courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Yuankai, was a Chinese classicist, military general, and politician of the state of
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...
Du Yu was from Duling County (), Jingzhao Commandery (), which is located northwest of present-day
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...
. He married Princess Gaolu, a sister of Sima Zhao, the regent of the
Jin dynasty (266–420)
The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had pr ...
.
A prolific author, Du Yu was a self-proclaimed addict of the '' Zuo Zhuan'' and wrote an influential commentary to it. He was one of the most important commanders under the Wei general
Zhong Hui
Zhong Hui (225 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Shiji, was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, military general, and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the younger son of Zhang Changpu with Zhong Y ...
during the conquest of Wei's rival state, Shu. He also followed in leading an army in the Jin dynasty's conquest of the state of Eastern Wu. Du Yu managed to lay waste to the Wu army with great force in not the greatest of length of time, and received the surrender of
Sun Hao
Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...
, the last Wu emperor. His military achievements were all the more remarkable due to his physical weaknesses; it was recorded that he was unable to ride a horse or shoot an arrow with significant force.
Du Yu was also the ancestor of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
poet Du Fu, and his grandfather Du Shenyan.(杜审言，字必简，襄州襄阳人，晋征南将军预远裔。....审言生子闲，闲生甫。) ''Xin Tang Shu'', vol.201 Unlike his predecessors, Du Yu used the ''Zuo Zhuan'' to comment on the ''Chunqiu Classic''. He therefore combined the two books in one, which has been the common practice since.
Book of Jin
The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang ...