Ia adalah cucu laki-laki Liu Bang, kaisar pendiri Dinasti Han. Setelah kematian ayahandanya, Liú Ān menjadi Pangeran Huainan, wilayah di bagian selatan Sungai Huai, pada usia enam belas tahun.
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Wallacker, Benjamin E. (1972), "Liu an, Second King of Huai-nan (180?-122 B. C.)," Journal of the American Oriental Society 92.1, pp.36–51.