RHelped the young Sun Quan govern military and state affairs, of very great benefitWu 5 §6
NSettled the matter of sending a hostage by deliberation with the ministersCh. 38 §28
Lady Wu (Sun Jian) 孫破虜吳夫人
| Occupation | RNConsort · Lady | Faction | Wu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wu |
| Born | R? N? Unverified | Native place | Wu Commandery Wu County |
| Died | R202 N207 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | NIllness Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R12 |
| Notes | 정사 참고: 이름(諱) 미기록 — 정사 표제(시호·배우자 호칭)로 표기. 孫堅의 처·孫權의 어머니. 연의의 吳國太는 그 동생으로 설정된 연의 인물(별개) (Records) | ||
Profile
Lady Wu was the wife of Sun Jian, General Who Smashes the Caitiffs, and the mother of Sun Quan, the ruler of Wu. Originally a native of Wu, she moved to Qiantang, and having lost her parents early, she lived with her younger brother Wu Jing. She married Sun Jian and bore four sons and a daughter. Records, Wu 5 §2Records, Wu 2 §61
When Sun Quan took up the great enterprise at a young age, she helped him govern military and state affairs and was of great benefit to him. In the 7th year of Jian'an (202), as she was about to die, she summoned Zhang Zhao and others and entrusted them with the affairs to come, and she was buried in a joint tomb at Gaoling. In the 1st year of Huanglong (229), Sun Quan, having ascended the imperial throne, posthumously honored her as Empress Wulie. Records, Wu 5 §6Records, Wu 2 §61
Chen Shou, author of the Records, placed her biography at the head of the Biographies of Consorts but did not single her out in his assessment. In the Romance she first appears in Chapter 7 as 'Lady Wu', who bore all four of Sun Jian's sons, and appears in 3 of its 120 chapters; no chapter has her name in its title. In Chapter 29 she admonishes Sun Ce not to harm Yu Ji, and in Chapter 38, as she is about to die in the 12th year of Jian'an (207), she entrusts Sun Quan to Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao. Records, Wu 5 §1 · 42Romance, Ch. 7 §29Romance, Ch. 29 §15Romance, Ch. 38 §39–40
In the Records
Lady Wu, the wife of Sun Jian, General Who Smashes the Caitiffs, was the mother of Sun Quan, the ruler of Wu. Originally a native of Wu, she moved to Qiantang, and having lost her parents early, she lived with her younger brother Wu Jing. When Sun Jian heard of her talent and beauty and wished to marry her, her relatives disliked him as frivolous and cunning and meant to refuse, and Sun Jian was deeply ashamed and resentful. She said to her relatives, 'Why would you bring disaster on yourselves for the sake of one girl? If I do not meet a good match, that is my fate.' The marriage was thereupon allowed, and she bore four sons and a daughter. Records, Wu 5 §2
Her biography also records the affairs of her younger brother Wu Jing. Wu Jing always followed Sun Jian on campaigns and won merit, becoming Chief Commandant of Cavalry, and on Yuan Shu's memorial he concurrently held the post of Administrator of Danyang. Sun Ce, together with Sun He and Lü Fan, relied on Wu Jing. Wu Jing, who had been pressed by Liu Yao and gone to Yuan Shu, abandoned his commandery and returned east when Sun Ce broke off contact with Yuan Shu after Yuan Shu usurped the imperial title, and Sun Ce made him Administrator of Danyang again. Wu Jing died in office in the 8th year of Jian'an (203). Records, Wu 5 §3–4 · 7
When Sun Ce took in Lü Fan at Shouchun, the Dowager Consort was at Jiangdu, so Sun Ce sent Lü Fan to escort her back. Because Lü Fan and Sun He always followed Sun Ce without shunning danger or hardship, Sun Ce treated Lü Fan like a kinsman and always went up into the hall with him to drink and feast in the presence of the Dowager Consort. Records, Wu 11 §32–33
Around the time Sun Ce was attacking Lujiang for Yuan Shu, his whole family was living below the provincial seat; when Liu Yao, fearing being swallowed up by the Yuan and the Sun, fell out with them, Zhu Zhi sent men to escort the Dowager Consort and Sun Quan and his brothers from Qu'e. The biography of Sun Ce records that his mother had earlier moved from Qu'e to Liyang, and that as Sun Ce crossed the Yangtze to fight, he moved his mother again to Fuling. Records, Wu 11 §3Records, Wu 1 §29
When Sun Ce died and the young Sun Quan first took charge of affairs, the Dowager Consort, worried about this, summoned Zhang Zhao, Dong Xi and others and asked whether Jiangdong could be held securely. Dong Xi answered that Jiangdong was made firm by its mountains and rivers, that the kindness of His Excellency the General Who Attacks Rebels remained among the people, and that with Zhang Zhao handling the many affairs and themselves serving as claws and teeth, there was nothing at all to worry about; everyone admired the boldness of his words. Records, Wu 10 §47
Chen Shou wrote that when Sun Quan took up the great enterprise at a young age, the lady helped him govern military and state affairs and was of very great benefit to him. Zhou Yu had earlier been treated as a friend by Sun Ce, and the Dowager Consort had Sun Quan serve Zhou Yu as an elder brother. She also brought in a woman of the Xie family of Shanyin in Kuaiji to be Sun Quan's consort, and Lady Xie won Sun Quan's affection. Records, Wu 5 §6 · 9Records, Wu 9 §22
In the 7th year of Jian'an (202), as she was about to die, the lady summoned Zhang Zhao and others to her and entrusted them with the affairs to come, and she was buried in a joint tomb at Gaoling. The Biography of the Lord of Wu also records that Sun Quan's mother, Lady Wu, died in the same year. In the 1st year of Huanglong (229), on ascending the imperial throne at the southern suburb, Sun Quan posthumously honored his father Sun Jian, General Who Smashes the Caitiffs, as Emperor Wulie and his mother Lady Wu as Empress Wulie. Records, Wu 5 §6Records, Wu 2 §6 · 61
In his assessment in the Biographies of Consorts, Chen Shou cited the Book of Changes, 'Set the household right, and the realm will be settled', and censured Duke Huan of Qi and Sun Quan alike for failing to distinguish the sons of the principal wife from those of concubines, throwing the women's quarters and the court into disorder. He did not assess Lady Wu separately. Records, Wu 5 §42
In the Romance
Chapter 7 of the Romance, at the point where Sun Jian sets out to attack Liu Biao, introduces his family and says that Sun Jian's four sons, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Sun Yi and Sun Kuang, were all born of Lady Wu. It records that Lady Wu's younger sister was Sun Jian's second wife and likewise bore a son, Sun Lang, and a daughter, Sun Ren. Romance, Ch. 7 §29
In Chapter 29, when Sun Ce has the Taoist Yu Ji thrown into prison, a palace attendant reports the matter to Sun Ce's mother, Dowager Lady Wu. She calls Sun Ce into the rear hall and admonishes him again and again that Yu Ji has cured many people of illness and is revered by soldiers and commoners, and so must not be harmed, but Sun Ce will not listen, telling her not to heed the idle talk of outsiders. When Sun Ce, having beheaded Yu Ji, collapses on seeing his ghost, she says that he has brought disaster on himself by wrongfully killing an immortal, and when Sun Ce does not believe her, she secretly has her attendants perform good deeds to dispel the misfortune. Romance, Ch. 29 §15–16 · 23–24
Saying once more that matters of ghosts and spirits cannot be disbelieved, she has a Taoist offering rite prepared at the Yuqing Temple and makes Sun Ce go in person to pray, but there too Sun Ce sees Yu Ji's ghost and has the temple torn down and burned. The next day she calls Sun Ce back into the residence and weeps at the sight of his haggard face. On the point of death, Sun Ce asks his mother to instruct his younger brother morning and evening, and to his weeping mother, who fears that the younger brother is too young to bear great affairs, he says to consult Zhang Zhao on internal affairs and Zhou Yu on external affairs. After Sun Ce's death she tells Zhou Yu, who has come for the mourning, of these last words. Romance, Ch. 29 §26–30 · 33–34 · 40
In Chapter 38, when Cao Cao, having defeated Yuan Shao in the 7th year of Jian'an (202), tells Sun Quan to send a son to the court and Sun Quan hesitates, Dowager Lady Wu has Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao summoned to discuss it. When Zhou Yu says that they should not send a hostage but watch how things develop, she says, 'Gongjin's words are right', and Sun Quan follows this advice and does not send his son. Romance, Ch. 38 §28–29
In the same chapter, in the 10th month, in winter, of the 12th year of Jian'an (207), Dowager Lady Wu, gravely ill, summons Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao and tells them that she was originally a native of Wu who lost her parents when young, moved with her younger brother Wu Jing to live in the land of Yue, and married into the Sun family and bore four sons. Saying that she dreamed of the moon entering her bosom when she bore her eldest son Sun Ce and of the sun entering her bosom when she bore her second son Sun Quan, she entrusts the foundation of Jiangdong to Sun Quan and asks them to help him with one heart. She charges Sun Quan to serve Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu with the courtesy due to teachers, to serve as a mother her younger sister, who married Sun Jian together with her, and to choose a good husband for his younger sister, and then she dies. Romance, Ch. 38 §39–41
Where the Romance differs
Children and younger sister: In Chapter 7 of the Romance, all four sons are born of Lady Wu, and Lady Wu's younger sister becomes Sun Jian's second wife and bears a son, Sun Lang, and a daughter, Sun Ren. The Biographies of Consorts in the Records states only that Lady Wu bore four sons and a daughter, and mentions neither her younger sister nor a second wife of Sun Jian. Romance, Ch. 7 §29Records, Wu 5 §2
Marriage: In Chapter 38 of the Romance, she says only that she moved with her younger brother Wu Jing to live in the land of Yue and then married into the Sun family. In the Records, she moved to Qiantang, and when her relatives, disliking Sun Jian as frivolous and cunning, meant to refuse him, she persuaded them not to bring disaster on themselves for the sake of one girl, and so the marriage took place. Romance, Ch. 38 §39–40Records, Wu 5 §2
Dreams of the sun and moon: In Chapter 38 of the Romance, she says that she dreamed of the moon entering her bosom when she bore Sun Ce and of the sun when she bore Sun Quan. The Biographies of Consorts in Chen Shou's main text does not contain these dreams. Romance, Ch. 38 §40Records, Wu 5 §1–7
Yu Ji: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, she admonishes Sun Ce not to harm Yu Ji, and after Yu Ji's death she prepares an offering rite and makes Sun Ce pray. Yu Ji does not appear in the Biographies of Consorts or the biography of Sun Ce in Chen Shou's main text. Romance, Ch. 29 §15–16 · 26Records, Wu 5 §1–7Records, Wu 1 §23–39
The hostage debate: In Chapter 38 of the Romance, when Cao Cao tells Sun Quan to send a son to the court in the 7th year of Jian'an, Dowager Lady Wu has Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao summoned to discuss it and approves Zhou Yu's words. This episode is not in the Biographies of Consorts or the Biography of the Lord of Wu in Chen Shou's main text, which record only that she died in that year. Romance, Ch. 38 §28–29Records, Wu 5 §6Records, Wu 2 §6
Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu: In Chapter 38 of the Romance, on the point of death she charges Sun Quan to serve Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu with the courtesy due to teachers. In the Records, it was Sun Quan himself who treated Zhang Zhao with the courtesy due to a tutor, and the Dowager Consort had Sun Quan serve Zhou Yu as an elder brother. Romance, Ch. 38 §40Records, Wu 2 §5Records, Wu 9 §22
Year of death: In Chapter 38 of the Romance, she falls gravely ill and dies in the 10th month, in winter, of the 12th year of Jian'an (207). The Biographies of Consorts and the Biography of the Lord of Wu in Chen Shou's main text record that she died in the 7th year of Jian'an (202). Romance, Ch. 38 §39 · 41Records, Wu 5 §6Records, Wu 2 §6
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 total532 / 1000Rank 176 of 996 · Top 18%Romance total524 / 1000Rank 80 of 1,113 · Top 8%
Romance adaptation index−8Romance total − Records total
- LEA3131±0
- STR3131±0
- INT6060±0
- POL6652−14
- CHA5558+3
- VIR6572+7
- ADP6860−8
- SCH4038−2
- DIP5050±0
- DIS6672+6
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — no record of military commandWu 5 §6
NNo direct record — no record of military commandCh. 38 §39
RNo direct record — no record of martial prowessWu 5 §2
NNo direct record — no record of martial prowessCh. 38 §39
RTold her relatives not to bring disaster on themselves for one daughter's sake, and the marriage was allowedWu 5 §2
NSummoned Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao on the hostage question and chose Zhou Yu's adviceCh. 38 §28Ch. 38 §29
RKnown for her talent and beauty, so that Sun Jian sought to marry herWu 5 §2
NZhou Yu swore to carry on, at the cost of his life, the last words she passed onCh. 29 §40
RAccepted the marriage herself to spare her family disasterWu 5 §2
NRepeatedly urged Sun Ce not to harm Yu Ji, and on her deathbed gave charge for her familyCh. 29 §15Ch. 29 §16Ch. 38 §41
RSaw that Sun Jian's resentment could bring disaster and settled it through marriageWu 5 §2
NAccepted Zhou Yu's resolve to refuse the hostageCh. 38 §29
RNo direct record — no record of learningWu 5 §2
NNo direct record — no record of learningCh. 38 §40
RWon over her reluctant relatives with wordsWu 5 §2
NOn her deathbed asked Zhou Yu and Zhang Zhao to help Sun Quan with one heartCh. 38 §39Ch. 38 §40
RHad Sun Quan serve Zhou Yu as an elder brother and entrusted Zhang Zhao with the affairs to comeWu 9 §22Wu 5 §6Wu 10 §47
NCharged Sun Quan to serve Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu with the courtesy due to teachersCh. 38 §40
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
- Wu · Records · Records vol. 50 「吳主權母也」
Family
| Spouse | Sun Jian Novel & History |
|---|---|
| Siblings | Wu Jing Novel & History, Dowager Wu Romance |
| Children | Sun Ce Novel & History, Sun Quan Novel & History, Sun Yi(孫翊) Novel & History, Lady Sun Records, Sun Kuang Novel & History |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (1)
- Sun Ce Slays Yu Ji in Anger Romance ch. 29 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).