 His mother was Yuan Xie's wife Princess Li Yuanhua, the daughter of the honored official Li Chong ().Of his two older brothers, the oldest, Yuan Zizhi (), was not Princess Li's son, and the other, born of Princess Li, was Yuan Shao ().In 508, Princess Li was again pregnant and due to give birth, when Emperor Xuanwu, believing in false accusations of his maternal uncle Gao Zhao that Yuan Xie was plotting rebellion, forced Yuan Xie to commit suicide.