三國時代 The Three Kingdoms
220–280 Wei, Shu & Wu
Adventures, Misadventures, and Missed Adventures
Political and Cultural Legitimacy
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Is cleverness alone enough to establish
one’s kingdom?
Water can carry a boat; but it can also
capsize a boat; 水亦载舟，水亦覆舟。
(subjects vs. rulers)
In everybody’s heart, there is a moral
scale.
The Yellow Turban Rebellion
(184 -205)
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Xing Tai (Ju Lu Commandery
郡), Hebei Province.
External Causes: famine, flood,
locust, plague,
Internal Causes: tax;
insensitivity to people’s pains;
incompetence and impotence in
the royal rule;
Zhang Jue 張角, known as the
“General of Heaven,” cured
many by his magic, a
combination of traditional
Chinese medicines, sorcery;
He concluded that the period
under the Yellow Emperor was
most ideal.
The Jinghang Grand Canal
京杭大运河
1,776 km (1,103 miles)
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南粮北调
Dispatch food to the north
from the south
Starting at Beijing, it passes
through Tianjin and the
provinces of Hebei,
Shandong, Jiangsu and
Zhejiang to the city of
Hangzhou (famous for the
West Lake). The oldest parts
of the canal date back to the
5th century BC, although the
various sections were finally
combined during the Sui
Dynasty (581–618 AD).
Inside the House of Han
The Emperor Became a Puppet
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12 Eunuchs controlled the
court; The English word
eunuch is from the Greek
eune ("bed") and ekhein ("to
keep"), effectively "bed
keeper".
During King Ling’s rule (156189), the 11th Emperor of the
Easten Han dynasty (206 B.C.–
220 A.D.)
Zhao Zhong, Zhang Rang, Xia
Yun, Guo Sheng, Sun Zhang,
Bi Lan, Li Song, Duan Gui,
Gao Wang, Zhang Gong, Han
Li and Song Dian.
The Trouble of Dong Zhuo
董卓之乱
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Following the death of Emperor Ling in 189,
General-in-Chief He Jin 何进 (with Yuan Shao
袁绍,?－202, behind the scene) asked Dong
Zhuo 董卓 to lead his troops into Luoyang to
help him in eliminating the eunuch faction.
Before Dong's arrival, He Jin was assassinated
by the eunuchs and the capital fell into a state
of turmoil. The eunuchs took Emperor Shao
hostage and fled from Luoyang.
Dong Zhuo's army intercepted the eunuchs
and brought the emperor back to the palace.
Dong Zhuo董卓 (138 - 192)
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Dong Zhuo deposed
Emperor Shao, Liu Bian,
who was then 15 years
old.
Pressed by Dong Zhuo,
the young emperor
committed suicide.
He was on the throne for
5 months, during which
period, it was his mother
and uncle He Jin who
ran the court.
Dong Zhuo (138-192)
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Dong rose to the position
of Knight General,
Longxi, Gansu Province;
Ding Yuan 丁原
(? – 189) was a minor
warlord.
In 189, both Ding Yuan
and Dong Zhuo were
summoned into the
capital Luoyang.
Recognizing Lü Bu’s吕
布 talent and power,
Dong Zhuo bought him
over by a rare steed:
Red Hare 赤兔马.
Lü Bu’s Role
（?—198） City of Baotou
Inner Mongolia
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His famous “Sky
Piercer”
His famous steed
“Red Hare”
He was for adoption:
going through three
adoptive “fathers”
Ding Yuan; Dong
Zhuo and Wang Yun
Dong Zhuo vs. the Young Emperor
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King Xian of Han Liu
Che (181－234) was
then only 9 years old.
Dong declared himself
as Chancellor and
chased Yuan Shao
away.
Dong Zuo took any
consorts and concubines
he wanted.
The Campaign against
Dong Zhuo (190)
Yuan Shao/
Yuan Shu
Sun Jian/
Sun Ce/Sun Quan
Cao Cao
Liu Bei
Guan Yu
Zhang Fei
Sun Jian (155-191)
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Descendant of Master Sun Wu
who wrote The Art of War, Sun
was in charge of Changsha
Prefecture in Hunan Province;
Sun Jian went as far as the
capital;
But Dong Zhuo fled with the
whole court and had Luoyang
burned to ashes.
玉玺【yùxǐ】 imperial jade seal.
Sun Jian denounces Yuan Shu
who detained his provisions…
Yuan Shu revealed that Sun
Jian kept the seal;
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His second son Sun Quan
commented on the history of
the imperial jade seal,
concluding that it may not be
a blessing to keep it;
On the way back to his
hometown, Yuan Shao
asked Liu Biao, (142-208 ) a
general and prefectural
governor of Jingzhou (Hubei
province), to stage an
ambush to reclaim the seal;
To retrieve his father’s body,
Sun Quan negotiated with
Liu Biao…
The Young Diplomat
The Three Kingdoms, a TV series
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Liu Biao’s assistant
suggested to have Sun
Quan killed;
斩草除根
【zhǎncǎochúgēn】
cut the weeds and dig
up the roots - destroy
root and branch; stamp
out the source of
trouble.
Sun Quan replied, my
elder brother has gone
back to Changsha as
the new leader;
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When laughed at about his age,
Little Sun Quan remarked,
when the founding emperor
was 9 years old, he shot a
fierce tiger to death;
When Emperor Wu of Han was
9 years old, he was able to
draw his bow to kill enemies;
Now I am 9 years old, useless
as I am, all I can do is to plea
for peace with you, Uncle Liu,
All I can do is to beg you to let
me take my father home;
All I can do is to promise that I
will never seek revenge;
Young Sun Quan
Priam, the king of Troy
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In Homer’s Iliad, the old
king of Troy Priam
tearfully pleaded with
Achilles to let him take
his son Hector home…
Deeply moved, Achilles
finally relents and
returns Hector’s body to
the Trojans.
Two Versions of the Three Kingdoms
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Records of The Three
Kingdoms 三国志
the official and
authoritative historical
text on the period of
Three Kingdoms
covering from 189 to
280, written by Chen
Shou 陈寿（233—297）
in the 3rd century
(Western Jin).
Romance of The Three
Kingdoms 三国演义
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Luo Guanzhong
（1330—1400）
Ming Dynasty
Pioneered Chinese novel
writing organized by
chapters章回小说
Roberts, Moss, tr. Three
Kingdoms: A Historical
Novel (1991) University of
California Press
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/
Romance_of_the_Three_Ki
ngdoms
Pros and Cons on Cao Cao
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In the history book,
Chen Shou treated
Cao Cao in a more
positive light;
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In the novel, Luo
Guanzhong seems
rather negative on
Cao Cao, depicting
him as a
奸雄【jiānxióng】 a
person who achieves
high position by
unscrupulous
scheming;
Cao Cao’s Abortive Assassination of Dong Zhuo
借刀杀人【jièdāoshārén】 murder someone with a
borrowed knife - make use of another person to get
rid of an adversary.
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Cao Cao (155～
220)
He was a low
ranking military
officer guarding the
palace;
When Wang Yun 王
允 celebrated his
60th birthday, Cao
Cao, uninvited,
knocked on the
door…
Wang Yun 王允
(137 – 192 )
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Minister over the
Masses (司徒) was
one of the three most
important official
posts during the Han
Dynasty, called the
Three Excellencies.
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Director of Imperial
Secretariat (尚书令)
The Three Excellencies
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Or the Three Lords was the collective name for the three
highest officials in ancient China.
Starting in the Zhou Dynasty, the top three were: Grand
Secretary 太师; Grand Tutor 太傅, and Grand Protector
太保.
In the Western Han Dynasty, the three positions were: the
Chancellor (丞相), the Imperial Secretary (御史大夫), and
the Grand Commandant (太尉) in the Western Han
Dynasty;
in the Eastern Han Dynasty the names of the Three
Excellencies were changed to Grand Commandant (司馬
), Minister over the Masses (司徒), and Minister of Works
(司空).
Cao Cao wanted to borrow a knife
Seven-Star dagger 七星刀
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At the party, after Cao Cao openly denounced
Dong Zhuo; Wang Yun threw him out in public
but called him back in secret
传家宝【chuánjiābǎo】 family heirloom
Wang Yun has a legendary knife that could cut
through metal—seven-star dagger
In the study/library, Cao Cao saw a shielded
dagger, but Wang Yun gave him another one;
Cao Cao reported that for the past six months,
he won the trust from Dong Zhuo, but Dong
has a inner shield on all night long.
The Mirror saved Dong Zhuo’s life
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When Cao Cao went to Dong Zhuo’s
residence, he saw Lǚ Bu;
Dong asked Lǚ Bu to pick a steed for Cao Cao;
When Cao Cao walked Dong Zhuo to his bed,
he got a chance to stab Dong Zhuo;
But Dong Zhuo saw him holding a dagger in
the mirror;
Cao immediately claimed that he meant to give
this legendary dagger to Dong Zhuo;
Cao Cao Ran Away
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After excusing himself, Cao Cao went out;
Lǚ Bu just came back with a steed;
Cao Cao tried his new horse, and ran out of
the city;
When Dong Zhuo presented his new treasure
to Lǚ Bu, Lǚ mentioned that Wang Yun had
such a dagger;
It suddenly dawned on Dong Zhuo that Cao
Cao meant to kill him;
Cao Cao became famous
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Outraged, Dong Zhuo sent
5,000 soldiers to go after
Cao Cao;
The reward was extremely
high;
Cao Cao realized that it
would not make any
difference if he killed Dong
Zhuo;
To fundamentally solve a
problem, you should identify
the root cause;
Moral guidance holds the
key otherwise there will be
another Dong Zhuo
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Why did Cao Cao fail his
assassination?
Why did he borrow a
weapon from Wang Yun?
Cao Cao studied The Art of
War very thoroughly;
He was the first one to do
extensive annotations on the
military treatise;
With his unlimited access to
Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao could
have Dong killed at any
moment;
Caught and Released
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At County of Zhong
Mou 中牟县, Cao Cao
was caught;
But he talked himself
out of the trouble;
The county magistrate
Chen Gong 陈宫
escaped together with
him, but his head was
only worth fifty gold
pieces;
Chen left Cao after the
bloodshed,
Later Cao raised his
own army;
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Cao took Chen to Lǚ
Boshe’s 吕伯奢 residence,
his father’s old friend,
Chen later heard the sound
of knife- sharpening,
mistaking that for potential
murders; as a matter of fact,
the folks were preparing a
dinner for the guests;
The two slaughtered the
whole family;
On the way out, they ran into
the old man who just
returned with wine;
Cao Cao’s Two Gifts
At the First Meeting
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A fake imperial edict that
denounces Dong Zhuo;
When questioned on its
authenticity, Cao Cao said,
of course it is a fake
document; but sometimes a
fake document works better
than a real one;
Of course a nine year old
emperor can’t write
something like that; but
everything I wrote was just
what the emperor wanted to
say…
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Another gift was a
detailed map of the
royal palace since Cao
Cao knew the place as
he knew his own palm;
However the coalition
did not work out since
most of the participants
simply used the
occasion to seek
personal gains;
Lǚ Bu & Diao Chan 貂婵
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When searching
Wang Yun’s
residence for Cao
Cao, Lǚ Bu met Diao
Chan;
Diao Chan pointed at
the legendary
dagger, confirming
this is the seven-star
dagger;
Dong Zhuo Moved the Capital
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Dong has the whole city
of Luoyang burned
down,
On the way to Chang’an
长安 for “eternal peace”,
the western capital,
there was an ambush;
Lǚ Bu saved Diao
Chan’s life (fictive detail
in a new TV series),
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When Wang Yun found
out the romance, he got
an idea;
Wang Yun finally
persuaded Diao Chan,
his adoptive daughter, to
play a role that would
sow a seed of discord
between Dong Zhuo and
Lǚ Bu…
Dong Zhuo Seized Diao Chan
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Wang Yun invited Dong Zhuo to his
residence, pretending to make peace with
him;
As if accidentally, Diao Chan showed up;
Dong Zhuo proposed to name Diao Chan as
the emperor’s Precious Lady or gui fei--贵妃
【guìfēi】 highest-ranking imperial
concubine; a title only next to the queen;
But the emperor was only 9 years old;
Dong Zhuo & Diao Chan
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Dong Zhuo (played
by Li Po) and Diao
Chan (played by
Chen Hong, film
director Chen
Kaige’s wife) as
depicted in the TV
series Romance of
the Three Kingdoms
Diao Chan Played her Role Well
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Dong Zhuo’s advisor
suggested he should
give Diao Chan back
to Lǚ Bu, Dong
agreed to that;
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Diao Chan on the
other hand
pretended she would
prefer to spend her
life with Dong Zhuo;
When with Lǚ Bu,
she said she loved
Lǚ Bu;
Lǚ Bu was heartbroken
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He was caught in a
dilemma: Dong was
his adoptive father;
Wang Yun, another
father to Lǚ Bu
(father-in-law figure),
pointed out that
Dong had violated
everything under the
heaven…
Two Imperial Edicts
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Wang Yun announced
that the emperor
decided to yield his
throne to Dong Zhuo;
Dong Zhuo was about
to perform a grand
sacrificial ceremony,
the Feng Ceremony,
to heaven;
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All of a sudden, Wang
Yun announced
another imperial edict,
denouncing Dong
Zhuo for all his crimes;
Lǚ Bu pierced Dong
Zhuo right through his
heart;
Wang Yun’s Death
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Wang Yun became arrogant
after this victory;
Wang Yun refused to pardon
the other three generals Li
Jue, Guo Si and Fan Chou,
who used to serve Dong
Zhuo;
This turned out to be fatal
mistake;
These three had no choice
but to rebel;
They still boated about
100,000 troops;
Cao Cao “Kidnapped” the Emperor
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While others were busy expanding their territories,
Cao Cao got the emperor back and moved him to Xu
Chang--许昌【Xǔchāng】 Place name - Area code:
0374, Postcode: 461000 (河南省).;
Cao Cao declared himself as chancellor, controlling
the court;
He treated the young emperor nicely, with respect,
but with strict surveillance (Panopticon, a prison
designed by Jeremy Bentham in 1785) as if he put
the emperor under house arrest;
Cao Cao’s treatment of the young emperor seemed
opposite to what Dong Zhuo did, but both tried to
control the young emperor.
The Panopticon
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The Panopticon is a type of
prison building designed by
English philosopher and
social theorist Jeremy
Bentham in 1785. The
concept of the design is to
allow an observer to observe
(-opticon) all (pan-)
prisoners. Prisoners could
not tell whether they are
being watched or not,
thereby conveying what one
architect has called the
"sentiment of an invisible
omniscience."
Bentham himself described
the Panopticon as "a new
mode of obtaining power of
mind over mind…
Powerless Emperor
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The only place the
emperor could relax a
little was in his
bathroom;
He arranged a secret
meeting with Liu Bei,
his uncle;
The meeting was held
in his bathroom;
Liu Bei was searched
when departing;
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He wrote an edict in blood
and hid it in a jade girdle;
His precious lady Dong Lin
arranged a temple visit;
Her father Dong Cheng went
with the emperor;
However, his servant Qin
Qingtong who was punished
by Dong Cheng for his love
affair with his concubine,
reported to Cao Cao;
Nevertheless, Cao Cao
killed Dong Qingtong for his
disloyalty to his master;
The Death of Lü Bu
The Battle of Xia Pi (198)
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The pattern in his
behavior
He is always for
adoption;
But If you team up
with him, he will take
over;
As a result, he got
his old troops
summoned;
At the White Gate Tower
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In 198, his city was surrounded by Cao Cao;
His military advisor suggested he lead one army out
and camp outside the city in order to form a countersiege on Cao cao; Lü Bu delay the move due to Diao
Chan’s sickness;
It had been raining, and Cao Cao had the River Si
diverted to have the city drowned—using water as
soldiers;
Hou Cheng, Song Xian and Wei Xu rebelled; they
had Chen Gong, the military advisor bound;
Realizing he was losing, Lü Bu asked his men to
have him beheaded and surrender to Cao Cao; No
body could stand this;
On February 7th, 198, Lü surrendered to Cao Cao;
In the new TV series, Lü Bu was overpowered by his
Liu Bei was nailed
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Lü Bu offered to lead
cavalry for Cao Cao;
and Cao Cao leads
infantry, thus Cao
Cao could rule the
whole country;
Cao Cao was quite
intrigued by this
proposal;
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Liu Bei on the other
hand commented on
how Lü Bu served
his two adoptive
fathers: Lü Bu killed
them both himself.
In the new TV series,
ten thousand arrows
pierced through his
heart;
Cao Cao United the North
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The Battle of Guandu (官渡之戰今河南中牟東北 )
was a prelude to the Three Kingdoms period. It took
place at the Yellow River in 200.
It was a crucial victory for the warlord Cao Cao (155220) who defended his territories against his rival
warlord Yuan Shao (154-202).
The battle was a turning point in the war between
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and marked the beginning
of Cao Cao's gradual reunification of northern China,
which made the establishment of the Cao Wei state
possible.
Yuan Shao vs. Yuan Shu
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Yuan Shao, after taking
over four provinces,
aimed at snatching
back the emperor; thus
putting himself directly
in conflict with Cao
Cao;
Yuan Shao boasted
about 700,000 soldiers;
The secret for his
success: supplies for
his army always
remained strong.
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Yuan Shu
（?－199） got the
imperial jade seal and
declared himself as
emperor in 197;
So in history there were
two emperors for a while;
yet nobody would accept
Yuan Shu’s claim
anyway—what constitutes
political and cultural
legitimacy?
The raid on Wuchao乌巢
糧倉【liángcāng】 granary; barn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYO_0EFszI4
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In the tenth month, Yuan Shao's general Chunyu Qiong
淳于瓊 returned with an army of 10,000 from Hebei
escorting large reserves of food supplies.
Yuan Shao 袁紹 ordered Chunyu to escort the supplies to
Wuchao (烏巢; in modern Yanjin, Henan), a place 40 li
(20 kilometers) away from Guandu near Gushi 固始 , and
placed him in charge of guarding the supplies there.
Yuan Shao's advisor Ju Shou 沮授 argued that Wuchao,
being their important supply depot, was too lightly
guarded and insisted that Yuan Shao should send the
general Jiang Qi (蔣奇) to Chunyu Qiong to prevent any
potential raids. Yuan Shao, again, did not heed Ju Shou's
advice.
Xu You’s Role
Let’s do a roleplay
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Yuan Shao's advisor Xu You 許攸, an old
friend of Cao Cao, harbored a long-term
dissatisfaction against Yuan Shao for not
using his plans;
His wife was arrested for some kind of
transgression,
At midnight, Xu You came to Cao Cao’s
camp; Cao Cao met him barefooted;
Cao Cao led 5,000 cavalrymen to attack
Wuchao by using Yuan Shao’s banners;
At the headquarter, Cao’s army prepared an
ambush;
Upon Seeing the fire
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Yuan Shao only sent
a small number of
soldiers to rescue
Wuchao;
The main army
attacked Cao’s
headquarter;
But they were
ambushed;
Cao Cao stormed
Yuan Shao’s camp;
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Within Yuan’s troops,
once they learned what
happened to their
provisions and supplies,
the army split and
soldiers scattered;
As a result, Yuan Shao
led about 800 men back
to Hebei province;
How to Treat (Talented) People
It is always a bird that chooses a
roost/tree, not the other around
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Yuan Shao was
arrogant
It is the worthy bird that
chooses a worthy tree
(to perch on); how
could a tree choose its
birds?
Chapter 3 in Romance
of the Three Kingdoms
Commentary of Zuo-on The Spring and
Autumn Annals
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Cao Cao treasured all
talents;
It may not be a
coincidence that Cao
Cao got Xu You’s help;
To succeed, one needs
three factors/conditions:
Timing (Heavenly)
Geographical
advantages;
Harmony among
human relationships;
The Battle of Guandu
vs.
The battle at Red Cliff
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The Battle of
Guandu marked the
most glorious
moment for Cao
Cao;
Defeating many by
a few—golden rule
in military affairs
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The battle at Red Cliff
turned out to be Cao
Cao’s Waterloo
Does anyone knows
when to stop?
How about timing?
How about geographical
advantages?
How about harmony
among human
relationships?
Cao Cao’s Disadvantages
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To prevent his soldiers
from getting seasick,
Cao Cao ordered to
have his fleet bound
together;
Huang Gai faked
surrender to Cao Cao;
but all his boats were
loaded with fuel;
Zhou Yu, an expert on
warfare on water finally
used fire to wipe out Cao
Cao’s fleet;
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His troops got exhausted
while his rivals are at
rest—it is their
hometown;
Northerners are not used
to warfare on water;
Plage of
Schistosoꞌmiasis 血吸虫
病 caused by blood
flukes 血吸虫;
Most important of all, the
local people don’t
welcome Cao Cao
苦肉计【kǔròujì】 the ruse of inflicting
an injury on oneself to win the
confidence of the enemy.
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Zhou Yu, the
commander-in-chief and
Huang Gai pretended
they disagreed over
something; Zhou first
ordered to have Huang
Gai exucted;
This is all for show;
Cai Mao/Zhang Yun
reported this to Cao Cao
When to Stop?
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"Crossing the Rubicon" is a
popular idiom meaning to
pass a point of no return.
The river was considered to
mark the boundary between
the Roman province of
Ci’salpine ‘Gaul to the north
and Italy proper to the south;
the law thus protected the
republic from internal military
threat.
It refers to Julius Caesar's
49 BC crossing of the river,
which was considered an
act of war.
The Battle of Red Cliff
赤壁之戰
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Cao Cao’s only setback
was in December of 208,
when his army was
routed in the famous
Battle of the Red Cliff
赤壁之战
(modern Jiayu, Hubei),
most dramatized in
many art forms.
Romance of the Three
Kingdoms
Some Idioms associated with Cao Cao
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說曹操,曹操到
【shuōcáocāo,
cáocāodào】
Talk of the devil and he
comes.
This refers to the speed
Cao Cao’s troops;
兵贵神速
【bīngguìshénsù】
speed is precious in
war.
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望梅止渴
【wàngméizhǐkě】
quench one's thirst
by thinking of plums console oneself with
false hopes; feed on
fancies.
An artist impression of Zhuge Liang
holding his trademark feather fan.
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空城計【kōngchéngjì】
empty-city/fort stratagem
(bluffing the enemy by
opening the gates of a
weakly defended city);
presenting a bold front to
conceal a weak defense.
Sima Yi 司马懿, a general
from Wei, attacked Shu;
Zhuge Liang诸葛亮 had no
trooped stationed; he
ordered to have all the gates
wide open and he played a
musical instrument on the
city wall;
草船借箭 film: Red Cliff
Straw Boats Borrowing Arrows
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Zhou Yu 周瑜 challenged
Zhuge Liang to have
100,000 made within ten
days. Zhuge Liang
successfully borrowed all
the arrows from the enemy
side on a foggy morning.
Roberts, Moss, tr. Three
Kingdoms: A Historical
Novel (1991) University of
California Press
See the movie Red Cliff
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In history, this story is
about Sun Quan during
the Battle of Ru Xu. In
213, Sun Quan tried to
find out what’s going on
within Cao Cao’s camp;
Cao’s soldiers shot
many arrows;
Sun Quan’s boat tilted;
He had his boat turned
around and let Cao’s
soldiers shoot on the
other side;
Liu Bei recruiting Zhuge Liang.
Ming Dynasty painting
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三顾茅庐
【sāngùmáolú】
make three calls at
the thatched cottage
- repeatedly request
sb. to take up a
responsible post.
Zhou Yu周瑜
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The Commander-inChief at 34
Zhou Yu (175 210) was a famous
and one of the most
capable military
strategists for Sun
Ce and his
successor Sun
Quan during the
Three Kingdoms
era;
Red Cliff
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Red Cliff is a Chinese epic
film based on the Battle of
Red Cliffs (208-209 AD) and
events during the end of the
Han Dynasty and
immediately prior to the
period of the Three
Kingdoms in ancient China.
The film was directed by
John Woo, and stars Tony
Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro,
Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen,
Hu Jun, Lin Chi-ling and
Zhao Wei.
Ubi sunt
Read Su Shi’s Poem
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ubi+s
unt%0B
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–noun
a poetic motif
emphasizing the
transitory nature of
youth, life, and beauty,
found esp. in medieval
Latin poems.
Ubi sunt (literally
"where are...") is a
phrase taken from the
Latin Ubi sunt qui ante
nos fuerunt?, meaning
"Where are those who
were before us?" Ubi
nunc...?, "where now?",
is a common variant
Yuan Shao vs. Cao Cao
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEXHJZZ4
GVw&feature=related
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Yuan Shao is very
arrogant;
Xu You’s betrayal holds
the key to his waterloo;
But this is not
coincidental;
Note Cao Cao has never
declared himself as
emperor even though he
has been doing the job;
Perhaps the most ideal
network of human
relationships is best
depicted in a well
designed Chinese garden.
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Cao Cao seems to have
established a better network
of human relationships;
Though Cao Cao was
defeated by Wu and Chu, he
managed to flee back to his
hometown via the Huarong
Trail 华容道;
“Releasing Cao Cao at
Huarong Trail”
Chapter 50 of Romance of
the Three Kingdoms’
Note it is Zhuge Liang who
has arranged all this; Zhuge
Liang believes that only Cao
Cao could stabilize the
north;
The Quatrain of Seven Steps
by Cao Zhi (192 – 232)
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Shih-shuo Hsin-yu
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世说新语
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A NEW ACCOUNT OF
TALES OF THE WORLD
Second Edition
By Liu I-ch'ing
With commentary by Liu
Jun
Translated with
introduction and notes
By Richard B. Mather
Page 134
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"Boiled beans are taken
to make a soup,
Strained lentils utilized
for stock.
While stalks beneath the
pot are blazing up,
The beans within the pot
are shedding tears.
Originally from the same
root grown,
For one to cook the
other, why such haste?
A double-edged warning
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Bean stalks vs.
beans
Stalks as fuel to kill
beans;
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What will happen to
the bean stalks at
the end?
The Seven Step Poem
七步诗
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煮豆持作羹，
漉豉以为汁，
萁在釜下燃，
豆在釜中泣，
本是同根生，
相煎何太急．
Fratricide
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Fratricide (from the Latin
word frater, meaning:
"brother" and cide meaning
to kill) is the act of a person
killing his or her brother.
According to the Bible and
the Qur'an, fratricide was the
first type of murder
committed in human history.
"Cain kills Abel", a fratricide
illustrated by Gustave Doré
(And Cain talked with Abel
his brother; and it came to
pass, when they were in the
field, that Cain rose up
against Abel his brother and
slew him.