and started fighting for control over their father's territories in northern China. Both Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang wanted Cui Yan on their side, but Cui refused to help either of them and claimed that he was ill. As a consequence, he was imprisoned by Yuan Shang, but was later saved by Yin Kui (陰夔) and Chen Lin.

Service under Cao Cao

In 205, after Cao Cao had defeated the Yuan brothers and taken over Ji Province, he wanted to recruit Cui Yan to serve as an aide-de-camp under him. He told the latter, "According to official records, there are 300,000 troops under my command now. (Ji Province) is indeed a large province." Cui Yan replied, "The Empire is in a state of chaos and the Nine Provinces are divided, while the Yuan brothers fight among themselves and the bodies of the dead are scattered throughout the wilderness. The people have yet to see how your forces will bring benevolent rule and relief aid to them and liberate them from war and disaster, but now the first thing you do is to check the records for the numbers of troops and military equipment you've obtained. Is this what the people in this province expect of you?" Those present at the scene were all startled by Cui Yan's response. Cao Cao's facial expression changed and he thanked Cui Yan for his advice.

In the following year, when Cao Cao left Ji Province to attack Yuan Shao's nephew Gao Gan in Bing Province, he left his son Cao Pi in charge of Ye, the capital of Ji Province, and instructed Cui Yan to mentor Cao Pi. Once, when Cao Pi went on a hunting excursion to enjoy himself, Cui Yan wrote a long letter to him, haranguing the former on overly indulging in personal pleasures and neglecting his duties. Cao Pi later sent a reply, stating that he had destroyed his hunting equipment and thanking Cui Yan for his lecture.

In 208, when Cao Cao became the Han Chancellor, Cui Yan was appointed as a Senior Clerk in the East and West Bureaus. The order from the Han imperial court conferring the appointment on Cui Yan read, "You possess the style of Boyi and the integrity of Shi Yu (史魚). Corrupt officials will mend their ways out of admiration for you while men of valour will strive harder after being inspired by you. You will be serving as a role model in these times, therefore you are hereby appointed to the East Bureau."

In 216, Cao Cao was granted the title of a vassal king, King of Wei, by Emperor Xian of Han and was allowed to set up an autonomous vassal kingdom, which was nominally still under the Han dynasty. Cui Yan was appointed as a Master of Writing (尚書) in Cao Cao's vassal kingdom. At the time, Cao Cao had yet to designate one of his sons as his heir apparent and he was considering Cao Zhi, so he secretly sought the opinions of his subjects, including Cui Yan. Cui Yan openly replied, "According to Confucian ethics, a man's heir apparent should be his eldest son. Besides, Cao Pi is kind, filial and intelligent, so he is a suitable successor. I fully support him until my death." Cao Cao was very impressed with Cui Yan for adhering to Confucian rules of propriety (and succession). (Cui Yan's niece was Cao Zhi's wife, so Cao Cao expected Cui Yan to support Cao Zhi, but Cui Yan followed the rules and endorsed Cao Pi (the eldest son) instead.) He promoted Cui Yan to Commandant of the Capital (中尉) later.

Death

Cui Yan once recommended Yang Xun, who was from Julu Commandery, to serve in the government. Although Yang Xun's abilities were not up to expectations, Cui Yan still nominated him on the grounds of excellent moral conduct. Cao Cao heeded Cui Yan's suggestion and employed Yang Xun. After Emperor Xian enfeoffed Cao Cao as a vassal king, Yang Xun wrote a memorial to the imperial court, glorifying Cao's achievements in his military campaigns and showering Cao with words of praise. Yang Xun was ridiculed by many people for his flattering behaviour; Cui Yan was also cast in a negative light because he was deemed as having recommended a sycophant to join the civil service. After the incident, Cui Yan read Yang Xun's memorial and wrote to him,

According to the historian Chen Shou, who wrote Cui Yan's biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), Cui's true intention in writing those remarks was to mock Yang Xun's critics for being too eager to disparage Yang without making any careful consideration. However, Cui Yan was accused of displaying arrogance and defaming Cao Cao in his letter. Cao Cao angrily said, "There is a saying, 'I gave birth to a daughter, that is all.' 'That is all' is not a complimentary phrase. He meant disrespect when he wrote, 'There will be changes as time passes.'" Cao Cao then had Cui Yan stripped off his post, thrown into prison, and ordered to perform hard labour. Later, he sent agents to observe Cui Yan in prison and they reported that Cui continued to remain defiant. Cao Cao issued an official statement, "Even though Cui Yan is serving a sentence, he still receives high numbers of visitors in prison. He glares at them straight in the eye as if he has grievances." He then forced Cui Yan to commit suicide.

The Weilüe recorded more details of the events leading to Cui Yan's death. It mentioned that Cui Yan's letter to Yang Xun fell into the hands of Cui Yan's enemies, who accused him of defaming Cao Cao. Cao Cao felt that Cui Yan was discrediting him so he had the latter arrested, imprisoned, head shaved, and sent to perform hard labour. Later, Cui Yan's enemies told Cao Cao, "When Cui Yan serves his sentence, he glares at people straight in the eye as if he is filled with resentment." Cao Cao believed them and wanted Cui Yan to die so he sent an official to inform Cui, "You've three days to live." Cui Yan did not understand what the official meant and he continued to live on for several days. When the official reported to Cao Cao that Cui Yan was alive and well, Cao furiously said, "Cui Yan is forcing me to use the sword on him!" The official went to see Cui Yan again and explained to the latter that Cao Cao actually wanted him to kill himself within three days. Cui Yan said, "How silly of me. I didn't know that he actually wanted me to do this." He committed suicide after that.

Cui Yan's execution was widely considered as unfair. In his work, Yi Zhongtian proposed three reasons why Cao Cao wanted to have Cui Yan killed:

• Cao Cao's infamous skepticism got the better out of him in this case. Cao had long been suspicious of his own subordinates since many of them actually disagreed of Cao's moves to take the supreme power. Cao Cao especially distrusted the "morally perfect" people since their contemporary "moral codes" included the loyalty and commitment for the existing Han dynasty, not for Cao Cao's rise to power. Cao Cao also disliked the contemporary clans of "intelligentsia nobility" (士族) whom he had to politically cooperate with but could never completely relied on. Cui Yan unfortunately belonged to both categories.

• Cao Cao had been upset about being publicly reprimanded by Cui Yan after the victories in Ji Province years ago.

• Cao Cao was actually displeased of how Cui Yan openly expressed his opinion in the choice of heir apparent despite Cao Cao's aim to sought the opinion only in secret. In contemporary politics when hidden moves were common, the public statements were occasionally believed as only "half-truth", and Cui Yan's honesty, although genuine, under the distrustful eyes of Cao Cao were intepreted as having hidden agenda. Moreover, Cui Yan's openess could be seen as a moral blow to Cao Cao's secret way of surveying, which strongly upset Cao Cao.

Physical appearance

Cui Yan was described as having a lofty and dignified bearing, a clear voice, sparkling eyes, and a beard four chi long. He commanded much respect from his colleagues in the Han imperial court with his august appearance and demeanour, and even Cao Cao admired and feared him.

Anecdotes

Once, when Cao Cao was about to meet an emissary from the Xiongnu, he felt that he looked ugly and might not be able to command respect so he ordered Cui Yan to impersonate him while he carried a sword and stood beside Cui, pretending to be a bodyguard. After the meeting, Cao Cao sent someone to ask the Xiongnu emissary, "What are your thoughts about the King of Wei?" The Xiongnu emissary replied, "The King looks handsome and extraordinary. However, the man who was carrying a sword and standing beside him is a real hero." Cao Cao had the emissary killed when he heard that.

Cui Yan was a close friend of Sima Lang. When Sima Lang's younger brother Sima Yi was still young, Cui Yan once told Sima Lang, "Your younger brother is intelligent, perceptive and strong. He'll surpass you in the future." Sima Lang disagreed with Cui Yan and they often debated about this.

Cui Yan's younger cousin, Cui Lin, was not highly regarded when he was young. However, Cui Yan said, "He's what we call a 'late bloomer'. He'll go far in the future." When Sun Li and Lu Yu first came to serve under Cao Cao, Cui Yan said, "Sun Li is energetic, strong and decisive, while Lu Yu is alert, sensible and resilient. Both of them are capable of shouldering great responsibilities in the future." As Cui Yan foresaw, Cui Lin, Sun Li and Lu Yu rose to prominence later and they became important officials in the state of Cao Wei (established by Cao Pi) during the Three Kingdoms period.

Two of Cui Yan's ex-classmates, Gongsun Fang and Song Jie (宋階), who studied together with him under Zheng Xuan, died early. Cui Yan adopted their children and treated them as if they were his own children.

Appraisal

The Xianxian Xingzhuang (先賢行狀) mentioned, "Cui Yan was noble and virtuous, possessed foresight, promoted ethics, and stood dignified in the imperial court. According to early records from Wei, his bureau was orderly and free of corruption throughout the ten years or so when he held office. He was well versed in literary and military arts, and had recommended many talents to serve in the government. ..."

Chen Shou, who wrote Cui Yan's biography in the Sanguozhi, commented on Cui as follows, "Cui Yan's moral character was the most sound, ... yet they were unable to avoid being killed. What a pity!" After writing about Cui Yan's death, Chen added: "Cao Cao was a suspicious person. He killed those whom he could not tolerate or bore grudges against because they had shown disrespect towards him. Among his victims – Kong Rong, Xu You, Lou Gui and others – Cui Yan is the most lamented. Until today, Cui Yan's case is still regarded as one of grave injustice."

During the reign of the Wei emperor Cao Rui in the Three Kingdoms period, Cui Lin (Cui Yan's cousin) and Chen Qun had a discussion on famous people from Ji Province. Cui Lin felt that Cui Yan was the most outstanding among all of them, but Chen Qun disagreed, saying that "intelligence alone is insufficient for a person to survive". Cui Lin replied, "We only get to see a real man by sheer coincidence. People like you only consider obtaining fame and fortune the best achievements in life."

生平

早期

二十九歲時與公孫方等人結交，並在鄭玄處求學，但是學期未過一年，就恰逢黃巾之亂，徐州黃巾軍攻破了北海郡（194年），鄭玄與其子弟到不其山避難，當時糧十分缺乏，玄只好停學，辭謝其子弟，因此琰被遣散，到處都是盜寇，西去道路不通，於是周旋於青，徐，兗，豫四州郊野，向東去壽春，向南到長江，洞庭湖地區。離開家鄉四年後才回家，在家只以彈琴讀書自娛。

為袁紹屬下時

袁紹聽到琰名譽後徵召，時紹兵專橫暴虐，挖掘墳墓，琰勸紹:「昔日荀況（荀子）有說道：『對士兵平日不教訓，戰鬥力不強，即使是商湯及周文王都不能拿那些人來打勝仗』現在道路上屍骨暴露，百姓都未看到主公的德政，應令各郡縣掩埋屍骸來顯示傷痛及愛心，追隨周文王之仁慈之舉。」於是被任為騎都尉。

後來紹要出兵於黎陽，鎮守延津，琰說:「天子現於許昌，百姓都想支持朝廷，本軍不如謹守治境，向天子述職，方便可安定此區。」但紹不聽，因此於官渡被挫敗，紹死後，其子袁譚和袁尚奪位時爭取琰，但琰以病來推辭，因此獲罪，被關進監獄，終被陰夔和陳琳營救才免死。

為曹操屬下後

袁譚被打敗後投靠曹操任冀州牧，徵召琰為別駕從事，於宴會上對琰說：「昨日查核戶籍，可達三十萬之多，冀州可稱為大州了！」但琰說:「現在九州分裂，二袁（袁譚和袁尚）大動幹戈，冀州人民屍體遍野，沒聽說王師以仁政為先導，訪問民眾風俗，救民於火，反而卻計算甲兵多少，把此當成大事，難道冀州百姓都是這樣來期望明公（曹操）嗎？」於是操肅然動容，向琰表示歉意，當時在場的賓客都大驚失色。

建安十一年（206年），曹操征討并州，留下崔琰在鄴城輔佐曹丕。曹丕照舊外出打獵，改換服裝、車輛，興趣全在追逐獵物上。琰規勸:「曾聽周文王不敢打獵為樂，《尚書》記載此時以為後人借鑒，魯隱公外出觀魚，《春秋》因其非禮而譏諷之。這是周公，孔丘格言，兩部經典有所明義，夏桀無道，成為商朝一面鏡子，《詩經》說道:『殷鑒不遠。』;王者的疾日不該舉樂，《禮記》記載此事作為忌戒。這又是比較切近的得失成敗的比例，不能不深思明察啊！袁氏家族富強，而其公子任意放縱，遊玩作樂，極為奢侈，正義之舉天下不聞，明哲君子頓刻間便離去，勇武壯士不肯為其為爪來使用，這就決定了袁氏雖擁有了百萬民眾，地盤跨過河北，卻沒立足之地。今國家衰敗，恩惠施予尚不普遍，百姓都想著德政。況且明公親自參與軍旅徵討，上上下下操勞辛苦，謹慎地使行為端正，思慮治國最高戰略，對內所有鑒戒，對外發揚高遠節操，深加思索對太子責任，寶貴身份。而現在穿著山澤園囿卑賤服裝，急於四處奔馳，身臨險地，志向只限於打獵小娛樂，忘了國家社稷的重要，這實在令有識者痛心啊!希望能燒毀獵具，捨棄戒服來滿足眾人願望，不讓老臣獲罪於天。」後來曹丕果真聽其教誨，做到以上所有東西，還說其再犯錯就再給教誨。

建安十三年（208年），曹操成為了丞相，崔琰為東西曹掾屬征事。起初授於其東曹職務時文告說：「君有伯夷風範，史魚耿直，反貪夫因君之名譽而變得清廉，壯士因崇尚君名譽而更勉勵自己，這是可作為時代表率的，所以授君為東曹一職，履行職責。」

建安十八年（213年），魏國初建，任命崔琰為尚書，這時尚未立太子，臨菑侯曹植有才華及愛心。曹操猶豫，發出信函命令在外地秘密訪談。崔琰信不封口答覆:「我懂《春秋》有長子當立大意，並五官中郎將（曹丕）仁孝聰慧，應該繼承大業。琰將用死來堅守原則。」由於曹植是崔琰的姪女婿，操十分稱讚崔琰的大公無私與高風亮節，喟然嘆息，升其為中尉。

崔琰體態雄偉，聲音洪亮，眉目疏朗，須長四尺，很有威重的儀態，再加上個性耿直，勇於提出諫言，朝廷中人均對他很是敬仰，而曹操對他也有幾分敬畏。崔琰曾經推薦過鉅鹿人楊訓，說他雖然才能不足，但清廉貞潔，遵守正道，曹操於是以禮徵召楊訓。

死亡

曹操為魏王時，崔琰所推薦的楊訓上表稱讚曹操功績，誇述曹操盛德，就有人譏笑楊訓虛偽、迎合權勢，認為崔琰推介不當。崔琰從楊訓那裡拿表文來看，便寫信給楊訓：「讀過你的表文了，寫得很好！時勢啊時勢，總會有變化的時候（省表，事佳耳！時乎時乎，會當有變時）。」崔琰的本意是諷刺那些人喜歡譴責、呵叱別人，而不尋求情理。但有人誣陷說崔琰此信是傲世不滿且怨恨咒罵，曹操便生氣說：「諺語說『生女耳（只不過是生個女兒罷了）』，『耳』不是個好詞，『會有變的時候』的意思為很不恭順。」於是崔琰被罰為徒隸，派人監視，但他也不屈服，曹操便下令文：「崔琰雖然受刑，但仍與賓客來往，門庭若市，接待賓客時鬍鬚捲曲，雙目直視，好像有怨忿。」於是賜崔琰死。

《魏略》記載，有人得到崔琰給楊訓的信，並用來包裹籠，並拿著籠在街上行走。當時有位與崔琰不和的人，從遠處看見用來包裹籠的信紙上有崔琰的名字，便拿走了信，向曹操告發崔琰。曹操認為崔琰心懷不滿，於是將崔琰收監，並削去他的頭髮要他當勞役。那人又向曹操告發說：「崔琰雖為勞役，但他鬍鬚捲曲，雙目直視，好像有怨忿。」曹操認同，便想殺死崔琰。曹操便派人去處理崔琰，那官員向崔琰說：「你的事三日後會有消息。」崔琰不明白這是甚麼意思，幾日後，那官員告訴曹操崔琰未死，曹操憤怒地說：「難道崔琰非要我動刀不可嗎！」那官員將此言告知崔琰，崔琰便說:「我真不好，沒想到曹公是這樣的意思！」然後便自殺。

崔琰就這樣自殺死了。因為曹操性忌，凡是不可容忍的人如孔融、許攸及婁圭都曾是曹操老友但皆為不恭敬者被殺，而崔琰則是世人長年痛惜之者。崔琰死後，同朝的毛玠十分不愉快。

性格特徵

崔琰相貌英俊而有威儀，眉目疏朗，聲姿高暢，鬍鬚整齊秀長，儀態十分威嚴，每當入朝都常常引起群臣的矚目，連曹操都對其相當敬畏，但其性格樸實、言辭遲鈍，喜歡擊劍、崇尚武藝，因此於二十三歲時鄉里按規定將其轉為正卒時才感慨發奮，才研讀《論語》、《韓詩》使到其有文武的一面。

與司馬兄弟（司馬朗和司馬懿）要好，曾對司馬朗評論司馬懿明哲公允，剛強果斷英勇，沒人可比。也有評論過其堂弟崔林說其大器晚成的人，最終必有發展。又對孫禮說其誠信耿直，剛毅果斷，又對盧植兒子盧毓說其清醒機警，深明事理，百折不饒。還對禮，毓說可做三公，果真，林，禮及毓成宰輔。還有與要好朋友公孫方和宋階早逝，因此崔琰就撫養其子女，對待其子為親生子，其明鑒卓識，篤於情義，大概像這樣子。

逸事

《世說新語》捉刀的故事：魏王曹操將要接見匈奴使臣，但自認容貌醜陋，無法在外國稱雄，就命一表人材的崔琰假裝魏王，接見匈奴使臣。曹操自己扮成侍衛的武士，持刀站在床頭。接見完畢，派間諜問匈奴使臣：「魏王怎麼樣？」使臣回答：「魏王高雅有名望，果然非比尋常，但是床頭捉刀人才是英雄啊！」曹操聽到此事，就派人追殺這個會識人的使臣。

評價

• 陳壽於《三國志》評論：「崔琰高格最優，鮑勳秉正無虧，而皆不免其身，惜哉！大雅貴「既明且哲」，虞書尚「直而能溫」，自非兼才，疇克備諸！」

• 曹操：「君有伯夷之風，史魚之直，貪夫慕名而清，壯士尚稱而厲，斯可以率時者已。故授東曹，往踐厥職。」

• 《先賢行狀》：「琰清忠高亮，雅識經遠，推方直道，正色於朝。魏氏初載，委授銓衡，總齊清議，十有餘年。文武群才，多所明拔。朝廷歸高，天下稱平。」

• 魚豢《魏略》：「明帝時，崔林嘗與司空陳群共論冀州人士，稱琰為首。群以『智不存身』貶之。林曰：『大丈夫為有邂逅耳，即如卿諸人，良足貴乎！』」

• 袁宏《三國名臣頌》：「崔生高朗，折而不撓，所以策名魏武、執笏霸朝者，蓋以漢主當陽，魏後北面者哉！若乃一旦進璽，君臣易位，則崔生所以不與，魏氏所以不容。夫江湖所以濟舟，亦所以覆舟；仁義所以全身，亦所以亡身。然而先賢玉摧於前，來哲攘袂於後，豈天懷發中，而名教束物者乎！」

• 嚴從：「崔子矯然，植青松之操，鯁詞直對，則左右失容，捐生取義，千載稱美，雖遇讒譖，藎亦其素志矣。」

• 羅貫中：「清河崔琰，天性堅剛；虯髯虎目，鐵石心腸；奸邪闢易，聲節顯昂；忠于漢主，千古名揚！」

• 梁啓超：「古者任官，各舉其所知，內不避親，外不避仇。漢、魏之間，尚存此意，故左雄在尚書，而天下號得人；毛玠、崔琰為東曹掾，而士皆砥礪名節。後世慮選人之請託，銓部之徇私也，于是崔亮、裴光庭定為年勞資格之法，孫丕揚定為掣籤之法。防之誠密矣，然而奇才不能進，庸才不能退，則考績廢也；不為人擇地，不為地擇人，則吏治隳也。」

• 易中天：「崔琰是三國時最為德高望重的名士，正派儒雅，又有遠見卓識，儀表堂堂，凜然于朝，曹操也被他的一身正氣所懾服。崔琰之死，是當時最大的冤案。崔琰用死証明自己是君子。曹操用崔琰的死，証明自己是奸雄。」

藝術形象

三國演義

崔琰初為袁紹謀事。袁紹敗亡後，曹操闢他為官。崔琰剛正不阿，官做到尚書。後來反對曹操進位魏王而入獄。獄中大罵曹操欺君奸賊，被曹操下令杖殺于獄中。

影視

• 1975年電視劇《洛神》：周吉

• 1987年歌仔劇《金縷歌》：方龍

• 1994年電視劇《楊麗花歌仔戲洛神》：林義雄

• 2002年電視劇《洛神》：江漢

• 2013年電視劇《新洛神》：隋抒洋

• 2017年電視劇《大軍師司馬懿之軍師聯盟》：王澤清

• 2018年電視劇《三國機密之潛龍在淵》：張雷

漫畫

• 《蒼天航路》（王欣太）