Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon"

"Such a lord as this-all virtues' height-Had never been, nor ever was again."

Zhuge Liang (Chinese: 諸葛亮; pinyin: Zhūgě Liàng , 181–234) was Chancellor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era.

Often depicted wearing a robe and holding a fan made of crane feathers , Zhuge was not only an important military strategist and statesman ; he was also an accomplished scholar and inventor. His reputation as an intelligent and learned person grew even while he was living in relative seclusion, gaining him the nickname "Fúlóng" (伏龍, alternatively translated as "Hidden Dragon").

Zhuge is an uncommon two-character compound family name. His name – even his surname alone – has become synonymous with intelligence and tactics in Chinese culture.

Early life

Zhuge Liang was born in Yangdu County (陽都) in Langya Commandery (琅琊) , at present-day Yinan County (沂南) , Shandong Province. He was the second of three brothers and was orphaned early on ; his mother died when he was nine , and his father when he was twelve. His uncle raised him and his siblings. When Cao Cao invaded Shandong in 195 , his family was forced to flee south , and his uncle soon died of illness.

Although both his sisters married into important families with numerous connections in the area , for ten years he resided in Longzhong Commandery (隆中 ; in present-day Hubei province) with his brothers Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Jun (諸葛均) in a simple peasant life – farming by day and studying by night.

He developed friendships among the local intelligentsia. His reputation soon grew , and he was named the Crouching (or Sleeping) Dragon , an indication that he was viewed as wise among his peers in many areas. Meanwhile , he married the daughter of another renowned scholar Huang Chengyan , whose wife was the sister of Lady Cai , wife of the warlord Liu Biao, and sister of Cai Mao, one of Liu Biao's most powerful generals. Zhuge Liang's wife's name is rumored to be Huang Yueying. The Huang family was also connected to several other well established clans in the region.

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