Ding Guan 丁管
| Occupation | NOfficial · Master of Writing | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | N | Biography in | |
| Born | N? Unverified | Native place | |
| Died | N189 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | NExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Fictional | Mentions |
Profile
Ding Guan is a Master of Writing at the Han court who appears in Chapter 4 of the Romance. When Dong Zhuo gathers all the civil and military officials in the Jiade Hall and has a decree read deposing the Emperor and enthroning the Prince of Chenliu, Ding Guan, standing below the steps, denounces the traitor Dong Zhuo and strikes at him with the ivory tablet in his hand. Romance, Ch. 4 §4–5 · 7
The Romance records that, on Dong Zhuo's orders, he is dragged out and beheaded, cursing without cease and keeping his countenance unchanged until he dies. The Romance includes a poem by a later writer saying that while all the ministers of the court held their tongues, only Lord Ding was a true man. Romance, Ch. 4 §7–8
He appears in only one of the Romance's 120 chapters, Chapter 4, and no chapter has his name in its title. The Biographies of Dong, the Two Yuans and Liu in Chen Shou's main text record only that Dong Zhuo deposed the Emperor, making him Prince of Hongnong, and enthroned Emperor Ling's young son, the Prince of Chenliu; Ding Guan appears neither in Chen Shou's main text nor in Pei Songzhi's commentary. Romance, Ch. 4 §7Records, Wei 6 §8
In the Romance
In Chapter 4 of the Romance, after Yuan Shao, sword in hand, takes leave of the officials, hangs his tally at the East Gate and flees to Ji Province, Dong Zhuo declares that anyone who dares obstruct the great deliberation on deposing and enthroning an emperor will be dealt with by military law, and the ministers, trembling with fear, all say they will obey his orders. Romance, Ch. 4 §1–2
On the first day of the ninth month, Dong Zhuo has the Emperor ascend the Jiade Hall, assembles all the civil and military officials, draws his sword and declares that the Son of Heaven is weak and benighted and unfit to rule the realm. The decree read by Li Ru states that the Emperor is deposed and made Prince of Hongnong, that the Empress Dowager is to return the government, and that the Prince of Chenliu is to be honored as emperor. When Dong Zhuo shouts at his attendants to bring the Emperor down from the hall, take off his seal and cords, and have him kneel facing north and call himself a subject, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager both wail aloud, and there is none among the ministers who does not grieve. Romance, Ch. 4 §4–6
Then a minister below the steps cries out in fury, 'Traitor Dong Zhuo, how dare you plot to deceive Heaven! I will spatter you with the blood of my neck!' and swings the ivory tablet in his hand straight at Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo, enraged, shouts for his guards to seize him; he is the Master of Writing Ding Guan. Dong Zhuo orders him dragged out and beheaded, and Ding Guan keeps cursing without cease, his countenance unchanged until he dies. Romance, Ch. 4 §7
The Romance includes a poem by a later writer saying that the traitor Dong Zhuo secretly harbored a plot to depose and enthrone an emperor, leaving the ancestral temples and altars of the Han to fall into ruin, and that while all the ministers of the court held their tongues, only Lord Ding was a true man. Afterward Dong Zhuo has the Prince of Chenliu ascend the hall, moves Empress He, the Prince of Hongnong and the Emperor's consort Lady Tang to the Yong'an Palace, and seals its gates. The Romance notes that the Young Emperor ascended the throne in the fourth month and was deposed in the ninth. Romance, Ch. 4 §8–9
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
There is no record in the main text of Chen Shou’s Records, so only the Romance score is given.
- LEA31
- STR40
- INT42
- POL45
- CHA50
- VIR85
- ADP30
- SCH42
- DIP42
- DIS35
Evidence by ability
NNo direct record — estimated from his office as a Han Master of WritingCh. 4 §7
NSwung his ivory tablet and struck at Dong Zhuo himselfCh. 4 §7
NNo direct record — estimated from his office as a Han Master of WritingCh. 4 §7
NNo direct record — estimated from his office as a Han Master of WritingCh. 4 §7
NA later poem praised Lord Ding alone as a true manCh. 4 §8
NDefied Dong Zhuo with no regard for his life and was executedCh. 4 §7
NNo direct record — estimated from his office as a Han Master of WritingCh. 4 §7
NAlone denounced Dong Zhuo while the ministers held their tonguesCh. 4 §7
NNo direct record — estimated from his office as a Han Master of WritingCh. 4 §7
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Related events (1)
- The Han Emperor Deposed, the Prince of Chenliu Enthroned 189 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).