hiː wʌzɐ sˈʌn ʌv sˈʌðɚn ljˈæŋz lˈæst pɹˈɪns tˈuːfɚ ɹˈuːtən, ænd ˈæftɚ sˈʌðɚn ljˈæŋz dᵻstɹˈʌkʃən hiː flˈɛd tə nˈɔːɹðɚn wˈaɪ ænd bɪɡˈæn tə sˈɜːv æz ɐn əfˈɪʃəl, ɡɹˈædʒuːəli ɹˈiːtʃɪŋ pəzˈɪʃənz ʌv ɡɹˈeɪt pˈaʊɚ dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə ɹˈeɪnz ʌv ˈɛmpɚɹɚ wɛntʃˈɛŋ ænd ˈɛmpɚɹɚ zˈaɪənwən.
He was a son of Southern Liang's last prince Tufa Rutan, and after Southern Liang's destruction he fled to Northern Wei and began to serve as an official, gradually reaching positions of great power during the reigns of Emperor Wencheng and Emperor Xianwen.