Sun Qian style name

Chinese style name

A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...

 Gongyou (公祐), was an advisor and emissary to the warlord Liu Bei

Liu Bei

Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...

 during the late Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

 of China. He originally served Tao Qian, the Governor of Xu Province, together with Mi Zhu

Mi Zhu

Mi Zhu was an advisor to the warlord Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also Liu's brother-in-law, as his sister, Lady Mi, married Liu. He was the older brother of Mi Fang, who served Liu Bei as well until his defection to Sun Quan's side in 219...

, Mi Fang

Mi Fang

Mi Fang was an official serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was also the younger brother of Mi Zhu, who also served Liu Bei. In 219, Mi Fang surrendered to Sun Quan, directly resulting in the loss of Jing Province and the...

 and Cao Bao

Cao Bao

Cao Bao was a vassal serving under the warlord Tao Qian during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. At one time when Cao Cao invaded Xu Province, Cao Bao met Xiahou Dun for a duel but ended up being forced to retreat by powerful gale. Cao Bao then later went on to serve under Liu...

. After the death of Tao Qian and Xu Province's governorship was passed to Liu Bei, Sun Qian and his colleagues served Liu Bei from then on. During his servitude to Liu Bei, he acted as an advisor and sometimes as an emissary, or on rare occasion as a commander during war.

During Liu Bei's flight at the Battle of Changban

Battle of Changban

The Battle of Changban was a battle fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in 208 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

, he bravely defended the eastern road to the Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

. When Liu Bei established his footing in Yi Province in 214, Sun Qian was awarded a position almost higher than Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....

 due to his long years of serving Liu Bei. He died soon afterwards.

Liu Bei was known to have admired Sun Qian's knowledge, but as he told Zhuge Liang at one point, "Sun Qian and Mi Zhu are intelligent and capable ministers, but their skills are learned from books alone, and they lack real life experience about people."

In fiction

In Luo Guanzhong

Luo Guanzhong

Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...

's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...

, when Liu Bei had just lost his territory Runan after a badly planned attack on Cao Cao

Cao Cao

Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...

, it was Sun Qian's suggestion to seek refuge at Liu Biao

Liu Biao

Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...

's Jing Province. Liu Bei liked the idea and thus he sent Sun Qian to do the negotiation with Liu Biao. When Sun Qian successfully talked Liu Biao into helping Liu Bei, Liu Biao's general and also his brother in law Cai Mao

Cai Mao

Cai Mao was a military general specializing in naval warfare during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He was from Xiangyang in Jing Province and originally served the warlord Liu Biao before joining Cao Cao's forces. He gained his status when his sister married Liu Biao.Cai Mao initially...

was afraid that keeping Liu Bei would only anger Cao Cao, and he made a suggestion to kill Sun Qian and hand over Liu Bei to Cao Cao. However Sun Qian became enraged upon hearing those words and shouted that he wasn't afraid to die and that his lord Liu Bei was fighting a just cause to restore the Han Dynasty. Instead he threatened Cai Mao by saying that he would bring dishonour to himself and his future generation as a coward throughout history. Liu Biao became angry and dismissed Cai Mao and continued his negotiation with Sun Qian in which he granted Liu Bei a small county to stay in.