家世

遠祖楊喜是漢高祖時的猛將，祖先楊敞是漢昭帝的宰相，封安平侯，楊敞娶了司馬遷的女兒，生下楊賁。楊賁生楊譚，楊譚生楊寶，相傳楊寶心善，因為救了黃雀而得到「銜環」的報恩。楊寶生楊震，楊震生楊秉，楊秉生楊賜，楊賜生楊彪，從楊震到楊彪，四代都當到太尉。

生平

建安年間獲舉孝廉，除郎中，後擔任丞相曹操的相府主簿。

當時曹操軍國多事，楊修負責內外之事，都合曹操心意；又《世說新語‧捷悟篇》載四則楊修展才之事，分別是他解出了曹操提「活」字嫌相國門過於闊、曹操提「合」字欲將一桮酪分食眾人、曹娥碑的八字謎為絕妙好辤以及曹操欲將餘有竹片作為竹椑楯，他的才華連曹操亦曾自嘆不如。曹植、曹丕等王子以下都願意與他交友，例如他曾贈曹丕王髦劍，曹丕對此劍甚感珍惜；而曹植更屢次寫信給他。

後楊修數次助曹植通過曹操的考驗，然而曹植日加高傲，楊修本想和他疏遠卻不能，亦不敢，曹操得知曹植受楊修之助才通過考驗後頗為氣憤，而楊修又在建安二十二年至二十四年的漢中之戰，從暗語「雞肋」推測曹操有意撤兵，而曹操的確于建安二十四年（公元219年）夏五月下令放棄漢中，回師長安。最終在同年秋天，曹植與楊修醉酒擅闖司馬門並誹謗曹彰遭人舉報，于是曹操藉此機會以「前後漏洩言教，交關諸侯」將楊修處決，楊修死前嘆息：「我固自以死之晚也。」在楊修死前，曹操曾寫信給其父楊彪中提到：「足下賢子，恃豪父之勢，每不與吾同懷，即欲直繩，顧頗恨恨。」楊修死後，曹操贈賜許多物品給楊彪補償，但楊彪亦萬分悲哀痛惜。《後漢書》記曹操問楊彪：「公何瘦之甚？」楊彪說：「愧無日磾先見之明，猶懷老牛舐犢之愛。」

楊修著有賦、頌、碑、讚、詩、哀辭、表、記、書凡十五篇。小說《三國演義》中將楊修描寫成恃才傲物，有詩道：「筆下龍蛇走，胸中錦繡成。開談驚四座，捷對冠群英」。

評價

• 《世說新語》：「以名公子有才能，為太祖所器。」

• 禰衡：「大兒孔文舉，小兒楊德祖。餘子碌碌，莫足數也。」

• 范曄《後漢書》：「楊氏載德，仍世柱國。震畏四知，秉去三惑。賜亦無諱，彪誠匪忒。脩雖才子，渝我淳則。」

• 顏之推：「然而自古文人，多陷輕薄：屈原露才揚己，顯暴君過；宋玉體貌容冶，見遇俳優；東方曼倩，滑稽不雅；司馬長卿，竊貲無操；王褒過章《僮約》；揚雄德敗《美新》；李陵降辱夷虜；劉歆反覆莽世；傅毅黨附權門；班固盜竊父史；趙元叔抗竦過度；馮敬通浮華擯厭；馬季長佞媚獲誚；蔡伯喈同惡受誅；吳質詆忤鄉里；曹植悖慢犯法；杜篤乞假無厭；路粹隘狹已甚；陳琳實號粗疏；繁欽性無檢格；劉楨屈強輸作；王粲率躁見嫌；孔融、禰衡，誕傲致殞；楊修、丁廙，扇動取斃；阮籍無禮敗俗；嵇康凌物凶終；傅玄忿斗免官；孫楚矜誇凌上；陸機犯順履險；潘岳乾沒取危；顏延年負氣摧黜；謝靈運空疏亂紀；王元長凶賊自詒；謝玄暉悔慢見及。凡此諸人，皆其翹秀者，不能悉紀，大較如此。」（《顏氏家訓》）

• 羅貫中：「聰明楊德祖，世代繼簪纓。筆下龍蛇走，胸中綿帛成。開談驚四座，捷對冠群英。身死因才誤，非關欲退兵。」

家庭

遠祖父

• 楊敞（前114年－前74年），司馬遷的女婿，西漢丞相。

天祖父

• 楊寶 東漢人。是古代神怪小說及成語「結草銜環」的「銜環」典故的主人翁

高祖父

• 楊震（54年－124年），字伯起，中國東漢時太尉。剛正不阿，為政清廉。

曾祖父

• 楊秉（92年－165年）字叔節，中國東漢時太尉。以清廉著稱。

祖父

• 楊賜（？－185年），字伯獻，中國東漢時太尉。上書請抑制宦官的權勢。

父

• 楊彪（142年－225年），字文先，代董卓為司空，官至太尉。

子

• 楊嚻，楊修子，泰始初年為典軍將軍，早卒。

孫

• 楊准，一作楊淮，楊嚻子，字立丘（一作始丘），官至太常，晉惠帝末年為冀州刺史。成都王司馬穎以其為名士，召為軍謀祭酒，未成而卒。

曾孫

• 楊嶠，楊准子，字國彥。二千石。

• 楊髦，楊准子，字士彥，可能又名楊朗。二千石。

• 楊俊，楊准子，字惠彥。太傅掾。

• 楊林，楊准子，少有才望。

• 楊朗，字世彥

玄孫

• 楊亮，楊林子，梁州刺史。

來孫

• 楊廣，楊亮子，強獷粗暴，歷任南蠻校尉和宜都、建平二郡太守。被馮該所擒並被殺。

• 楊佺期，楊廣弟。

• 楊思平，楊佺期弟，強獷粗暴，楊佺期死後逃到北方，劉裕起兵伐桓玄時才歸國。

藝術作品

《三國演義》

在三國演義中，楊修雖然出身高貴、才華出眾，但是他依仗自己的才能而對自己的行為不加約束，數次觸犯曹操忌諱，導致魏主曹操產生殺死楊修的想法，最終因為「雞肋」事件被曹操處死。

影視

• 電視劇《洛神》（1975年）：關聰

• 葉青歌仔戲《金縷歌》（1987年）：陳秀嫦

• 中國中央電視台電視劇《三國演義》（1994年）：畢彥君

• 歌仔戲《洛神》（1994年）：簡遠信

• 電視劇《曹操》（1999年）：楊守林

• 香港無線電視台電視劇《洛神》（2002年）：林韋辰

• 中國電視劇《三國》（2010年）：金毅

• 電視劇《新洛神》（2013年）：季肖冰

• 電視劇《大軍師司馬懿之軍師聯盟》（2017年）：翟天臨

• 電視劇《三國機密》（2018年）：王萌

動漫

• 火鳳燎原（陳某）：於官渡之戰篇中登場，當時化名「楊清」為袁紹之私生子、「水鏡八奇」之首袁方之親信手下，曾隨袁方往水鏡府學習，和司馬懿是學兄弟關係，實為「水鏡八奇」之一郭嘉派去袁方之內應，在袁方大敗逃回河北時殺害袁方，回到河北時毒殺田豐、以吾殺袁方之書信使袁紹憂憤而死，回到曹操陣營扶助曹植，使曹丕、曹植兄弟相殘，實質和司馬懿鬥智。

注釋

Life

Yang Xiu was the son of Yang Biao (楊彪) and a grandson of Yang Ci (楊賜). His mother, Lady Yuan (袁氏), was Yuan Shu's sister.

Sometime during the 200s, Yang Xiu was nominated as xiaolian and became a Registrar (主簿) under Cao Cao, the Imperial Chancellor. He was said to have been skilled in both civil and military affairs and understood Cao Cao well. Because of this, Yang Xiu became an influential figure in the government.

Yang Xiu was a close friend of Cao Cao's son, Cao Zhi, and became involved in the succession struggle between Cao Zhi and his brother Cao Pi. Yang Xiu's close links with Cao Zhi caused him misfortune during Cao Zhi's occasional misbehaviour such as the incident in Ye city, where Cao Zhi drunkenly rode through the gate reserved for only the emperor. But the final blow was when Yang Xiu was discovered to have leaked the council's discussion agenda to Cao Zhi so that his friend could prepare beforehand and impress Cao Cao. Because of this and remembering his connection with Yuan Shu, Cao Cao had Yang Xiu executed.

However Cao Pi personally did not dislike Yang Xiu. Cao Pi's favourite sword was a gift from Yang Xiu and was regularly kept aside by Cao Pi. Later, after became the emperor, Cao Pi remembered that Yang Xiu once said the sword was originally belong to Wang Miao. A nostalgic Cao Pi then searched for Wang Miao's whereabout and awarded Miao with food and clothes.

Yang Xiu's death was commonly related to the story of "chicken ribs", which was once mentioned in Pei Songzhi's annotation of the Sanguozhi, and was popularized by the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was thought that Xiu died not really because his relationship with Cao Zhi, but because he correctly guessed the hidden thinking of Cao Cao, which was taboo, and carelessly told this thinking to other people, which was even more forbidden. People like Cao Cao always wanted to mystified themselves and had political secrets which could not be arbitrarily shared with anyone, hence subordinates like Yang Xiu were considered as an imminent threat.

Prior to Yang Xiu's death, Cao Cao had written a letter to his father Yang Biao, reproaching him for his son's arrogance. After news of his execution, Yang Biao was struck by grief and self-blame, becoming gray-haired and thin. Upon hearing this, Cao Cao sent Yang Biao many gifts to compensate for the loss of his son.

Anecdotes

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao thinks that Yang Xiu is too boastful and overconfident in his cleverness, and eventually kills him after what is known as the "chicken rib" incident.

At that time Cao Cao's army was fighting against Liu Bei during the famous Hanzhong campaign. The battle had been unfavourable for Cao Cao and he planned to retreat, but did not openly admit that the battle is lost. In one night, when a messenger as for the night verbal code, Cao Cao saw some chicken ribs in his supper soup and thoughtlessly answered "chicken rib". Yang Xiu immediately seen Cao Cao's message as a metaphor for "retreat" and told all generals to make the soldiers pack their bags and get ready to retreat. The intepretaing of Xiu is that: the chicken ribs is not tasty and not favourable but it is not completely worthless, which is similar to the difficult situation that Cao Cao was facing. When Cao Cao was alerted of Yang Xiu's action, he became immensely angered and executed Yang Xiu.

Later on, as the battle became even more unfavourable, Cao Cao finally made a retreat. At that time Cao Cao remembered Xiu's word, he then had Xiu's body collected and made a proper funeral for Xiu.

In an earlier chapter, Yang Xiu was described by Mi Heng as one of the two sole "talented" officials under Cao Cao (the other being Kong Rong). This however should be taken with a grain of salt, as Mi Heng's expressed opinions on other characters, as well as his own actions and the disaster that befell him because of them, make him appear as a poor judge of character.