Diaochan | |
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First appearance | " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " |
Created by | Luo Guanzhong |
Based on | one of Dong Zhuo's Gējìs |
In-universe information | |
Significant other | Dong Zhuo Lü Bu |
Diaochan | |||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 貂蟬 | ||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 貂蝉 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Although based on a minor historical personage,she is mostly a fictional character. She is best known for her role in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms ,which romanticises the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. In the novel,she has a romance with the warrior LüBu and causes him to betray and kill his foster father,the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo. She was praised in tales as a woman of unrivaled beauty who did what no other hero in China was able to accomplish:put an end to Dong Zhuo's regime of terror and the eventual end of LǚBu;triggering the events that would lead to the formation of the Three Kingdoms:Cao Wei,Eastern Wu,and Shu Han.
Chinese historical records indicate that LüBu had a secret affair with one of Dong Zhuo's Gējì and he constantly feared that Dong Zhuo would find out. This was one of the reasons why he betrayed and assassinated Dong Zhuo in May 192. However,the Geji's name was not recorded. Luo Guanzhong described Diao Chan as a Geji who was very good at dancing in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". [1] [2] [3] The name "Diaochan" first appeared in Sanguozhi Pinghua as the courtesy name of LüBu's wife. A later zaju Duoji (now lost) explained the name,which literally means "sable cicada",as derived from the sable tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas which adorned the hats of high-ranking officials in the Eastern Han dynasty. [4]
In earlier stories,Diaochan was described as LüBu's wife who had been accidentally separated from LüBu during the political disorder and was unaware of the conspiracy against Dong Zhuo. Later stories removed this background and had her more actively participating in the scheme. Narrations about Diaochan's ultimate fate appeared in Yuan dynasty zaju. The titles of these lost works suggest Diaochan,viewed as a femme fatale ,was decapitated by Guan Yu after LüBu's death,which was inherited by some of later Ming or Qing operas featuring Diaochan. [4]
In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms ,Diaochan assists the official Wang Yun in a plot to persuade LüBu to kill his foster father,the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo. Wang Yun presents her to Dong Zhuo as a concubine,but also betrothes her to LüBu at the same time. Diaochan uses her beauty to turn Dong Zhuo and LüBu against each other by inciting jealousy between them.
While Dong Zhuo is out one day,LüBu sneaks into his bedroom in the hope of seeing Diaochan. Diaochan pretends to be very upset and attempts suicide by throwing herself into the pond,saying that she is ashamed to see LüBu because she had been violated by Dong Zhuo. LüBu is heartbroken and promises that he will not let her suffer further at the hands of Dong Zhuo. Just then,Dong Zhuo returns and sees them embracing each other. As LüBu flees,Dong Zhuo chases him and hurls a spear at him,but misses. On the way,Dong Zhuo meets his adviser,Li Ru,who suggests to him to let LüBu have Diaochan,so as to win LüBu's trust. Dong Zhuo goes back to Diaochan later and accuses her of betraying his love,saying that he intends to present her to LüBu. Diaochan replies indignantly that LüBu embraced her against her will and attempts suicide to "prove her love" for Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo is moved and dismisses the idea of relinquishing her.
LüBu is outraged and goes to Wang Yun's house to vent his frustration. Wang Yun then uses the opportunity to instigate LüBu to join the plot to kill Dong Zhuo. LüBu kills Dong Zhuo when the latter shows up at a ceremony for Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne to him;the ceremony is actually a trap set by Wang Yun and LüBu. After Dong Zhuo's death,LüBu marries Diaochan and flees Chang'an with her when he is defeated by Dong Zhuo's former followers.
In the later novel,Diaochan has only a cameo in the Battle of Xiapi,and is not mentioned again thereafter.
In one folktale,Diaochan is captured by Cao Cao after the Battle of Xiapi. Cao Cao presents her to Guan Yu in the hope of winning Guan Yu's loyalty. Guan Yu,however,suspects that he is being tricked when he recalls how Diaochan had betrayed LüBu and Dong Zhuo. He kills her to prevent her from doing further harm.[ citation needed ] In another tale,Liu Bei,Guan Yu and Zhang Fei all want to marry Diaochan,and they argue bitterly over the issue. Guan Yu kills her to end the dispute.[ citation needed ]
In the Yuan dynasty play Lianhuan Ji (連環計),Diaochan is said to be the daughter of Ren Ang (任昂),and her real name is Ren Hongchang (任紅昌). She is in charge of taking care of the Sable Cicada Hat (貂蟬冠),so she becomes known as "Diaochan" (literally "sable cicada"). She is introduced to Guan Yu by Zhang Fei after LüBu's death. Instead of accepting her as the spoils of war,Guan Yu decapitates her with his sword. This event is not mentioned in historical records or the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms,but is propagated through mass media such as operas and storytelling. [5]
Diaochan's eventual fate differs in various accounts:some said that she is killed by Dong Zhuo's followers,along with Wang Yun,after LüBu escapes;others claim that she follows LüBu while he roams around with his forces. In some adaptations of the novel,Diaochan and LüBu were executed after LüBu's defeat at the Battle of Xiapi or killed herself after Cao Cao took a liking to her.
Diaochan appears a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors , Aura Kingdom and Warriors Orochi video game series. In the video game Wo Long:Fallen Dynasty ,Diao Chan is the fake identity of sorceress Hong Jing. She also appears in the manga series Souten Kouro . In the card game Magic:The Gathering ,there is a Legendary Creature card called "Diaochan,Artful Beauty". [6] Similarly,Diaochan appears as an alternate skin for the rogue class in the card game Hearthstone ,titled Diao Chan Valeera. She also appears as a character in Total War:Three Kingdoms . Diaochan is a playable character in the Mobile/PC Game Rise of Kingdoms.
Notable actresses who have portrayed Diaochan in films and television series include:Violet Koo in Diao Chan (1938);Lin Dai in Diao Chan (1958); [7] Nina Li in The Beauty Diu Sim (1987);Chen Hong in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994);Irene Chiu in Guan Gong (1996);Chen Hao in Three Kingdoms (2010);Gulnazar in God of War,Zhao Yun (2016) and Dynasty Warriors (2019).
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history,starting in 184 AD and ending with the reunification of the land in 280 by the Western Jin. The novel is based primarily on the Records of the Three Kingdoms,written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century.
LüBu,courtesy name Fengxian,was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan,he betrayed and murdered Ding Yuan and defected to Dong Zhuo,the warlord who controlled the Han central government in the early 190s. In 192,he turned against Dong Zhuo and killed him after being instigated by Wang Yun and Shisun Rui,but was later defeated and driven away by Dong Zhuo's followers.
Zhang Fei,courtesy name Yide,was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu,who were among the earliest to join Liu Bei,shared a brotherly relationship with their lord and accompanied him on most of his early exploits. Zhang Fei fought in various battles on Liu Bei's side,including the Red Cliffs campaign (208–209),takeover of Yi Province (212–214),and Hanzhong Campaign (217–218). He was assassinated by his subordinates in 221 after serving for only a few months in the state of Shu Han,which was founded by Liu Bei earlier that year.
Dong Zhuo,courtesy name Zhongying,was a Chinese military general,politician,and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han,Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minister of the imperial government. Originally from Liang Province,Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial capital Luoyang in 189 when it entered a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling of Han and a massacre of the eunuch faction by the court officials led by General-in-Chief He Jin.
Hua Xiong was a military general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
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Wang Yun,courtesy name Zishi,was a Chinese politician and official who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He served in the Han government through the reigns of three emperors –Emperor Ling,Emperor Shao and Emperor Xian. The highest offices he served in were Manager of the Affairs of the Masters of Writing and Minister over the Masses in the early reign of Emperor Xian. In 192,with help from the general LüBu and others,he plotted a successful coup in Chang'an against Dong Zhuo,a tyrannical warlord and regent who controlled the Han central government,and assassinated him. However,later that year,Dong Zhuo's followers staged a counter-coup and seized back control of the central government in Chang'an. Wang Yun,along with his family members,was captured and executed.
The Red Hare or Chi Tu was a famous horse owned by the warlord LüBu,who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
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Lady Mi (fl.190s) was a younger sister of Liu Bei's subordinate Mi Zhu who arranged a marriage between her and Liu Bei after Liu Bei's wife or wives and children had been captured by LüBu in 196. Though information on her life is scarce,she is mostly remembered for sacrificing her life in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms at the Battle of Changban to assure that Zhao Yun and the infant Liu Shan are safe from their pursuers.
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Diao Chan is a 1938 Chinese sound film directed by Bu Wancang and produced by Zhang Shankun's Xinhua Film Company. The film is a portrayal of one of the "Four Beauties" of ancient China,in this case the titular Diaochan,from the late Eastern Han Dynasty era. Like Diaochan,the film is also known by the literal translation of her name,the Sable Cicada.
K.O. 3an Guo is a Taiwanese television series starring George Hu,Xiu,Kirsten Ren,and three out of four members of Fahrenheit as special guests,who starred in the prequels. The title is pronounced as K.O.-san-guo. It is the third installment of the Zhong Ji series;preceded by KO One and The X-Family. This series is a spoof of the 14th century Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.
Guan Gong is a Taiwanese television series based on the life of Guan Yu and parts of the 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong,while incorporating some elements of fantasy and Chinese mythology as well. The series was first broadcast in Taiwan on CTS from 31 July to 15 October in 1996.
Qin Yilu was a military officer who served under the general and warlord LüBu in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Allowing for variant writing in the records,Qin Yilu was probably the same person as two others named Qin Yi.
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