Biography
He was a close friend of Kong Rong, twenty years his senior, and the two compared one another to Confucius and his disciple Yan Yuan. When Mi Heng traveled to Xuchang, Kong Rong recommended him to Cao Cao in a letter which survives.
Mi Heng was disrespectful towards Cao Cao and his men, insulting in particular General Zhao Rong (趙融) and Cao Cao's trusted adviser Xun Yu. Cao Cao was angered, but feared killing him for the reprobation it might bring, and instead sent him away to Jingzhou to serve under Liu Biao. Liu Biao treated him well, and the scholars in his employ marveled at his talent, but eventually Mi Heng angered Liu Biao too.
Liu Biao sent Mi Heng away to serve under Huang Zu. The Book of the Later Han, followed by the Zizhi Tongjian, claims Liu Biao chose Huang Zu specifically because of the latter's short temper. Huang Zu and Mi Heng were initially polite, and Huang Zu's son Huang She (黃射) got along with Mi Heng extremely well, but when Mi Heng publicly embarrassed Huang Zu at a banquet on a mengchong, Huang Zu had him executed, and his son was unable to stop it. The Book of the Later Han claims he later regretted the execution, and had Mi Heng reburied with honours.
One poem attributed to Mi Heng survives, the Rhapsody on Parrots.
Read more about this topic: Mi Heng
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