it is not known when liu yi was born—other than he was described as young at the time he ascended the throne in 125 and therefore must have been born late in the reign of emperor an. his father was liu shou (劉壽), prince hui of jibei, who was the fifth son of emperor zhang, making him emperor an's cousin. nothing is known about his mother. he was likely created a marquess in 120, when five brothers of his oldest brother, liu deng (劉登), prince jie of jibei, were created marquesses.