Zhang Fei
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For the Taiwanese comedy show host, see Chang Fei (celebrity).
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Zhang
Zhāng Fēi (張飛, c. 167 - 221 AD), styled Yīdé (益德), was a general of the Kingdom of Shu in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Zhang Fei was shown to have been a masterful general rather than simply a warrior. He treated his superiors with respect, but had little respect for his underlings. This is in contrast with Guan Yu, who treated his subordinates well but often disrespected his peers.
Zhang Fei is best portrayed through his description and actions depicted in his Sanguo Zhi biography by Chen Shou. Some sources suggest that Zhang Fei was also an excellent painter.
Zhang Fei was killed by his own men Zhang Da and Fan Qiang, while preparing his troops to attack the rival Kingdom of Wu, to avenge the death of Guan Yu. Zhang Da and Fan Qiang then surrendered to Wu.
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[edit] In fiction
In the historical novel Romance of Three Kingdoms, Zhang Fei is styled Yìdé (翼德) instead. He was originally a butcher, then eventually became the second member of the Five Tiger Generals in the period of "Three Kingdoms". According to the legend, he was sworn blood brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, in an oath made in a Peach Garden. In the novel, he has an obsession with wine that affected his judgement from time to time; however, that is apparently an invention of Luo Guanzhong for the novel as Zhang Fei was not known as an alcoholic historically.
At the Battle of Changban, having let the exhausted Zhao Yun and the baby he was carrying through and facing an impending army of thousands, Zhang rode out alone on the Changban Bridge to hold off the pursuing army of Cao Cao. He glared and pointed his spear, saying, "I am Zhang Fei of Yan, and anyone can come and challenge me to fight to the death," which was so effective that it was said to have frightened and held off 10,000 troops and scared Xiahou Jie to death. None of the Wei army dared to proceed and even upon the arrival of Cao Cao himself they were still wavering. Cao, fearing an ambush devised by Zhuge Liang, eventually decided not to attack Zhang.
However, Zhang was later rebuked by Liu Bei for ordering his soldiers to burn Changban Bridge so as to delay the pursuit of Cao's forces. Zhang Fei was unhappy about this, and Liu Bei was later proven right when Cao Cao was to guess correctly that Zhang Fei had burnt the bridge out of fear. Ironically, Zhang Fei had successfully pulled off a ruse against Cao Cao when he commanded his soldiers to attach logs to their horses so as to raise large dust clouds, creating the illusion that Zhang had a large ambush army with him.
Throughout the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang is shown as exceedingly loyal and known for his strength and skill as a warrior, but also short tempered, which often got him into problems more times than not on the battlefield. Zhang's fierce sense of loyalty (and perhaps impetuousness) was demonstrated when Guan had left Cao to return to Liu - he had taken refuge when Cao under the condition that he would leave upon discovering his elder brother's whereabouts - and Zhang refused to believe that Guan had not defected to Cao already. Zhang fought with Guan in three fierce rounds, but the latter held back throughout, trying to explain to Zhang the truth. Thankfully, it was resolved without any bloodshed from the brothers. Zhang also had a son Zhang Bao, an equally competent general who served the Shu kingdom dutifully. Zhang Bao later personally executed Zhang Da and Fan Qiang, his father's assassins, when Sun Quan, the ruler of Wu, sent them both back to Shu Kingdom as a goodwill gift to negotiate for peace, as Liu Bei had personally led an army against Wu.
Zhang Fei also appears on the Kunqu stage as a hualian. Particularly famous is the scene "The Swaying Reeds", in which he ambushes, humiliates and sets free Zhou Yu.
Zhang Fei had a daughter who married Liu Shan, the son of Liu Bei and the second ruler of Shu, who later surrendered to Wei.
[edit] Trivia
- Legends say that on the night Zhang Fei was murdered by Zhang Da and Fan Qiang, his assassins found him sleeping with his eyes wide open and were about to abandon their plot, but his snoring revealed that he was indeed asleep. In modern China, when someone sleeps in caution or with half-opened eyes they are sometimes referred to as "Zhang Fei eyes".
- Zhang Fei enjoyed working in the garden. There are some trees he planted in Cheng Du that exist to this day.
[edit] References
- Chen Shou (2002). San Guo Zhi. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80665-198-5.
- Luo Guanzhong (1986). San Guo Yan Yi. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80520-013-0.
- Lo Kuan-chung; tr. C.H. Brewitt-Taylor (2002). Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3467-9.
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