Quick Answer: What Is the Sanguozhi?
The Sanguozhi (三国志, Sānguózhì), usually called Records of the Three Kingdoms or Records of the Three States, is Chen Shou’s (陈寿, Chén Shòu) history of Wei (魏, Wèi), Shu (蜀, Shǔ) and Wu (吴, Wú). It is a historical work, distinct from the later novel.[5]
- Structure: Sixty-five juan (卷, juàn): thirty for Wei, fifteen for Shu and twenty for Wu.[1]
- Second major layer: Pei Songzhi (裴松之, Péi Sōngzhī) added extensive source quotations, supplements and judgments.[2]
- Best starting point: Read one biography while keeping the main text, quoted material and commentary distinguishable.
The book is not a single chronological adventure story. Events and people must often be followed across more than one entry.
A familiar Three Kingdoms episode can look different when its main narrative, alternative accounts and the commentator’s judgment are printed together. The Sanguozhi rewards that slower reading: the question is not only what happened, but which writer reports it and on what grounds.
Chen Shou and the Three-Part Structure
Chen Shou compiled the history under the Jin dynasty (晋朝, Jìn Cháo). The work later became one of the Twenty-Four Histories (二十四史, Èrshísì Shǐ). That status identifies its place in the historical canon; it does not make every statement independent of selection or interpretation.[5]
Keep the three books and their numbering in view:[1]
| Book | Overall juan numbers | Navigation clue |
|---|---|---|
| Wei | 1–30 | Thirty juan; begins with imperial annals. |
| Shu | 31–45 | Fifteen juan; includes the rulers and their officials. |
| Wu | 46–65 | Twenty juan; includes rulers, families and officials. |
The contents give Wei’s rulers annalistic headings, while Liu Bei (刘备, Liú Bèi) appears as the Former Lord in the Shu book. Such titles are part of the work’s political framing. They should be noticed rather than silently replaced with identical modern labels for all three states.[1]
For orientation before reading, use the Three Kingdoms period overview. Then return to the book’s actual entries: one juan may collect several biographies, and one event may appear from more than one person’s perspective.
What Pei Songzhi Adds: The Three Visits as a Test Case
Pei’s submission memorial, dated 429 under the Liu Song (刘宋, Liú Sòng), explains his task. He supplements omissions, preserves differing accounts when uncertainty remains, corrects what he considers clear errors and adds criticism of his own. A quotation in his notes therefore does not automatically carry his approval.[2]
The biography of Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮, Zhūgě Liàng), juan 35, provides a compact example. Chen’s narrative says Liu Bei gained an audience on his third visit. Pei then quotes a different account from the Wei Lue (魏略, Wèi Lüè): Zhuge Liang went to Liu Bei. He notes a similar version in the Jiuzhou Chunqiu (九州春秋, Jiǔzhōu Chūnqiū).[3]
Pei does not merely place the versions side by side. He argues against the second by citing Zhuge Liang’s memorial, which speaks of Liu Bei visiting him three times. The note preserves an alternative and shows the commentator’s reason for rejecting it.[3]
This is a method for reading a disagreement, not a guarantee that every detail of a narrated conversation is recoverable word for word. Ask what each witness establishes and how the commentator weighs it.
Biographies, Loyalty and Historical Judgment
Juan 36’s account of Guan Yu (关羽, Guān Yǔ) recounts his wish to return to Liu Bei after serving Cao Cao (曹操, Cáo Cāo). Guan Yu seeks to repay Cao Cao’s favor before leaving. When he departs, Cao Cao prevents pursuit. Pei explicitly praises Cao Cao’s conduct in allowing that loyalty to be fulfilled.[4]
The example shows Pei recognizing conduct across political camps. It remains a selected narrative with an evaluative purpose.
The final assessment in juan 35 similarly distinguishes qualities. Chen praises Zhuge Liang’s administrative ability and fairness, then questions whether adaptable battlefield strategy was his strongest talent. Separate that assessment from the life narrative and from other judgments quoted in the annotations.[3]
Look for the criterion behind the verdict: loyalty, competence, consistency of reward and punishment, or military achievement. “The historian admired him” is less informative than identifying precisely what is praised and what is qualified.
Sanguozhi and Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The later Romance of the Three Kingdoms, or Sanguo Yanyi (三国演义, Sānguó Yǎnyì), is associated with Luo Guanzhong (罗贯中, Luó Guànzhōng). It draws on historical accounts and commentary while reshaping material into a novel. It is not a translation of Chen Shou’s history.[7]
Keep these reading levels separate:
| Textual level | What to identify |
|---|---|
| Chen Shou’s history | The main annalistic and biographical narrative. |
| Pei Songzhi’s commentary | Additional sources, disagreements, corrections and judgments. |
| The later novel | A literary reworking of the Three Kingdoms story. |
When checking a remembered scene, ask where it is attested. Finding something in a quoted annotation is different from finding it in Chen’s main narrative. Finding it only in a later retelling is a different result again.
How to Start Reading and Choose an English Edition
- Choose one entry: Start with juan 35 or 36 and record both the overall number and the book-specific number. Juan 35 is also Shu book 5.
- Mark the speakers: Separate Chen’s narrative from a named work quoted in the annotation and from Pei’s own judgment.
- Compare a precise claim: Trace one meeting, departure or assessment, retaining its source and uncertainty instead of merging all versions into a seamless story.
Robert Joe Cutter and William G. Crowell’s Empresses and Consorts, published in 1999, offers English selections from the history with Pei’s commentary. Its translated chapters are juan 5, 34 and 50, covering consorts and related royal family material. It therefore provides a specific route into annotated reading rather than a translation of all sixty-five juan.[6]
When selecting another edition, check its chapter coverage and whether it includes the commentary. “Three Kingdoms” in an English title alone does not identify the historical work, the novel or the extent of the translation.
FAQs About the Sanguozhi
Is the Sanguozhi the same as Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
No. The Sanguozhi is the historical work compiled by Chen Shou; the later novel draws on historical and other material to create a literary narrative.
Does Pei Songzhi’s commentary add more numbered chapters?
The received history still has sixty-five numbered juan. Pei adds material within and around those entries; the annotation is not another set of sixty-five numbered chapters.
Is the Sanguozhi an unbiased record?
It is historical evidence whose titles, selections and assessments reflect interpretive choices. Pei’s notes add other voices, which also require evaluation rather than automatic acceptance.
Sources
[1] Public-domain Chinese contents and later catalogue notice. Sanguozhi: contents of the Wei, Shu and Wu books
[2] Public-domain Chinese text with Pei Songzhi’s annotations. Pei Songzhi: memorial submitting the Sanguozhi commentary
[3] Public-domain Chinese text with Pei Songzhi’s annotations. Sanguozhi, juan 35: Zhuge Liang
[4] Public-domain Chinese text with Pei Songzhi’s annotations. Sanguozhi, juan 36: Guan Yu and fellow generals
[5] Ministry of Education, Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary. Sanguozhi: author, divisions and place among the histories
[6] Robert Joe Cutter and William G. Crowell, University of Hawai‘i Press. Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou’s Records of the Three States with Pei Songzhi’s Commentary (1999)
[7] Ministry of Education, Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary. Sanguo Yanyi: the later historical novel