Zhang Liang (c. 251 BC – 189 BC), courtesy name Zifang, was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. He is also known as one of the “Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty” (漢初三傑), along with Han Xin (韓信) and Xiao He. Zhang Liang contributed greatly to the establishment of the Han dynasty. After his death, he was honoured with the posthumous title “Marquis Wencheng” by Emperor Qianshao. Zhang Liang is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang. According to the Collection of Lost Records of Immortals (仙传拾遗), after Zhang Liang helped… establish the Han dynasty, he practiced self-cultivation using the book given to him by Huang Shigong. He refined his qi, stopped eating, and his body became light, ultimately ascending to heaven and becoming the Taixuan Tongzi. In the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West… the Dragon King of the East Sea… recounted, “At the end of the Qin dynasty, Zhang Liang encountered Huang Shigong on a bridge. To gauge his potential, Huang Shigong deliberately knocked off his shoe three times, each time falling beneath the bridge, testing Zhang Liang’s patience. Though tempted to anger, Zhang Liang maintained respect for the elder. Impressed by his diligence, Huang Shigong secretly imparted a heavenly book to him under the cover of night. This knowledge later enabled Zhang Liang to assist Liu Bang in establishing the Han dynasty. After achieving peace, Zhang Liang relinquished his position, retreated to the mountains, embraced the Daoist path, and ultimately attained immortality.” Concluding the tale, the Dragon King advised Sun Wukong, stating, “The Great Sage, if you do not protect Tang Sanzang and heed his guidance, you will not attain enlightenment and will remain merely a demon. Return to your master.” Moved by the story, Sun Wukong returned to Tang Sanzang’s side.
First Appearance Historical figure (b. 251 BCE – d. 189 BCE)
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Hereditary House of the Marquis of Liu (Zhang Liang) (Shiji 55) in Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian — primary biography (first circulated in manuscript 94 BCE, first extant printed edition 1171 CE); Hanshu (Book of Han) by Ban Gu — early imperial history with substantial references to Zhang Liang; One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Mount Ji Ming Moon (1886) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi — Ukito-e print; A Chinese Biographical Dictionary (1898) by Herbert A. Giles — concise early English bio entry “Chang Liang (張良)”; The History of the Former Han Dynasty (1938–1955) translated by Homer H. Dubs — scholarship on Han politics where Zhang Liang figures prominently.
Sample Read A Chinese Biographical Dictionary (1898) [Internet Archive]
Description Zhang Liang (c. 251 BC – 189 BC), courtesy name Zifang, was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. He is also known as one of the “Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty” (漢初三傑), along with Han Xin (韓信) and Xiao He. Zhang Liang contributed greatly to the establishment of the Han dynasty. After his death, he was honoured with the posthumous title “Marquis Wencheng” by Emperor Qianshao. Zhang Liang is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang. According to the Collection of Lost Records of Immortals (仙传拾遗), after Zhang Liang helped… establish the Han dynasty, he practiced self-cultivation using the book given to him by Huang Shigong. He refined his qi, stopped eating, and his body became light, ultimately ascending to heaven and becoming the Taixuan Tongzi. In the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West… the Dragon King of the East Sea… recounted, “At the end of the Qin dynasty, Zhang Liang encountered Huang Shigong on a bridge. To gauge his potential, Huang Shigong deliberately knocked off his shoe three times, each time falling beneath the bridge, testing Zhang Liang’s patience. Though tempted to anger, Zhang Liang maintained respect for the elder. Impressed by his diligence, Huang Shigong secretly imparted a heavenly book to him under the cover of night. This knowledge later enabled Zhang Liang to assist Liu Bang in establishing the Han dynasty. After achieving peace, Zhang Liang relinquished his position, retreated to the mountains, embraced the Daoist path, and ultimately attained immortality.” Concluding the tale, the Dragon King advised Sun Wukong, stating, “The Great Sage, if you do not protect Tang Sanzang and heed his guidance, you will not attain enlightenment and will remain merely a demon. Return to your master.” Moved by the story, Sun Wukong returned to Tang Sanzang’s side.
