Shi Xiu
| Shi Xiu | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Daredevil Third Brother" 拚命三郎 |
| Rank | 33rd, Wisdom Star (天慧星) of the 36 Heavenly Spirits |
| Infantry leader of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Firewood seller from Jizhou (present-day Ji County, Tianjin) |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Jiankang Prefecture, Jinling (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu) |
| First appearance | Chapter 44 |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 石秀 |
| Traditional Chinese | 石秀 |
| Pinyin | Shí Xiù |
| Wade–Giles | Shih Hsiu |
Shi Xiu is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 33rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Daredevil Third Brother".
Shi Xiu's ancestors are from Jiankang Prefecture (建康府), Jinling (金陵), which is in present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu. He travels with his uncle to trade. When his uncle dies, Shi Xiu makes a huge loss from the business. He has no money to travel home and wanders around for some time before arriving in Jizhou (薊州; present-day Ji County, Tianjin), where he earns a living by selling firewood. As a child, Shi Xiu has been well-trained in martial arts. He is brave, daring, and has a strong sense of righteousness and justice. He always helps those who are oppressed or in need and even risks his life to do that sometimes. He is thus nicknamed "Daredevil Third Brother".
However, Shi Xiu's nickname does not personify him fully. Besides being humble, he is also witty and sharp. During the battle between the outlaws from Liangshan Marsh and forces from the Zhu Family Village, Shi Xiu acts as a spy for Liangshan and evades capture from the enemy. He disguises himself as a firewood seller and persuades an old man into telling him about the traps set by the enemy. He reports the traps to Liangshan forces and leads them out of the danger zone safely. He rescues that old man after the battle.
One day in Jizhou, Shi Xiu chances upon a gang of hooligans who are cornering Yang Xiong. He dislikes people who bully others in numbers and he helps Yang Xiong fend off the hooligans. They feel a special affinity for each other and thus become sworn brothers. Yang Xiong brings Shi Xiu home and lets Shi work in his butcher stall.
Shi Xiu discovers Pan Qiaoyun (Yang Xiong's wife)'s extramarital affair with a monk called Pei Ruhai. He informs Yang Xiong about it and Yang questions his wife. Pan Qiaoyun accuses Shi Xiu of molesting her instead and Yang Xiong believes his wife instead and drives Shi away in anger. Shi Xiu is unhappy and he is determined to reveal the truth to Yang Xiong. He ambushes Pei Ruhai and kills him and shows Yang Xiong the monk's dead body. Yang Xiong brings his wife to Mount Cuiping (翠屏山; in present-day Jizhou, Hengshui, Hebei) and interrogates her. Pan Qiaoyun confesses her affair after seeing that her lover is dead. Yang Xiong kills his wife and decides to travel with Shi to Liangshan Marsh to join the outlaw band there.
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