Daqiao 大喬
| Occupation | RConsort NConsort · Lady | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Daqiao was a daughter of Lord Qiao and the wife of Sun Ce. The Biographies of Zhou Yu, Lu Su and Lü Meng in Chen Shou's main text record that when Zhou Yu followed Sun Ce to attack and take Wan County, they obtained the two daughters of Lord Qiao, both of whom were the greatest beauties of the land, and that Sun Ce himself took Daqiao as his wife while Zhou Yu took Xiaoqiao. This is the only passage in Chen Shou's main text where her name appears, and she does not appear in Sun Ce's biography either. Her origins, later life and death are not recorded. Records, Wu 9 §5–6Records, Wu 1 §23–39
The Romance portrays her as the eldest daughter of Lord Qiao of Jiangdong. In Chapter 29, Sun Ce, facing death, entrusted his wife Lady Qiao with caring for his mother and with a charge to be passed to Zhou Lang through her younger sister. In Chapter 44, Zhou Yu revealed that Daqiao was the principal wife of General Sun Bofu. Romance, Ch. 29 §34–35Romance, Ch. 44 §16 · 22
Chen Shou's assessments at the end of the Biographies of Zhou Yu, Lu Su and Lü Meng and of the Biographies of Sun Jian and Sun Ce do not deal with Daqiao. In the Romance she appears in two of its 120 chapters, Chapter 29 (as "Lady Qiao") and Chapter 44 (as "Daqiao"), and no chapter has her name in its title. Records, Wu 9 §95Records, Wu 1 §41Romance, Ch. 29 §34Romance, Ch. 44 §16 · 22
In the Records
According to the Biographies of Zhou Yu, Lu Su and Lü Meng, when Sun Jian raised loyal troops to attack Dong Zhuo, he moved his family to Shu County; Sun Jian's son Sun Ce was the same age as Zhou Yu, and the two were especially close friends. Zhou Yu gave Sun Ce a large house south of the road to live in, and went up into the hall to pay his respects to Sun Ce's mother. Records, Wu 9 §2
In the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), when Zhou Yu returned to Wu from Juchao, Sun Ce went out in person to welcome him and appointed him General of the Household Who Establishes Might. Soon afterward, when Sun Ce sought to take Jing Province, he made Zhou Yu Central Protector of the Army with the concurrent post of Administrator of Jiangxia, and Zhou Yu followed Sun Ce to attack and take Wan County. At this time they obtained the two daughters of Lord Qiao, both of whom were the greatest beauties of the land. Sun Ce himself took Daqiao as his wife, and Zhou Yu took Xiaoqiao. Records, Wu 9 §4–6
The Biography of Zhou Yu goes on to record that Zhou Yu advanced near Xunyang and defeated Liu Xun. According to the Biography of Sun Ce, Liu Xun was the Administrator of Lujiang who, after Yuan Shu's death, intercepted Yuan Shu's followers on their way to join Sun Ce and captured them all. Sun Ce feigned a pact of friendship with him and urged him to attack and seize the clan communities of Shangliao; once Liu Xun had set out, Sun Ce raced day and night with a lightly equipped force, took Lujiang by surprise and captured it. Records, Wu 9 §6Records, Wu 1 §34
In the 5th year of Jian'an (200), while Cao Cao was locked in confrontation with Yuan Shao at Guandu, Sun Ce secretly readied his troops to make a surprise attack on Xu, but before he set out he was killed by retainers of Xu Gong, the former Administrator of Wu Commandery. When his wounds grew grave, Sun Ce summoned Zhang Zhao and the others and asked them to give his younger brother good support, called Sun Quan and had him wear the seal and ribbon, and died that night. He was twenty-six. Records, Wu 1 §36–38
When Sun Quan took the imperial title, he posthumously named Sun Ce Prince Huan of Changsha and enfeoffed his son Sun Shao (孫紹) as Marquis of Wu, later changing his fief to Marquis of Shangyu. Chen Shou's main text does not say who Sun Shao's mother was. Who Lord Qiao was is not recorded, nor are Daqiao's later life and death, and the assessments at the end of the Biographies of Zhou Yu, Lu Su and Lü Meng and of the Biographies of Sun Jian and Sun Ce do not deal with Daqiao either. Records, Wu 1 §39 · 23–39 · 41Records, Wu 9 §1–30 · 95
In the Romance
In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Sun Ce, having had Yu Ji beheaded, saw Yu Ji standing in his mirror; his wounds burst open and he collapsed, and on coming to he lamented that he would not live. Sun Ce called Zhang Zhao and the others and his younger brother Sun Quan to his bedside and entrusted the affairs to come to them, gave his charge to his other younger brothers, and then called his wife, Lady Qiao, and said, "It is our misfortune that you and I must part halfway; I beg you to serve and care for my mother with filial devotion." He went on to ask that, when her younger sister came in to see her before long, she have her pass word to Zhou Lang to support his younger brother with all his heart and not betray the friendship they had always shared, and then he closed his eyes at the age of twenty-six. Romance, Ch. 29 §31–35
In Chapter 44, as Cao Cao's great army invaded the south, Lu Su brought Zhuge Liang to see Zhou Yu, and Zhou Yu said that fighting would surely end in defeat and that the next day he would see their lord and have an envoy sent to ask for surrender. Zhuge Liang said that they need only send a single envoy to carry two people by small boat onto the river, and Cao Cao's army of a million would all withdraw, and he brought up the story that Cao Cao had newly built the Bronze Sparrow Terrace on the bank of the Zhang River and filled it with beautiful women chosen far and wide from all under heaven. Romance, Ch. 44 §9–10 · 14–15
Zhuge Liang said that Cao Cao had long heard the rumour that Lord Qiao of Jiangdong had two daughters, the elder Daqiao and the younger Xiaoqiao, with faces that would make fish sink and wild geese fall and looks that would make the moon hide and flowers blush. Cao Cao, he said, had sworn it as his wish to obtain the two Qiao women of Jiangdong, keep them on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace and enjoy his old age, and his eyeing Jiangnan with an army of a million was in truth for the sake of these two women. Zhuge Liang urged Zhou Yu to seek out Lord Qiao, buy the two daughters for a thousand pieces of gold and send them to Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 44 §16–17
When Zhou Yu asked for proof, Zhuge Liang recited the "Rhapsody on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace" composed by Cao Cao's young son Cao Zhi, which contained the line, "Embracing the two Qiao of the southeast, I shall delight in them morning and evening." Flaring up in anger, Zhou Yu answered Zhuge Liang, who asked why he should begrudge two women of the common people, by revealing that Daqiao was the principal wife of General Sun Bofu and Xiaoqiao was none other than his own wife. He then said that, bearing the charge Bofu had entrusted to him, he would never surrender to Cao Cao, and asked Zhuge Liang to join him in defeating Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 44 §17–19 · 22–23
In Chapter 48, Cao Cao, mellow with wine, told his generals that in the past he had been on very close terms with Lord Qiao and knew that his two daughters were both the greatest beauties of the land, but that unexpectedly they had later married Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Then, saying that he had newly built the Bronze Sparrow Terrace on the Zhang River and that if he took Jiangnan he would take the two Qiao as wives, keep them on the terrace and enjoy his old age, he laughed loudly. In Chapter 54, on arriving at Nanxu, Liu Bei first called on Qiao Guolao to pay his respects; the Romance introduces Qiao Guolao as the father of the two Qiao. Romance, Ch. 48 §12Romance, Ch. 54 §26
Where the Romance differs
Lord Qiao and his two daughters: In Chapter 44 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang said that Lord Qiao of Jiangdong had two daughters, the elder Daqiao and the younger Xiaoqiao, and Chapter 54 introduces Qiao Guolao, who lived at Nanxu, as the father of the two Qiao. Chen Shou's main text only records that "the two daughters of Lord Qiao" were both the greatest beauties of the land, and does not say who Lord Qiao was or where he came from. Romance, Ch. 44 §16Romance, Ch. 54 §26Records, Wu 9 §5–6
Circumstances of the marriage: The Romance does not depict the wedding; in Chapter 44 it reveals through Zhou Yu's words that Daqiao was Sun Ce's principal wife, and in Chapter 48 Cao Cao says that the two daughters later married Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. In Chen Shou's main text, when Zhou Yu followed Sun Ce and took Wan County, they obtained the two daughters, and Sun Ce himself took Daqiao as his wife while Zhou Yu took Xiaoqiao. Romance, Ch. 44 §22Romance, Ch. 48 §12Records, Wu 9 §5–6
Sun Ce's last words: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Sun Ce, facing death, called his wife Lady Qiao and asked her to care for his mother, and charged her to have her younger sister tell Zhou Lang to support his younger brother. In the Biography of Sun Ce in Chen Shou's main text, Sun Ce only asked Zhang Zhao and the others to give his younger brother good support and had Sun Quan wear the seal and ribbon as he left his words; his wife does not appear. Romance, Ch. 29 §34–35Records, Wu 1 §37–38
Cao Cao and the two Qiao women: In Chapter 44 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang said that Cao Cao had sworn it as his wish to obtain the two Qiao women of Jiangdong and keep them on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and in Chapter 48 Cao Cao said that he had been on very close terms with Lord Qiao and would take the two Qiao women as wives if he took Jiangnan. The Biographies of Zhou Yu and of Sun Ce in Chen Shou's main text have no record of Cao Cao wanting the two Qiao women. Romance, Ch. 44 §16Romance, Ch. 48 §12Records, Wu 9 §1–30Records, Wu 1 §23–39
The Bronze Sparrow Terrace and its rhapsody: In Chapter 44 of the Romance, before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang recited Cao Zhi's "Rhapsody on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace", which contains the line "Embracing the two Qiao of the southeast". The Annals of Emperor Wu in Chen Shou's main text record the Battle of Red Cliffs as an event of the 13th year of Jian'an (208), and the building of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace as an event of the winter of the 15th year of Jian'an (210). The Biography of Prince Si of Chen records only that when the Bronze Sparrow Terrace at Ye was newly completed, Cao Cao took his sons up onto it and had each compose a rhapsody, and that Cao Zhi wrote his the moment he took up his brush; it does not include the text of that rhapsody. Romance, Ch. 44 §17–19Records, Wei 1 §103 · 105 · 107–108Records, Wei 19 §12
Why Zhou Yu chose to fight: In Chapter 44 of the Romance, Zhou Yu, who had said he would ask to surrender, was enraged on hearing the story of the two Qiao women and the "Rhapsody on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace", revealed that Daqiao was the principal wife of General Sun Bofu, and resolved to fight, saying that he bore the charge Bofu had entrusted to him. In the Biography of Zhou Yu in Chen Shou's main text, when Sun Quan asked his officials for a plan, those in council all said they should welcome Cao Cao, and Zhou Yu, saying that although Cao Cao claimed the title of Chancellor of Han he was in truth a traitor to Han, asked for 30,000 picked troops to advance to Xiakou and defeat him. There is no story of the two Qiao women. Romance, Ch. 44 §10 · 22–23Records, Wu 9 §9–12
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.
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT3538+3
- POL3131±0
- CHA5050±0
- VIR4245+3
- ADP3838±0
- SCH3538+3
- DIP3133+2
- DIS3133+2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RRecorded that both of Lord Qiao's daughters were the greatest beauties of the landWu 9 §5Wu 9 §6
NFamed for peerless beauty; Cao Cao was said to have sworn to obtain herCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
RNo direct record — estimated from her marriage to Sun Ce as Lord Qiao's daughterWu 9 §6
NNo direct record — estimated from her status as Lord Qiao's eldest daughterCh. 44 §16
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 (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Family
| Parents | Qiao Guolao Romance |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Sun Ce Romance |
| Siblings | Xiaoqiao Romance |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.