Zhang Jiao
Encyclopedia
Zhang Jue was the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels
during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. He was said to be a follower of Taoism
and a sorcerer. His name is sometimes read as Zhang Jiao, since the Chinese character of Zhang's given name can be read as either "Jiao" or "Jue". "Jue" is the traditional reading, while "Jiao" is the modern one.
with his younger brothers Zhang Bao
and Zhang Liang
in a campaign called "The Way of Heaven" or "The Way of Peace". He and his brothers had their own power: Zhang Bao was the General of Land, and his brother General of the People; and Zhang Jue was the General of Heaven. The Yellow Turbans claimed to be Taoists, and rebelled against the Han in response to burdensome taxes, rampant corruption, and famine and flooding, which were seen as indications that the Han ruler had lost the mandate of heaven. They conquered much in the early years of the rebellion, but when the Han sent out a distress call, gaining the talent of people such as Liu Bei
, Cao Cao
and Sun Jian
, the lack of ability that his generals held clearly showed itself. Although the Yellow Turbans still remained somewhat capable even in face of their more powerful foe, they were nonetheless torn apart upon the death of their leader, Zhang Jue, and were ultimately quelled.
It is said that Zhang Jue is a grandson of Zhang Daoling
, founder of the Taoist sect Way of the Celestial Masters.
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
. He is introduced in chapter 1 as follows:
He then goes on to found the rebellion known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Little time is devoted to Zhang Jue in the book, and his death is given a line in the second chapter: "Zhang Jue had died before his (Huangfu Song
's) arrival."
Zhang Jue appears as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors
and Warriors Orochi
video games series. He is referred to as "Zhang Jiao" in the games.
Yellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, also translated as Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt that broke out in 184 AD in China during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty...
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...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. He was said to be a follower of Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
and a sorcerer. His name is sometimes read as Zhang Jiao, since the Chinese character of Zhang's given name can be read as either "Jiao" or "Jue". "Jue" is the traditional reading, while "Jiao" is the modern one.
Yellow Turban Rebellion
Giving himself the title of "Great Teacher", Zhang Jue led the Yellow Turban RebellionYellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, also translated as Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt that broke out in 184 AD in China during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty...
with his younger brothers Zhang Bao
Zhang Bao (Yellow Turban)
Zhang Bao was a Yellow Turban rebel leader during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a younger brother of Zhang Jiao and older brother of Zhang Liang, the other two key leaders of the rebellion...
and Zhang Liang
Zhang Liang (Yellow Turban)
Zhang Liang was a Yellow Turban rebel leader during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a younger brother of Zhang Jiao and Zhang Bao, the other two key leaders of the rebellion. He was said to be an able general. It is said that Zhang Liang is the grandson of Zhang Daoling...
in a campaign called "The Way of Heaven" or "The Way of Peace". He and his brothers had their own power: Zhang Bao was the General of Land, and his brother General of the People; and Zhang Jue was the General of Heaven. The Yellow Turbans claimed to be Taoists, and rebelled against the Han in response to burdensome taxes, rampant corruption, and famine and flooding, which were seen as indications that the Han ruler had lost the mandate of heaven. They conquered much in the early years of the rebellion, but when the Han sent out a distress call, gaining the talent of people such as 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...
, 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...
and Sun Jian
Sun Jian
Sun Jian was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power...
, the lack of ability that his generals held clearly showed itself. Although the Yellow Turbans still remained somewhat capable even in face of their more powerful foe, they were nonetheless torn apart upon the death of their leader, Zhang Jue, and were ultimately quelled.
It is said that Zhang Jue is a grandson of Zhang Daoling
Zhang Daoling
Zhang Ling , style name Fuhan , was an Eastern Han Dynasty Taoist hermit who founded the Way of the Celestial Masters sect of Taoism, which is also known as the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice....
, founder of the Taoist sect Way of the Celestial Masters.
In fiction
Zhang Jue is also featured in Luo GuanzhongLuo 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...
. He is introduced in chapter 1 as follows:
At that time, there lived three brothers in Julu Commandery: Zhang Jue, Zhang BaoZhang BaoZhang Bao may refer to:*Zhang Bao , a Yellow Turban rebel leader*Zhang Bao , son of Shu Han general Zhang Fei...
and Zhang LiangZhang LiangZhang Liang , style name Zifang , was a strategist and statesman of the early Han Dynasty. He is also known as one of the "Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty" , along with Han Xin and Xiao He...
. Zhang Jiao was a failure in the county level examinationImperial examinationThe Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
. He had gone into the mountains to gather some medicinal herbs, when he came across an old man; the old man had a youthful countenance, and was carrying a fat-henChenopodium albumChenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed...
walking stick. The old man beckoned Jue into a cave, presented him with a book in three volumes which had come from the heavens, then said, "This book is called The Essential Art of Great PeaceTaiping JingTaiping Jing is the name of several different Daoist texts. At least two works were known by this title:, Pinyin tiān guān lì bāo yuán tàipíng jīng, 12 Chapters, contents unknown, author: Gan Zhongke 甘忠可, Pinyin tàipíng qīng lǐng shū, 170 Chapters, only 57 of which survive via the Daozang,...
. Once you have mastered its contents, you will represent the heavens in spreading this knowledge, and thereby save all of mankind. If you start to have second thoughts, there will be terrible consequences for you." Jue enquired as to the old man's name. The old man said, "I am the old immortal spiritXian (Taoism)Xian is a Chinese word for an enlightened person, translatable in English as:*"spiritually immortal; transcendent; super-human; celestial being"...
from the southern lands." With that, the old man vanished into thin air. Upon receiving this book, Jue practiced night and day. Eventually, he could summon the wind and rain, and came to be known as the Great Peace Taoist. (WikisourceWikisourceWikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
translation)
He then goes on to found the rebellion known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Little time is devoted to Zhang Jue in the book, and his death is given a line in the second chapter: "Zhang Jue had died before his (Huangfu Song
Huangfu Song
Huangfu Song , style name Yizhen , was a military general of the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He is best known for helping to suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Liang Province Rebellion. He was one of three imperial commanders when the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, along...
's) arrival."
Modern references
Zhang Jue appears as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...
and Warriors Orochi
Warriors Orochi
, is a PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 hack and slash video game developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of two of Koei's popular video game series, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors...
video games series. He is referred to as "Zhang Jiao" in the games.