Guan Yu as the God of War, painted by Hokusai

CIVILIZATION DOSSIER

Guan Yu关羽

Shu HanHistory × Fiction

Swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden, wielded the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and slew Cheng Yuanzhi.

DIRECT FIGURES
51
RELATION RECORDS
91
SOURCE WORKS
7

Guan Yu, Chinese God of War · 1800–1849 · An Edo-period deified image, not a Three Kingdoms portrait · Katsushika Hokusai · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain

RELATIONSHIP COMPASS

Guan Yu, and the people around them.

Open one chapter at a time. Each chapter gives the relationship first, then the source text behind it.

01
MENTORSHIP

Mentorship

Teachers, disciples and transmission

1 figure · 1 record
02
KINSHIP

Kinship

Blood, marriage and sworn bonds

3 figures · 5 records
03
ALLEGIANCE

Allegiance

Rulers, appointments and allegiance

5 figures · 7 records
2 more in the complete record
04
CONFLICT

Conflict

Battles, captures and defeat

14 figures · 20 records
11 more in the complete record
05
THE UNSEEN

Mythic acts

Transformation, aid and divine punishment

5 figures · 7 records
3 more in the complete record

12 key relationships are shown here. The complete record remains below.

FeatureGuan Yu: From Historical General to Literary DeityGuan Yu did not move from chronicle to altar in a single step. Records of the Three Kingdoms records his victories, choices and defeat; Romance of the Three Kingdoms rearranges that material and, in Chapter 77, lets his spirit manifest at Mount Yuquan. This feature compares what those two texts do. It does not use the novel as history or reduce the much larger history of Guan worship to one literary episode.FeatureFact vs Fiction in the Three Kingdoms: Records of the Three Kingdoms vs. Romance of the Three KingdomsThe 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms shaped the iconic figures of the Three Kingdoms era (220–280 AD), yet literary embellishment departs significantly from historical reality. Author Luo Guanzhong drew upon Chen Shou's 3rd-century Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei Songzhi's historical commentary, while blending folklore and folk theater into a sweeping artistic reimagining. Many beloved scenes and character portrayals do not reflect historical fact. Grounded in primary historical texts, this article compares official records with romanticized fiction to untangle the narrative framing behind the exalting of Liu Bei and depreciating of Cao Cao, uncovering the true historical identities of figures like Guan Yu, Zhou Yu, and Lu Su.

In history · Records of the Three Kingdoms · History of Song

A famous general of Shu Han, guarded Jingzhou, and was captured and killed by Lü Meng.

In fiction · Romance of the Three Kingdoms · Book of the Later Han · Extensive Records of the Taiping Era · New Book of Tang · The Story of Yue Fei

Swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden, wielded the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and slew Cheng Yuanzhi. Sworn brother of Liu Bei, participated in quelling rebellions. Sworn brother of Liu Bei, slew Hua Xiong.

Across source works

How this figure changes across texts

Works are shown side by side, not as a chronology. No influence between texts is inferred.

  1. Official history

    Book of the Later Han

    1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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  2. 54 profile notes
    37 relations72 verified quotations
    • Guan Yusurrender generalCao Cao
    • Cao Caowant surrenderGuan Yu
    • Cao Caotreat generouslyGuan Yu
    • Cao Caogive horseGuan Yu
    Verified original text · 72
    1. 吾今只降汉帝,不降曹操

      surrender general · Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ch. 25

    2. 即写书一封,辞谢曹操

      bid farewell · Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ch. 26

    70 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

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  3. 43 profile notes
    15 relations27 verified quotations
    • Guan Yusurrender generalCao Cao
    • Cao Caowant surrenderGuan Yu
    • Guan Yusworn brothersLiu Bei
    • Liu Beiruler-subjectGuan Yu
    Verified original text · 27
    1. 曹公禽羽以归,拜为偏将军,礼之甚厚

      receive favor · Records of the Three Kingdoms, 蜀书·关张马黄赵传

    2. 并禽关羽以归

      catch · Records of the Three Kingdoms, 蜀书·先主传

    25 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

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  4. Literature / legend

    The Story of Yue Fei

    1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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  5. Official history

    History of Song

    2 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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  6. 1 profile notes
    1 relations1 verified quotations
    • Guan YucolleagueZhang Fei
    Verified original text · 1
    1. 二将俱不得其中,亦不得其死。

      colleague · Extensive Records of the Taiping Era, 将帅一

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  7. Official history

    New Book of Tang

    1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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History vs. fiction

In official history, he was a famed general of Shu Han who shook the realm, while in the novel he is portrayed as the peerless warrior and paragon of loyalty, the Saintly Emperor Guan.

Relationship network

36 figures · 269 links
Guan YuGuan YuCao CaoCao CaoLiu BeiLiu BeiSun QuanSun QuanZhuge LiangZhuge LiangYuan ShuYuan ShuZhang FeiZhang FeiMa ChaoMa ChaoZhou YuZhou YuEmperor Xian of HanEmperor Xian of HanZhang LiaoZhang LiaoLu XunLu MengXiahou DunCao RenXu HuangLu SuZhuge JinGan NingHuang ZhongYu JinMeng DaLiao HuaLiu FengZhu RanPan ZhangSun QianHua TuoGuan XingYu FanMan ChongJiang JiPang DeJiang QinZhang BaoMi Fang
historyliteraturedual
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Sources: Records of the Three Kingdoms, 吴书·吴主传; Romance of the Three Kingdoms, ch. 1; Book of the Later Han, 袁绍刘表列传上; Extensive Records of the Taiping Era, 将帅一; History of Song, 朱倬王纶尹穑王之望徐俯沈与求翟汝文王庶辛炳传; New Book of Tang, 礼乐志五; The Story of Yue Fei, 第九回; Records of the Three Kingdoms, 吴书·吴范刘惇赵达传

This page was extracted from classical texts with AI assistance and revised; errors remain possible. Spotted a mistake? Tell us →

Compiled with AI assistance from public-domain texts; for cultural reference. Mythological accounts vary — corrections welcome.