Tian Hu
| Tian Hu | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Also known as | King of Jin (晉王) |
| Leader of Tian Hu forces | |
| Origin | Hunter |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Qinyuan County, Weishengzhou (威胜州), Shanxi |
| First appearance | Chapter 91 |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 田虎 |
| Traditional Chinese | 田虎 |
| Pinyin | Tián Hǔ |
| Wade–Giles | Tien Hu |
Tian Hu is a fictional character and an antagonist in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is one of the three rebel leaders in China, together with Fang La and Wang Qing, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel. He only appears in the longest versions of the stories which include these extra chapters.[1]
Life
Tian Hu was originally a hunter from Qinyuan County, Weishengzhou, Shanxi. He possesses great physical strength and excels in martial arts. The Song Dynasty government is corrupt then and people are suffering from extreme poverty and natural disasters. Tian Hu uses the opportunity to spread rumours and incite people to follow him in rebelling against the government.
As the local government is weak and lacks a capable military force to suppress Tian Hu's rebels, Tian conquers and overrun five administrative divisions and 56 counties in a short time. Tian Hu establishes for himself a domain in the Hebei and Shanxi region and proclaims himself "King of Jin". He has a palace built for himself in Fenyang.
After the Liangshan outlaws have been granted amnesty by Emperor Huizong of Song, the emperor sends them on military campaigns to drive away the Liao invaders in the north and suppress the rebel forces in China. The Liangshan heroes successfully defeated Liao, followed by Tian Hu and Wang Qing's rebel forces, without suffering much casualties. Tian Hu is captured by Liangshan's "Featherless Arrow" Zhang Qing after his defeat.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 217. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Buck, Pearl. All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell Ltd, 2006. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Zhang, Lin Ching. Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7506344784.
- Keffer, David. Outlaws of the Marsh.
- Miyamotois, Yoko. Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits.
- (Japanese) Ichisada, Miyazaki. Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu. Chuo Koronsha, 1993. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Shibusawa, Kou. Bandit Kings of Ancient China. KOEI, 1989.