Character Profile: Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮
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| Name Hanzi: 諸葛亮 |
| Pronunciation: Juke Lyang |
| Wade-Giles Spelling: Chuko Liang |
| Japanese Name: Shokatsuryou |
| Style Name: Kongming |
| Allegiance: Shu |
| Lifespan: 181-234 A.D. |
| Relations: father (Zhuge Gui) brothers (Zhuge Jun, Zhuge Jin) wife (Yue Ying) son (Zhuge Zhan) grandson (Zhuge Shang) |
This profile is a few years old. It will be re-written when I reach this character's death in my novel notes.
Zhuge Liang was the brilliant advisor to Liu Bei, who held together Shu even after Liu Bei passed away. The "greatest sage of the day", in Liu Bei's words, Zhuge Liang was a master at strategy and politics.
Zhuge Liang was orphaned while still a child and was raised by an uncle, who was a governor in southern China. After his uncle died, he became a farmer. His genius was not recognized until Liu Bei heard of Kongming's great talents and paid him three visits. Liu Bei begged Zhuge Liang to join him in uniting China after hearing of his great ability, and the "Sleeping Dragon", as he was known, devoted himself utterly to Shu's cause to his very last moments.
Humble, refined, courteous, diligent, careful and completely devoted, Zhuge Liang is one of the greatest minds of the period. In the end he worked himself to death and sadly never achieved Liu Bei's dream of uniting China, leaving his rival Sima Yi's offspring to create the Jin Dynasty.
Last updated: 17 April 2008.