RHad a name for good government as Inspector of Liang ProvinceWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated from the remark of his companion Shi Guangyuan declining that they knew nothing of governing the stateCh. 37 §31
Meng Jian 孟建
| Occupation | ROfficial · Inspector of Liang Province NScholar | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | Native place | Runan Commandery | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R8 |
Profile
Meng Jian was a man of Runan. After Wen Hui, Inspector of Liang Province of Wei, fell ill and died on his way to take up the post, Meng Jian became Inspector of Liang Province and gained a name for good government, and his career reached the office of General Who Conquers the East. Records, Wei 15 §64 · 66
He has no separate biography in the Records; there is only a single line appended to the end of the account of Wen Hui in the Biographies of Liu, Sima, Liang, Zhang, Wen and Jia, Records of Wei 15. In the Romance he appears only in Chapter 37, under the name 'Meng Gongwei of Runan', and his name is not in any chapter title. Sima Hui counts him among Zhuge Liang's four close friends, and when Liu Bei goes to visit the Sleeping Dragon for the second time, Meng Gongwei, together with Shi Guangyuan, meets Liu Bei at a wayside inn. Records, Wei 15 §65–66Romance, Ch. 37 §9 · 26 · 30–31
In the Records
Wen Hui, who after Emperor Wen's accession had served as Palace Attendant and Administrator of Wei Commandery, was transferred several years later to Inspector of Liang Province, granted the tally and given the concurrent post of Colonel Protector of the Qiang, but he fell ill on his way to take up the post and died. After Wen Hui's death, Meng Jian of Runan became Inspector of Liang Province; he had a name for good government, and his career reached the office of General Who Conquers the East. Records, Wei 15 §64 · 66
In his assessment for Records of Wei 15, Chen Shou said that since the end of the Han, inspectors had overseen several commanderies and carried out government in the provinces, and that the men of this volume were all praised and lived up to their names. The assessment does not single out Meng Jian, and Chen Shou's main text records neither Meng Jian's courtesy name nor any of his other deeds or his death. Records, Wei 15 §89 · 65–66
In the Romance
In Chapter 37 of the Romance, when Liu Bei asks what kind of man Zhuge Liang, recommended by Xu Shu, is, Sima Hui answers that Kongming is a close friend of four men: Cui Zhouping of Boling, Shi Guangyuan of Yingchuan, Meng Gongwei of Runan and Xu Yuanzhi. He says that these four devoted themselves to refining their learning to precision and purity, while Kongming alone grasped its broad outline, and that Kongming once pointed to the four and said that if they entered official service they could rise to be inspectors or commandery administrators. Romance, Ch. 37 §9–10
In the depth of winter, as Liu Bei goes through the snow with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to visit Kongming again, they hear someone singing in a wayside inn. When the two singers finish their songs, clap their hands and laugh aloud, Liu Bei wonders whether the Sleeping Dragon might be there and enters the inn. Of the two men sitting across from each other at a table, drinking, the one in the upper seat has a pale face and a long beard, and the one in the lower seat has a lean, unusual and old-fashioned appearance. Romance, Ch. 37 §26–27 · 29–30
The long-bearded man says, 'We are not the Sleeping Dragon; we are both friends of the Sleeping Dragon,' and introduces himself as Shi Guangyuan of Yingchuan and his companion as Meng Gongwei of Runan. When Liu Bei asks them to come with him to the Sleeping Dragon's farmstead and talk, Shi Guangyuan declines, saying that they are both idle men of the hills and fields who know nothing of governing the state and bringing peace to the people. Liu Bei takes leave of the two and heads for Wolong Ridge, and the Romance does not mention Meng Gongwei again after this. Romance, Ch. 37 §31–32
Where the Romance differs
Zhuge Liang's friend: In Chapter 37 of the Romance, Sima Hui counts Meng Gongwei among Zhuge Liang's four close friends. In Chen Shou's main text of the Biography of Zhuge Liang, the only friends named as accepting Zhuge Liang's comparison of himself with Guan Zhong and Yue Yi are Cui Zhouping of Boling and Xu Shu of Yingchuan, and Meng Jian does not appear. Romance, Ch. 37 §9Records, Shu 5 §3
The meeting at the inn: In Chapter 37 of the Romance, Liu Bei meets Shi Guangyuan and Meng Gongwei at an inn on his second visit to the Sleeping Dragon. The Biography of Zhuge Liang in the Records records only that Liu Bei went three times in all before he met Zhuge Liang, and there is no account of his meeting Zhuge Liang's friends on the way. Romance, Ch. 37 §30–31Records, Shu 5 §4
Name: The Romance calls him only 'Meng Gongwei of Runan'. Chen Shou's main text in the Records writes 'Meng Jian of Runan', and the name Gongwei does not appear. Romance, Ch. 37 §31Records, Wei 15 §66
Office: In Chapter 37 of the Romance, Meng Gongwei appears together with Shi Guangyuan, who calls them idle men of the hills and fields, and nothing of his later life appears. In the Records, Meng Jian became Inspector of Liang Province of Wei and gained a name for good government, and his career reached the office of General Who Conquers the East. Romance, Ch. 37 §31Records, Wei 15 §66
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 total441 / 1000Rank 407 of 996 · Top 41%Romance total407 / 1000Rank 477 of 1,113 · Top 43%
Romance adaptation index−34Romance total − Records total
- LEA4531−14
- STR3531−4
- INT4548+3
- POL6635−31
- CHA4540−5
- VIR4540−5
- ADP4052+12
- SCH4050+10
- DIP4040±0
- DIS4040±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as a scholar of the hills and fieldsCh. 37 §31
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NWas invited by Liu Bei together with Shi Guangyuan, but Shi Guangyuan declined, calling them idle men of the hills and fieldsCh. 37 §31
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as a scholar who kept company with Zhuge LiangCh. 37 §9
6 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as a scholar of the hills and fieldsCh. 37 §31
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as Zhuge Liang's close friendCh. 37 §9
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as Zhuge Liang's friendCh. 37 §9
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as Zhuge Liang's friendCh. 37 §9
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as Zhuge Liang's friendCh. 37 §9
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as Inspector of Liang Province and General Who Conquers the EastWei 15 §66
NNo direct record — estimated as Zhuge Liang's friendCh. 37 §9
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wei · Records · Records vol. 15 「汝南孟建爲涼州刺史」