RMany from his home district and travellers from afar entrusted themselves to him, and Sun Quan visited his house several timesWu 10 §34
NNo direct record — estimated from Sun Ce's respect and affection for himCh. 15 §37
Chen Wu 陳武
| Occupation | RGeneral · Lieutenant General NGeneral · Colonel | Faction | Wu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wu |
| Born | R? Unverified | Native place | Anfeng Commandery Songzi County |
| Died | R215 Unverified | Place of death | RHefei County NRuxukou |
| Cause of death | RKilled in battle NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R9 |
Profile
Chen Wu, courtesy name Zilie, was a man of Songzi County in Lujiang Commandery. At the age of eighteen he went to pay his respects to Sun Ce at Shouchun, then followed him across the river and led a picked elite drawn from the men of Lujiang. Under Sun Quan he commanded the Five Regiments and rose to Lieutenant General, and he enjoyed such affection that Sun Quan visited his house several times. Records, Wu 10 §34–35
In the 20th year of Jian'an (215) he followed Sun Quan in the attack on Hefei and, in the battle in which Zhang Liao suddenly fell upon them, fought at the risk of his life and died. Sun Quan attended his funeral in person. Records, Wu 10 §35 · 91
In his assessment Chen Shou, author of the Records, called the generals of this volume all tiger-like servants of Jiangbiao, and praised his son by a concubine, Chen Biao, separately. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 15 as the man of Songzi in Lujiang who welcomed Zhou Yu, and he appears in 8 of its 120 chapters; his name is in no chapter title. In Chapter 68 he is killed by Pang De during the fighting at Ruxu. Records, Wu 10 §109Romance, Ch. 15 §35Romance, Ch. 68 §21
In the Records
Chen Wu, courtesy name Zilie, was a man of Songzi County in Lujiang Commandery. When Sun Ce was at Shouchun, he went to pay his respects to him; he was then eighteen years old and seven chi seven cun tall. He then followed Sun Ce across the river, won merit in the campaigns, and was appointed Major of a Separate Command. When Sun Ce defeated Liu Xun and gained many men of Lujiang, the elite among them were picked out and Chen Wu was made their commander, and wherever they went no one could stand against them. Records, Wu 10 §34
When Sun Quan took charge of affairs, he was transferred to command the Five Regiments. Chen Wu was benevolent, generous and fond of giving, and many men from his home district and travellers from afar entrusted themselves to him. He was held in particular affection by Sun Quan, who visited his house several times, and as his merits accumulated he was promoted to Lieutenant General. Records, Wu 10 §34–35
In the 20th year of Jian'an (215) he followed Sun Quan in the attack on Hefei and died in battle, fighting at the risk of his life. According to the Biography of Pan Zhang, in the battle of Hefei Zhang Liao suddenly fell upon them while the generals were unprepared; Chen Wu died fighting, and Song Qian and Xu Sheng both broke and fled. Pan Zhang, who was behind them, rode forward and cut down two of the fleeing soldiers, and the soldiers all turned back to fight. Sun Quan grieved for Chen Wu and attended his funeral in person. Records, Wu 10 §35 · 91
His son Chen Xiu had a martial bearing. When he was nineteen, Sun Quan summoned him, encouraged him, appointed him Major of a Separate Command and gave him 500 soldiers; many of the new soldiers deserted or rebelled, but he looked after them well and did not lose a single man. Sun Quan thought him remarkable and made him a colonel, and at the end of Jian'an, when the descendants of meritorious officials were recognized retrospectively, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of a Chief Village and made Commander of the Jiefan Corps. Chen Xiu died in the 1st year of Huanglong (229). Records, Wu 10 §36
His son by a concubine, Chen Biao, courtesy name Wen'ao, took charge of the family affairs after his elder brother's death. Because his father had died on the battlefield, he asked to be employed as a general and commanded 500 soldiers. Later, when he declined the 200 exempted households granted to him, Sun Quan said in an edict, 'The late general rendered service to the state, and the state repays him with this', but Chen Biao said that in eliminating the enemies of the state and avenging his father, men were the foundation, and he enlisted them all as soldiers to fill his ranks. Chen Biao rose to Lieutenant General and Marquis of a Chief District, and died at the age of thirty-four. Records, Wu 10 §38–39 · 41–43
In his assessment Chen Shou, author of the Records, called the various generals recorded in this volume all tiger-like servants of Jiangbiao whom the Sun family treated generously. He also said that Chen Biao, though the son of a concubine in a military family, stood shoulder to shoulder with the sons of nobles and men of renown and stood out from the crowd. Records, Wu 10 §109
In the Romance
In Chapter 15 of the Romance, Liu Yao receives a report that Zhou Yu has raided and taken Qu'e, and that a man of Songzi in Lujiang named Chen Wu, courtesy name Zilie, has let Zhou Yu in. Sun Ce gains Chen Wu as an aide; he is seven chi tall, with a sallow face and red eyes, strange in appearance. Sun Ce respects and cherishes him, makes him a colonel and has him attack Xue Li as the vanguard, and Chen Wu leads a dozen or so horsemen into the enemy lines and takes more than fifty heads. Romance, Ch. 15 §35 · 37
In the same chapter, when Xue Li comes out of the city in pursuit of Sun Ce, Chen Wu kills the fleeing Zhang Ying with his spear. At Jing County, on Sun Ce's orders, he puts on short clothes and, sword in hand, is the first to climb the city wall and set fires, making Taishi Ci flee through the east gate. In the battle at the bridge in Wu Commandery, he and Jiang Qin steer small boats in under the bridge and cut down the soldiers on the bank. Romance, Ch. 15 §41 · 44 · 51
At Red Cliffs, on the day of the fire attack, Chen Wu becomes the officer of the fourth division, leading 300 warships and 20 fire ships (Chapter 49), and attacks from the east of Red Cliffs together with Zhou Tai (Chapter 50). In the battle of Nan Commandery in Chapter 51, when Cao Ren enters the empty camp, he attacks from the north together with Lü Meng. Romance, Ch. 49 §27Romance, Ch. 50 §3Romance, Ch. 51 §36
In Chapter 55, when Liu Bei flees with Lady Sun, Sun Quan gives Chen Wu and Pan Zhang 500 picked troops and orders them to catch and bring him back without stopping day or night. The two upbraid Xu Sheng and Ding Feng for letting him pass, and the four generals give chase together. In the battle of Ruxu in Chapter 61, he and Pan Zhang come out from behind the hill and pursue Cao Cao with 3,000 archers and crossbowmen, raining arrows on him. Romance, Ch. 55 §16 · 28Romance, Ch. 61 §44–45
In Chapter 67, when Sun Quan attacks Hefei, Chen Wu is in the central army that Sun Quan leads in person. In Chapter 68, when Cao Cao comes from Hanzhong with 400,000 troops, Chen Wu, patrolling back and forth along the riverbank, hears the sounds of fighting, hurries there and clashes with Pang De. With no troops to support him, Chen Wu is driven to the mouth of a valley; he tries to turn and fight again, but the sleeve of his battle robe catches on the dense trees, and he is killed by Pang De. Sun Quan finds his body and gives him a generous burial together with Dong Xi, who has drowned in the river. Romance, Ch. 67 §37Romance, Ch. 68 §1 · 17 · 21 · 23
Where the Romance differs
How he came to Sun Ce: In Chapter 15 of the Romance, Chen Wu appears as the man who let Zhou Yu in when Zhou Yu raided Qu'e, and Sun Ce gains him, makes him a colonel and entrusts him with the vanguard. In the Records, the eighteen-year-old Chen Wu went to pay his respects to Sun Ce when Sun Ce was at Shouchun, followed him across the river, won merit and became Major of a Separate Command. Romance, Ch. 15 §35 · 37Records, Wu 10 §34
Appearance: Chapter 15 of the Romance portrays Chen Wu as strange in appearance, seven chi tall with a sallow face and red eyes. The Records say only that he was seven chi seven cun tall. Romance, Ch. 15 §37Records, Wu 10 §34
Red Cliffs and the pursuit of Lady Sun: In Chapters 49–55 of the Romance, Chen Wu commands the fourth division at Red Cliffs, takes part in the battle of Nan Commandery, and on Sun Quan's orders pursues Liu Bei and Lady Sun. None of this appears in the Biography of Chen Wu in the Records. Romance, Ch. 49 §27Romance, Ch. 55 §16Records, Wu 10 §33–36
The battle of Hefei: In the Records, Chen Wu died in the 20th year of Jian'an (215) during the attack on Hefei, in the battle in which Zhang Liao suddenly fell upon them. In Chapter 67 of the Romance, Chen Wu goes with Sun Quan's central army on the Hefei campaign but does not die in this battle. Romance, Ch. 67 §37Records, Wu 10 §35 · 91
His death: In Chapter 68 of the Romance, Chen Wu fights at Ruxu against the great army Cao Cao has brought from Hanzhong, and is killed by Pang De when the sleeve of his battle robe catches on a tree. The Biography of Chen Wu and the Biography of Pan Zhang in the Records say only that he died fighting in the battle of Hefei, and there is no record of his fighting Pang De. Romance, Ch. 68 §21Records, Wu 10 §35 · 91
His funeral: In Chapter 68 of the Romance, Sun Quan finds Chen Wu's body and gives him a generous burial together with the body of Dong Xi. In the Records, Sun Quan grieved for Chen Wu and attended his funeral in person. Romance, Ch. 68 §23Records, Wu 10 §35
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total497 / 1000Rank 259 of 996 · Top 27%Romance total441 / 1000Rank 275 of 1,113 · Top 25%
Romance adaptation index−56Romance total − Records total
- LEA6455−9
- STR6874+6
- INT3835−3
- POL3531−4
- CHA7245−27
- VIR7260−12
- ADP4240−2
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3535±0
- DIS4035−5
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RBenevolent, generous and fond of givingWu 10 §34
NDied fighting fiercely against Pang De, and Sun Quan mourned him and buried him generouslyCh. 68 §21Ch. 68 §23
8 similar abilities — show evidence
RCommanded the Lujiang elite, and wherever they went no one could stand against themWu 10 §34
NLed the vanguard against Xue Li, and commanded the warships of the fourth division at Red CliffsCh. 49 §27Ch. 15 §37
RLed the elite and was unstoppable, and died fighting at the risk of his life at HefeiWu 10 §34
NCharged into the enemy lines with a dozen or so horsemen and took over fifty heads, and speared Zhang Ying to deathCh. 15 §37Ch. 15 §41Ch. 15 §44
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalWu 10 §34
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalCh. 15 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalWu 10 §34
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalCh. 15 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his overall careerWu 10 §35
NNo direct record — estimated from his overall careerCh. 68 §21
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalWu 10 §34
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalCh. 15 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalWu 10 §34
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalCh. 55 §29
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalWu 10 §34
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a generalCh. 15 §37
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (8)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wu · Records · Records vol. 55 「及權統事，轉督五校」
Family
| Children | Chen Biao Records |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (1)
- Battles of Hefei 208~253 · Command
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).