Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei
A Qing dynasty illustration of Zhang Fei
General of Shu Han
Born	(Unknown)
Died	221
Names
Traditional Chinese	張飛
Simplified Chinese	张飞
Pinyin	Zhāng Fēi
Wade–Giles	Chang1 Fei1
Courtesy name	Yide (Chinese: 益德; pinyin: Yìdé)
Posthumous name	Marquis Huan (Chinese: 桓侯)

Zhang Fei
"Zhang Fei" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Chinese	張飛>
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin IPA [ʈʂáŋ féi] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jēung Fēi Jyutping Zoeng1 Fei1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tiun Hui Tâi-lô Tiunn Hui

Zhang Fei (died 221),courtesy name Yide, was a military general who served under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, who were among the earliest to join Liu Bei, shared a brotherly relationship with their lord and accompanied him on most of his early exploits. Zhang Fei fought in various battles for Liu Bei, including the Red Cliffs campaign (208–209), Liu Bei's takeover of Yi Province (212–214), and the Hanzhong Campaign (217–218). He was assassinated by his subordinates in 221 after serving for only a few months in the state of Shu Han, which was founded by Liu Bei earlier that year.

Zhang Fei is one of the major characters in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which dramatises and romanticises the events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. In the novel, Zhang Fei became sworn brothers with Liu Bei and Guan Yu in the fictional Oath of the Peach Garden at the start of the novel and remained faithful to their oath until his death.

Zhang Fei was from Zhuo Commandery (涿郡), which is in present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei. In the 180s, towards the end of the Han dynasty, he and Guan Yu became Liu Bei's followers. As Guan Yu was many years older than Zhang Fei, Zhang regarded him as an elder brother. When Liu Bei was later appointed as the Chancellor (相) of Pingyuan (平原; present-day Pingyuan County, Dezhou, Shandong) by the Han imperial court, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu served as Majors of Separate Command (別部司馬) under him. The three of them shared a brotherly-like relationship, to the point of sharing the same room. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu also stood guard beside Liu Bei when he sat down at meetings. They followed him on his exploits and protected him from danger.