Xiahou Wei was the fourth son of Xiahou Yuan, a general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord who laid the foundation for the Cao Wei state in the late Eastern Han dynasty before the Three Kingdoms period. His mother, whose maiden family name was Ding, was a younger sister of Cao Cao's first wife. Xiahou Wei was close friends with Cao Cao's sons, including Cao Pi and Cao Zhi. He also knew Yang Hu since young and felt that he was an extraordinary talent, so he advised his second brother Xiahou Ba to arrange a marriage between Yang Hu and Xiahou Ba's daughter. Yang Hu later became a famous general in the late Three Kingdoms period and the Jin dynasty. Xiahou Wei once met the fortune tellerZhu Jianping, who told him, "You'll become a provincial governor by the age of 48, but you'll also encounter a major calamity. If you survive the calamity, you'll live up to 69 and will even become a ducal minister." Xiahou Wei consecutively served as the Inspector of Jing and Yan provinces under the Cao Wei state before his 48th birthday. However, just as Zhu Jianping foretold, Xiahou Wei became critically ill by the end of the year. He thought that he would not survive, so he instructed his family to prepare for his funeral. To his surprise, he recovered from his illness towards the end of the 12thlunar month, so he threw a banquet on the eve of the Lunar New Year to celebrate. He told his guests, "I have recovered from my illness. When the sun rises tomorrow, I'll be 49 years old. I have survived the calamity that Zhu Jianping warned me about." After the banquet, he suddenly suffered a relapse and died of illness that night.
Family
Xiahou Wei had at least two sons. His first son, Xiahou Jun, served as the Inspector of Bing Province. His second son, Xiahou Zhuang, married a cousin of Yang Huiyu and served as the Administrator of Huainan Commandery. Xiahou Zhuang had at least two sons and one daughter. His first son, Xiahou Zhan, served as a Regular Mounted Attendant and as the Chancellor of Nanyang State. His second son, Xiahou Chun, served as the Administrator of Yiyang Commandery. Xiahou Chun's son, Xiahou Cheng, served as a Regular Mounted Attendant under the Eastern Jin dynasty. Xiahou Zhuang's daughter, Xiahou Guangji, married the Western Jin dynasty prince Sima Jin and gave birth to Sima Rui, the first emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
