Three Kingdoms History: Officer Names

Officer of Han Fu. Wielded a giant axe and fought with Hua Xiong, but was killed.

Began his career under Liu Biao then Liu Bei. After Guan Yu’s death, served in Wu.

Served Wu. Led the forces which captured Guan Yu and his son, Guan Ping.

Served Ma Chao, Zhang Lu, then Cao Cao. Fought against Guan Yu at Fan Cheng.

A famed scholar. Uncle of Pang Tong.

* Sima Hui called him Pang Gong as a nickname and therefore his name is sometimes mistranslated as such.

Son of Pang Tong, became Governor of Fu.

Son of Pang Degong.

Pang De’s son. Had Guan Yu’s clan exterminated after Shu’s surrender.

Pang Tong’s brother. Fought in Yiling. Surrendered to Wei with Huang Quan.

Sheltered Lü Bu and his family in Chang’an. Executed by Li Jue and Guo Si.

Friend of Sima Hui’s and Shu’s “Fledgling Phoenix.” Killed by ...

A friend of Liu Yan. Collected his grandchildren and brought them to Shu.

Served Wei in Liangzhou.

Annotated Chen Shou’s Sanguozhi with numerous and extensive footnotes.

Advisor to Sima Zhao. Advised against making Sima You heir.

Former Yellow Scarve killed by Zhao Yun during an attempt to steal his horse.

Served Shu. Friend of Meng Da, plotted revolt against Liu Bei.

Monk. Warned Guan Yu of Bian Xi’s plot. Later helped Guan Yu’s spirit to find ...

* Pujing 普淨, a religious name, translates to Universal Purity. In the Brewitt-Taylor translation Pujing appears as Pu Jing and his name is translated as Transverse Peace. Other translations are possible.

Supported Sun Hao after Sun Xiu died, helping to elevate him to Emperor.

Served Wei. District Governor of Jincheng before helping Deng Ai’s invasion of Shu.

Governor of Dongjun. Fought against Dong Zhuo. Was killed by Liu Dai.

Officer of Yuan Shu. Fought with Cao Cao’s forces, but was killed by Xiahou Dun.

Encouraged Cao Cao to restore to the Han during the Yellow Scarve rebellion. Father-in-law ...

Historian. Advised Liu Zhang to surrender to Liu Bei. Studied with Chen Shou.

Served under Sima Yi. Killed in a trap set by Zhuge Liang

Rebuked Jian Yong for his arrogance, thrown in jail for opposing the invasion of Wu.

Served Wei under Xiahou Dun. In novel, killed by Guan Yu leaving Cao Cao.

Servant of Dong Cheng. Punished for talking with Yun Ying. Betrayed him to Cao Cao.

* His name is incorrectly translated as ‘Quin Quington’ in some Brewitt-Taylor editions. Another calls him Qui Lici.

Served Sun Ce as an advisor, but died young. Usually appeared around Zhang Zhao.

Military Inspector of Wei. Advisor to Deng Ai.

Commander of Zhong Hui, helped warn Wei forces of Zhong Hui’s revolt.

Bandit who was defeated and killed by Li Tong.

Served as a general under Yuan Shao. Killed by Zhao Yun fighting Gongsun Zan.

Son of Quan Rou and son-in-law of Sun Quan. Served Wu as general and advisor.

* His name is frequently written ‘Quan Zong’, but this is incorrect.

Defended Shou Chun during Zhuge Dan’s rebellion, but surrendered to Wei.

Brother-in-law of Sun Liang. Ordered to kill Sun Chen by Sun Liang, but was executed.

Son of Quan Cong who defected to Wei.

Father of Quan Ji. Was killed after his wife revealed his son’s plot against Sun ...

Quan Cong’s son. Sent to aid Zhuge Dan’s rebellion, but surrendered to Wei.

Conspired with Geng Ji and Wei Huang to abduct the Han Emperor.

Quan Xu’s (perhaps Quan Duan’s) son. Quan Zong’s grandson. Quan Yi’s ...

Looked after military stores with Mao Jie.

Officer under Sun Ce who participated in the Jiangdong campaigns. Died in the late 190’s.

Rui Zhi’s second son and Rui Liang’s brother. Succeeded his brother’s ...

An officer of Sun Jian and Sun Ce. A man from Danyang.

Officer of Gongsun Zan. Was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Yan.

Advisor of Sima Zhao’s. Warned Sima Zhao about trusting Zhong Hui.

Bandit who was defeated and killed by Li Tong.

* Shen 沈 can also be translated as Chen, but this translation is not used in surnames. That said, you will still find him under the name Chen Cheng.

Brother of Shen Yi. Governor of Shangyong. Surrendered from Wei to Shu to Wei.

Served Yuan Shao with loyalty, but after his death, sided with his youngest son, Shang.

Nephew of Shen Pei. Betrayed Jizhou after the family of his friend, Xin Pi, was executed.

Brother of Shen Dan. Friend of Meng Da. Surrendered from Wei to Shu then again to Wei.

General of the Left under Sun Hao who was slain during Jin’s conquest of Wu.

* Also called Shen Rong in the online Brewitt-Taylor edition.

Served Wu. Made war with Wei following the subjugation of Shu in 264.

* Sometimes he also appears as Cheng Man.

Army Inspector. Later promoted Commander of the Flying Cavalry.

General of Xu Huang, captured messenger which gave them vital information.

Imperial Guard under Sun Xiu who reported Sun Chen’s rebellion.

Old friend of Zhuge Liang. Joined Cao Cao with Xu Shu and worked on agriculture.

Grand Administrator of Jiao Zhi. Paid regular tribute to Sun Quan.

Joined Deng Ai’s attack on the Riverlands. Was made Imperial Protector of Yizhou.

Sima Yi’s younger brother. Served Wei loyally to the end.

Authored the Warring States to Song Dynasty historical text, Zizhi tongjian.

* Also known as Sushui Xiansheng (涑水先生). Alternative style name (or hao 號) Yusou (taken late in his life). Posthumously given the honorary title (Shi or 謚) Wenzheng (文正), thus Sima Wenzhenggong (司馬文正公).

Named ‘Water Mirror’ by Pang Degong. Former teacher of Zhuge Liang and Pang ...

Elder brother to Sima Yi. Served as an official during Emperor Xian’s reign.

Sima Yi’s son. After Yi’s death, held real authority in Wei. Instrumental ...

Sima Fu’s son, but was adopted by Sima Lang. Fought Shu with Deng Ai.

Son of Sima Zhao. Installed as the first Emperor of the Jin Dynasty.

* Known formally as Emperor Wu of Jin.

A skilled advisor of the Wei kingdom. His efforts laid the foundation of Jin.

* Si Ma, in this case is the double barreled surname, Yi is the given name.

Second son of Sima Zhao. Known as a kind and warm-natured man.

Son of Sima Yi. Father of Sima Yan. Controlled the Wei army after his brother, Shi’s, ...

Wei civil officer who served three generations of the Cao family.

Served Jin. Led the force to which Sun Hao offered his seal and surrendered.

Served Li Jue. He later betrayed Li Jue, and was killed by him.

Served Wei. Friend of Cui Yan who died young.

Served Wu. In the novel, is killed by Li Dian at He Fei, but historically fights at Yi ...

Song Ren and his brother, Song Yong, join Liu Bei in Capcom’s Destiny of an Emperor.

Served Lü Bu, but joined Cao Cao after Hou Cheng was punished. Killed by Yan Liang.

Song Yong and his brother, Song Ren, join Liu Bei in Capcom’s Destiny of an Emperor.

Scholar under Liu Biao with Qimu Kai. Sent by Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao.

* Song Zhong’s name may have been written Song Zong 宋宗.

Convinced Gan Ning to leave Huang Zu and join Sun Quan.

Horse trader from Zhongshan with Zhang Shiping. Supplied Liu Bei’s first armed force.

Vanguard commander of Guo Huai (who served Cao Zhen). Killed by Zhao Zilong.

Defended Ji when Yuan Shang went to help his brother against Cao Cao.

General who saw service mostly in western China.

Served Zhang Yang. Killed Yang Chou who killed Zhang Yang. Turned to Yuan Shao.

* You will also find him referenced as Gui Gu and Kui Gu. In Moss Roberts’ translation he isn’t mentioned by name. Brewitt-Taylor references him as Kui Gu. Koei, until recently, referenced him as Gui Gu. Bo 白 in his style is frequently translated as Bai, thus Baitu. Sidenote: his style, Botu (白兔) literally translates to ‘White Rabbit’.

A son of Sun Quan. He fought bitterly with his brother, Sun He, for succession.

Son of Sun Qiang. Inherited Sun Jian’s troops and served Yuan Shu, then Sun Ce. ...

Sun Jian’s oldest son. Built the foundation of the Wu kingdom.

Sun Jun’s cousin. Executed a number of Wu officials and abused his authority.

* Sometimes ‘綝’ is incorrectly translated as lin2, thus ‘Sun Lin’.

Eldest son of Sun Quan. Set to be Quan’s successor, but died young.

The son of Sun Shao and grandson of Sun Ce. Sun Hao saw him as a threat and made up crimes ...

Second son of Sun Qiang. Imprisoned after trying to surrender to Cao Cao.

Old general of Sun Yi, avenged the death of his master.

Eldest son of Sun Jing, contemplated a coup against Sun Quan but decided against.

* Called Sun Hao in SGZ. Not to be confused with Sun Hao, Emperor of Wu.

Last Emperor of Wu. Destroyed the country through tyranical rule and wasteful projects.

* Called “Peng Zu” by Sun Quan after his birth.

Sun Jian’s foster child. Died trying to avenge Sun Yi’s death.

Sun Quan’s second son and the father of Sun Hao.

Sun Jing’s fourth son. Succeeded Sun Jiao. Captured three Wei generals at Shiyang.

Third son of Sun He, Sun Jian’s foster son.

Officer of Wu. Took over Lu Kang’s position when Kang was removed from office.

Father of Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and the kingdom of Wu.

Served Wu. Third son of Sun Jing. Held off Cao Cao’s forces at Ru Xu Kou.

Sun Jian’s younger brother. Served Sun Ce after Jian’s death.

Sun Jing’s great-grandson. Joined Teng Yin to try and assassinate Zhuge Luo.

The fourth son of Sun Jian. Married the daughter of Cao Ren.

The fifth son of Sun Jian. Led a command at Dongkou but accidentally burned his own camp.

* Also known as Sun Ren (孫仁). Had his surname changed to Ding (丁) by Sun Quan while imprisoned after he ignored Lü Fan’s orders defending against Cao Xiu.

A general of Wei. Fought against Shu under Sima Yi and Cao Zhen.

Sun Quan’s third son. Becomes Emperor, but is dethroned by Sun Chen.

Daughter of Sun Quan and Lady Bu. Sister to Sun Luyu. Quan Cong’s wife.

* Also known as Princess Quan. Dahu means ‘Big Tiger’.

Served Liu Bei. From Beihai. At death ranked General Who Upholds Loyalty.

The twin brother of Sun Jian. Father of Sun Ben and Sun Fu.

Sun Jian’s second son. Sun Ce’s brother. Long-lived first Emperor of Wu.

Sun Ce’s posthumous son. Enefoffed as Marquis of Wu. Died young.

Became Prime Minister of Wu in AD 222. Formerly served Kong Rong, then Liu Yao.

Sun Ce’s adopted son. Disobeyed Xu Sheng to fool opposing Wei forces.

* Sun Shao, before being adopted by Sun Ce, was known as Yu Shao (俞韶).

A general during the late Wu period.

Son of Sun Xiu, and intended heir. Puyang Xiang and Zhang Bu enthroned Sun Hao.

* The character ‘Wan1’ in Sun Wan’s did not exist in Unicode for quite some time, but it is now listed. ’&#168128’ is the character, but odds are you can’t see it. 上雨下單, the name we are currently using, is simply an explanation of the character, which has has 雨 on the top and 單 on the bottom. 上 and 下 mean up and down respectively.

Served Wu during Jin’s invasion. Met the attack of Zhou Zhi but was killed.

A Wu general. Surrendered to Jin and served as Cavalry General. Wept at the fall of Wu.

Emperor of Wu after Sun Liang. Became ill worrying about Jin, and soon after died.

Sun Shao’s third son. Was sent to aid Jiang Wei during the fall of Shu but was too ...

* Sun Yi’s name is mistranslated in Brewitt-Taylor translations as Sun Yin.

Sun Jian’s third son. Assassinated by Bian Hong and others at a banquet.

Served Wu. Sun Jing’s second son and cousin to Sun Quan.

Served Wu during Jin’s invasion. Was captured by Jin forces and executed.

Fought with Zhu Jun and Liu Bei at Wan, but was killed by Liu Bei.

Served the Wuhuan with Tadun. Aided Yuan Shang. Executed by Gongsun Kang.

A Wuhuan chief. Slain in battle with Zhang Liao’s troops.

Served Liu Yong then Wu. Helped save Kong Rong from the Yellow Scarves.

Son of Taishi Ci. Served in Sun Quan’s court.

One of the Eight Paragons of Jiangxia. From Shanyang.

General of Sun Huan. Fights at Yi Ling, wounds Zhang Bao’s horse.

General of Jin who participated in the conquest of Wu.

Follower of Zhang Jue. Betrayed his plans to the Han, and got Ma Yuanyi beheaded.

Served Wu then surrendered to Wei. Collected ships for Zhong Hui.

Served Wu until Sun Hao submitted. Joined Jin and died not much later.

A general of Wu. During Jin’s invasion, sent to meet the invading Jin forces.

Inspector of Xuzhou. Fought violently with Cao Cao. Died of illness.

Late era General of Wu who governed Guangzhou.

Minister of Wu. Argued to Sun Jun that Zhuge Ke should be put to death.

A vassal of Yuan Shao. Extremely loyal to the Yuan’s, but later joined Cao Cao.

Served Yuan Shao, who ignored his advice. Killed himself after being slandered by Feng Ji.

Appointed Lieutenant Governor of Qingzhou by Gongsun Zan. Fought against Cao Cao.

Slew Deng Ai and his son according to the novel.

General of Wei under Cao Rui who was dispatched to Xiangyang to counter Wu’s invasion.

* Also referred to erroneously as Tian Du.

Officer of Zhong Hui in Wei’s later days.

Wu officer. Advised Puyang Xing to make Sun Hao Emperor after Sun Xiu’s death.

Fictional lieutenant under Guo Huai in AD 228. Defeated and spared by Zhao Yun.

Vassal of Liu Biao. Said to be a skilled writer, he later joined Cao Cao.

Served Cao Fang, and later, Jin. Attacked Wu with Sima Shi after Sun Quan’s death.

Member of Li Jue’s Tiger Army. Wouldn’t arrest Huangfu Li for ethical reasons.

* Incorrectly translated as ‘Wang Chan’ in some Brewitt-Taylor editions.

Minister of Wu who was executed by Sun Chen.

* Appears as Wang Chun in both the Moss Roberts and Brewitt-Taylor translations of the novel.

Accused Prince Li of treason after receiving no bribe. Accused Empress Song of witchcraft.

Warned Guan Yu about Lü Meng, Pang Jun and an ambush but was ignored.

Part of the ‘Jade Girdle’ plot to kill Cao Cao. Courtier of Dong Cheng. Executed ...

* Wang Fu appears as Wang Zifu (王子服) in the novel, SGZ Shu, and other sources. This appears to be an error. Rafe de Crespigny wrote the following in To Establish Peace I: “The main text of SGZ 32 gives the personal name of Wang Fu as, but Xiandi qijuzhu, quoted by PC, and the parallel texts HHS 9, 381, and HHS 72/62, 2343, all omit the character zi. It is presumably dittography from the name of Wu Zilan immediately preceding.”

Came up with a plan to trick Jiang Wei but it failed, died valiantly.

Defender of Yuecheng, surrendered on the loss of Hanzhong.

Warned that Sun Hao’s army was formidable and that they should wait a year.

Fought against Wu and Guanqiu Jian, fighting in three duels and advising to win hearts.

A minister of Wei. Supported Cao Mao when Mao tried to remove Sima Zhao.

Commander of the force that conqured Wu.

Served Shu. Defended Yongchang against Yong Kai’s attack.

Prefect of Henei during the Later Han. Joined the Dong Zhuo alliance.

Originally the prefect of Huiji, he later joined Wei. Debated with Zhuge Liang.

Minister of Liu Zhang. Strongly advised Zhang to not allow Liu Bei into Yi.

Shu governor who did well economically. He warned Zhuge Liang of the risk of malaria.

A famed man from Taiyuan who refused service and reformed others.

Plotted against Sima Yi but plan was leaked and he was forced into suicide.

Officer of Zhong Hui during the conquest of Shu.

A military commander, he was forced into withdrawing after Tian Yu shamed him.

Served Wei but later surrendered to Shu. Served in the northern campaigns.

* Also known as He Ping (何平).

Served Han as Commandant of the Exemplary Cavalry. Killed by Li Jue and Guo Si’s ...

Served Wei. District Governor of Tian Shui before helping Deng Ai’s invasion of Shu.

* Shi 碩 in Kongshi can also be translated as Shuo.

A child prodigy, one of the seven men of the bamboo grove, noted for his meanness.

Governor of Jingzhou. Tried to have Cao Yin killed, but was killed first by Sun Jian.

Served Shu. Wang Lian’s son.

Minister of Wei who betrayed Cao Mao, leading to his death.

* 沈 can also be pronounced Chen, and his name is sometimes translated as such.

Served Cao Rui. Defeated Zhang Ni, and was later killed by Wei Yan.

The son of Wang Lang. Aided the Sima’s in creating Jin. Father of Sima Zhao’s ...

Civil officer, advised Sima Zhao to pray to the fountain so he could feed the troops.

Served Liu Biao and Liu Cong loyally. Died protecting Cong from Cao Cao.

Convinced Sima Zhao to name Sima Yan heir, along with Jia Chong, Pei Xiu and others.

Served Yuan Tan loyally. Joined Cao Cao after Yuan Tan’s death in AD 205.

Wang Ping’s son and heir.

Taken into Cao Mao’s confidence but betrayed it to Sima Zhao.

Diaochan’s father. Orchestrated the plot which resulted in Dong Zhuo’s death.

Fictional officer under Yuan Tan. Killed after only a few bouts by Xu Huang.

Originally an officer of Liu Dai, he later submitted with Dai to Cao Cao.

Sent to keep an eye on Zhong Hui and Deng Ai, he played a part in the death of both.

Of a wealthy family, he gave his property to Cao Cao to raise troops to restore the Han.

Han loyalist. Participated in a coup with Geng Ji and Jin Yi. Captured by Xiahou Dun.

A scholarly man. Advised settling the likes of Han Sui, against excess, proposed legal ...

Helped Sun Xiu against Sun Chen, warning the Wu ruler of the danger he was in.

At first an officer of Lü Bu, he later joined Cao Cao. Killed by Yan Liang.

Talented commander. Killed Han Xuan and surrendered his territory to Liu Bei.

Served Wu. Historian who completed the last fifty-five juan of the Wu shu ...

Served as messenger between Xian and Cao Cao, reminded Cao Pi of the Han’s achievements.

A fierce general in service under Yuan Shao. Killed in battle with Cao Cao.

Son of Wen Qin and brother of Wen Yang. Followed his brother everywhere.

Warned that the Wu front was secure but that Cao Ren might have problems against Guan Yu.

After Liu Zong’s surrender he secluded himself in shame. Later served Cao Cao

* Real name Wen Ping

Lieutenant Governor of Yang. Rebelled against Sima Shi with Guanqiu Jian.

Wen Qin’s son. Fought Sima Shi’s army. Later pledged loyalty to Zhuge Dan.

* Originally named Wen Chu (文俶).

Served Kong Rong. Wielded an iron mace. Maimed by Lü Bu after fighting ten bouts.

A commander-in-chief for the Yellow Turbans. Defeated and captured by Li Tong.

Served Liu Bei and Liu Shan in Shu. Son of Wu Kuang. Cousin of Wu Yi.

* Also called Hu Ban in some versions of the novel.

Was promoted into office by Sun He. Helped to pacify the Shanyue.

Adviser to Zhuge Dan.

Lady Wu’s younger brother. Served Sun Jian, then Yuan Shu, then Sun Ce.

Made Prefect of Cangwu through Liu Biao’s backing. Old friend of Liu Bei. Killed ...

Served Liu Yan and Zhang then Liu Bei. Killed in battle with Cao Zhang.

Part of the ‘Jade Girdle’ plot to kill Cao Cao. Friend of Dong Cheng and Wang ...

* In SGZ: Shu 2 a man by the name of Wu Zilan 吳子蘭 is described as one of the conspirators. It is likely that this is Wu Shi, and that Zilan was his style.

General of the Flying Cavalry, fled when his position was untenable. Du Yu executed him.

Held out in his city of Jianping until Sun Hao surrendered.

Brother-in-law of Liu Zhang. Later servant of Liu Bei, who his younger sister married.

* Wu Yi4 (懿) or Yi1 (壹) are both proper.

Helped Cao Pi become heir, used his wits to avoid disaster in the silk hamper affair.