Meet Cao Cao, Chinese history’s ultimate bad guy – but was he really as bad as his reputation makes him out to be?
曹操(155年—220年)是中国历史上最复杂、最具争议的人物之一。他生活在东汉末年,那是一个天下大乱、群雄割据的时代。曹操凭借过人的智慧和铁腕手段,从一个普通官员逐渐成为北方最强大的军事统治者,最终控制了汉朝的朝廷,为后来魏国的建立奠定了基础。
曹操不仅是一位出色的军事家和政治家,也是一位才华横溢的诗人。他的诗风苍劲有力,充满对人生和历史的深刻思考。他爱惜人才,麾下聚集了大量能臣武将,这也是他能够称霸北方的重要原因之一。在他的统治下,北方逐渐恢复了秩序,经济也得到了发展。从纯粹的历史角度来看,他是一个非常有能力的领导人。
然而,历史上的曹操也有非常黑暗的一面。他生性多疑,有时候心狠手辣。有一个著名的故事:曹操在逃亡途中,住在父亲老朋友吕伯奢的家里。半夜他听到外面有声音,以为吕家人要杀他,于是先下手为强,把吕家人全部杀死。但是他错了——吕家人只是在准备食物招待他。曹操发现自己杀错了人,却说出了这样一句话:”宁教我负天下人,休教天下人负我。”意思是:我宁愿对不起全天下的人,也不能让别人对不起我。这句话让很多人看清了他的真实性格。
但是,我们必须区分真实的曹操和后来文学作品中的曹操。真实的曹操生活在公元二世纪,他的所作所为都有历史记录。而文学中的曹操,则是一千多年后的小说家罗贯中在《三国演义》中创造的形象。在这部小说里,曹操被塑造成一个彻底的反派——狡猾、残忍、不择手段。小说同时塑造了另外两个主要人物:刘备和孙权,他们是曹操的对手,各自建立了自己的王国。刘备被描写成一个仁义的君主,代表正义的一方,而曹操则成了他的对立面。这种黑白分明的描写让曹操的坏人形象深入人心,但历史学家认为,真实情况要复杂得多。
有意思的是,曹操在中国文化中留下了一个独特的印记。中文里有一句话叫”说曹操,曹操就到”,意思是你刚刚说到某个人,那个人就出现了。这和英文里的”speak of the devil, and he shall appear”非常相似。能够成为这样一句日常用语里的主角,说明曹操的名字在中国人心里有多么深刻。
今天,历史学家对曹操的评价比过去公平得多。他既不是纯粹的英雄,也不是纯粹的恶人。他是一个真实的历史人物——聪明、有才华、有远见,但也自私、多疑、有时候残忍。在那个乱世之中,也许这样的人才能生存下来,才能统一北方,才能在历史上留下自己的名字。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 争议 | zhēng yì | controversy; dispute |
| 群雄割据 | qún xióng gē jù | rival warlords carving up territory |
| 铁腕手段 | tiě wàn shǒu duàn | iron-fisted methods |
| 奠定基础 | diàn dìng jī chǔ | to lay the foundation |
| 才华横溢 | cái huá héng yì | brimming with talent |
| 心狠手辣 | xīn hěn shǒu là | cruel and ruthless |
| 先下手为强 | xiān xià shǒu wéi qiáng | to strike first to gain the advantage |
| 不择手段 | bù zé shǒu duàn | by any means necessary; unscrupulous |
| 深入人心 | shēn rù rén xīn | deeply rooted in people’s hearts |
| 远见 | yuǎn jiàn | foresight; vision |
| 曹 | cāo | a group; a party (in court); surname Cao |
| 操 | cāo | old variant of 操[cao1]; to grasp; to hold; to operate; to manage; to control; to steer; to exercise; to drill (practice); to play; to speak (a language) |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 中国 | Zhōng guó | China |
| 历 | lì | old variant of 曆|历[li4]; old variant of 歷|历[li4]; calendar; to experience; to undergo; to pass through; all; each; every; history |
| 史 | Shǐ | surname Shi |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 复 | fù | to go and return; to return; to resume; to return to a normal or original state; to repeat; again; to recover; to restore; to turn over; to reply; to answer; to reply to a letter; …; to repeat; to double; to overlap; complex (not simple); compound; composite; double; diplo-; duplicate; overlapping; to duplicate; variant of 復|复[fu4]; to reply to a letter |
| 杂 | zá | variant of 雜|杂[za2]; mixed; miscellaneous; various; to mix |
| 具 | jù | tool; device; utensil; equipment; instrument; talent; ability; to possess; to have; to provide; to furnish; to state; classifier for devices, coffins, dead bodies |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 人物 | rén wù | person; personage; figure (esp. sb of importance); character (in a play, novel etc); (genre of traditional Chinese painting) figure painting |
| 之一 | zhī yī | one of (sth); one out of a multitude; one (third, quarter, percent etc) |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 生 | shēng | to grow; to give birth; to produce; to be born; to arise; to occur; to light (a fire); to live; to be alive; life; raw; uncooked; unprocessed; unfamiliar; strange; (bound form) stu… |
| 活 | huó | to live; alive; living; work; workmanship |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 汉 | Hàn | Han ethnic group; Chinese (language); the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) |
| 末年 | mò nián | the final years (of a regime) |
| 那是 | nà shi | (coll.) of course; naturally; indeed |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 天下 | tiān xià | land under heaven; the whole world; the whole of China; realm; rule |
| 大 | dà | big; large; great; older (than another person); eldest (as in 大姐[da4 jie3]); greatly; freely; fully; (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother) |
| 乱 | luàn | in confusion or disorder; in a confused state of mind; disorder; upheaval; riot; illicit sexual relations; to throw into disorder; to mix up; indiscriminate; random; arbitrary |
| 时代 | Shí dài | Time, US weekly news magazine |
| 凭 | píng | variant of 憑|凭[ping2]; to lean against; to rely on; on the basis of; no matter (how, what etc); proof |
| 借 | jiè | to borrow; (used in combination with 給|给[gei3] or 出[chu1] etc) to lend; to make use of; to avail oneself of; (sometimes followed by 著|着[zhe5]) by; with; variant of 借[jie4] |
| 过人 | guò rén | to surpass others; outstanding; (basketball, soccer etc) to get past an opponent |
| 智慧 | zhì huì | wisdom; intelligence |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 普 | pú | general; everywhere |
| 通 | tōng | to go through; to know well; (suffix) expert; to connect; to communicate; open; to clear; classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc |
| 官 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 员 | yuán | (bound form) person engaged in a certain field of activity; (bound form) member; classifier for military generals |
| 逐 | zhú | (bound form) to pursue; to chase; to drive away; one by one; individually |
| 渐 | jiǎn | to imbue |
| 成为 | chéng wéi | to become; to turn into |
| 北方 | běi fāng | north; the northern part a country; China north of the Yellow River |
| 强 | qiāng | strong; powerful; vigorous; better; to force (qiang3); stubborn (jiang4); surname Qiang |
| 军事 | jūn shì | military affairs; (attributive) military |
| 统 | tóng | to gather; to unify |
| 治 | zhì | to rule; to govern; to manage; to control; to harness (a river); to treat (a disease); to wipe out (a pest); to punish; to research |
| 者 | zhě | (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ...; (after a noun) person involved in ...; -er; -ist; (used after a number or 後|后[hou4] or 前[qian2] to refer to sth mentioned previously);… |
| 终 | zhong | end |
| 控 | kǒng | to control; to charge; to invert a container to empty it; enthusiast; -phile or -philia |
| 制 | zhì | system; to control; to regulate; variant of 製|制[zhi4]; to manufacture; to make |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 汉朝 | Hàn cháo | Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) |
| 朝廷 | cháo tíng | court; imperial household; dynasty |
| 为 | wéi | as (in the capacity of); to take sth as; to act as; to serve as; to behave as; to become; to be; to do; by (in the passive voice); variant of 為|为[wei2] |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 魏 | wěi | surname Wei; Wei state, founded by Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1], one of the Three Kingdoms after the Han dynasty; Wei Prefecture or Wei County at various times in history |
| 国 | Guó | surname Guo |
| 建立 | jiàn lì | to establish; to set up; to found |
| 奠定 | diàn dìng | to establish; to fix; to settle |
| 基 | jī | (bound form) base; foundation; (bound form) radical (chemistry); (bound form) gay (loanword from English into Cantonese, Jyutping: gei1, followed by orthographic borrowing from Can… |
| 础 | chǔ | foundation; base |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 仅 | jín | barely; merely |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 位 | wèi | position; location; place; seat; classifier for people (honorific); classifier for binary bits (e.g. 十六位 16-bit or 2 bytes); (physics) potential |
| 出色 | chū sè | remarkable; outstanding |
| 军事家 | jūn shì jiā | military expert; general |
| 政 | zhèng | political; politics; government |
| 家 | jiā | used in 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5] and 傢俱|家俱[jia1 ju4]; home; family; (polite) my (sister, uncle etc); classifier for families or businesses; refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China; noun suffix for a specialist in some act… |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 诗人 | shī rén | bard; poet |
| 诗 | Shī | abbr. for Shijing 詩經|诗经[Shi1 jing1], the Book of Songs |
| 风 | fēng | wind; news; style; custom; manner; CL:陣|阵[zhen4],絲|丝[si1] |
| 苍 | cang | dark green; grey; pale; the heavens; grey-haired |
| 劲 | jìn | strength; energy; enthusiasm; spirit; mood; expression; interest; CL:把[ba3]; Taiwan pr. [jing4] |
| 有力 | yǒu lì | powerful; forceful; vigorous |
| 充 | chong | sufficient; full; to serve as; to act as |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 人生 | rén shēng | life (one's time on earth) |
| 深 | shēn | old variant of 深[shen1]; (lit. and fig.) deep |
| 刻 | kè | quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals |
| 思考 | sī kǎo | to reflect on; to ponder over |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 惜 | xi | to cherish; to pity |
| 人才 | rén cái | talent; talented person; looks; attractive looks |
| 麾 | ||
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 聚 | jǔ | to assemble; to gather (transitive or intransitive) |
| 集 | jí | to gather; to collect; collected works; classifier for sections of a TV series etc: episode |
| 大量 | dà liàng | great amount; large quantity; bulk; numerous; generous; magnanimous |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 臣 | Chén | surname Chen |
| 武将 | wǔ jiàng | general; military leader; fierce man |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 够 | gòu | enough (sufficient); enough (too much); (coll.) (before adj.) really; (coll.) to reach by stretching out |
| 称霸 | chēng bà | lit. to proclaim oneself hegemon; to take a leading role; to build a personal fiefdom |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant; major |
| 原因 | yuán yīn | cause; origin; root cause; reason; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 恢 | hui | (bound form) vast; expansive |
| 秩 | zhǐ | (literary) salary according to rank; (literary) order; orderliness |
| 序 | xǔ | (bound form) order; sequence; preface |
| 经济 | jīng jì | economy; economic |
| 得到 | dé dào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 发展 | fā zhǎn | development; growth; to develop; to grow; to expand |
| 纯 | chūn | pure; unmixed |
| 粹 | cuǐ | pure; essence |
| 角 | Jué | surname Jue |
| 度 | dù | to pass; to spend (time); measure; limit; extent; degree of intensity; degree (angles, temperature etc); kilowatt-hour; classifier for events and occurrences |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 力 | Lì | surname Li |
| 领导人 | lǐng dǎo rén | leader |
| 然而 | rán ér | however; but; yet |
| 黑暗 | hēi àn | dark; darkly; darkness |
| 一面 | yī miàn | one side; one aspect; simultaneously... (and...); one's whole face |
| 性 | xǐng | nature; property; attribute; sex; suffix forming adjective from verb; essence |
| 多疑 | duō yí | mistrustful; suspicious; paranoid |
| 有时 | yǒu shí | sometimes; now and then |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 著名 | zhù míng | famous; noted; well-known; celebrated |
| 故事 | gù shì | old practice |
| 逃 | tāo | to escape; to flee |
| 亡 | wáng | to die; to lose; to be gone; to flee; deceased; old variant of 亡[wang2] |
| 途 | tū | way; road |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 父亲 | fù qīn | father; also pr. [fu4 qin5]; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 老朋友 | lǎo péng you | old friend; (slang) period; menstruation |
| 吕 | ||
| 伯 | bō | uncle; the eldest among brothers; (honorific) count |
| 奢 | shē | extravagant |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | home |
| 半夜 | bàn yè | midnight; in the middle of the night |
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 外面 | wài miàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface; exterior; external appearance |
| 声音 | shēng yīn | sound; voice |
| 以为 | yǐ wéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless referring to one's own current belief) |
| 家人 | jiā rén | family member; (old) servant |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 杀 | shā | to kill; to slay; to murder; to attack; to weaken; to reduce; (dialect) to smart; (used after a verb) extremely |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 全部 | quán bù | whole; all |
| 杀死 | shā sǐ | to kill |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 错 | Cuò | surname Cuo |
| 只是 | zhǐ shì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however |
| 准备 | zhǔn bèi | preparation; to prepare; to intend; to be about to; reserve (fund) |
| 食物 | shí wù | food |
| 招 | zhao | to recruit; to beckon; to infect; a move (chess); device; to confess |
| 待 | dǎi | to stay; to remain |
| 发现 | fā xiàn | to notice; to become aware of; to discover; to find; to detect; a discovery |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 却 | què | old variant of 卻|却[que4]; but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline; to retreat; nevertheless; even though |
| 说出 | shuō chū | to speak out; to declare (one's view) |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 一句话 | yī jù huà | in a word; in short |
| 宁 | nīng | peaceful; tranquil |
| 教 | Jiào | surname Jiao |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 负 | fù | to bear; to carry (on one's back); to turn one's back on; to be defeated; negative (math. etc) |
| 休 | Xīu | surname Xiu |
| 意思 | yì si | idea; opinion; meaning; wish; desire; interest; fun; token of appreciation, affection etc; CL:個|个[ge4]; to give as a small token; to do sth as a gesture of goodwill etc |
| 愿 | yuàn | honest and prudent; variant of 願|愿[yuan4]; (bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing; to wish (that sth may happen); may ...; vow; pledge |
| 对不起 | duì bu qǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 全天 | quán tiān | whole day |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others; other person |
| 句 | gōu | variant of 勾[gou1] |
| 话 | huà | dialect; language; spoken words; speech; talk; words; conversation; what sb said; CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]; old variant of 話|话[hua4] |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 看清 | kàn qīng | to see clearly |
| 真实 | zhēn shí | true; real |
| 格 | gē | used in 格登[ge1 deng1] |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 必须 | bì xū | to have to; must; compulsory; necessarily |
| 区分 | qū fēn | to differentiate; to draw a distinction; to divide into categories |
| 文学 | wén xué | literature |
| 作品 | zuò pǐn | work (of art); opus; CL:部[bu4],篇[pian1] |
| 中的 | zhòng dì | to hit the target; (fig.) to hit the nail on the head |
| 公元 | gōng yuán | CE (Common Era); Christian Era; AD (Anno Domini) |
| 二世 | èr shì | the Second (of numbered kings); second generation (e.g. Chinese Americans) |
| 纪 | Jǐ | surname Ji; also pr. [Ji4] |
| 所 | suǒ | actually; place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 作 | zuō | (bound form) worker; (bound form) workshop; (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person) |
| 所为 | suǒ wéi | what one does; doings |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 记录 | jì lù | to record; record (written account); note-taker; record (in sports etc); CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 而 | ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) |
| 则 | zé | (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then; (bound form) standard; norm; (bound form) principle; (literary) to imitate; to follow; classifie… |
| 千 | qiān | thousand; used in 鞦韆|秋千[qiu1 qian1] |
| 多年 | duō nián | many years; for many years; longstanding |
| 小说家 | Xiǎo shuō jiā | School of Minor-talks, one of the Hundred Schools of Thought 諸子百家|诸子百家[zhu1 zi3 bai3 jia1] during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) |
| 罗 | Luó | surname Luo |
| 贯 | guàn | to pierce through; to pass through; to be stringed together; string of 1000 cash |
| 三国 | Sān guó | Three Kingdoms period (220–280) in Chinese history; any of several Three Kingdoms periods in Korean history, esp. from 1st century AD to unification under Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2] in… |
| 演 | yǎn | to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show); (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task) |
| 义 | Yì | surname Yi; (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利[Yi4 da4 li4]) |
| 创 | chuǎng | to start; to create; to initiate (chuang4); wound; trauma (chuang1) |
| 造 | zǎo | to make; to manufacture; to fabricate; party (in a lawsuit or legal agreement); classifier for crops |
| 形象 | xíng xiàng | image; form; figure; CL:個|个[ge4]; visualization; vivid |
| 部 | bù | ministry; department; section; part; division; troops; board; classifier for works of literature, films, machines etc |
| 小说 | xiǎo shuō | novel; fiction; CL:本[ben3],部[bu4] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 被 | bèi | quilt; to cover (with); (literary) to suffer (a misfortune); used to indicate passive voice (placed before the doer of the action like "by" in English passive-voice sentences, or, … |
| 塑 | sǔ | to model (a figure) in clay |
| 成 | Chéng | surname Cheng; short name for Chengdu 成都[Cheng2 du1] |
| 彻 | chě | thorough; to pervade |
| 底 | dí | (equivalent to 的 as possessive particle) |
| 反 | fǎn | contrary; in reverse; inside out or upside down; to reverse; to return; to oppose; opposite; against; anti-; to rebel; to use analogy; instead; abbr. for 反切[fan3 qie4] phonetic sys… |
| 派 | pā | used in 派司[pa1 si5] |
| 狡 | jiáo | crafty; sly |
| 猾 | huā | sly |
| 残 | cán | to destroy; to spoil; to ruin; to injure; cruel; oppressive; savage; brutal; incomplete; disabled; to remain; to survive; remnant; surplus |
| 忍 | rén | to bear; to tolerate |
| 同时 | tóng shí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 另 | lìng | other; another; separate; separately |
| 外 | wài | outside; in addition; foreign; external |
| 两 | liǎng | two; both; some; a few; tael, unit of weight equal to 50 grams (modern) or 1⁄16 of a catty 斤[jin1] (old) |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 主要 | zhǔ yào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 刘备 | Líu Bèi | Liu Bei (161-223), warlord at the end of the Han dynasty and founder of the Han kingdom of Shu 蜀漢|蜀汉 (c. 200-263), later the Shu Han dynasty |
| 孙权 | Sūn Quán | Sun Quan (reigned 222-252), southern warlord and king of state of Wu 吳|吴[Wu2] in the Three Kingdoms period |
| 对手 | duì shǒu | opponent; rival; competitor; (well-matched) adversary; match |
| 各自 | gè zì | each; respective; apiece |
| 王国 | wáng guó | kingdom; realm |
| 描 | miāo | to depict; to copy |
| 写 | xiě | to write |
| 仁义 | rén yì | benevolence and righteousness |
| 君 | jun | monarch; gentleman |
| 主 | zhǔ | owner; master; host; individual or party concerned; God; Lord; main; to indicate or signify; trump card (in card games) |
| 代表 | dài biǎo | representative; delegate; CL:位[wei4],個|个[ge4],名[ming2]; to represent; to stand for; on behalf of; in the name of |
| 正义 | zhèng yì | justice; righteousness; just; righteous; (in the titles of traditional commentaries) correct interpretation |
| 一方 | yī fāng | a party (in a contract or legal case); one side; area; region |
| 成了 | chéng le | to be done; to be ready; that's enough!; that will do! |
| 对立面 | duì lì miàn | opposite; antonym; the opposite side (in a conflict) |
| 这种 | zhè zhǒng | this kind of |
| 黑白 | hēi bái | black and white; right and wrong; monochrome |
| 分明 | fēn míng | clear; distinct; evidently; clearly |
| 坏人 | huài rén | bad person; villain |
| 学 | xué | to learn; to study; to imitate; science; -ology |
| 认为 | rèn wéi | to believe; to think; to consider; to feel |
| 情况 | qíng kuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation; CL:種|种[zhong3] |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 有意思 | yǒu yì si | interesting; meaningful; enjoyable; fun |
| 文化 | wén huà | culture; civilization; cultural; CL:個|个[ge4],種|种[zhong3] |
| 留下 | líu xià | to leave behind; to stay behind; to remain; to keep; not to let (sb) go |
| 独特 | dú tè | unique; distinctive |
| 印记 | yìn jì | imprint; trace |
| 中文 | Zhōng wén | Chinese language |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 刚刚 | gāng gang | just recently; just a moment ago |
| 说到 | shuō dào | to talk about; to mention; (preposition) as for |
| 某 | mǒu | some; a certain; sb or sth indefinite; such-and-such |
| 个人 | gè rén | an individual; oneself; (attributive) personal; one's own |
| 那个人 | nà gè rén | lit. that person; fig. the person you have been looking for; Mr Right; the girl of one's dreams |
| 出现 | chū xiàn | to appear; to arise; to emerge; to show up |
| 英文 | Yīng wén | English (language) |
| 相 | Xiāng | surname Xiang |
| 似 | shǐ | used in 似的[shi4 de5] |
| 一句 | yī jù | a line of verse; a sentence |
| 日常 | rì cháng | day-to-day; daily; everyday |
| 用语 | yòng yǔ | choice of words; wording; phraseology; term |
| 主角 | zhǔ jué | leading role; lead; protagonist |
| 说明 | shuō míng | to explain; to illustrate; to indicate; to show; to prove; explanation; directions; caption; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 名字 | míng zi | name (of a person or thing) |
| 中国人 | Zhōng guó rén | Chinese person |
| 心里 | xīn li | chest; heart; mind |
| 多么 | duō me | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc); however (difficult it may be etc); (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc); to what extent |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 评 | píng | to discuss; to comment; to criticize; to judge; to choose (by public appraisal) |
| 价 | jiǎ | (literary) messenger; servant |
| 比 | Bǐ | Belgium; Belgian; abbr. for 比利時|比利时[Bi3 li4 shi2] |
| 过去 | guò qù | (in the) past; former; previous; to go over; to pass by |
| 公平 | gōng píng | fair; impartial |
| 既 | jì | already; since; both... (and...) |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 英雄 | yīng xíong | hero; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 恶 | ě | used in 惡心|恶心[e3 xin1] |
| 聪明 | cōng ming | intelligent; clever; bright; acute (of sight and hearing) |
| 才华 | cái huá | talent; CL:份[fen4] |
| 自私 | zì sī | selfish; selfishness |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 世 | Shì | surname Shi |
| 之中 | zhī zhōng | inside; among; in the midst of (doing sth); during |
| 也许 | yě xǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 生存 | shēng cún | to exist; to survive |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
Cao Cao (155-220) is one of the most complex and controversial figures in Chinese history. He lived at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, an era of chaos across the land where rival warlords carved up territory. Through his extraordinary intelligence and iron-fisted methods, Cao Cao gradually rose from an ordinary official to become the most powerful military ruler in the north, eventually controlling the Han court and laying the foundation for the later establishment of the Wei kingdom.
Cao Cao was not only an outstanding military strategist and politician, but also a brilliantly talented poet. His poetry was vigorous and powerful, full of deep reflections on life and history. He cherished talented people, and gathered a large number of capable officials and generals under his command, which was one of the important reasons he was able to dominate the north. Under his rule, the north gradually restored order, and the economy developed as well. From a purely historical perspective, he was an extremely capable leader.
However, the Cao Cao of history also had a very dark side. He was suspicious by nature, and at times cruel and ruthless. There is a famous story: while Cao Cao was fleeing, he stayed at the home of Lü Boshe, an old friend of his father. In the middle of the night, he heard sounds outside and, thinking the Lü family wanted to kill him, he struck first and killed the entire Lü family. But he was wrong—the Lü family was only preparing food to entertain him. When Cao Cao discovered he had killed the wrong people, he uttered these words: ‘I would rather betray all the people of the world than let the world betray me.’ This means: I would rather wrong everyone in the world than allow anyone to wrong me. This sentence made many people see his true character clearly.
But we must distinguish between the real Cao Cao and the Cao Cao of later literary works. The real Cao Cao lived in the second century AD, and his deeds are all part of the historical record. The literary Cao Cao, however, is an image created by the novelist Luo Guanzhong more than a thousand years later in ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’ In this novel, Cao Cao is portrayed as a thorough villain—cunning, cruel, and willing to use any means necessary. The novel also created two other main characters: Liu Bei and Sun Quan, who were Cao Cao’s rivals, each establishing his own kingdom. Liu Bei was depicted as a benevolent and righteous ruler, representing the side of justice, while Cao Cao became his opposite. This black-and-white portrayal made Cao Cao’s villainous image take deep root in people’s hearts, but historians believe the truth was far more complex.
Interestingly, Cao Cao left a unique mark on Chinese culture. There is a saying in Chinese: ‘Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives,’ which means that you just mentioned someone, and that person appears. This is very similar to the English ‘speak of the devil, and he shall appear.’ To become the protagonist of such an everyday expression shows how deeply Cao Cao’s name is rooted in the hearts of Chinese people.
Today, historians’ evaluation of Cao Cao is much fairer than in the past. He was neither a pure hero nor a pure villain. He was a real historical figure—intelligent, talented, and far-sighted, but also selfish, suspicious, and at times cruel. In that chaotic age, perhaps only such a person could survive, could unify the north, and could leave his name in history.