Traditional Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin
Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu and Diaochan
吕布与貂蝉
Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu and Diaochan (吕布与貂蝉, Lǚ Bù yǔ Diāochán) is a story from Three Kingdoms, the Chinese classic by Luo Guanzhong, retold in simple Mandarin as a 6-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 3 (Intermediate).
Retold from Luo Guanzhong's classic novel: the greatest warrior in the land, a fire-red horse, and a clever plan to make a tyrant and his adopted son turn on each other.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — A warm storyteller who tells this old tale of horses, halberds and a clever plan.
- Lu Bu · 吕布 — The greatest warrior in the land: proud, fierce and easy to tempt.
- Dong Zhuo · 董卓 — A greedy, booming warlord with a huge belly and a huge appetite for power.
- Li Su · 李肃 — A smooth-talking envoy who knows exactly what tempts a man.
- Wang Yun · 王允 — A tired old minister who finds one last clever plan.
- Diaochan · 貂蝉 — A brave, quick-witted young woman who plays the hardest part in the plan.
- Young Cao Cao · 曹操 — A daring young official who tries to stop Dong Zhuo with a hidden sword.
- Liu Bei · 刘备 — The kind eldest brother who would rather clear a road than hurt a man.
- Guan Yu · 关羽 — A red-faced, long-bearded warrior who is calm, dry and loyal.
- Zhang Fei · 张飞 — A loud, laughing warrior with a wild beard and the biggest voice around.
6 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Horse Red Hare
赤兔马
A gift horse as red as fire tempts the greatest warrior in the land. What will Lu Bu give up to keep it?
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Chapter 2: The Gift Sword
送给董卓的剑
A young official walks into Dong Zhuo's room with a sword hidden in his sleeve. One look in a mirror could end everything.
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Chapter 3: Three Against One
三个打一个
At Hulao Gate, Lu Bu finally meets a warrior who will not fall. Then his brothers arrive. Far away, a tired old minister cannot sleep.
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Chapter 4: The First Ring
第一环
Wang Yun and Diaochan build a secret plan out of a single promise. When Lu Bu comes to dinner, the plan begins to turn.
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Chapter 5: Two Promises
两个约定
One girl, two promises. Dong Zhuo takes what he wants at Wang Yun's dinner, and Lu Bu hears the news the next day.
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Chapter 6: Phoenix Pavilion
凤仪亭
Lu Bu and Diaochan meet by a pond under the flowers, until a heavy footstep stops them. Then the last ring turns.
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Key words in Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu and Diaochan
Behind the story
This story comes from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义), the great Chinese novel by Luo Guanzhong (罗贯中) written about 600 years ago. It is set at the end of the Han dynasty, when warlords fought for power. Lu Bu (吕布), the best fighter of his day, is one of its most famous figures, and Chinese readers still say there is no man like Lu Bu and no horse like Red Hare (赤兔马).
The clever plan in this book is called the chain scheme (连环计): one ring after another, until the tyrant's own friends turn on him. Diaochan (貂蝉) is usually seen as a made-up character, and she is counted among the Four Great Beauties of ancient China. The scenes at Hulao Gate (虎牢关) and Phoenix Pavilion (凤仪亭) are staged again and again in Chinese opera.
Did you know?
- The novel mixes real history with legend, so many famous scenes were added or grown by storytellers.
- Red Hare is the most famous horse in Chinese stories. Later in the novel it goes on to serve another hero, Guan Yu.
- Wang Yun (王允) in this story was a real minister of the Han court.