Special Sub-Topic: Quotes from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms' #2 Click Here To Play: Quotes from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms' #2

Who said, "In peace you are an able subject; in chaos you are a crafty hero!"?

Xu Shao. In Chapter 1, Xu Shao said this to comment on Cao Cao. "As a young man Cao Cao had been fond of hunting and delighted in songs and dancing. He was resourceful and full of guile." One day he went to inquire his future of Xu Shao and Xu said this.

Which character said, "Brothers are as hands and feet; wives and children are as clothing. You may mend your torn dress, but who can reattach a lost limb?"

Liu Bei. In Chapter 15, Liu Bei said this to Zhang Fei when Zhang wanted to kill himself for losing Liu's wives in Xuzhou. This is Liu's personal viewpoint about women. At that time, women held no social status and were considered by men only as a means of having children.

Who said, "Do you not understand that the plans elaborated in a little chamber decide success over thousands of miles"?

Liu Bei. In Chapter 39, Liu Bei said this to Zhang Fei after he complained about Zhuge Liang's staying at home while they were to go out to bloody battle. But this saying was not "invented" by Liu Bei. Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han dynasty, once said this about Zhang Liang, his chief advisor.

Who said, "All are in your wish, But wind from the east"?

Zhuge Liang. In Chapter 49, Zhuge Liang said this when treating Zhou Yu's acute disease. Zhou fell in a faint when he found there was no southeast wind in winter, which would ruin his plan of fire-attacking Cao Cao's troops. When Zhuge Liang diagnosed Zhou's disease, he said this to tell exactly the cause of his disease. Now this saying has become a well-known proverb in China, meaning that all is ready except what is crucial.

Which character said: "That (Sun Quan) is the sort of son to have"?

Cao Cao. In Chapter 61, Cao Cao said this when seeing the deployment of Sun Quan's troops. Cao spoke highly of Sun Quan in this way, especially when he compared Sun Quan with Liu Biao's useless sons. This line was adopted by Xin Qiji (1140-1207), a Chinese poet during the Southern Song Dynasty, in one of his famous poems.

Which of the following characters said, "O why, since we sprang from the same selfsame root, Should you kill me with anger hot"?

Cao Zhi. In Chapter 79, Cao Zhi said this when Cao Pi, his elder brother, ordered him to compose a poem within the time taken to walk seven paces.

Who said, "Do not do evil because it is a small evil; do not leave undone a small good because it is a small good"?

Liu Bei. In Chapter 85, Liu Bei said this in his testamentary edict to Liu Shan, his son. This is a famous saying in China. The kingdom of Shu was still at a most critical moment so Liu Bei hoped his son would exert himself to make the country prosperous. What a pity Liu Shan didn't fulfill it.

Which character said, "In arms even it is best to attack hearts rather than cities; to fight with sentiment is better than to fight with weapons"?

Ma Su. In Chapter 87, Ma Su said this when Zhuge Liang asked him of the strategy taken to conquer the southern tribes. Before beginning the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang needed to conquer the southern tribes first. He asked Ma Su, his trusted assistant, about the strategy he should take. It was really more important to gain popular support than just to kill those tribe people. Afterwards Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo, the southern tribe leader, seven times before reducing him to submission.

Who said, "I should strive on to the end, but the final result, whether success or failure, whether gain or loss, is beyond my powers to foresee"?

Zhuge Liang. In Chapter 97, Zhuge Liang said this in the memorial before taking his final Northern Expedition. Many people say Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions just exhausted the people and drained the treasury. But he carried on with this cause in spite of this opinion. He had an ideal in mind that he must restore the Han Dynasty.

Who said, "With such music as this, I forget Shu"?

Liu Shan (the Latter Ruler). In Chapter 119, Liu Shan said this to Sima Zhao when asked whether he still missed the kingdom of Shu. Liu Shan was captured by Deng Ai and taken to Xuchang, the capital of Wei kingdom. Sima Zhao asked him whether he still missed the kingdom of Shu and Liu Shan said he was happy there. Sima Zhao commented that even if Zhuge Liang had lived, he couldn't have maintained such a man.