RGathered a following in Taishan and, as Inspector of Qing Province, was granted the Staff of AuthorityWei 18 §21Wei 18 §32
NBlocked the road with more than 30,000 troops but was beaten by Xu Chu aloneCh. 19 §10
Sun Guan 孫觀
| Occupation | RGeneral · Inspector of Qing Province | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | Native place | Taishan Commandery | |
| Cause of death | RKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R7 |
Profile
Sun Guan was one of those who, together with Zang Ba, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi, each gathered a following in Taishan. They made Zang Ba their leader and were stationed at Kaiyang, and when Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. After Lü Bu was captured, Cao Cao had Zang Ba summon Sun Guan, his elder brother Sun Kang and others, and Sun Guan became Administrator of Beihai. Records, Wei 1 §49Records, Wei 18 §21
He later rose to Inspector of Qing Province and was granted the Staff of Authority, and he died of wounds received in battle while following Cao Cao on a campaign against Sun Quan. His son Sun Yu succeeded him and likewise rose to Inspector of Qing Province. Records, Wei 18 §32
The Records has no separate biography of him; a short entry is attached after Zang Ba in Records of Wei 18, the Biographies of Li Dian, Li Tong, Zang Ba, Wen Pin, Lü Qian, Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Pang De, Pang Yu and Yan Wen, and Chen Shou's assessment does not mention him. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 18 as one of the 'Taishan bandits' who join hands with Lü Bu, and he appears in 3 of its 120 chapters; no chapter title bears his name. In Chapter 19 he is defeated by Xu Chu at Xiao Pass, and in Chapter 20 he surrenders to Cao Cao at Zang Ba's urging. Records, Wei 18 §31–32 · 92Romance, Ch. 18 §23Romance, Ch. 19 §10Romance, Ch. 20 §2
In the Records
The Annals of Emperor Wu record Sun Guan in the passage where, after Cao Cao set out east against Lü Bu in the 9th month of the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), he captured Lü Bu and Chen Gong and put them both to death. Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi of Taishan had each been gathering a following, and when Lü Bu defeated Liu Bei, Zang Ba and the others all followed Lü Bu. When Lü Bu was defeated, Cao Cao captured Zang Ba and the others but received and treated them generously; in the end he detached the coastal parts of Qing and Xu provinces and entrusted them to these men, and divided Langya, Donghai and Beihai to create the commanderies of Chengyang, Licheng and Changlü. Records, Wei 1 §46 · 48–49
According to the Biography of Zang Ba, Zang Ba gathered troops in Xu Province and, together with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others, assembled a following of which Zang Ba became the leader, and they were stationed at Kaiyang. When Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. Records, Wei 18 §21
When Lü Bu was captured, Zang Ba went into hiding. Cao Cao offered a reward, found Zang Ba and, pleased on meeting him, had him summon Wu Dun, Yin Li, Sun Guan, Sun Guan's elder brother Sun Kang and others, and all of them came to Cao Cao. Cao Cao made Zang Ba Chancellor of Langya, Wu Dun Administrator of Licheng, Yin Li Administrator of Dongguan, Sun Guan Administrator of Beihai and Sun Kang Administrator of Chengyang, and detached Qing and Xu provinces and entrusted them to Zang Ba. Records, Wei 18 §21
After Zang Ba's career, Chen Shou recorded Sun Guan's affairs separately. Sun Guan too rose to Inspector of Qing Province and was granted the Staff of Authority, and he died of wounds received in battle while following Cao Cao on a campaign against Sun Quan. His son Sun Yu succeeded him and likewise rose to Inspector of Qing Province. Chen Shou did not record the year of his death. Records, Wei 18 §31–32
In his assessment at the end of the volume, Chen Shou said that Li Tong, Zang Ba, Wen Pin and Lü Qian guarded and kept order in provinces and commanderies and all displayed authority and kindness, but he did not assess Sun Guan separately. Records, Wei 18 §92
In the Romance
In Chapter 18 of the Romance, Lü Bu reads Liu Bei's reply that Cao Cao's messenger was carrying, flies into a rage and beheads the messenger. He then first sends Chen Gong and Zang Ba to join hands with the Taishan bandits Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi and attack the commanderies of Yan Province in Shandong to the east. Romance, Ch. 18 §22–23
In Chapter 19, when Cao Cao reaches Shandong and approaches Xiao Pass, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and Chang Xi block his way with more than 30,000 troops. When Cao Cao sends Xu Chu out to meet them, the four generals ride out all at once, but Xu Chu fights with all his might as if ready to die, and unable to withstand him, they are each defeated and flee. Cao Cao takes advantage of the momentum and pursues them as far as Xiao Pass. Romance, Ch. 19 §10
In the same chapter, Chen Deng falsely tells Lü Bu that Sun Guan and the others on the pass all intend to surrender it, and tells Chen Gong that Cao Cao's troops have entered the pass by a byway so as to make him go back. While Chen Gong's troops and Lü Bu's troops attack each other in the dark, Cao Cao's troops see the signal fire and charge in, and Sun Guan and the others scatter and flee in all directions. Later Cheng Yu says that in Shandong the band of Zang Ba and Sun Guan has not yet submitted, so the defences against them must not be neglected. Romance, Ch. 19 §14–16 · 23
In Chapter 20, after Lü Bu's death, Cao Cao has Zhang Liao win over Zang Ba. Zang Ba surrenders with his own troops and in turn persuades Sun Guan, Wu Dun and Yin Li to surrender, but Chang Xi alone does not submit. Cao Cao makes Zang Ba Chancellor of Langya, gives Sun Guan and the others each an additional office, and has them guard the coastal lands of Qing and Xu provinces. In the Romance, Sun Guan does not appear after this chapter. Romance, Ch. 20 §2
Where the Romance differs
First appearance: Chapters 18 and 19 of the Romance call Sun Guan one of the 'Taishan bandits' and portray him as a general who joins hands with Lü Bu. In the Records, Zang Ba gathered a following in Xu Province together with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others, became its leader and was stationed at Kaiyang, and when Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. Romance, Ch. 18 §23Romance, Ch. 19 §10Records, Wei 18 §21
The battle at Xiao Pass: In Chapter 19 of the Romance, Sun Guan and the others are defeated by Xu Chu in front of Xiao Pass, then lose the pass to Chen Deng's stratagem and scatter. The Annals of Emperor Wu and the Biography of Zang Ba in the Records say only that Zang Ba and the others were captured after Lü Bu's defeat, and there is no fight between Sun Guan and Xu Chu at Xiao Pass. Romance, Ch. 19 §10 · 14–16Records, Wei 1 §49Records, Wei 18 §21
How he surrendered: In Chapter 20 of the Romance, Cao Cao has Zhang Liao win over Zang Ba, and after surrendering Zang Ba persuades Sun Guan and the others to surrender. In the Biography of Zang Ba in the Records, Cao Cao offered a reward to find Zang Ba, who had gone into hiding when Lü Bu was captured, and had Zang Ba summon Sun Guan and the others. Nothing is said of Zhang Liao winning over Zang Ba. Romance, Ch. 20 §2Records, Wei 18 §21
The offices he received: Chapter 20 of the Romance says only that Sun Guan and the others were each given an additional office and made to guard the coastal lands of Qing and Xu provinces. In the Records, Sun Guan became Administrator of Beihai and his elder brother Sun Kang Administrator of Chengyang, and Sun Guan later rose to Inspector of Qing Province and was granted the Staff of Authority. His elder brother Sun Kang does not appear in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 20 §2Records, Wei 18 §21 · 32
Death: In the Romance, Sun Guan does not appear after Chapter 20, and his death is not recorded. In the Records, he died of wounds received in battle while following Cao Cao on a campaign against Sun Quan, and his son Sun Yu succeeded him. Romance, Ch. 20 §2Records, Wei 18 §32
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 total424 / 1000Rank 481 of 996 · Top 49%Romance total347 / 1000Rank 915 of 1,113 · Top 83%
Romance adaptation index−77Romance total − Records total
- LEA5030−20
- STR4830−18
- INT3832−6
- POL4535−10
- CHA4238−4
- VIR5040−10
- ADP5045−5
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3533−2
- DIS3533−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RNo direct record — record of dying of wounds received in battleWei 18 §32
NRode out with three other generals but could not withstand Xu ChuCh. 19 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his offices as Administrator of Beihai and Inspector of Qing ProvinceWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a Taishan banditCh. 18 §23
RNo direct record — record of following the campaign against Sun QuanWei 18 §32
NNo direct record — estimated from his careerCh. 18 §23
6 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — record of scattering and fleeingCh. 19 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from the record of his gathering a followingWei 1 §49
NNo direct record — estimated from the record of his leading a bandCh. 19 §10
RAided Lü Bu, then answered Zang Ba's summons, went over to Cao Cao and became an AdministratorWei 18 §21Wei 1 §49
NAfter Lü Bu's death, surrendered when persuaded by Zang BaCh. 20 §2
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderCh. 18 §23
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimated from his careerCh. 20 §2
RNo direct record — estimated from his careerWei 18 §21
NNo direct record — estimated from his careerCh. 18 §23
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 (3)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wei · Records · Records vol. 18 「從太祖討孫權，戰被創」