Zhou Yu

This article is about the general under Sun Quan. For the contemporary general with a similar name, see Zhou Yu (Renming). For other people with the name, see Zhou Yu (disambiguation).
Zhou Yu
周瑜
Qing dynasty illustration of Zhou Yu
Administrator of Nan Commandery
(南郡太守)
(under Sun Quan)
In office
209 (209)–210 (210)
MonarchEmperor Xian of Han
Lieutenant-General (偏將軍)
(under Sun Quan)
In office
209 (209)–210 (210)
MonarchEmperor Xian of Han
Central Protector of the Army
(中護軍)
(under Sun Ce, then Sun Quan)
In office
198 (198)–209 (209)
MonarchEmperor Xian of Han
Administrator of Jiangxia (江夏太守)
(under Sun Ce)
In office
? (?)–? (?)
MonarchEmperor Xian of Han
Chief of Chungu (春穀長)
(under Sun Ce)
In office
? (?)–? (?)
MonarchEmperor Xian of Han
Personal details
Born175[a]
Shucheng County, Anhui
Died211 (aged 36)[a]
Yueyang, Hunan
SpouseXiao Qiao
Children
Parents
  • Zhou Yi (father)
  • Unknown (mother)
OccupationGeneral, strategist
Courtesy nameGongjin (公瑾)
Nickname"Mei Zhou Lang" (美周郎)
In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhou.

Zhou Yu (Chinese: 周瑜, pronunciationⓘ) (175–210),[a] courtesy name Gongjin (Chinese: 公瑾), was a Chinese military general and strategist serving under the warlord Sun Ce in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After Sun Ce died in the year 200, he continued serving under Sun Quan, Sun Ce's younger brother and successor. Zhou Yu is primarily known for his leading role in defeating the numerically superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs in late 208, and again at the Battle of Jiangling in 209. Zhou Yu's victories served as the bedrock of Sun Quan's regime, which in 222 became Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms. Zhou Yu did not live to see Sun Quan's enthronement, however, as he died at the age of 35 in 210 while preparing to invade Yi Province (modern Sichuan and Chongqing).[2] According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Zhou Yu was described as tall and handsome. He was also referred to as "Master Zhou" (zhoulang 周郎). However, his popular moniker "Zhou the Beautiful Youth" (meizhoulang 美周郎) does not appear in either the Records or the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Some Japanese writers such as Fumihiko Koide believe that this was a later invention by Japanese storytellers such as Eiji Yoshikawa.[3]


Cite error: There are <ref group=Sanguozhi> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Sanguozhi}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ (孝獻皇帝辛建安十五年（庚寅，公元二一零年） ... 周瑜還江陵為行裝，於道病困， ... 卒於巴丘。) Zizhi Tongjian vol. 66.
  2. ^ de Crespigny (2007), p. 1152.
  3. ^ 《三國志》：「瑜長壯有姿貌」，可見周瑜是相貌堂堂的美男子，但是「美周郎」一詞從未出現在正史《三國志》或小說《三國演義》中，二書只有曾稱其「周郎」，「美周郎」應是後人自創。有日本人认为來自日本文學著作，如《吉川英治三國志》，见《三國志人物事典》，小出文彥著、蘇竑嶂譯，目次、第2章吳，第133頁，譯注:「美周郎」


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).