Guān shèng dì jūn běn zhuàn 關聖帝君本傳
Original Biography of the Holy-Imperial Lord Guān
biography of 關帝 (Guān shèng dìjūn = Guān Yǔ); compiled by 崇德弟子 (Chóngdé dìzǐ — anonymous disciple), labelled “輯全書” (edited from a comprehensive book) in the source-line
The principal Guāndì biographical narrative in the Lǚ-zǔ-circle Daoist register, complementary to the Sān jiè fú mó scripture at KR5i0088. The biography opens with the historical sketch from the San guó zhì: Guān Yǔ (zì Yúncháng), of Hédōng Jiěliáng Bǎochí Xiàlǐ Féng village (Shānxī), descendant of the Xià dynasty Guān Lóngféng; his early association with Liú Bèi 劉備 and Zhāng Fēi 張飛 (Huánhóu 桓侯 here means Hóngdé Zhāng Fēi); their bonds of brotherhood; the campaigns under various warlords; the famous incident of Guān Yǔ’s “three conditions” with Cáo Cāo (1. surrender to Hàn but not to Cáo; 2. provide for the two ladies — Liú Bèi’s wives; 3. depart instantly when Liú Bèi’s whereabouts are known) — preserving Guān’s loyalty intact through service under Cáo. The biography continues through Guān’s death at Màichéng (220) and proceeds to the post-mortem cult-history.
Prefaces
No external preface. The compiler is signed “崇德弟子” without further identification, and the credit “輯全書” indicates extraction from a more extensive source.
Abstract
The Guāndì biographical complement to the Sān jiè fú mó scripture, edited within the Lǚ-zǔ-circle planchette tradition. Composition c. 1700–1809; the work follows the SòngYuán hagiographic tradition of the cult, with elements drawn from the Sān guó zhì’s Guān Yǔ zhuàn (which the biography reproduces almost verbatim) supplemented by post-mortem cult-history. The DZJY recension preserves the standard late-imperial form.
For the broader Guāndì cult see 關帝 and ter Haar, Guan Yu (2017).
Translations and research
- ter Haar, Guan Yu (2017).
- Duara, “Superscribing Symbols” (1988).
- de Groot, The Religious System of China VI, on Guān-dì ritual.
Links
- Kanseki Repository KR5i0089
- Subject: 關帝.