Sun Li is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (), also called ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' or ''All Men Are Brothers'', is a Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty that is one of the preeminent Classic Chinese Novels. Attributed to Shi Nai'an, ''Water Margin'' was one of the e ...

'', one of the

four great classical novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known works of literary fiction across pre-modern Chinese literature. The group usually includes the following works: Ming dynasty novels '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', '' Water Margin'', ''Journey to t ...

Chinese literature The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of years, and begins with the earliest recorded inscriptions, court archives, building to the major works of philosophy and history written during the Axial Age. The Han dynasty, Han (202 ...

. Nicknamed "Superior to Yuchi", he ranks 39th among the

108 Stars of Destiny The 108 Heroes are the main characters of the Ming dynasty classic Chinese novel the ''Water Margin'', which was written in the 14th century and usually attributed to Shi Nai'an. The heroes are divided into the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly ...

and third among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

An eight ''

chi __NOTOC__ Chi may refer to: __NOTOC__ Greek *Chi (letter) (Χ or χ), the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet Chinese * ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon * Chi (surname) ...

'' tall skilled warrior, Sun Li has a broad face studded with whiskers and jet black eyes. Expert in the use of a variety of weapons, he usually fights with a steel club in one hand and a spear in the other. He is nicknamed "Superior to Yuchi" as he resembles the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

general

Yuchi Gong Yuchi Gong () or Yuchi Rong () (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another general Qin Sh ...

not only in looks but also his specialisation in steel club as a weapon. The word "病" is viewed by the Chinese literature community as a prefix in Hangzhou dialect, which means "better than" at the time, rather than meaning that it is sick. A native of Qiongzhou (瓊州; present-day

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

), Sun Li lives in Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

), where he serves as a garrison officer and his younger brother Sun Xin, nicknamed "Little Yuchi" runs a tavern with his spouse

Gu Dasao Gu Dasao (literally "Elder Sister-in-Law Gu") is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Female Tiger", she ranks 101st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 65th among t ...

Prison raid in Dengzhou

Gu Dasao is informed by the jailer

Yue He Yue He is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Whistle", he ranks 77th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 41st among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background The nov ...

of the Dengzhou prison that the hunter brothers Xie Zhen and

Xie Bao Xie Bao is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion", he ranks 35th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Ba ...

, who are Gu's cousins, have been jailed and might be sentenced to death. The Xies have smashed up the house of one Squire Mao after failing to find a tiger they shot that had fallen into the old man's garden. In fact, the squire had sent the tiger to the prefecture office for reward. His sister being the wife of Sun Li, Yue He is obligated to protect the Xies. Gu Dasao consults with her husband, who invites the outlaws

Zou Yuan Zou Yuan is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Forest Emerging Dragon", he ranks 90th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 54th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgr ...

and

Zou Run Zou Run is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Single Horned Dragon", he ranks 91st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 55th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgroun ...

to help in the rescue. Gu is worried that her brother-in-law Sun Li would stand in their way. So she pretends to be ill and gets Sun Li to visit her. When Sun appears, she threatens him to decide either to join them or fight them. Sun reluctantly signs on to their plan. Pretending to take food to the Xie brothers, Gu Dasao is let into the prison by Yue He. Yue then unshackles and frees the Xies while Gu causes havoc inside the jail compound. Meanwhile Sun Li launches an attack from the outside with the rest. The group pulls off the rescue and flee to join the outlaws of

Liangshan Marsh Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong, China, which rises to 197.9 metres above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 Heroes in the classic Chinese novel '' Water Margin''. The modern Liangshan County i ...

Battle against the Zhu Family Village

Before going up Liangshan, the group learn that

Song Jiang Song Jiang was a Chinese historical figure who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song dynasty, Song Dynasty in the early 12th century. His band marauded over a region straddling the present-day Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan. Th ...

is stuck in a battle with the Zhu Family Village. As Sun Li has been taught combat skills by the same teacher of Luan Tingyu, the village's martial arts instructor, he suggests he can use that link to win the confidence of the Zhus and then topple them from within their ranks. Sun Li, taking along Sun Xin, Gu Dasao, Xie Zhen, Xie Bao, Yue He, Zou Yuan and Zou Run, visits the Zhus, telling them he has passed by and feels obliged to help them in their defence against Liangshan. Although allowed to stay, Sun Li initially does not have the full trust of the Zhus. Only after he pretends to capture Liangshan's

Shi Xiu Shi Xiu is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Daredevil Third Brother", he ranks 33rd among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. ...

in a feigned one-on-one combat that the Zhus let down their guard. The group embedded among the Zhus goes on a bloody rampage when Sun Li sees the opportunity to strike and gives the signal. The manor is thus taken, with the Zhus massacred.

Campaigns and later life

Sun Li is appointed as one of the scouting generals of the Liangshan cavalry after the

came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

territory following amnesty by Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. Sun Li is among the few heroes who survives all the campaigns. Reinstated as garrison officer in Dengzhou, he goes back to his previous place of service while his brother Sun Xin and sister-in-law Gu Dasao also return there to resume the business of running an inn.

Other appearances

In '' Iron Arm, Golden Sabre'', Sun Li is portrayed to be studying martial arts alongside

Zhou Tong Zhou Tong may refer to: * Zhou Tong (archer) (died 1121), the second military arts tutor of Song Dynasty General Yue Fei * Zhou Tong (Water Margin), a fictional character from the ''Water Margin'' novel * Zhou Tong (footballer) (born 1990), Chines ...

and Luan Tingyu. Their teacher is a Shaolin martial artist named Tan Zhengfan. Zhou Tong becomes a drill instructor of the Imperial Guards and uses his influence to get Sun Li the position of garrison major in Dengzhou., UBSN (Union Books and Serials Number) CN (10103.414) and 464574.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Li (Water Margin) 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional characters from Hainan