Guan Yu
Chinese general serving warlord Liu Bei (160-220)

Guan Yu ([kwán ỳ] ; d. January or February 220), courtesy name Yunchang, was a military general under Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Together with Zhang Fei, he was among Liu Bei's earliest followers. After a brief period in Cao Cao's service in 200, during which he killed Yan Liang at the Battle of Boma, Guan Yu returned to Liu Bei. He later commanded Liu Bei's forces in Jing Province.
In 219, Guan Yu attacked Cao Cao's forces at Fancheng, defeated and captured Yu Jin, and killed Pang De. While the campaign continued, Sun Quan ended his alliance with Liu Bei and sent Lü Meng to seize Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. Guan Yu withdrew, was captured by Sun Quan's forces, and was executed with his son Guan Ping in early 220.
Guan Yu was later worshipped in Chinese folk religion, Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, and popular Confucian traditions. Storytelling, drama, and the 14th-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms further developed his image as a model of loyalty and martial courage. In religious contexts he is commonly called "Lord Guan" (Guan Gong) or "Emperor Guan" (Guan Di).
“Guan Yu” enters the record as chinese general serving warlord Liu Bei (160-220). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Guan, Chinese and general can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Guan Yu” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Guan, Chinese and general provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q222797. VIAF identifies the subject as 3857397. The Library of Congress control number is n83201985. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Guan Yu”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Guan Yu primary sources, Guan Yu archive and Guan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Guan Yu”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Guan Yu” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.