欧阳歙 / Ouyang Xi (Eastern Han)

Overview

欧阳歙 / Ouyang Xi is currently synthesized as a high-status Eastern Han official whose appointment and fall make degree-field accountability concrete. Hanji 716 records Liu Xiu appointing him as Da Situ in 39 CE after Han Xin’s removal, while Hanji 717 presents him as a Shangshu-lineage scholar-official, former Runan taishou, and Situ who is jailed for inaccurate land measurement and large embezzlement, then dies in prison despite mass petitioning.

Current Profile

Ouyang Xi’s profile combines high appointment, cultural prestige, and administrative liability. Hanji 716 shows his appointment as Da Situ after an anomalous-star notice and after Han Xin’s removal. Hanji 717 then says his family transmitted Shangshu learning for generations and had many disciples, giving him unusual social and scholarly capital. He also held major offices under the late Xin/Gengshi/Eastern Han transition before reaching Situ.

His fall is framed through earlier Runan service. The charge is not merely vague corruption: it ties inaccurate degree-field reporting to embezzlement of a very large sum. More than a thousand people petition for him, and Li Zhen offers to die in his place, but Liu Xiu does not relent. The durable wiki claim is that Ouyang Xi becomes a visible high-status punishment signal inside Guangwu’s fiscal-administrative cleanup.

Key Characteristics

• Eastern Han Situ appointed in the 39 CE sequence after Han Xin’s removal.
• High official whose previous local service becomes the basis for a later accountability case.
• Shangshu-lineage official with many disciples and enough prestige to draw large-scale petitions.
• Former Runan taishou accused of inaccurate degree-field reporting and major embezzlement.
• High-status punishment target whom Liu Xiu refuses to spare despite emotional and scholarly pressure.
• Evidence point for the claim that fiscal enforcement could override classical reputation and office rank.

Evidence

• Appointment notice: Hanji 716 says Liu Xiu appoints Ouyang Xi, then Runan taishou, as Da Situ after an anomalous-star notice.
• Scholarly and official status: Hanji 717 says Ouyang Xi came from a family associated with Shangshu transmission and had many disciples.
• Administrative charge: Hanji 717 ties his imprisonment to inaccurate degree-field reporting during prior Runan service and embezzlement measured at ten million cash.
• Petition pressure: Hanji 717 records more than a thousand petitioners and Li Zhen’s offer to die for him.
• Punishment outcome: Hanji 717 says Liu Xiu does not spare him and Ouyang Xi dies in prison.

Qualifications

The current page is bounded to Hanji 716 and Hanji 717. Hanji 716 supplies the appointment notice but does not explain why Ouyang Xi was selected for Situ. Hanji 717 does not yet reconstruct his full earlier career, the legal record behind the embezzlement amount, or whether petitioners disputed guilt or pleaded for mercy despite guilt. The host’s harsh moral judgment is kept as source interpretation; the canonical claim is narrower, concerning appointment, office rank, scholarly prestige, degree-field falsification, and punishment.

What Changed

• Added Hanji 716’s appointment notice, placing Ouyang Xi’s Situ role immediately after Han Xin’s removal.
• Preserved Hanji 717 as the main fall-and-punishment evidence.
• Framed the page around high appointment followed by high-status enforcement.
• Kept Li Zhen, Dai She, and detailed Shangshu-lineage networks source-scoped until more evidence appears.

Relationships

• 光武帝刘秀 - ruler who refuses to spare Ouyang Xi after the degree-field and embezzlement case.
• 韩歆 - predecessor in the Hanji 716 Da Situ sequence whose removal precedes Ouyang Xi’s appointment.
• 度田问责 - governance pattern for which Ouyang Xi is the first canonical high-status punishment case.
• 汝南郡 - commandery context tied to Ouyang Xi’s earlier taishou-era charge.
• 高位者执法信号 - related concept because punishment gains force from Ouyang Xi’s rank and reputation.
• 豪强财政守法 - adjacent problem because land registration depends on elite and official compliance.
• 《尚书》 - classical tradition associated with Ouyang Xi’s family reputation in the source.