CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Zhu Wu

Water Margin character

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ855720
Source-derived summary

Zhu Wu is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Classic Chinese Novels. Nicknamed "Resourceful Strategist", he ranks 37th among the 108 Heroes and first among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Zhu Wu is first introduced in the novel as one of three leaders of an outlaw band based at Mount Shaohua (少華山; southeast of present-day Hua County, Shaanxi), taking the first position of leadership while his sworn brothers Chen Da and Yang Chun take the second and third respectively. Nicknamed "Resourceful Strategist", he is described as a handsome man with blazing eyes and a long, sleek beard. Often dressed in a Taoist robe and carrying a hand fan made of crane feathers, he is known for being well-versed in military strategy and the Qimen Dunjia. A skilled swordsman, he uses a pair of swords in combat. He is originally from Dingyuan (定遠; present-day Dingyuan County, Anhui).

Befriending Shi Jin

On one occasion, Chen Da leads his men to plunder Huayin County for supplies when the outlaw stronghold is experiencing a shortage. En route, he passes by the Shi Family Village and encounters the headman Shi Jin, a formidable martial artist. Despite being warned earlier by Zhu Wu about Shi Jin's prowess, Chen Da pushes his luck, challenges Shi Jin to fight him on horseback, and ends up being defeated and captured.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Zhu Wu” is water Margin character. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Water, Margin and character, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current 224-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. For this dossier, Water, Margin and character is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “water Margin character” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q855720. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

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.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Zhu Wu”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Zhu Wu primary sources, Zhu Wu archive and Water research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Zhu Wu”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Zhu Wu” 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.